Lack of goals

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leighton

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There is a god Barry's gone!!!
Over the years with MP we would always score a lot of goals and try and win games by out scoring most teams. Now in the last 5 games we have scored just 5 goals and 4 goals were against Villa. It is a bit of a worry. Were not getting goals from midfield to help Kun out when he aint scoring. Were missing the creative side of KDB and were too predictable to play against.
It might be a over reaction but its a worry not to score against Norwich and last night are we over playing it at times. Its like some players confidence is shot and they are not willing to shoot and take the option to pass the ball onto a more creative player or Kun. The big game this weekend the passion should be there and hopefully we hit them for a few goals but I wouldnt be shocked if it finishes in a goal less draw. Not beating any teams in the top 6 or 8 whatever it is isnt good enough.
 
We are too easy to defend against, teams have figured out to concede the wide areas to us, let the overlaps happen, don't commit a runner from central areas to go out wide, if they defend centrally we just end up overlapping out wide, looking up at a 1v4 in the box and recycling. The quick one twos around the box aren't happening as much as they were, players aren't committed to getting forward from midfield. Very often you have Silva, sterling, aguero and toure in 10 yards of each other just outside the box. Teams are just letting us have it there and we end up invariably overplaying.

To fix it, we have to remove some of the freedom of movement and have aguero told to run the channels, solely run either side of the centre backs, don't drop in. He'll scare them into following him. That means Sterling, Navas and or silva need to be coming off a wide area on the side aguero runs and taking the full back away. It sounds simple but it would be effective because a defender simply has to go with aguero.

Letting them all do their own thing is fine when they are all at it, but they aren't in this moment, they need to be told to make specific runs to create space for aguero.

Also, if you want to look at it in more simple terms, then tell them to just fecking shoot. If a space opens up 20 yards from goal, hit it
 
Thats it out of the midfielders its Yaya who will hit it if the space is there. KDB was the same until injured same as Nasri all got goals. Navas will always pass to a better player. Sterling is still finding his feet at the club and at times is hit and miss. While Silva will always look for Aguero or a better place person to score the goal than him. He needs to be more greedy at times and shoot as most teams expect him to laying the ball off to someone.
 
The difference between the ball going in and not going in - Navas last night and a couple of Aguero shots in Kyiv - is a matter of low single figure millimetres. There needs to be little adjustment, if any (might be down to how low the grass has been cut) before the ball goes in. I keep saying that a couple of seasons ago the shot I'd just seen miss by a whisker would have gone in!
 
We started the season with navas and sterling out wide,dave behind sergio and kolorov crossing the ball it and we scored plenty,lets try that again
 
Not enough runners at pace from midfield, we move far too laterally and we don't move the ball quickly enough. The pace at which we play allows teams to get organised and ready to frustrate. I bet Sterling can count the number of balls played for him to run onto through the middle of the box on one hand and that's why he looks half the player he was at Liverpool.
 
bluebananas said:
Not enough runners at pace from midfield, we move far too laterally and we don't move the ball quickly enough. The pace at which we play allows teams to get organised and ready to frustrate. I bet Sterling can count the number of balls played for him to run onto through the middle of the box on one hand and that's why he looks half the player he was at Liverpool.
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Just how many passes last night were made that were parallel with the touchline, rather than backwards, sideways or backsidewards? There were a couple of passes through the Kyiv back line but were overhit.
 
cleavers said:
Perhaps he's been reading bluemoon too much, and decided that all the experts wanting "more pragmatic" was the right way to go ?
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We aren't being more pragmatic. We just pass it around at snail's pace and defences have a fairly easy time against us.
 
Nasri/De Bruyne. If it's there to be hit they'll hit it. We have missed them both in a big way.

Teams are also disciplined against us. We have had far too many injuries to keep people fresh and we are not breaking teams down like we once did.

We need to finish this season strongly. Secure a top 3 finish, semi final of a champions league of we can, and the capital one cup.

Given how bad we have been, that would constitute a good season in my book.
 
We must be the easiest "top" team to play against in the league. Every opposition know what to expect from us. We don't change the way we play for anyone so it's just a case of setting up the right way against us - which the majority do.
Every now and then someone will try and play us at our own game and we'll beat them comfortably, but those who execute their game plan will normally keep us from scoring more than 1. It's all become very very predictable.
 
We have good players, the style we play produces one of the highest shots per goal ratio in EU I think? So something is being done right, just not scoring. I dont understand it except confidecne and belief just not as high right now.
 
karen7 said:
We started the season with navas and sterling out wide,dave behind sergio and kolorov crossing the ball it and we scored plenty,lets try that again
Click to expand...

I don't think we've ever played that same 11 again since the first 5 games all of which we won without conceding a goal. Injuries stopped us initially but in recent weeks the 11 players that started those games have all been available.
 
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