I'm started to get frustrated when I see Rickie popping up on the wing.
I love that Rickie is such a technically proficient player, that he's got more in his locker than being a big rough tough target man to knock down a few balls and score goals, but I'm beginning to worry that him dropping out from the front and straying out wide etc. is hurting our attacking threat more than it helps it. I think Rickie's got great link-up play and a good delivery, but if he's the one crossing the ball who's getting on the end of it? I know it's a fairly simplistic question but I feel it's a legitimate one. Rodriguez is obviously a decent goalscorer but he's not exactly proven it at this level nor is he in a great vein of form, his two Premier League goals so far haven't exactly been classics (Although his goal in the cup against Chelsea was a peach). Lallana, Ramirez and Punch can all chip in with goals but usually when we have space to attack and to slip them in. At the end of the day Lambert is our main source of goals, he's the man we rely on to get in those positions and get goals, and when he's not in the heart of things bullying centre-backs we are a much less dangerous side. I guarantee there is no place an opposing manager or player would rather see Rickie Lambert than outside of the box (Unless he's stood over a free-kick of course
).
Of course I'm not saying he spends his whole game drifting around aimlessly, neither am I suggesting he plays on the shoulder of the last man the whole game, I just think we need to utilise him more efficiently to harness his ability in a way that would benefit the team most. His job should be kept simple; when we don't have the ball, drop into areas to receive it to feet to pass it on to one of the other attackers, or in position to loft the ball up for knock down, but once the ball has left his foot or head he should be heading in one direction and that's goalwards. I'm all for the rotation of our attacking mids, as I think all of them can slot into each other's position and still be just as effective, but when Rickie roams out wide or into deep areas it's like taking the spearhead from the end of spear and fastening it halfway up the shaft... The spearhead is still just as sharp and as dangerous, but if you try and attack someone then all you're doing is jabbing them with a pole. You can still do damage if you whack them hard enough, but you're better off just leaving the spearhead on the end. Did I stretch that analogy too far?
So that's my micro-rant over, but of course I'm writing this to figure out if I'm alone on this or if other people think similarly. So what do you folks think, is Rickie so good and our other players goal-scoring abilities sufficient enough that wherever he is we are still just as or more threatening, or do we need and rely on him to be on the end of things to carry our maximum goalscoring threat?
I love that Rickie is such a technically proficient player, that he's got more in his locker than being a big rough tough target man to knock down a few balls and score goals, but I'm beginning to worry that him dropping out from the front and straying out wide etc. is hurting our attacking threat more than it helps it. I think Rickie's got great link-up play and a good delivery, but if he's the one crossing the ball who's getting on the end of it? I know it's a fairly simplistic question but I feel it's a legitimate one. Rodriguez is obviously a decent goalscorer but he's not exactly proven it at this level nor is he in a great vein of form, his two Premier League goals so far haven't exactly been classics (Although his goal in the cup against Chelsea was a peach). Lallana, Ramirez and Punch can all chip in with goals but usually when we have space to attack and to slip them in. At the end of the day Lambert is our main source of goals, he's the man we rely on to get in those positions and get goals, and when he's not in the heart of things bullying centre-backs we are a much less dangerous side. I guarantee there is no place an opposing manager or player would rather see Rickie Lambert than outside of the box (Unless he's stood over a free-kick of course
). Of course I'm not saying he spends his whole game drifting around aimlessly, neither am I suggesting he plays on the shoulder of the last man the whole game, I just think we need to utilise him more efficiently to harness his ability in a way that would benefit the team most. His job should be kept simple; when we don't have the ball, drop into areas to receive it to feet to pass it on to one of the other attackers, or in position to loft the ball up for knock down, but once the ball has left his foot or head he should be heading in one direction and that's goalwards. I'm all for the rotation of our attacking mids, as I think all of them can slot into each other's position and still be just as effective, but when Rickie roams out wide or into deep areas it's like taking the spearhead from the end of spear and fastening it halfway up the shaft... The spearhead is still just as sharp and as dangerous, but if you try and attack someone then all you're doing is jabbing them with a pole. You can still do damage if you whack them hard enough, but you're better off just leaving the spearhead on the end. Did I stretch that analogy too far?
So that's my micro-rant over, but of course I'm writing this to figure out if I'm alone on this or if other people think similarly. So what do you folks think, is Rickie so good and our other players goal-scoring abilities sufficient enough that wherever he is we are still just as or more threatening, or do we need and rely on him to be on the end of things to carry our maximum goalscoring threat?
sorry.