Rafa - do a 'Big Sam'

[Airman]

Ban the long shots.

I think our stats for shots on goal versus shots on target are not helped by the number of long shots we have that go sailing over the bar or wide of the goal - or both...The odd JAR/Alonso one excepted. It seems everyone is just shooting on sight even when we DO have someone free to pass to. It's starting to frustrate the hell out of me.

Maybe banning the long shots/fining those responsible for a while might help.

Just a thought.

[anfieldanfield]

We dont cut sides open though mate, long shots are our only hope.

[Airman]

We dont cut sides open though mate, long shots are our only hope.

Well, it's about time we learnt. Taking long shots all the time certainly isn't working!

[red g]

i thought u meant cypher money through your son

[MrMichael]

Shots from distance work when an opposition team is hemmed back in their area and the ball runs free outside the box, a la SG v WestHam or Olympiakos. They don't work when we're playing as we are now and defenders are easily able to close down the ball striker and put them off. They should be the sign of a team with confidence rather than coming out of desperation.as they are now.

[Airman]

i thought u meant cypher money through your son

No. I'm not that cryptic.

(See what I did there?)

[Reece]

Maybe just ban Gonzalez from shooting?

[Airman]

Maybe just ban Gonzalez from shooting?

No. Ban everyone.

Except Alonso from our half.

[red g]

Maybe just ban Gonzalez from shooting?

the same gonzalez who had a great shot in spain??is it a differnt ball over there/?

[cadmium]

i thought u meant cypher money through your son

[Morph]

the same gonzalez who had a great shot in spain??is it a differnt ball over there/?

Yep they use special Spanish ones, they move much slower

[Joe Le Toff]

Continual Long Shots = The mark of a team who dont get enough midfield player getting forward to support the strikers, do not have enough movement throughout the team to stretch their opponents thus getting closer to the goal, and are sadly bereft of any ideas to change a pattern of play when they are away from home.

[Airman]

Continual Long Shots = The mark of a team who dont get enough midfield player getting forward to support the strikers, do not have enough movement throughout the team to stretch their opponents thus getting closer to the goal, and are sadly bereft of any ideas to change a pattern of play when they are away from home.

Absolutely correct. Part of that also stems from the fact that when we play at home, Riise and Finnan get forward a lot more. When we play away, they seem reluctant to do so.

Is it because they are told not to? Or do they just decide this themselves? Any comments Rafa?

My thoughts are, that if they did get forward, we put more pressure on the opposition and we then have a similar situation to when we play at home, i.e. the opposition have to deal with us, rather than the other way around. Simple really.