Liverpool FC Forum

[Dundalk]

We have the joint best defense in the league at the moment yet we still lie in seventh. Why is this? Because we dont score enough goals.

Lets look at a few things here.

We currently have 17 league goals this season from 13 games. Below is a list of teams who have currently scored more/same then us this year.

Manchester City - 43
Manchester United - 30
Tottenham Hotspur - 26
Newcastle United - 19
Chelsea - 28
Arsenal - 26
Norwich - 19
Bolton - 19
Blackburn - 17

If we want CL football next season we have to start finding the net a lot more. Our challengers for the top 4 have all scored 25+ already and although we create some chance we are not putting them away.

Here is how we scored our goals this season

Goals  -  17
Goals per game  -  1.31
Total Shots  -  173
Shooting Accuracy  -  38.7%   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Goals from Inside the Box  -  14
Goals from Outside the Box  -  2
Goals from set pieces  -  1
Penalties  -  1



The mins per goals of our forwards don't make good reading (Bellamy hasn't seen much action)

Luis Suárez  -  258 Mins Per Goal
Andy Carroll   -  324 Mins Per Goal
Craig Bellamy  -  225 Mins Per Goal



This is teams goals and assists


Charlie Adam   2/3
José Enrique  0/2
Lucas  0/0
Luis Suárez 4/2
Stewart Downing 0/0
Martin Skrtel  1/0
Daniel Agger  0/0
Jamie Carragher  0/0
Jordan Henderson  1/0
Dirk Kuyt  0/1
Andy Carroll 2/0
Glen Johnson  1/0
Martin Kelly  0/0
Craig Bellamy  1/1
Steven Gerrard  1/0
Maxi Rodríguez  1/0



That is a very poor return for such a talented squad, 14 goals between them and we have had three own goals this season. The worst offenders on that list are Downing 0/0, Henderson 1/0, Kuyt 0/1 and Lucas 0/0.

Now I know Lucas is a DM but apart from Charlie Adam our midfield is not chipping in with assists and goals. Therefore its all left to Suarez who hasn't netting in the Premier League since Everton away on the 1st of October!!

We lack pace throughout the team and we are very slow in the build up. Because of this teams get back quicker to defend against us, especially at home and if we are to score our passing has to be perfect because we have no space. Downing has been a major disappointment so far this season and the only 2 players I have seen this year apart from Suarez who show a bit of pace and a bit of spark are Bellamy and Enrique. In yesterdays game against City, Enrique had to do two jobs, left back and left winger because Downing was useless. The rest of the midfield is very pedestrian and we desperately need a fully fit Gerrard back (again!) in order to get the ball moving a forward quicker during games.

Either that or Kenny may get the cheque book out again in January.

[stmichael]

We need a forward in January imo. As brilliant as Suarez is, his finishing this season has been erratic to say the least at times, although in fairness he has been denied by some worldy saves aswell. Usually Kuyt would have weighed in with a few goals by now but he's no longer a guaranteed starter. Same for Maxi.

We're going to hammer someone soon and then the goals will hopefully flow. We can't keep going on being unlucky all the time in games and coming up against keepers who decide to turn into Lev Yashin every week.

United have only scored 9 goals in their last 8 League games and before the weekend were creating nowhere near as much as us in games. The thing is before that they scored a ridiculous 21 in their first 5. Rooney hasn't scored for 2 months.

The thing is would you rather we ended up with a goalscorer who we became over-reliant on? Arsenal fans must be bricking themselves at the prospect of Van Persie getting injured.

[Thommo's perm]

We have Carroll, Kuyt, Suarez and Bellamy. Add on Maxi and thats five strikers.
Do we really need another one?

[damjan193]

17 goals ffs... even Bolton who are in the relegation zone have more than us.

[maguskwt]

so are we gonna say Kenny is negative?

[red till i die!!]

good post DD.
i hope kenny gets the chequebook out in jan:D

[Dundalk]

We have Carroll, Kuyt, Suarez and Bellamy. Add on Maxi and thats five strikers.
Do we really need another one?

Carroll - Wont get 10 goals this season
Kuyt - Isnt scoring this season at all
Suarez - a bit to hit and miss in front of goal
Bellamy - Not getting enough game time
Maxi- Not getting enough game time


So yeah we do need to buy a GOALSCORER. A Gary Lineker or Fowler type player.

[Thommo's perm]

We are getting plenty of chances but not converting them into goals
Rather stick with what weve got and wait for it to come right.
There is no guarantee that a new player will score goals

[killerp]

I think we are very wasteful with possession & distribution more often that not so far this season, although we do create lots of chances but lack the vision or execution to make it count. I blame certain players for wasting quite a few opportunities, Henderson, Downing, Adam, Carroll, (Suarez has had a couple himself   ) 

This was always going to be a rebuilding season & some fans perhaps are expecting too much at this early stage.

[Reg]

Its a funny old game, Sturridge has scored more goals for Chelsea this season than Drogba, Torres and Anelka combined!

[stmichael]

at the end of the day you get the same number of points for winning 1-0 as you do for winning 5-0. yes goal difference can count as an extra point but as i've said before i'd be more worried if we weren't creating the chances. with the exception of spurs away we should have won every other game this season. personally i'd rather see kuyt used as a striker because he can act as a poacher as he proved in the second half of last season when used there (9 goals in 10 games). that gives us the option to bring in a proper wide right player or use bellamy there. i still to this day don't know why we didn't haggle harder to get sturridge as part of the torres deal.

i'm not panicking at this stage though. the year we won the champions league everton finished 4th with a negative goal difference ffs. they were dire to watch but they got results.

[peterc1992]

I think we are very wasteful with possession & distribution more often that not so far this season, although we do create lots of chances but lack the vision or execution to make it count. I blame certain players for wasting quite a few opportunities, Henderson, Downing, Adam, Carroll, (Suarez has had a couple himself   ) 

This was always going to be a rebuilding season & some fans perhaps are expecting too much at this early stage.

I dont think its a waste of distribution or possesion.We have bossed every game possesion wise besides totenham when we had 9 men for most of the game.
Its a matter of sticking the ball in the net.Which is a mixture of unlucky( twice against city the ball  just wouldn't direct in,Hit the post about 12 times this year) bad finishing(suarez creating all sorts and not finishing anything,carroll hitting the post from 2 yards out and downing creating chances but others(kuyt etc. just not doing it and keepers having the games of their lives against us.Hart vorm. Just saving things outa nowhere.


If all the above swung the other way we would have another 10 or 15 goals on our tally.that would give us about 4 or 5 more wins and we would be about even wiht city at the minute.

You could argue bad luck and missing a a poacher but what we have are well capable of finishing what was put in front of them and wihtout some great goalkeeping and posts we could have battered a lot of teams this year.

[The Good Yank]

I think if we can score more goals, we'll win more games

[Thommo's perm]

I think if we can score more goals, we'll win more games

Isnt that one of Einsteins theories?

[jacdaniel]

We need a striker.  Suarez is an amazing player capable of brilliant things but doesn't seem to be a natural finisher.  His finishing is actual pretty awful at times.  Bellamy has also never been a prolific striker.  Kuyt might be a decent option but he is not getting any younger and doesn't seem to be in great form this season.  That leaves Carroll who also isnt prolific and is lacking form/confidence etc. 

Would be great to find a Fowler type striker that will always be there for tap in's. 

We could also do with shooting a little bit more.  We don't seem to take too many shots from distance and Adam has proved twice this season that when you have a pop any sort of deflection can result in a goal.