Our chances for the title

[dww]

How many goals do we need to win the league?

Say 75-80?

If we can get Torres to score 20
Kuyt = 15
Crouch = 10
Voronin = 10
Gerrard = 10

It leaves us with a lower reliance on goals coming from the rest of the squad:

Benayoun = 5?
Babel = 5?
Alonso = 3/4?
Agger = 3/4?
Riise = 3/4?

Not much goal threat elsewhere in the team.

I think it is important that we start to use set pieces better. With a good delivery almost anyone can chip in with the odd goal. In the last few seasons our failure to regularly threaten at corners has been a real issue in my opinion. If nothing else a few close scares can make the opposition nervous. We tend to just hand the ball back to them.

I would also be in favour of leaving one or two players up field for the break when defending corners as well. I think there are small things we can do that would help us to be more of an attacking threat that would not necessitate a big change in Rafas footballing philosophy or the way the team is set up.

[paulcooper4]

If Gerrard is taken off set piece duties and we share it around Aurelio, Alonso, Riise and maybe even Pennant/Agger we would gain an extra 10-15 goals a season IMO.

Gerrards set pieces are possibly the worst in the entire league yet we insist on letting him take them.

Whelan had the same problem,like Gerrard, he could strike a moving ball as well, if not better, than any player in the world. But give them a dead ball and it may as well be Dave Watson taking them.

[Rich]

I agree Gerrard shouldnt be taking corners or freekicks - he's more dangerous either in the box; or perhaps in the case of corners and wide freekicks loitering at the edge of the box for any scraps.

[desertscouser]

Of course we have a chance of winning the title but in my opinion we still lack a quality left back and a **** hot right winger to really challenge the Chavs and the Mancs. On top of that I can't see us scoring enough goals. Torres will take time to settle in and Kuyt doesn't seem prolific enough. Our biggest goal threat, Crouch, probably won't start as many games as he should so all in all I can still see us struggling to score.

I'm hopeful but if I had a gun to my head, I would be more inclined to predicting a 3rd place finish rather than winning the league.

[fred_plasticine]

I think it is important that we start to use set pieces better. With a good delivery almost anyone can chip in with the odd goal. In the last few seasons our failure to regularly threaten at corners has been a real issue in my opinion. If nothing else a few close scares can make the opposition nervous. We tend to just hand the ball back to them.

i totally agree with you!
even teams like sheffield seemed to be more dangerous from corners than we were.

[Hooz]

How many goals do we need to win the league?

Say 75-80?

If we can get Torres to score 20
Kuyt = 15
Crouch = 10
Voronin = 10
Gerrard = 10

It leaves us with a lower reliance on goals coming from the rest of the squad:

Benayoun = 5?
Babel = 5?
Alonso = 3/4?
Agger = 3/4?
Riise = 3/4?

Not much goal threat elsewhere in the team.

Come on mate, our top scorer in the league last season was Kuyt with a grand total of 12.

It's hugely speculative to think we're going to have 5 players getting ten, especially a 4th choice forward.

We scored 57 league goals last season, and I don't think we've improved our attacking options significantly enough to reach that 75 goal target you've set.

[Rich]

Of course it's speculation - however it's a question worth asking, where are the goals coming from?

I'll grant you I've probably over-egged the 10 from Voronin, but you never know.

[nebbers]

I think we are a quality winger short of the title, someone who can create something out of nothing and scares the **** out of the opposing fullbacks.

Give Pennant a flick-knife.

[The Glove]

Isnt Lucas Leiva meant to be an attacking midfield player, he could add a few goals.

[Redspin]

I'll be very surprised if we win the title this season. we were miles off the pace last season and although we've improved the squad its asking a hell of alot to make up so many points. Only 1 of our buys has had Premier league experience snd in all probability it'll take torres & co at least a season to bed down. My money would be Chelsea.

But we're not having to make up points are we? We start on August 11 on level points. You're talking like we start 21 points behind.

[Redspin]

BOLLOCKS!!!!
I hate the ******s with a passion but you have got to hand it them, they were brilliant from start to finish last season, some great individual performers such as Ronaldo, Vidic and Giggs but as a team they were quite superb from back to front throughout the entire campaign.
They've set the benchmark in the Premiership for the best part of 15 years now and there's no getting away from that fact. It's hard to take but that's the sad reality of it.
LFC should be doing a whole lot better, we've been an absolute disgrace when it's come to challenging for the title ever since the premiership was introduced.
Not good enough and it ought to change and quick.

One could also describe your hagiography as bollocks too. They were poor in a number of games last season. But they were excellent at beating the lesser lights when we would drop points while outplaying the same teams. They deserved to win as the got more points but they frequently played averagely. The Man U that played at Anfield (everyone behind the ball, defend in depth, seldom cross the half-way line - then fluking an undeserved win) and the stuttering Man U in most of their CL games, epitomised by their battering away at Milan, seems to be overlooked by you and other sympathisers. If we manage to be more clinical in away games in particular it won't take much for us to be a real title contender; Man U and Chelsea are nothing special, while it's hard to see Arsenal being better without Henry, so we have every chance

[Redspin]

Top, top class was referring to a winger.

Torres is very good. But he is not a great goal-scorer.

Same could be said about Rooney. Took him until his 3rd season to pass the 20 league goal mark and he got 14 I think last season, but Man U didn't do too badly with him as their main "striker"

[Hooz]

Rooney has never scored 20 league goals in a season. He's not a great goal-scorer either.

United didn't do too badly because of the contribution of their midfield to attack.

Look; short of a radical overhaul of the way we play, and if we don't bring in a top class winger(s), the only way that we are going to be effective enough in attack to win the league is by having an absolute dynamite striker up front.

[Red Chilli]

Rooney has never scored 20 league goals in a season. He's not a great goal-scorer either.

Name a current striker who has

[Hooz]

I was only replying to what Redspin said.

What do you mean 'current striker'? In our squad? In any league?