300 mins against Blueshite - How many shots on target?

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

Anyone know how many times we forced Tim Howard into making a save over the 3 games?

 

I'd be surprised if it was more than 10 including the two paltry goals that Stevie scored.

[Section_31]

I'm not sure, but to be honest, they've got a fucking good defense there and - whisper it quietly - some quite good and well motivated players.

 

Add this to the football steroids that is a match againt us and you've got a recipe for some hard matches.

 

I was expecting hard matches, possibly our hardest physical matches of the season - what I wanted was for us to give ourselves every chance by not playing shite players in place of international captains.

[WaltonRed]

I'm not sure, but to be honest, they've got a fucking good defense there and - whisper it quietly - some quite good and well motivated players.

 

Add this to the football steroids that is a match againt us and you've got a recipe for some hard matches.

 

I was expecting hard matches, possibly our hardest physical matches of the season - what I wanted was for us to give ourselves every chance by not playing shite players in place of international captains.

 

They are a good team, it would be silly to deny anything else but we are, well we are supposed to be better than them.

[Section_31]

They are a good team, it would be silly to deny anything else but we are, well we are supposed to be better than them.

 

It depends whose playing though. With our big guns out we can carry the shite like Kuyt, Lucas, Benayoun et al - players who wouldn't look out of place at Stoke.

But with 2-3 of them missing we just can't do it. We're like Maximus in Gladiator after he's been shanked in the back.

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

I'm not sure, but to be honest, they've got a fucking good defense there and - whisper it quietly - some quite good and well motivated players.

 

Agreed that they've got a good defence, but I watched their game against the Mancs and they were struggling at times because they were moving the ball around quickly and purposefully.

 

Our attacking football is so woeful and so one dimensional at times, that we make it easy for teams to defend our attacks and we are hardly peppering the opposition goalie when we're actually controlling games. If you're not getting shots on target, then you're not going to be scoring many goals.

[WaltonRed]

I think we have the players, always have, always will. Its how you use them.

[JMARKH]

Some of the squad players Rafa has bought have been very poor, rather than splash out 6 million on lucas, 7 million on dossena and give a croc a 2 million signing on fee, he should just have spearing for back up, darby for back up and insua in that role to, then maybe with the 15 million we could have signed a creative player who could help us open up their stubborn defence/and others and create more chances. This is just simple logic and I don't understand why Benitez just fritters money down the drain without thought.

[WaltonRed]

Some of the squad players Rafa has bought have been very poor, rather than splash out 6 million on lucas, 7 million on dossena and give a croc a 2 million signing on fee, he should just have spearing for back up, darby for back up and insua in that role to, then maybe with the 15 million we could have signed a creative player who could help us open up their stubborn defence/and others and create more chances. This is just simple logic and I don't understand why Benitez just fritters money down the drain without thought.

 

Thats spot on.

 

I try to explain this to my mates but they have none of it.

 

Darby, Spearing, Insua, Nemeth i'm not saying should start but they are good as 3rd or 4th choice back up and then you use the limited funds to splash out on one maybe two players.

 

I just cant see Rafa ever blowing money on a really creative player because by default they usually lack a work rate and work ethic

[PIM]

A good side would have beaten them tonight and that is worrying. We are sadly short of a creative spark.

[rebel23]

Agreed that they've got a good defence, but I watched their game against the Mancs and they were struggling at times because they were moving the ball around quickly and purposefully.

 

Our attacking football is so woeful and so one dimensional at times, that we make it easy for teams to defend our attacks and we are hardly peppering the opposition goalie when we're actually controlling games. If you're not getting shots on target, then you're not going to be scoring many goals.

 

we need to be more purposeful, build from the back, play triangles and try and open them up. instead it's long ball from Carra/Skrtel, flick from Kuyt, throw in to them, etc

[SpeedyG]

Thats spot on.

 

I try to explain this to my mates but they have none of it.

 

Darby, Spearing, Insua, Nemeth i'm not saying should start but they are good as 3rd or 4th choice back up and then you use the limited funds to splash out on one maybe two players.

 

I just cant see Rafa ever blowing money on a really creative player because by default they usually lack a work rate and work ethic

 

Depends what you mean by a creative player.

 

The point about a lot of squad players is a fair one but it was done deliberately and there is logic behind it even if the motive is not one we would agree with. But that is the past now, he seems to be at the point where we are now in a position to add "marquee" players rather than just filler. The last two seasons have seen us add two 20m attackers. So at least that part of the equation is right.

 

The other problem we have is that the kind of player we are looking for is both rare and in demand. Take the right wing. Who today would you say is good enough for us in that role. IMO proven (not potential) and not already at a club that won't sell to us Ribery, Maxi Rodriguez and Silva. Will those clubs sell? If they do can we afford? It's tough to get that type of player. There's not many of that calibre who have moved in the last couple of years. Look at Manure they've been stuck with signings like Park, Nani, Tosic etc for the same reason it's difficult to prise those kinds of players away from their clubs.

[Juan Galonso]

Depends what you mean by a creative player.

 

The point about a lot of squad players is a fair one but it was done deliberately and there is logic behind it even if the motive is not one we would agree with. But that is the past now, he seems to be at the point where we are now in a position to add "marquee" players rather than just filler. The last two seasons have seen us add two 20m attackers. So at least that part of the equation is right.

 

The other problem we have is that the kind of player we are looking for is both rare and in demand. Take the right wing. Who today would you say is good enough for us in that role. IMO proven (not potential) and not already at a club that won't sell to us Ribery, Maxi Rodriguez and Silva. Will those clubs sell? If they do can we afford? It's tough to get that type of player. There's not many of that calibre who have moved in the last couple of years. Look at Manure they've been stuck with signings like Park, Nani, Tosic etc for the same reason it's difficult to prise those kinds of players away from their clubs.

 

The sad thing is while Park and Nani aren't anything special (although I think Park is a decent to good player) they would both walk in to our team for the wide positions.

[Brownie]

Over the three games we've had with them, they were the better side and it really hurts to admit that.

[JMARKH]

Thats spot on.

 

I try to explain this to my mates but they have none of it.

 

Darby, Spearing, Insua, Nemeth i'm not saying should start but they are good as 3rd or 4th choice back up and then you use the limited funds to splash out on one maybe two players.

 

I just cant see Rafa ever blowing money on a really creative player because by default they usually lack a work rate and work ethic

 

Exactly mate and his train of thought doesn't bode well for the future in my eyes.

[WaltonRed]

And I can guarentee if Rafa is still here in the summer we'll see a revolving door of 4 or 5 out the same if not more in.

[SpeedyG]

The sad thing is while Park and Nani aren't anything special (although I think Park is a decent to good player) they would both walk in to our team for the wide positions.

 

But Park and Nani aren't any great step up from Kuyt and Babel. We need a real step up and those players are few and far between and their clubs just dont want to let them go.

 

Seriously beyond the three I mentioned who else is there?

 

And if their clubs won't sell, what do we do?

[Unrighteous]

To be fair to the blueshite, they were fucking blocking everything we tried to fire at their goal.

[Faustus]

Yes, we're supposed to be better than them, but there was only one team who wanted it yesterday.

[Section_31]

Yes, we're supposed to be better than them, but there was only one team who wanted it yesterday.

 

I don't think it's just 'wanting it' with many of our players, it's also pride and balls. Gerrard and Carra are the heartbeat of the team and there's a handful of others with some heart, but a lot of our players take no for an answer a little too easily for my tastes. There isn't a lot of leadership in that squad, and certainly not much Dunkirk spirit.

 

If you look back to Istanbul you had players like Sammi, Hamman and even Finnan who were old and experienced heads - that's gone now, and the worrying thing is, as Gerrard and Carra approach the twilight of their careers, does anyone trust Rafa's eye for a player enough to adequately replace them? I don't.

[Faustus]

I don't think it's just 'wanting it' with many of our players, it's also pride and balls. Gerrard and Carra are the heartbeat of the team and there's a handful of others with some heart, but a lot of our players take no for an answer a little too easily for my tastes. There isn't a lot of leadership in that squad, and certainly not much Dunkirk spirit.

 

If you look back to Istanbul you had players like Sammi, Hamman and even Finnan who were old and experienced heads - that's gone now, and the worrying thing is, as Gerrard and Carra approach the twilight of their careers, does anyone trust Rafa's eye for a player enough to adequately replace them? I don't.

 

Yeah that's what I meant. It's all linked together for me.

 

I agree with what you've just said.

[Woo]

But Park and Nani aren't any great step up from Kuyt and Babel. We need a real step up and those players are few and far between and their clubs just dont want to let them go.

 

Seriously beyond the three I mentioned who else is there?

 

And if their clubs won't sell, what do we do?

 

Yes they are.

[Section_31]

Gerrard is going to start slowing down in two years or so, that thought should fucking terrify any Liverpool fan. Who will replace him? Damien Plessis?

[sir roger]

Over the three games we've had with them, they were the better side and it really hurts to admit that.

 

I'm sorry Brownie that's just wrong. They won last night and fair play to them , but of the 3 games they were only better than us in the period after Lucas got sent off last night.

 

We failed to break them down in the first 2 games but they weren't the 'better' team at any stage except possibly a short period in the 1st game.

[sir roger]

Yes, we're supposed to be better than them, but there was only one team who wanted it yesterday.

 

Disagree completely Faustus. We had several awful performances but ( with maybe the exception of Riera ) effort was not an issue.

[Ezekiel 25:17]

If you put Gerrard and Torres in the Everton team they would be a much better side than us and run United much closer to the title than we will.