The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - Jurgen walks - Stallion vindicated

[GalwayBayBoy]

@OptaSports 16 - Liverpool have now hit the woodwork 16 times in 2011/12, more than 15 of the 20 PL sides did last season. Thud

Think that's from direct shots but I think there's another 2 where the ball has been tipped or deflected onto the woodwork.

[EC Unique]

Don't know why people think hitting the wood is bad luck. It is an off target shot which can be put down to poor finishing.

[Mont]

crying bout the woodwork - it is a miss and a bad finish - a good finish is one that goes in the net
should have beat villa by 5 mind you

the alleged racist has great movement - nightmare for defenders

[GalwayBayBoy]

Don't know why people think hitting the wood is bad luck.

Because it often is. If you have an open goal or just the keeper to beat and hit the woodwork it's bad finishing but if you try and chip the keeper from 15 yards and it hits the bar or hit a shot from 25-30 yards out and it hits the post then you will probably feel justifably unlucky.

If someone hits the post from a 25 yard shot does anyone really go "well that was terrible finishing". So generally it's a mixture of the two. Bad finishing and bad luck.

[Mont]

so if you are unlucky when you hot the woodwork you must be lucky when it goes in the net? doesnt make sense

a ball that goes in the net is a good finish - if it goes anywhere else is a bad finish including woodwork

[GalwayBayBoy]

so if you are unlucky when you hot the woodwork you must be lucky when it goes in the net? doesnt make sense

a ball that goes in the net is a good finish - if it goes anywhere else is a bad finish including woodwork

So if someone hits a shot from 30 yards and it hits the post that's poor finishing? That certainly doesn't make any sense.

Unfortunately it can't be boiled down to the overly simplistic ball goes in the net = good finishing, anything else = bad finishing.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Idiots out in force again I see

[Captain Obvious]

so if you are unlucky when you hot the woodwork you must be lucky when it goes in the net? doesnt make sense

a ball that goes in the net is a good finish - if it goes anywhere else is a bad finish including woodwork

So if someone hits a shot from 30 yards and it hits the post that's poor finishing? That certainly doesn't make any sense.

Unfortunately it can't be boiled down to the overly simplistic ball goes in the net = good finishing, anything else = bad finishing.

Ask yourself would Fowler or Rush have missed those chances this season? Liverpool not having a top marks man is going to cost them a champions league place.

[Bingo]

Fowler or rush were finishers. Suarez makes majority of his own chances.  They other two wouldn't be in his league in that respect, he'd not be in their league in terms of finishing. He is going to hit a spell when he'll score most games, he does it for his country.

[Minder]

Liverpool have now as many away wins (5) as all of last season.

[supersub]

so if you are unlucky when you hot the woodwork you must be lucky when it goes in the net? doesnt make sense

a ball that goes in the net is a good finish - if it goes anywhere else is a bad finish including woodwork

So if someone hits a shot from 30 yards and it hits the post that's poor finishing? That certainly doesn't make any sense.

Unfortunately it can't be boiled down to the overly simplistic ball goes in the net = good finishing, anything else = bad finishing.

Ask yourself would Fowler or Rush have missed those chances this season? Liverpool not having a top marks man is going to cost them a champions league place.

The fact it has happened him a good few times after magic pieces of skill to create something out of nothing renders the ball hitting woodwork as unlucky. And as someone else said, fowler or rush wouldn't have created half the chances he has for himself. But yes are better finishers.

[Agent Orange]

Liverpool should enter Soccer AM's cross bar challenge, they might win something this season.

[supersub]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16237980.stm

[Agent Orange]

Andy Carroll - Rory Donnelly direct swap?

Would Carroll get a game for Cliftonville?

[Evil Genius]

so if you are unlucky when you hot the woodwork you must be lucky when it goes in the net? doesnt make sense

a ball that goes in the net is a good finish - if it goes anywhere else is a bad finish including woodwork

So if someone hits a shot from 30 yards and it hits the post that's poor finishing? That certainly doesn't make any sense.

Unfortunately it can't be boiled down to the overly simplistic ball goes in the net = good finishing, anything else = bad finishing.

Ask yourself would Fowler or Rush have missed those chances this season? Liverpool not having a top marks man is going to cost them a champions league place.

The fact it has happened him a good few times after magic pieces of skill to create something out of nothing renders the ball hitting woodwork as unlucky.

For me, the fact of L'pool hitting the woodwork so often - whether from a 30 yard shot or a piece of Suarez trickery inside the box - denotes a weakness in their play.

Namely, they are either being reduced to shooting from distance, or they are relying on a piece of individual brilliance close-in  (i.e. where the play is most crowded).

Both of these indicate that they are not capable of carving defences open with through passes or 1-2's etc; or getting to the byeline and picking out an attacker for a free header; or beating the offside trap with an early pass/clever run.

It's pretty obvious, but the best teams are those which can outplay the opposition in the areas where they can hurt them most. The kings of this are Barcelona, who can keep possession forever in the last third of the field, constantly probing for a clear opening to deliver the killer blow. Consequently, the majority of their goals are simply "passed" (or nodded) into an open goal, with the keeper/defence helpless. Even when Messi dribbles past 3 or 4 players to slot home, his way has generally been cleared by half a dozen teammates buzzing around to distract and disorient the opposition in their own penalty area.

By the same token, it is no coincidence that L'pool are by far the lowest scorers in the Top Six:
Man City - 50
MU - 37
THFC - 31 (1 game fewer)
Chels - 34
Arse - 31
L'pool - 20

And as someone else said, fowler or rush wouldn't have created half the chances he has for himself.

Isn't the whole point that Fowler and Rush didn't have  to create their own chances i.e. their teammates were doing it for them?

But yes are better finishers.

I'm no L'pool fan, but imo Fowler was the finest all-round finisher the EPL has ever seen (until fitness, attitude - and a fall-out with Houllier? - diminished him).
As for Rush, he was one of the very first strikers who adopted the function of harrying and hassling opposing defenders, in/around their own area, the moment they got the ball. European teams, in particular, were not used to this and this (novel) tactic contributed a good deal to L'pool's success.