Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:23 pmOwzat wrote:Boro, Newcastle, blueshite and Bolton are no easy games away but we need to win games like that to compete for the title. I have been looking at the home and away points for Champions compared to Liverpool in the Premiership and I think we are on average FOUR wins behind the Champions and that's before 90 points became the standard minimum for winning the title (might be less this season)
That's exactly my point. No, it's not easy to go to the Reebok or to Goodison and get three points but it still needs to be done each and every season if we want to seriously challenge for the title. Look at the likes of Chelsea and the Mancs--sure, they'll have the odd slip up on their travels (both got battered away to Boro last season, for instance) but more often than not they'll do the business at these places in addition to being nigh on unstoppable at home. We are really close to matching that kind of home form but are no where near good enough on the road.
And, you're right, goals are the problem away from Anfield. Notice how teams like Man City are starting to park the bus against us, even at their own ground? More and more, our away games have the feel of home games in that the onus is on us to break the opposition down and turn a draw into 3 points. We don't have the kind of goal-scoring quality at the moment to do that consistently on our travels and that's why we're still a level below the Mancs and Chelsea.