Barnfred 55
Player Valuation: £80m
He is a first class tool though.Simon Jordan ex Crystal Palace owner, reckons Spurs manager going to Barca, and Ronnie going to Spurs, I kid you not.
He is a first class tool though.Simon Jordan ex Crystal Palace owner, reckons Spurs manager going to Barca, and Ronnie going to Spurs, I kid you not.
Don't agree to often with @davek but agree totally on this. Not signing a decent alternative goalscorer was, potentially, a big error. In my opinion of course.It's been answered decisively.
We have Lukaku and then a massive gap to anyone else. We have almost zero firepower in behind Lukaku.
This season so far our five top scorers are:
Lukaku 17
Coleman 4
Barkley 4
Mirallas 3
Baines 2
Last season our top scorers were:
Lukaku 18
Barkley 8
Lennon 5
Kone 5
Mori 4
The season before that our top scorers were:
Lukaku 10
Mirallas 7
Naismith 7
Jagielka 4
Coleman 3
And the season before that one our top scorers were:
Lukaku 15
Mirallas 7
Naismith 6
Barkley 6
Coleman 6
In bold the players you look to to get on the scoresheet and provide options in attack.
Quite clearly this season (and though there's still 12 games to go to improve this) we are overly reliant on Lukaku upfront to get the goals for us.
It's been answered decisively.
We have Lukaku and then a massive gap to anyone else. We have almost zero firepower in behind Lukaku.
This season so far our five top scorers are:
Lukaku 17
Coleman 4
Barkley 4
Mirallas 3
Baines 2
Last season our top scorers were:
Lukaku 18
Barkley 8
Lennon 5
Kone 5
Mori 4
The season before that our top scorers were:
Lukaku 10
Mirallas 7
Naismith 7
Jagielka 4
Coleman 3
And the season before that one our top scorers were:
Lukaku 15
Mirallas 7
Naismith 6
Barkley 6
Coleman 6
In bold the players you look to to get on the scoresheet and provide options in attack.
Quite clearly this season (and though there's still 12 games to go to improve this) we are overly reliant on Lukaku upfront to get the goals for us.
It's not down to personnel that they haven't chipped in with more, it's down to the approach play.
Not committing numbers to counter attacking will result in an imbalance like the one we have this season...and woe betide any team playing like that who dont have one of the top strikers in the country on form playing for them.
Makes sense: Koeman getting Pocchetino's sloppy seconds again.Simon Jordan ex Crystal Palace owner, reckons Spurs manager going to Barca, and Ronnie going to Spurs, I kid you not.
Tbf, we set up under Roberto to service Lukaku. We still do now, but we do so more directly and less in terms of him being the end product of build up play, and that means other players simply aren''t on the spot to get on the scoresheet regularly.TBH we've relied far too much on Rom in all four of those seasons. I know you're using it as a stick to beat Koeman with with Dave, but I think we need to look at the bigger picture. Our reliance on Lukaku since he's been here is criminal. I've looked at the other teams up and around us and, apart from Spurs who are heavily reliant on Kane/Barkley, the rest all have 4/5 attack minded players chipping in. Hate to say it but the RS spread theirs pretty evenly around 5 players.
I know Ross has had an up and down season which hasn't helped, but the sad truth is that we failed miserably to bring in a second striker and goal scoring midfielder in both windows this season. Something we have to properly address in the summer.
This season it makes it more dramatic.You're right Dave.
But it's clearly - as your post shows - not just this season, is it...
Barkley has been asked to lay the ball off more. That's a managerial decision. We dont emphasise a counter attacking approach that gets bodies forward in numbers. Thats a managerial preference.Barkley Mirallas and co have hit consistent goal returns regardless of the manager. It's not the style of play, it's about players stepping up taking more responsibility maybe being a bit more selfish. Barkley has all the natural traits to be as good as Lampard but he doesn't have that desire to get on the scoresheet every game. The majority of the time we are not on the counter attack because aside from against a few sides away from home we are normally on the front foot.
This season it makes it more dramatic.
You're the one making it more dramatic DaveThis season it makes it more dramatic.
Imagine getting Martinez'. He'd take you out for a nice meal, pay all sorts of compliments, tease with foreplay and promise of a wonderful time, then have his date stolen away while he went to the loo. He'd text the next day saying it was a 'phenomenonal moment in relationships' and they should do it again next week.Makes sense: Koeman getting Pocchetino's sloppy seconds again.
Does it? Only difference between this season and the last two is that we can win on the back of the goals he's scored.This season it makes it more dramatic.
It doesn't though, does it? (I know you're kidding, btw)Makes sense: Koeman getting Pocchetino's sloppy seconds again.