Make it 3 points for a missed sitter and 1.5 for a wildly off target shot. I think we'd probably be quite high. Missed sitters helped get us relegated at the end of last season.
Reading and City have easily the most shots per game of the 24 clubs. City have the most shots on target (Boro are 2nd), while Reading have the most shots off target (City are 2nd).
The primary reason Reading and City have had more shots is simply that they've had way more shots from outside the box than other clubs. The stats for shots from inside the box are much more closely bunched (Ipswich and Blackburn have had the most). I like Diame, but he needs to stop trying to score the goal of the season three times every game from 30 yards out.
I watched part of the game last night Boro that is… and the thing that struck me was the space available in the box. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, are too many cooks spoiling the broth.. I'm no coach, but surely if you compact two defensive lines inside the 18 yard line, you can play in front of it all day long, the route through has to be much harder… thoughts..?
If you want space in the box then attack quickly before the opposition have chance to form 2 banks of 4. We don't, our build up play recently has been painfully slow. World class strikers will always find space. Our movement is not always good enough however. That said, intelligent through balls are needed and we don't seem to play them either. Truth be told, I don't think that we'll ever score again.
We've been better on the break now for at least two years. The build up play was pretty much always get it wide for the cross, now we've maybe mixed it a bit more with playing through the middle but it's always very tight and hard to thread it so we rarely get anywhere. Team that push up and leave space at the back make it easier, like Blackburn, but most teams won't do that.
I've often wondered why does Abel not learn from working with his compatriot and fellow striker Luis Suarez, who is a past master at the art of space finding? It would really benefit our oft under-committed front man to have a bit more bite in his game.
