Liverpool FC Forum

[red_guy]

I don't think our strikers need yet another slating.

Yup, agree with that. What concerns me the most is the quality or the crosses or should i say we just not that good delivering or receiving crosses but still we stuck to that kind of play. It's like we're not try to use other options like ball through the middle or anything. Judging by the chances we had..and  loads of em (crosses)..., we failed to convert it almost everytime . Most of our opponents seems to know that we're going to be stuck with that style and prevent us from scoring especially the big teams. I just don't know why we were so poor with receiving crosses ,corners,  defending set pieces...i honestly think we should try something new. Rafa should do something about it.
Well Just my opinion as a supporter. Thanks.

[The_Rock]

BTW, anybody know why 'good old' AB is banned ?   

Seriously...anyone ?

[Paul C]

Also, I'll tell you why we struggle to score headers, we never, ever, ever get a ball across the face of goal with pace from the by-line in front of, or dissecting the first line of defence, everything is floated in, so all the power has to come from the forward and its hard to attack a ball thats coming from behind you with no pace.

Agreed. Look at our corner-taking techniques. Very poor.

Yeah we had about 15 corners on Saturday and failed to test Van Der Sar from them 

[dawson99]

We do need another striker. We need to get rid of fowler and crouch (they are good, but not what we need and need to get some off the books. With newcastle and now spurs interested in crouch its a matter of when, not if we sell him)

We need to do moe from corners and we need soeone who can finish and poach. We need a good old fashioned striker.

[Redman in wales]

Top goalscorer doesn`t mean he`s our best forward, Kuyt and Bellamy are better players and are more recent additions to the squad than Crouch...there's more to come from Kuyt and Bellamy! But keep Crouch in the squad, he`s a useful player who gives his all and can nick an odd goal here and there.  He`ll drop even further down the pecking order though especially when we sign a top striker and there`s Voronin as well.

i didnt say he's our best forward mate. I rate Kuyt and Bellamy ahead of Crouch but saying "As an attacking threat Crouch is pants" ......... is ludicrus when obviously he is not with more goals from less games than any other player so far

[stmichael]

how do you all feel about kuyt? I think he works hard but would he get into the other big three teams? I'd say no.

In terms of character, he is the sort of player who can be the difference between winning the league and not. It's like having a non-moaning Carra up front.

There are still question marks over his touch and finishing, but they are far outweighed by his other attributes. I'd love to see how he fared with genuine class loading the bullets for him from the wings. He really could be Deadly Dirk then.

[Ola Mr Benitez]

Do you think we would fare better with any of these forwards?

van Nistlerooy
Eto
Owen (when fit)
Robbie Keane
Villa

For me these are all players who don't always get a lot of chances but always score a lot of goals.  That is what we are missing.

[tommycockles]

BTW, anybody know why 'good old' AB is banned ?   

Seriously...anyone ?

i'm not 100% but there was an argument between him and someone in the old Barca thread where he made some racist remark (which i won't repeat). If you dig out the old thread i think it's still there.

[weringo]

Do you think we would fare better with any of these forwards?

van Nistlerooy
Eto
Owen (when fit)
Robbie Keane
Villa

For me these are all players who don't always get a lot of chances but always score a lot of goals.  That is what we are missing.

Robbie Keane, you having a laugh? I would take Berbatov or even Defoe over him any day.

Trade Crouch for Berbatov and Ill be happy

[stmichael]

It's obvious to me that we have three strikers who would be brilliant playing off somebody who knew how to do nothing else but score goals. Bellamy's cross after humiliating Vidic would have been 1-0 had this been the case. Kuyt brings a lot to the team, but poaching goals isn't part of it. Same with Crouch, same with Bellamy.

[Bermenstein]

well given the fact that we have just coceded 1 more goal than both chelsea and Utd (5/3/07), it is definitly our goalscoring that is the weak link at the moment.

[stmichael]

Top goalscorer doesn`t mean he`s our best forward, Kuyt and Bellamy are better players and are more recent additions to the squad than Crouch...there's more to come from Kuyt and Bellamy! But keep Crouch in the squad, he`s a useful player who gives his all and can nick an odd goal here and there.  He`ll drop even further down the pecking order though especially when we sign a top striker and there`s Voronin as well.

i didnt say he's our best forward mate. I rate Kuyt and Bellamy ahead of Crouch but saying "As an attacking threat Crouch is pants" ......... is ludicrus when obviously he is not with more goals from less games than any other player so far

My point exactly.

So Crouch isn't a goalscorer? Well having played around half the full games of Kuyt he's still our leading scorer. Let's not forget Rafa pulled him out of the team to accomodate Kuyt when Crouchy was scoring a goal every other game. Not a 20 goal striker? He got 18 in half a season in a Southampton relegation side and has 13 so far this season. I think he's been badly treated. He was dropped after his goal against Galatasaray for christs sake. Strikers need a run of games, one thing Rafa doesn't appreciate, certainly where Crouchy is concerned .I truly believe any striker would suffer in this rotation system.

[Ciggy]

I dont think its our strikers faults its the system they play in to work as a team.
Maybe Rafa has to stop being stubborn and use players in their jobs rather than playing them where they are not used to.
Bellamy got 17 goals last season in a poor Blackburn side, Kuyt got 22 I think for Feyenoord so there has to be something wrong with the system.
Also what makes things worst is the brilliant goals that we have seen being fired in from distance have seemed to have dried up all of a sudden.
So the strikers are getting the blame.
TBH the system we play in Henry, Drogba, Deco, Owen would have difficulty scoring over 20 goals a season for us.
Rafa has the CL to perfection he just hasnt got the prem right yet, but it will come all in good time.

[Rush Job]

I dont think its our strikers faults its the system they play in to work as a team.
Maybe Rafa has to stop being stubborn and use players in their jobs rather than playing them where they are not used to.
Bellamy got 17 goals last season in a poor Blackburn side, Kuyt got 22 I think for Feyenoord so there has to be something wrong with the system.
Also what makes things worst is the brilliant goals that we have seen being fired in from distance have seemed to have dried up all of a sudden.
So the strikers are getting the blame.
TBH the system we play in Henry, Drogba, Deco, Owen would have difficulty scoring over 20 goals a season for us.
Rafa has the CL to perfection he just hasnt got the prem right yet, but it will come all in good time.

Have to agree Cig, it seems Rafa likes to play two systems one when we have possesion and one when we dont, Kuyt starts more games than the other strikers because he fits in with that idea better than the others, when we havent got the ball he drops back into midfield and can often be seen on the edge of his own box starting attacks.
I love what i have seen from Dirk but cant help feel Crouch and Bellamy should start a few more games together, after their performance in the CSheild it looked like they could form a good understanding, but it seems that Kuyt is the first choise up front because of his alround game rather than goals alone.
I still maintain though that with better "wingers" making and scoring goals we would be top.
As far as a new striker goes i would cum if we signed Berbatov he looks like a proper frontman hardworking, skillful, good in the air, creative and no slouch, imadgine him up front with Kuyt , Crouch or Bellers with two class wingers beamin balls in.
And i so wish the idiots and fans since 05 would give Crouch a break, if an Italian or frog came hear for 7mil and had a recored like his plus all the international goals he`s scored since he signed he would be f.uckin addored, wise up what has he done wrong, appart from growin to sixfoot nine.

[red_guy]

I dont think its our strikers faults its the system they play in to work as a team.
Maybe Rafa has to stop being stubborn and use players in their jobs rather than playing them where they are not used to.
Bellamy got 17 goals last season in a poor Blackburn side, Kuyt got 22 I think for Feyenoord so there has to be something wrong with the system.
Also what makes things worst is the brilliant goals that we have seen being fired in from distance have seemed to have dried up all of a sudden.
So the strikers are getting the blame.
TBH the system we play in Henry, Drogba, Deco, Owen would have difficulty scoring over 20 goals a season for us.
Rafa has the CL to perfection he just hasnt got the prem right yet, but it will come all in good time.

Yup, spot on...definitely.