Another game, another draw. More importantly, another game, another big fat 0 in the goals scored department. A weekly occurrence nowadays, or so it would see. But let us consult the statistics before we assume anything. 11 league game this year so far. 17 goals. If we disregard the Derby game as a statistical anomaly, seeing as it's more than a third(!) of the entire total, we arrive at the number of 11 goals in 10 games. Which is one better than Bolton and Wigan, who are in the relegation zone. Of those 11 goals, 4 came at home in 4 games, and 7 came in 5 away games. Now, sure, 6 goals allowed is tied for the best in the league, but the top two teams have scored over 20 goals each. So have the 4th placed Portsmouth and even the 17th placed Spurs have 19. And I ask, has anyone here got any excuses left? Because I bloody don't! This is the 4th season in a row that the team has had trouble scoring goals. And sure, the excuse has always been the players, but it's beginning to ring hollow. The players are there. As a matter of fact, it is starting to look like they'd always been there. I found it a little too convenient that every striker loses their scoring touch as soon as they put on the red top. Kuyt and Cisse both tore it up in their respective homelands, but look inept for Liverpool. Torres cost the team the equivalent of the GDP of some smaller countries, and can't buy a goal so far this season. Sure, he's hurt now, but the season is 3 months old. A claim concerning Torres' terrible form has been that he's not receiving enough service. I can assure everyone that the service he's receiving, as well as the teammates he has behind him, are miles ahead of what Anelka has at his disposal at Bolton. As a matter of fact, there are only 2-3 teams in the whole league whose midfield compares to Liverpool's. Hell, how Kevin Doyle managed to outscore all Liverpool strikers last year is beyond me, as well. I think the time has come to give up the excuses and point the finger where it belongs, solely and firmly at the gaffer. It's been 4 years. Money has been there, both for strikers who can score, and for midfielders who can provide that elusive service. Wide variety of players have also been utilized, many of them with a record of proven goalscoring at their old clubs, playing at a variety of levels. So, what else can you assume, but that it's the manager's fault? I'll spare everyone the rehashing of the criticism of the rotation policy and point out several other things. Crouch is treated like crap, and I cannot for the love of me figure why. He's been a loyal servant to the club for 2 years, he has scored important goals, and is probably the only striker on the squad whose presence can actually change the other team's gameplan. He has been benched consistently this season, with the pairing of Kuyt-Torres preferred when healthy, regardless of form. Kuyt's scoring rate continues to plummet, as he is being played further and further back, to the point where it seems as if he's not even expected to score goals anymore, but provide toughness and guile. Something along the lines of the Alan Smith situation, and we all know how that turned out. Torres' presence in the squad seems to be dictated by his price tag and not his performances, as he as shown fairly little in my opinion, aside from that goal against Chelsea. Now, I'm sure a litany of posts will follow pointing out that Liverpool had quite a few chances today and were unlucky not to get 3 points, but it seems as though the team has been unlucky the whole season so far, and perhaps the reliance on luck to see them through is no longer an option. Rafa's tactics, whatever they are, seem to have gotten "cracked" by the other gaffers and teams are now grinding out draws against Liverpool with ease, which benefits most of them, as they are weaker on paper. It's quite disheartening to know that only one goal scored by the opposition will usually prevent Liverpool from claiming three points. Conversely, it must be wonderful to know that one goal will be enough to avoid zero points for other teams. I apologize for the lengthy rant, it just seems like the team has been going around in circles the last 10 years, and so many of these things seem eerily familiar. Among other things, I'm reminded of what seemed to have been a decade long search under Evans and Souey for a decent center back, a quest that seemed almost Quixotic at one point, that was solved withing months of Houllier's arrival. And it oddly seems like this search for a 15-20 goals-a-season striker is similar to that.
Can't say you are far wrong on most of what you post. I think the part about Torres is unfair to him but for the rest I am afraid you are more right than wrong.
Firstly, the dutch league is of really high standard ...thats the reason Kuyt was scoring a lot. Alves scored 7 in a game bout a month ago and teams are regularly scoring heaps due to the style of football in netherlands. Similar case with Cisse in france Ur attack on torres is just stupid...his scoring ratio is better this season than ever before. Get your facts right. Torres stats 07/08 10 games started 7 goals 1 assist Btw Kuyt has 4 goals in 10 apps this season...not too bad for someone who is inept. Hes been hurt for a MONTH...get off his back, hes already scored more than what Shevchenko (best striker in the world when he went to chelsea) has scored in 2 years. So is it an individual game now...the team with the most individual awards etc is the best. He was their only striker capable of scoring last year due to other injuries so they could not rest him. Why dont you support your team if youre a supporter. HES ONLY SCORED 1 GOAL THIS SEASON. Selecting a side is not all about who played best in the previous game, just to let you know, they do have training sessions, where the other strikers are outperforming him. What do you mean regardless of form...Torres 7 goals, Kuyt 4 goals, Voronin 5 goals and...Crouch 1 goal...what manager would start their striker that has the least amount of goals (if goals is what he wants). Who cares if he has been a loyal servant...so using your theory Hyypia, Riise and Crouch should all start ahead of Agger, Aurelio/Arbs and Torres...WHY, WHY, WHY? They arent the best players in those positions
our problem is simple we are too defensive too cautious too reactive, united disrupted arsenals game today far better then we did by man marking and pushing the 4 attackers up the pitch, this caused arsenal problems as players rarely got space and support from the backs was small because they were keeping tabs on the united widemen. everything we do is ********in zonal.
One thing our crowd at the pub noticed today -- we hardly fouled anyone and if not for Carra with a professional trip we'd not have drawn a card -- oh for a hard man or two. If we are going to be defensive lets take a bit out of the other side And Arsenal scored two on the Scum and one on us so I'll not take lessons from Rednose
I'll ignore the philistine spelling errors of some posters, which in these days of built-in spellchecks are really inexcusable, and point out that all of these are details. If people want to argue details, fine, but I only brought a few of them up as examples. Whether you agree or not, I ask you to look at the bigger picture. If you disagree with me and believe everything is going marvelously well, explain the 11 goals in 10 games. Or getting knocked out of CL already, which is supposed to be the one competition that Rafa's tactics are tailored for. Or the fact that the league record last 8 years looks like this W T L GF GA P POS 1999-00 PR 38 19 10 09 51 30 67 4 2000-01 PR 38 20 09 09 71 39 69 3 2001-02 PR 38 24 08 06 67 30 80 2 2002-03 PR 38 18 10 10 61 41 64 5 2003-04 PR 38 16 12 10 55 37 60 4 ---------------------------------- 2004-05 PR 38 17 07 14 52 41 58 5 2005-06 PR 38 25 07 06 57 25 82 3 2006-07 PR 38 20 08 10 57 27 68 3 Where's the alleged revolution? Where is the actual improvement? The point totals as well as the league positions look pretty similar to Houllier's reign. In fact, the last year or so seems like regress and not progress. As I said, it seems to be going in circles. Team scoring in bunches, leaking in goals. Get defenders, reduce goals allowed, can't score anymore. Get strikers, score more, allow more. Rinse, repeat.
Soooo ... if we ignore a third of the goals we've actually scored, then we have a bad situation. Well, um, what if we don't ignore them? Because, like, you know. They're goals. Scored, that is. More pertinently, does anyone need excuses? Is there anything to excuse? About a 0-0 draw away to Blackburn, that is. We played too tentatively today, of that there is little doubt. But "not scoring" is just scratching the surface. And, as has already been pointed out, he's scored seven goals in 10 games in the two of those three months he's actually been playing. A little perspective, please. If that's "terrible form", then we might as well all go home and pack up, because expectations have reached so absurd a level that we'll never, not ever, match them. A quick look at your posting history shows a hell of a lot of (largely witless) whingeing and ... not much else. I'm reminded of why I don't normally bother with post-match threads anymore.
When...what game were you watching...Bentley's shot wouldve been blocked by Reina IF it was on target and Dunn's shot hit the crossbar and was not on target, hes lucky to get that shot away so close...left foot, 25 metres and surrounded by defenders. So if Reina let gamst's header go it wouldve been a goal In the first half when they were on top they had more possession but failed in the final third to get shots on target. In the 2nd half when we were on top we at least converted our possession to shots on target but were halted by an in form keeper
Much like kids who are born into money, you're a spoiled brat who does nothing but complain. Keep up your shit in the forum and you won't be allowed to post.
They are 6 goals against the worst team in the league caught on a bad night. Either way, shouldn't it bother you that 1/3 of the goals were scored in one game, and the other 2/3 over 10? I suppose I should do it the other way around and post only when the team does well and disappear when they do poorly.
Oh, and before I forget, Torres has 4 goals, not 7. Coca-Cola cup or whatever they call it these days doesn't count towards league standings last time I checked.
My post wasnt about the league...it was about our whole season. Eg if Crouch scores 2 goals in the CL game this will influence Rafas decision on whether he plays in the EPL game...form isnt split up into different comps...Torres has scored 7 goals this season. All competitions effect all other competitions in terms of performance, we do not have specific EPL and CL squads (although that was the perceived idea with Crouch at the start of the year). If you were to exclude all EPL stats for selecting our team then Crouch would barely make a reserves team...hes taken only 1 shot for 1 goal all season in the CL.
What would bother me more is if we scored only 1 or 2 goals against Derby...why is everyone so negative...let us think of that as one of the good games so far where most things worked. Stupid comment. I agree with you, now p*** off if your gonna keep on bagging the team we all support for, not barrack for. Seems like your just taking the soft option of bagging the team when it doesnt perform perfectly.
"El Urchinio you broke my heart. You are my brother and I love you, but don't ever takes sides against the family"
lets just hope OUR CREATIVE SPINE-agger-alonso-torres get back ASAP to cure the impotence up front!..AND IT WILL.
No, why should it bother me? What bothers me is people who lack any sense of perspective blathering on like little children about stuff they clearly have a merely limited grasp of. Your Torres/terrible form comment more or less parks you out there in the back yard of Casa Clueless. Well, there'd be a less high-pitched feel to the place, in any case. But here's a third alternative: post whether the team is doing well or not so well and try to add some form of measured, actually insightful perspective. Just an idea, like ...
So, in pursuit of my own advice: here's what went wrong yesterday in my view. In the first half, Benitez employed clear and pretty standard tactics. Keep your shape, control possession, attempt to seize the tempo and settle into the game without giving Blackburn the opportunity to impose themselves. From there, build and see what we can grab. His team selection makes this clear: six defensive outfield players (with Mascherano's poise and passing a suitable bridge between defence and attack) and an attacking trio who are biased toward close-control, ball-carrying play supporting a lone striker. The rear six achieve the initial objectives, the front four have the guile, control and movement to do grab an advantage. Then, when noses are in front, we have the solidity to protect it against a robust, swift and individually potent Blackburn side. That's the theory ... in practice, the first half saw us do the initial job far too effectively. Possession was controlled, but largely by the back four and at the expense of any forward impetus (and Riise is still the diagonal punt man now he was when he got here. We may have to amputate his left leg to see if that will fix the problem). Blackburn were stifled and frustrated, but at the expense of any fluidity of our own. Play was condensed around the attacking trio, but too far down the pitch to make them capable of breaking out and using their skill and formation to give Kuyt anything to work with. When Blackburn attacks broke down, we counterattacked with the swiftness of a second class Royal Mail delivery. Far too often, the ball would be carried into their half by a player who found himself totally isolated from any red colleagues. At half-time, this obviously overzealous implementation of tactical direction on the field was addressed by Benitez and we played the second half far more in the way he had intended. As several match reports this morning acknowledge, we had enough chances to win the game handsomely as a consequence. So, why didn't we score? Well, two fine Friedel saves aside, there was also some pretty criminal finishing. From Kuyt, particularly. Hardly a new affliction. He (and we) understood last season that the Premier League ain't the Eredivisie. But he should still have buried that chance near the end. Poor finishing therefore remains a worry - not what it was last season (after 11 games last season, we'd managed just 14 goals), but a concern nonetheless. That, after all, is why we splashed £20m on Torres. And £10m on Babel. And £5m on Benayoun. Collectively, they need to play higher up the pitch, they need to sharpen up their movement and their passing and they need to claw back some of the confidence that we had in spades at the start of the season, but have lost as injuries and indifferent form have started to bite. Our next three games are all eminently winnable. Nine points should be set as the requirement and then we usher in the Christmas rush with the United game. Despite the recent downturn, it's all set up for us. The CL is an irrelevance - I don't give a tu'penny shitwad if we get knocked out in the group stage: what have we, Liverpool FC, to prove to anyone in Europe when it comes to the Champions' League? It's not like we're United, or Arsenal or someone with a similarly risible record in the competition. Let's focus on what's important and remember that the best we, the fans, can do is give our support. We'll get nothing better out of life with pissing and moaning.