Why can't we score?

[GortonBlue62]

But he's right. He can't run on the pitch and kick the ball himself.

The job of a football manager in a matchday context is to ensure that players have chances and stop chances against them. That's all they can really do. I think it was Arrigo Sacchi who said that the manager during a match is responsible for about 5% of the performance either way because they can't influence events too much, only change shapes and strategies in order to create or stop the creation of chances.

This is a professional elite level and not youth football. In youth football you need to work on shooting, on heading, on the basic skills of the game like that. Doing that to a professional player would almost be insulting - like you been a 15 year veteran in your job and been sent back to primary school to learn how to count or something. They already know and have the fundamentals of the game down.

Sergio Aguero doesn't need shooting training. He's scored over 300 goals at a professional standard over a 14 year career in three countries and representing his nation in World Cups. He knows how to shoot. I think you'd be right in suggesting that he's taking different types of shots now so there would be an adjustment period where his brain needs to develop as quick as his feet, but there's no way you can really coach this outside of putting him in matches.

If you're creating lots of decent quality chances over and above the chances you give away then the manager is doing his job. That's really all tactics can achieve. The rest is the mental part of the game which can only be dealt with by the player themselves, obviously with the help of the club staff if needed. But there's no training drill to improve this situation, it's on Sergio to break through this barrier on his own and I for one back him to do so.

This is not the case. Elite level performers, whether in sport or not, repeatedly perform the basics. You don't learn to shoot at 15 and then don't have to practise it anymore. Professional musicians practise their scales every day. Golf is a good example; watch elite level golfers train - they are hitting the same shot again and again, day in day out. Gary Player's famous quote - 'the more I practise the luckier I get' sums it up nicely.

Sergio, like all forwards, does need shooting practise and I have no doubt that he is performing the requisite drills.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Our inability to finish is embarrassing. Sterling, Silva, Fernandinho, KDB, the centre-backs are all woeful and that's why I'll never regard Silva as the best player to wear the shirt. Even Yaya has gone off the boil, Aguero is completely hit-and-miss and only Sané looks reliable.

 

[cibaman]

@TonyM you're entitled to your opinion, but, frankly, it's absolutely insane.



I'm sorry, I literally provided statistics that contradict the anecdotal evidence you have produced from yesterday alone.

No, it's not true that our problem is we "try to walk the ball in". We make more efforts from within and outside the 16 yard box than many teams, Liverpool included, we simply haven't been as clinical as they have.

39% of all shots attempted by City this season have been from outside the box. Only 8% have been inside the 6 yard box. Meanwhile, we average 15 shots per game yet only 5 per game are on target and far less end up in a goal. If you honestly think we aren't scoring because we are "trying to walk the ball in", well, you're wrong.

I think the 39% might be something of a distortion because many of them are speculative rather than genuine attempts. More so than in previous seasons. Aguero in particular seems to be trying to get shots off from outside the box even when he's facing a mass of bodies. De Bruyne likes the long distance effort and then there's Kolarov. I also think we are perhaps overdoing the pull backs, which might not manifest itself in an increase in the stats for shots inside the 6 yard box because often they doesn't result in a shot on goal.

We do seem to be short of genuine attempts from just inside the area. We're definitely missing Gundogan's ability to arrive late in the penalty area in space.That might be why our away form is generally better than at home, why we've scored more away goals in the PL.

 

[domalino]

Our inability to finish is embarrassing. Sterling, Silva, Fernandinho, KDB, the centre-backs are all woeful and that's why I'll never regard Silva as the best player to wear the shirt. Even Yaya has gone off the boil, Aguero is completely hit-and-miss and only Sané looks reliable.

Sané is no better than the rest of them, not sure why anyone would exclude him from that criticism, particularly after the Stoke game.

 

[domalino]

This is not the case. Elite level performers, whether in sport or not, repeatedly perform the basics. You don't learn to shoot at 15 and then don't have to practise it anymore. Professional musicians practise their scales every day. Golf is a good example; watch elite level golfers train - they are hitting the same shot again and again, day in day out. Gary Player's famous quote - 'the more I practise the luckier I get' sums it up nicely.

Sergio, like all forwards, does need shooting practise and I have no doubt that he is performing the requisite drills.

All of this is completely fucking redundant because they do practice, so why are you two carrying on in circles?

 

[Marvin]

Our inability to finish is embarrassing. Sterling, Silva, Fernandinho, KDB, the centre-backs are all woeful and that's why I'll never regard Silva as the best player to wear the shirt. Even Yaya has gone off the boil, Aguero is completely hit-and-miss and only Sané looks reliable.

Aguero is declining. As is Yaya. Kompany has gone. hart too That's the spine of Mancini's team.

Arsenal and Wenger have spent 20 years trying to build a new team. A cynic would say not trying hard enough.

I think KDB will be back. He's just played so many games without a rest. Silva is perfect bar the finishing. The best player to wear the shirt is Yaya but he has gone now.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Not getting pens is a small aspect of it. I know we had two shouts in this game, but you're not going to get every decision.

We rarely get any decision when it matters.
We generally only get one when the game is already done and dusted.
The only one when it mattered was West Ham away in the Cup and that was blatant being directly in front of the ref.

 

[bucks]

Perhaps they should have the equivalent of a swear box in the changing room and every time they blast the ball over the bar they have to put a grand in it. This could also apply to missed tap ins (2 grand).

 

[GortonBlue62]

All of this is completely fucking redundant because they do practice, so why are you two carrying on in circles?

Carrying on in circles? It's my first post in this thread.

 

[Marvin]

Sané is no better than the rest of them, not sure why anyone would exclude him from that criticism, particularly after the Stoke game.

He has an end product either in terms of shot or cross that is way better than what we had / have. Stoke was a bad game all round but that game excepted he has been outstanding. he's been flying ever since the Arsenal game.

When this season is over, I think we'll look back and see that we have bought in 3 outstanding players: Stones, Sane and Jesus. That will be comparable to the Cook days and it's going to set us up again.