Is it bad luck or is it lack of talent?

[Migselv]

I made a thread about our lack of creativity in attack after the Man U game, and I still stand by what I said there. This result is typical of what we have seen for years now, that we drop too many points to teams we should have beaten comfortably. Maybe we will do better this year, and this was a single fluke, but my guess would be the opposite.
And i don't want Rafa to go btw, I simply feel we lack creativity in our attacking play.

[IanTatt]

"I simply feel we lack creativity in our attacking play"

Surely that is down to rafa, he has long enough to start playing some fluent attacking football..... the likes of Ashley Young would walk into our team and he doesn't even play for a top team.... poor signings, that's rafa's problem, especially when he spends on forwards, centre midfielders etc.., yet fails to spend big and get a couple of top wingers.

[friedk]

A small fact we seem to have overlooked is that those were the first points we had dropped at home in 12 games.

[calvoboy]

A small fact we seem to have overlooked is that those were the first points we had dropped at home in 12 games.

And I don't understand where this 'lack of creativity' is coming from. It was justified after the boro game, and Birmingham last season, but we created shedloads of chances against Stoke. We even scored one of them only for it to be wrongly chalked off by the ref.

It was just one of those days. It happens. Even the 'invincible' Arsenal team that went undefeated in 2003/04 drew 0-0 against Birmingham. Newcastle and Fulham, and no-one can say that team lacked creativity. You just hope that it doesn't happen too many more times.

[Marky]

We are one of the top teams in europe and have some outstanding players. But we will alway struggle because we don't have enough flair players. Against stoke we had kuyt and riera out wide, that's embarassing to say the least. We need players who are comfortable on the ball and able to prod and probe and play fast one touch football to unlock tight defences..... Would klinsman play kuty and riera, I don't think so, anyway, I'm getting carried away because I'm so ****** off it's untrue... Rafa, start playing attacking positive football... you have been here since 2004 for ***** sake. We have played 7 competitive matched this season and been diabolical in all of them, apart from utd, play them when they are playing well and it would have been a different story...

WTF??? How is it "embarassing" Riera's only been here 5 minutes and Kuyt has started the season in good form although he badly needs a goal. Still overall to say its embarassing to have Kuyt and Riera on the wings is daft.

[Sarb]

Kuyt isn't a right winger. Regardless of what anyone says, having him wide right takes something away from our attacking influence

[BigPapi]

Kuyt isn't a right winger. Regardless of what anyone says, having him wide right takes something away from our attacking influence

Isn't a right winger in your opinion.

[dww]

Kuyt isn't a right winger. Regardless of what anyone says, having him wide right takes something away from our attacking influence

In a flat 4-4-2 you are correct but he is a very able right sided forward.

I think Rafa may have a point that the problem is in some ways different this season to last in that our failure to score is not largely due to a lack of decent chances but to poor finishing and a lack of calmness in the area. There are however familiar failings like the inability to make the most of set pieces and a lack of urgency on the counter (not that the latter was a huge problem against 10 man defenses but still).

I think we have to be patient and see if players like Babel and Keane can find their shooting boots. Obviously a return to form of Torres would help but even when he does we need to have the confidence that we will score even if he does not - at the minute I don't feel that regularly enough.

[Woobus]

I made a thread about our lack of creativity in attack after the Man U game, and I still stand by what I said there. This result is typical of what we have seen for years now, that we drop too many points to teams we should have beaten comfortably. Maybe we will do better this year, and this was a single fluke, but my guess would be the opposite.
And i don't want Rafa to go btw, I simply feel we lack creativity in our attacking play.

If you look at last season we dropped less points against the lesser teams than United. Its how they played against the top 4 that won them the league not how much better against the lesser sides.
For every Birmingham we had last year United messed up as well. As said before if we had of beat them twice we would have finished above them, also add in they got more points from Chelsea and Arsenal than we did then we had less slip up against the lesser teams.
Really some people spend to much time listening to numb nuts on the TV and beleiving every word they say.

[el matador]

Kuyt isn't a right winger. Regardless of what anyone says, having him wide right takes something away from our attacking influence

completely agree with this. Dirk works very hard and chases and tackles all day. But playing out wide right and getting in quality crosses and creating chances for his team mates isnt his game.

Rafa keeps playing him out there and although its ok when teams come and have a go at us but when we have to play against 8 defenders his lack of quality from the wide areas is obvious.

The funny thing is Riera looked dangerous when he had the ball but we didnt give it to him anywhere near enough.

Anybody thinking of aaron lennon should also think again because his final ball is worse than kuyts and he has no end product whatsoever.

[Sarb]

Isn't a right winger in your opinion.

It's true though. He isn't a right winger. his best match of the season was when he played up top against Man U

[Sarb]

In a flat 4-4-2 you are correct but he is a very able right sided forward.

I think Rafa may have a point that the problem is in some ways different this season to last in that our failure to score is not largely due to a lack of decent chances but to poor finishing and a lack of calmness in the area. There are however familiar failings like the inability to make the most of set pieces and a lack of urgency on the counter (not that the latter was a huge problem against 10 man defenses but still).

I think we have to be patient and see if players like Babel and Keane can find their shooting boots. Obviously a return to form of Torres would help but even when he does we need to have the confidence that we will score even if he does not - at the minute I don't feel that regularly enough.

He's an able right sided forward. Personally I'd like to see him given a sustained run up front with Torres. I think he'd score a few and would compliment Torres well also

My only issue is that 'able' right sided forwards don't win titles. Outstanding natural wide players help a lot more

[Ryan_Derrick]

We never opened them up when you consider that we had the ball 76% of the time - we huffed and puffed and made scrappy openings. There no method to our attacking...

30 shots and 19 corners?

[rage]

30 shots and 19 corners?

our corners might as well be goal kicks and as for 30 shots, how many were hit and hope from outside the box? says it all when the best shot from outside the box was carra.

[BFG]

our corners might as well be goal kicks and as for 30 shots, how many were hit and hope from outside the box? says it all when the best shot from outside the box was carra.

It doesn't quite "say it all".

I'd say the one that went in from Gerrard was better but then again I don't look intently at all things LFC to find any negative I can.