Dropping points in games we dominate

[Maldini]

What is it about this side that has us dropping points in games we dominate? It started on the first day of the season when we were s**** in the second half against Sunderland and let them back into a game they should have been well out of and it's happened again against Stoke, United and now Norwich (we nearly let Wolves back in the game too).

 

I think our CB situation is becoming a critical issue now. Without Agger in the team we keep dropping deeper and deeper whenever there's even the slightest pressure on us. We always look like we're going to let the opposition score and crosses from deep seem to cause us more problems than other teams (because our full-backs push up higher?)

 

Obviously the CB problem wouldn't be an issue if we were putting our chances away but at least we're functioning properly going forward, a side of our quality shouldn't be conceding as many as we are.

[muleskinner]

Drop Carragher now Agger is fit.

[Cooldude]

If you don't score off the good chances you create, then it means f*** all to dominate games

 

Also, we noticeably fade away 2nd half almost every game, but then we're also routinely wasteful in front of goal every 1st half.

 

Kenny has to do something about the defense, sticking Agger back in isn't gonna fully cut it

[Maldini]

Yeah, the second half fade is noticeable but is that a fitness thing or a complacency thing? We were playing at a noticeably lower tempo from the start of the second half, that can't be a tiredness issue.

[Earl Hafler]

What is it about this side that has us dropping points in games we dominate? It started on the first day of the season when we were s**** in the second half against Sunderland and let them back into a game they should have been well out of and it's happened again against Stoke, United and now Norwich (we nearly let Wolves back in the game too).

 

I think our CB situation is becoming a critical issue now. Without Agger in the team we keep dropping deeper and deeper whenever there's even the slightest pressure on us. We always look like we're going to let the opposition score and crosses from deep seem to cause us more problems than other teams (because our full-backs push up higher?)

 

Obviously the CB problem wouldn't be an issue if we were putting our chances away but at least we're functioning properly going forward, a side of our quality shouldn't be conceding as many as we are.

 

 

We have two slow centre backs but quality and pace in the fullback positions. There's no balance. We need to sort the centre back problem to get the most out of our fullbacks, push up 10-15 yards and have the midfielders closer to the forwards.

 

Wasteful infront of goal. Suarez should have scored but finished tamely on a few occasions.

 

And there's obviously a problem between Carroll and Dalglish. Hope it's sort out soon because we'll need him.

[Cobs]

We should have scored 5 today

 

Nowt to do with Centre backs - and let's get this right, Pepe was most at fault for the goal, if you come for that(which he shouldn't have) you've got to make it.

 

Suarez - joy to watch but FFS do more shooting practice

 

Kenny - if you're gonna put Carroll on, give him longer than 10 minutes and don't take off the lad most likely to deliver him a decent cross

 

 

That's a bad, bad 2 points dropped

[Nebraska Red]

I thought Johnson held us back today, he was caught out of position a few times and Carrgher was drawn out wider than he should be.

 

You can play Johnson if you have speedy defenders, but not alongside Carragher and Skrtel.

 

I'd prefer Kelly or Flanagan as they will stay and defend.

[lfc4eva99]

I think we should have kept Bellamy on in this one, he was buzzing around everywhere and was putting better crosses then mr Downing, who was woeful imo and should have been subbed way early in the piece.

 

We're missing out on the pacy CB, but I think we need more clinical finishing, plain and simple..

[Nebraska Red]

Yeah, the second half fade is noticeable but is that a fitness thing or a complacency thing? We were playing at a noticeably lower tempo from the start of the second half, that can't be a tiredness issue.

 

 

we came out at the start of the 2nd half looking slow and never really got back in full swing.

 

we've been doing that all season and I'm pretty sure the rest of the league is catching on.

[Farmer's Tan]

What is it about this side that has us dropping points in games we dominate? It started on the first day of the season when we were s**** in the second half against Sunderland and let them back into a game they should have been well out of and it's happened again against Stoke, United and now Norwich (we nearly let Wolves back in the game too).

 

I think our CB situation is becoming a critical issue now. Without Agger in the team we keep dropping deeper and deeper whenever there's even the slightest pressure on us. We always look like we're going to let the opposition score and crosses from deep seem to cause us more problems than other teams (because our full-backs push up higher?)

 

Obviously the CB problem wouldn't be an issue if we were putting our chances away but at least we're functioning properly going forward, a side of our quality shouldn't be conceding as many as we are.

 

i think it's inevitable that when u attack like we do and leave space at the back we are going to have opposition creating chances what compounds that problem is we obviously aren't scoring anywhere near enough goals, we must have one of the worst shot-goals conversion rates in the league, we don't have a proper finisher at the club while we wait for carroll to earn his corn and on top of that our 2 center backs are utter rubbish and panic easily,so when the pressure is on they crumble and we as a team start losing composure,start knocking it long and so on..we need a finisher.

[Dan]

Finishing was the (massive) problem today and Reina f***ed up.

 

Terrible f***ing result

[Cooldude]

Honestly the problem goes back to being s*** in front of goal

 

2nd half fadeouts are s***, but for most those games we should be 3-0 up by then if we're even just a tad more clinical

 

My dog would've put a few more in the net than some of our folks today, I train him well

[Maldini]

We should have scored 5 today

 

Nowt to do with Centre backs - and let's get this right, Pepe was most at fault for the goal, if you come for that(which he shouldn't have) you've got to make it.

 

Suarez - joy to watch but FFS do more shooting practice

 

Kenny - if you're gonna put Carroll on, give him longer than 10 minutes and don't take off the lad most likely to deliver him a decent cross

 

 

That's a bad, bad 2 points dropped

 

We could have had a lot more than 5 today. I know what you're saying about Suarez, obviously he's missing a lot of chances but most of them are half-chances he's created from thin air. He didn't really have the sitters he missed against Utd today.

 

I thought Johnson held us back today, he was caught out of position a few times and Carrgher was drawn out wider than he should be.

 

You can play Johnson if you have speedy defenders, but not alongside Carragher and Skrtel.

 

I'd prefer Kelly or Flanagan as they will stay and defend.

 

I thought our biggest problem today (and I've noticed it in other games) was deep diagonal balls over Skrtel's head into the space between him and Enrique. Teams seem to be targeting this space because he's INCREDIBLY bad on balls played over him, he doesn't seem to be able to follow the flight of them at all.

 

Personally I'd be looking to get Kelly and/or Coates integrated into the CB position ASAP. Carra and Skrtel shouldn't be getting near our first team as regularly this time next year.

[Earl Hafler]

We should have scored 5 today

 

Nowt to do with Centre backs -

 

Reina was at fault but the centre back problem means we drop deeper and deeper during a game. Think Carra is deep in Henchoz territory here.

 

Agree about Carroll but it was obviously a last resort.

[Conrad]

the centre back issue is an issue. Five home games - no clean sheets.

 

We needed to buy a centre back this summer who could go straight into the First XI. Its disappointing to have missed out on Jones, and while Coates may turn out to be a good piece of business it was a slightly odd transfer given Kenny obviously doesn't see him as ready to start games.

[Jim D]

Finishing was the (massive) problem today and Reina f***ed up.

 

Terrible f***ing result

 

Finishing is certainly part of the problem but a much larger problem is the defence, despite the poor finishing we were still 1-0 up and that is enough to win a game, at the moment we just can't keep a clean sheet at home, very concerning....our football is expansive at home and thus back four need to push up and that isn't happening with Carragher at centre back.

[alias75]

Its very frustrating, we aren't scoring enough goals given the chances we're creating, we should have been at least 2 goals clear before they scored today. On top of that we're not keeping clean sheets.

 

Its difficult to know what to do to improve, i do think we need better CBs, often this season we're conceding poor goals and defending too deep does invite pressure onto you.

 

In terms of taking the chances we create there's not a lot you can do about that apart from buy better attacking players. Suarez could have had 2 or 3 with more luck and better finishing but you can't be too harsh on him because often he's creating the chances for himself.

 

Downing was poor today and im not sure why he spent so much time on the right, Bellamy looked dangerous and should have stayed on. Found it strange that we brought Downing off when Carroll came on, but the truth is the game should have been comfortable. We were a little unlucky hitting the post 3 times but its happened too often already this season.

[épieur]

Drop Carragher now Agger is fit.

 

Throw Lucas and Agger into that team today and it would have looked very different, imo.

 

Higher line from defence, a defender who can carry it upfield and a midfield who will close the gaps in midfield that Norwich used today and retain possession sensibly.

 

We really needed midfield and defense both 10-15 yards higher up the pitch than they were today. And for that, we need aggressive ballwinning and composure on possession, starting from the back.

[CarraLegend]

Finishing is certainly part of the problem but a much larger problem is the defence, despite the poor finishing we were still 1-0 up and that is enough to win a game, at the moment we just can't keep a clean sheet at home, very concerning....our football is expansive at home and thus back four need to push up and that isn't happening with Carragher at centre back.

 

Yep, just the one goal should be beating woeful, nothing clubs like that. Its horrible feeling like you'll concede any time the other team flings a cross in, I remember some stages when we had Sami and a prime Carra, go 1 up and its like awesome, thats game over! I want that feeling back.

Edited October 22, 2011 by CarraLegend

[Jim D]

Is anyone else getting flashbacks to the Roy Evans era??

 

I am, this Dalglish team is reminding me of it far too much, fantastic going forward chance after chance created and then f*** it all up at the back. *shudders*

[épieur]

In terms of taking the chances we create there's not a lot you can do about that apart from buy better attacking players. Suarez could have had 2 or 3 with more luck and better finishing but you can't be too harsh on him because often he's creating the chances for himself.

 

Think if we have been playing the stuff we did today 10 yards higher up the pitch as a whole, a lot of those half chances would have converted into 80% ones.

[Cobs]

Reina was at fault but the centre back problem means we drop deeper and deeper during a game. Think Carra is deep in Henchoz territory here.

 

Agree about Carroll but it was obviously a last resort.

Shouldn't have been last resort. Should have been on for Kuyt 20 mins earlier than that.

 

But the game should have been over after 20 minutes anyway.

 

My mood isn't helped by enduring a chelsea supporting prick in the pub, slating our fans, banging on about Heysel and generally gloating over our every missed chance but still...

 

We've GOT to be winning that game

[Flasher]

Carragher and Kuyt out against teams like Norwich, Agger and a goal scorer in.

 

We create chance after chance and continue to miss chance after chance. Suarez is not the answer on his own, he's not a natural finisher.

 

Goal scorer is the most important thing right now. We'd have beaten Stoke, Sunderland, Man Utd and Norwich with a good one.

 

9 points down on where our overall play suggests we should be.

[Kite]

Yep, just the one goal should be beating woeful, nothing clubs like that. Its horrible feeling like you'll concede any time the other team flings a cross in, I remember some stages when we had Sami and a prime Carra, go 1 up and its like awesome, thats game over! I want that feeling back.

 

Me too. Loads of things weren't working quite right today but that was the thing that really had me on edge. There were individual moments of good play from the defenders but no sense of cohesion and definitely just no confidence in them.

[Earl Hafler]

Shouldn't have been last resort. Should have been on for Kuyt 20 mins earlier than that.

 

But the game should have been over after 20 minutes anyway.

 

My mood isn't helped by enduring a chelsea supporting prick in the pub, slating our fans, banging on about Heysel and generally gloating over our every missed chance but still...

 

We've GOT to be winning that game

 

I agree, but what i meant about last resort is that i think there's a problem between Dalglish and Carroll and he might not have played at all if we were winning. Need goals against the Mancs and Norwich and Carroll, after scoring against Everton, is given 10 minutes ?

 

 

And now i've just heard Janet Devlin sing Guns N Roses

 

I need a shower

Edited October 22, 2011 by Earl Hafler