Where our goals coming from?

[9-3]

Did we have a shot on target today?

Play Gab and Charlie up front together.

Drop Tadic and play Lemina.

[SaintAmongSkates]

Stats listed as 29 shots (including blocked) and only 2 on target. Glass half full, or half empty. Take your pick.....

[tobes8]

To play a One up front you need a midfielder or one or two of the forward players to be delivering 10-15 goals a season. This was the issue last season and still to be addressed over the summer

[Lets B Avenue]

Did we have a shot on target today?

Play Gab and Charlie up front together.

Drop Tadic and play Lemina.

 

That's 12 playing. I don't think we are allowed to get away with that.

[farawaysaint]

Austin 7

Gabbi 9

Redmond 6

Tadic 3

Boufal 4

Everyone else won't get more than 2.

[OttawaSaint]

I don't know why people still reply to this serial troll (only ever starts inflammatory threads, never comments).

 

Yes I see the irony.

[Smirking_Saint]

Gabbi will be ok if we actually get the ball to him, get the ball into the box as he makes his run. In some situations we will get away with playing them both.

 

I didnt see anything much to worry about today, another day it could of been a rout. It worries me that we didnt mix anything up, it did remind me a lot of the early days Pochetinho, high tempo, high press, try to walk the ball in the net. Instead of mixing up a few long shots, early balls etc

 

My main criticism is that our best chances came from low balls across the box after getting in behind, and then we went away from that tactic.

[Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd]

Crazy to let J-Rod go. Just read the reviews from his game today. Man of the match. Created more chances than any other player.

[Lets B Avenue]

Crazy to let J-Rod go. Just read the reviews from his game today. Man of the match. Created more chances than any other player.

 

But didn't score. Got enough of those, thanks.

[OttawaSaint]

Crazy to let J-Rod go. Just read the reviews from his game today. Man of the match. Created more chances than any other player.

 

So how many did he bag?

[rooney]

It was the same as last season-many chances but just cannot score. Perhaps we must come to the conclusion that our players lack this bit of extra quality to score.

[doddisalegend]

Crazy to let J-Rod go. Just read the reviews from his game today. Man of the match. Created more chances than any other player.

 

yeah imagine having players who make lots of chances abut don't score....

[doddisalegend]

Gabbi will be ok if we actually get the ball to him, get the ball into the box as he makes his run. In some situations we will get away with playing them both.

 

I didnt see anything much to worry about today, another day it could of been a rout. It worries me that we didnt mix anything up, it did remind me a lot of the early days Pochetinho, high tempo, high press, try to walk the ball in the net. Instead of mixing up a few long shots, early balls etc

 

My main criticism is that our best chances came from low balls across the box after getting in behind, and then we went away from that tactic.

 

Totally this. We played a couple of low cut backs from the byline that caused Swansea all sorts of problems then stopped doing that and resorted to the high hanging crosses into the box. Just like last season under Puel those crosses play right into the hands of the opposition CBs. I just don't get the point of all these high crosses when our forward line is so physically unimposing in the air playing it on the deck to feet would suit our players much more surely. The other problem with the crosses is we still aren't getting enough bodies in the box so we end up with a high cross into a box rammed with opposition players and 1 maybe 2 saints players.

[landford.saint]

MoPe said in a recent interview that he had quite a few things to change, but it would take time, he couldn't introduce everything at once. He would steadily integrate his new ideas and methods.

Yesterday was a vast improvement on the turgid stuff last season, but it felt like when the team ran out of ideas or did not quite know what to do they instinctively reverted to the game-plan they had become indoctrinated with last season, something they knew well.

I am not a bit disheartened by yesterday. In fact quite the opposite. I am too old to demand instant gratification or success, but I can see this new project with MoPe is going to make this next season very interesting indeed. Can't wait for the next step.

[doddisalegend]

MoPe said in a recent interview that he had quite a few things to change, but it would take time, he couldn't introduce everything at once. He would steadily integrate his new ideas and methods.

Yesterday was a vast improvement on the turgid stuff last season, but it felt like when the team ran out of ideas or did not quite know what to do they instinctively reverted to the game-plan they had become indoctrinated with last season, something they knew well.

I am not a bit disheartened by yesterday. In fact quite the opposite. I am too old to demand instant gratification or success, but I can see this new project with MoPe is going to make this next season very interesting indeed. Can't wait for the next step.

 

I think constant high crosses into the box goes back further than last season but it's a more viable tactic when you have a Pelle or Lambert leading the line.

[tajjuk]

If last season hadn't happened and particularly the last home games last year would anyone really worry about this?

 

It's a new manager, new start and the performance was good. Swansea parked the bus, rode their luck and nicked a point, on another day we would have scored 5. These things happen, could be worse we could have created nothing which was what we were more like under Puel.

 

Give the guy time and the players time, Gabbi will score, Austin will score, Redmond has goals in him, JWP is improving this side of his game and Boufal has goal potential once he gets a run in the side.

 

An interesting thing to note as well, was watching Soccer Saturday yesterday and according to Le Tiss, Puel was offered the chance to stay on the condition he played more attacking/positive football and he refused.

 

One thing I will say though is we miss Pelle, a plan B, I was watching Liverpool v Watford yesterday and Okaka gave them a great out ball against Liverpool's high press. We'll struggle against him when we face him if we don't have VVD I reckon.

 

 

Also according to this article Tadic was one of the worst players last year for missing 'expected goals' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40699431 Should have scored 6-7 from the excellent chances he had but only scored 3.

Edited 13 August, 2017 by tajjuk

[GarrettIvo]

Some will come from open play. The rest from corners, free kicks etc.

 

Probably penalty or two as well, assuming we convert them for a change.

 

I guess we could get a lucky goalkeeper howler too, but that's all the ways I think you can score.

[Roo1976]

It was the same as last season-many chances but just cannot score. Perhaps we must come to the conclusion that our players lack this bit of extra quality to score.

 

um possibly

[saintadjg]

OG's

[doddisalegend]

Some will come from open play. The rest from corners, free kicks etc.

 

Probably penalty or two as well, assuming we convert them for a change.

 

I guess we could get a lucky goalkeeper howler too, but that's all the ways I think you can score.

 

Does anyone know the last time we scored a direct free kick I think it was JWP at home vs WBA two seasons ago but that can't be right surely?

[tajjuk]

Not many people score from direct free kicks full stop.

 

Also noted that when they were talking about Liverpool conceding goals from set plays, we matched them and were like joint 3rd worst in the league last year.

[Nordic Saint]

Does anyone know the last time we scored a direct free kick I think it was JWP at home vs WBA two seasons ago but that can't be right surely?

 

That's because he's been taking the free-kicks ever since, and there have been plenty on the edge of the penalty area that dead ball specialists would have scored from. Unfortunately, it appears we haven't got one. I'm surprised Boufal hasn't been given a chance.

[Kingsland Codger]

Does anyone know the last time we scored a direct free kick I think it was JWP at home vs WBA two seasons ago but that can't be right surely?

 

If we don't count the own goal scored by Peter Chec at The Emirates last season after Tadic hit the bar (and we shouldn't count it as his shot was off-target) then, yes, JWP vs West Brom was the last time ... and the last time before that? SRL v Stoke in the Spring of 2014, I think, though I would be happy to be corrected.

 

In no particular order we have seen Davis, Tadic, JWP, Alderweirald, VvD, Yoshida and probably several others try their luck. All have come close but how we miss someone like SRL who would score as often as miss.

 

Opponents who are hanging on to a win or a draw might well be thinking it is no bad thing to concede a late free-kick against Saints. Organising the wall and Saints discussing amongst themselves as to who will take it would take up a good minute of time.

[Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd]

But didn't score. Got enough of those, thanks.

 

Still think he's a better option that Tadic, Boufal, Redmond and Gallagher. I remember last season when we were struggling for goals and I said I'd like to see J-Rod and Long start instead of Redmond, Tadic / Boufal. May not have the flair but they certainly work harder and create more. I genuinely hope I'm wrong but I think he'll get more assists and score more goals and than any striker at Saints this season.