So, it's been pretty obvious he has yet to adjust fully to Liverpool. There are a few things I think he needs to sort out before he will start to click with the rest of the team: 1. Get in front of defenders when handling crosses. Too often he's caught behind a defender and whilst he has a height advantage, the defender is just as likely to knock both players over. 2. Getting into positions on the outside of the box. He's started doing this more, but he's often found in an offside position across the other side of the box to the crosser. He needs to pull in a bit more and become more of a target man, at the moment he's languishing away from where the players want him. 3. Shooting and not passing. There are a few times I've seen him miss an opportunity and pass it to someone else instead. This could be a confidence thing, or because he feels he can't take the shot. Either way he needs to take the first time shot sometimes and think of himself more of a Target man. He can become the player we bought him for, one who will score 25 goals a season, but he's going to need time. I did maintain I'd prefer Aguero, but then based on current form and past prowess, would anyone argue with me if we were presented with the 2 players you'd pick Carroll over Aguero? Anyway, it's beside the point because we've got Carroll and he will "come good" eventually, or "get better" should I say because he's not a bad player now. Are you guys happy with Carroll? How many goals do you think he'll get this season?
I'm just disappointed but I expected more of him in terms of basics i.e. controlling, movement. It's as if we have to literally start from scratch with him which I wouldn't mind if he was a back up to a more experienced striker in the Liverpool mould. But we've spent £35m on him so it's look we have to play him. One thing he can already do is head and bully defenders. If he can work on his movement, he would be unstoppable.
I think he will improve as the team does throughout the season. He's a good player but does need to learn and improve.
If the goal had stood on saterday, i doubt the debate would be taking place. If you take out the slight push, it weas exelent control on the chest and a very neat finish. The biggest problem with carrol in the team is exactly the same as when we had crouch, which is the teams attitude to having him upfront. Its the team who devoid of any ideas start to hoof the ball up to him. Carrol needs to be used as an option in the attack, with downing, suarez, kuyt providing other options for the mid and defence to play the ball too. If we start to rely on the long ball forward all the time as we often did when crouch was upfront, and to certain extyent how we played when torres was upfront, we become one dimensional. This does the team no favours but also makes the attacker look isolated and ineffectual, Which is how carrol is looking at the minute. He will get better at the team improves and starts to utile him as a part of the attack not the only option.
It's always going to be a problem with a big man up front. The temptation to take the easy option of playing a long ball will always be there. That's not Carrol's fault. I agree with you. It has to be alearning process. Carrol has to learn where and how he should position himself and the midfield need to learn when to use him as the prime option and when to use him as a decoy. It's early days yet but if we can sort it out fairly quickly then we have good prospects for the coming season.
CarliseRed. You cannot compare Carroll to Crouch. Crouch is a 6ft 7 bean-pole. Carroll is a tank. I made this point on the forum and I stand by it, Andy Carroll is Alan Shearer mark 2. Alan Shearer has said that Andy Carroll is better than he was at the same age. Just give him a bit of time, Kenny is working on him, and I'm 100% sure he's going to be unstoppable.
I dont know what to make of him. At times he looks dangerous, on other occasions he looks cumbersome and slow.
I wasnt comparing carroll to crouch, i was comparing the way we played with crouch to the way we can play with carrol. Because of the height it becomes to easy to play the punt upfront and hope he gets a head to it. I agree with the shearer carroll comparison, both are strong, and have a good shot on them, neither player was ever going to beat three men and slot it in the bottom corner, but its not what their about. I believe carrol will be better than shearer, hows that for sticking your neck out.
guys.... come on. 1. he was signed unfit and he's going to improve with games. 2. a forward who shoots rather than passes in my book is doing his job. 3. the whole team needs to settle into a pattern of play before you can say carroll is out of position or not. same for suarez. lets give it 5 games
