Players in/around the box

[sean_lfc]

Ello there

Clever dick that I am I just wrote a nice big post and ****ed it all up.

Its my first thread so go easy on me, Im a footballing novice hence my seldom posting in this forum I do know there's a ball involved and 11 players and some metal construction the ball goes into to make a score.

Right, now to my question, I've seemed to be observing this (or feeling that I'm observing this) and want to see what other peoples take on it is:

Why do we so seldom get more than 4-5 players in and around teh box to receive crosses etc. (ie the wingers and strikers and possibly Stevie or Alonso)? Is it because Rafa chooses to? Is it because we dont have the right (confident) players of doing so? What is it?

I dont know how to explain it correctly, I just remember myself screaming so often 'GET MORE ME IN THE ****ING BOX!!!' so thats what I would like to discuss.

If you look at the Scum for instance, they often seem to pile their players into/around the box, putting pressure on the defense thus creating more chance of theirs making a mistake which may or may not lead to goals.

Is it because Rafa doesnt want us to be exposed should we lose possession?
(I recall yesterday when Aurelio gave the ball away on the left edge of the box when passing to Stevie and we had the right (think 4 or 5) players in/around the box and then Stevie gave him a proper bollocking)...
Did Stevie get so pissed off 'because it was a golden chance and we had so many players in the box' or because it happens so seldom that we have so many players in the box? Would we have less complaints (not really that I care) if we got into these positions much more often than then having to rely on perfect passing?

I dunno, what do you think?

I must also stress that I have never been to a live game and I have for the past weeks having had to rely on the 40 min highlights (which will obviously be biased). Before that I always watched the game in full.

It is not just because of the defeat yesterday, I have observed this not just this season but seem to have often said it here or there to myself.

Cheers for any replies

[lfcruleus]

I made this point last week in a thread about our style of play and why our wingers (whoever starts) always look bad, they have no targets in the box as 2 strikers are easily picked up up the centre backs. Alonso (great passer that he is) never hits the box, neither does the other sided winger, except Luis occasionally. Gerard does but only usually from a ball from central ie Alonso or Kuyt/Crouch.
I think it is the next step in the Rafalution as we are creating oppurtunities but not taking them as noone is on the end of them.

[Craig_H]

Been banging on about this since the start of the season....

[Resu]

Gonzo looks like he`s getting into the box, but he doesn`t really know when and where to arrive. But as long as he got the sense to get there it shouldn`t be that hard for Rafa to show him the finer points.
Pennant is another matter, if he get a good start to the game he`ll drift in there, but if he feels that isn`t going OK he`ll stay out on the wing.

When a player like Riise ,or Aurelio, by the little I`ve of seen him, plays LM they`re always waiting outside the box so they can blast it from range. This probably has something (everything) to do the fact that they are actually defenders with good left feet.