Late Goals

[zimbo]

Being an intermittently observant type, I've noticed that we seem to have scored an impressive number of late goals this season. So I decided to do a bit of snooping around and discovered, in true Poirot fashion, the following earth-shaking facts:

- so far this season we have scored a pant-wetting 22 goals, in all competitions, after the 80th minute. 11 of these have been in the Champions League.
- by comparison, in the three previous full seasons under Benitez, our total figures for equally late goals have been 13 (last season), 16 (2005/06) and a paltry 11 (2004/05).

As someone who can remember the days when we made a habit of notching late winners, to the general annoyance of every non-LFC supporter in the country, and who has seen United become depressingly renowned for the same thing, I find this a hugely comforting trend.

Perhaps it symbolises a greater hunger this season, a desire to keep plugging away up to the final whistle?
Perhaps it reflects greater fitness levels or, difficult though it may be to accept, highlights the impact of substitutions?
Perhaps it confirms I need to get out more?

Whatever, I'll only be happy when we snatch a last minute winner in front of the Stretford End, ideally deflecting in off Rio Ferdinand's ego, while Ferguson's face fails to mask the yawning chasms of pain within.

Please. Make it so.

[Sarb]

We've also let in a lot of late goals

[zimbo]

We've also let in a lot of late goals

Just investigated.

7 in all, after the 80th minute. Probably less than I'd have imagined, to be honest.

[MrMichael]

Problem is the number of goals we've been scoring before the 80th minute! Its a bloody good job we have been finishing games strongly or we would be in trouble

Seriously though, there's been far too many games this year where we've only really started playing late on. And in some of them, Blackburn away springs to mind, we haven't been able to get that goal and its cost us dearly.

[smither]

Torres just doesn't stop tormenting the defence, so I think goals late on will be a regular thing for us now on.

I bet if you look at your investigations again then Torres has scored a lot of those goals. Of course, he has scored most of our goals anyway.....

[dww]

I would imagine that the last 10 minutes is the most productive overall in terms of goals in all matches.

I think that the way it is emphasised in our team is that we play a controlling game and so often wear out the opposition. It can also lead to complacency which is why we seem to let in goals towards the end aswell (compounded by the fact that due to our lack of early scoring a late goal for the opposition is likely to result in them gaining points).

I think we do play all game it is just that we lack guile to cut teams apart and don't counter attack with pace which means we rely more than say Arsenal or United on mistakes from the opposition which happen more often as games wear on. IMO these are the aspects we need to improve and they can probably be done by adding a relatively small number (one or two probably) players to the team.

[disco]

That stats not tooo different from the sort of odds you can get at around 80 minutes. Good to see though.

[zimbo]

Torres just doesn't stop tormenting the defence, so I think goals late on will be a regular thing for us now on.

I bet if you look at your investigations again then Torres has scored a lot of those goals. Of course, he has scored most of our goals anyway.....

Seems like I underestimated. Overall total this season is actually 23.

Breakdown is:
Gerrard - 7
Crouch - 5
Torres - 4
Kuyt - 3
Babel - 3
Voronin - 1

[smither]

Thinking about it we've had a fair few late penalties, that'll help Gerrard's total

[zimbo]

Thinking about it we've had a fair few late penalties, that'll help Gerrard's total

4 pens. 3 from Gerrard, 1 from Kuyt.

That's it. I've statted myself to exhaustion.

[smither]

4 pens. 3 from Gerrard, 1 from Kuyt.

That's it. I've statted myself to exhaustion.

good work

[BFG]

Zimbo

[Subby]

4 pens. 3 from Gerrard, 1 from Kuyt.

That's it. I've statted myself to exhaustion.

I got a suggestion....change your title to "Est's own Statto"

[zimbo]

http://photos.empics.com/raid/vol1/block35/173358.jpg

Zimbo

My dressing gown is considerably less soiled, though perhaps not as 'snazzy'.

[The Birdman]

Perhaps it has something to do with Rafa changing the training, you know that little thing that upset Pako so much he left.