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View from the Kop

This Isn’t Anfield!

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WHAT an absolutely frustrating season! As I was sitting watching Liverpool play West Bromwich Albion off the park in the first half without scoring, of course, I still had belief that Kenny Dalglish’s side would find the back of the net at some point and cut the ladder of hope that Roy Hodgson’s men were clinging to for dear life. After the break, the Reds upped the ante even more and the Anfield roar intensified as the belief amongst the crowd grew. The goal at the Kop end was being peppered so frequently it seemed as if it had to be just a matter of time before we finally squeezed one into the far corner.

However when Jordan hit the bar, closely followed by Dirk hitting the far post, I began to get that sinking feeling that it was going to be yet another one of those days at Anfield and when Glen Johnson’s loss of concentration allowed Odemwengie to find the back of our net with just over ten minutes remaining, I can’t say that I fell off my chair in shock.

Another week, another disappointment at home; another match in which we’ve enjoyed total and complete domination and control, 28 shots, 16 on target (if you include blocked efforts), the woodwork struck twice-29 & 30 for the season, yet we’ve failed to register. What’s worse is that not only have we failed to score, we’ve actually lost the game to a team that has had three shots on target in the whole match. Ridiculous!

Last Sunday’s defeat was only the third that Liverpool have suffered at Anfield this season, the problem for Kenny Dalglish and his team is that they have only mustered five victories at their normally fortress-like home ground. It’s no secret why either, as alluded to already, Liverpool just can’t seem to score enough goals! The Reds have bagged just forty goals in the league so far this season, an even twenty home and away (before the Norwich game); with just three games remaining, the total is simply not good enough.

Concentrating on the form at Anfield, whether we win our remaining two home fixtures against Fulham and Chelsea or not, 2011/12 will see us pick up our worst home points total since the turn of the millennium at least. Even after the horrors of the Hodgson era, Kenny managed to pick the team up and deliver a final total of twelve home wins at the end of last season. With our current total of five you have to go down as far as Aston Villa, in 15th place, to find a team with a worse home win percentage.

The most frustrating thing about the situation is that we can do it, we have proved it in cup matches many times this season, winning all but one of our cup ties at Anfield and scoring 17 goals in five games, an average of just under 3.5 goals per game. Our goals per game average at Anfield in the league is less than 1.2 per game, with just 20 goals from 17 games. Taken as a whole, our goals per game average in the cup competitions is just under 3 per game, whereas in the league it drops to 1.18. What this statistic shows is that it is not just at Anfield where we have struggled to score league goals, but everywhere.
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There are several possible reasons for our lack of goals in the league; of course there is the woodwork, if you hit the woodwork thirty times you would expect, at least, 10-12 of those to go in-off; just by the laws of probability, however, lady luck has not smiled upon us this year. Then there’s the performance of opposition goalkeepers, which has often been excellent, at Anfield especially, this term –see the Premier League saves of the season for details. Not to mention the pressure that builds and intensifies week after week within the team as chances go begging and points are dropped.

However you can’t absolve the players; Liverpool have a very poor chance conversion rate in the league and, extenuating circumstances aside, we must improve that statistic quickly. It is understandable why Kenny Dalglish didn’t sign another striker in the window, wanting to give Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez time to develop before he introduced somebody new but, with the benefit of hind-sight, a dead eyed finisher might just have made all the difference in the second half of this campaign.

This season has been poor results-wise in the league, there is no getting away from that and nobody is denying it. Our home form, which we have so often relied on to get us out of trouble when our away form has been indifferent, has let us down to some extent this time round. However to say that there is a massive problem at Anfield and that we’re in dire-straits, is simply over-stating the case, it’s just being magnified because, historically, our home form has been so strong. In fact we have picked up two more points at home than on our travels up to this point, like I’ve said before, the problem covers all our league matches at any stadium you care to mention. Luckily for us, it should be fairly easy to rectify, given that we’ve created chance after chance this season and all that has been lacking has been that clinical final touch.

Liverpool are amongst the best in the league at creating chances, we just need to start taking them regularly. Our brand of football has been scintillating at times and some of the passing and movement to create the opportunities to score has, undeniably, been terrific. Providing we continue to play the way we’ve been playing and keep creating chances, as long as Kenny Dalglish does go out in the summer and find that stone-faced assassin, then the goals will come and the results will improve. We are definitely on the right track; I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Liverpool are merely a goal-scorer away from being, very much, a top four team.

You can catch Neil on Twitter @Neil1980 or on his blog http://itsallinthegameblog.wordpress.com/

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13 comments

  • Blindside says:

    It was very plain to see in January that whatever Carroll might “become” it would not be this year. That was obvious to all but apparently not management. I understand all this standing by one’s players etc etc but it was a monumental blunder not to have bought reinforcements when they were there to be had. Irrespective of what machinations go on behind management closed doors it IS the responsibility of Kenny Dalglish to see and be aware of such things. The blunder is his. If he can not see rectification come the Summer then it will be the time to call “time”. Hopefully any action will not include a repeat of any Adam purchases. I still shudder at that!

  • Bekim says:

    I would like to know if u would make excuses if the mngr had a different name and not KD. U can try and polish it however u like the FACT is that he wasted lots of money and if I owned Lfc I wouldn’t trust him with my money. He had enough time to c if Caroll was going to b any good in his first season. It’s not players fault IMO. They’re just not good enough. We seem to blame just about everybody, the post, bar, opposition goalkeepers, referees, coaching staff, Comolli and yet the one who’s the most to b blamed KD remains untouchable.

    • Chan says:

      Bekim, its said that most fans wants KD to stay or get this job in the first place. Well not all, only a few very vocal minority.

      Mr. Henry, i hope you are listening. Please protect the legacy and future of this great club. Protect your investment. A mistake was made by listening to this buffons who called themselves LFC fans. They are not, they are only KD fans. DO NOT LET 1 MAN RUINED US FOREVER, SACK KD NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

      • Bekim says:

        I’ve no doubt that he’s tried his best. It’s not worked out. Now I think it’s time to move on. I would like it if it was by mutual consent tho.

  • Red4Life says:

    It is the whole mgt structures fault at not rectifying the problem early on. If a player is brought for a specific reason (i.e to score goals) and that player is not or has not performed during 10 games let alone 38 and harldy scored then you HAVE to fix the problem. Standard management principles in all walks of life – fix the problems for god sake.

    last seasons purchases have just not been good enough or of sufficient quality to pull on a liverpool shirt. This season has been an even worse embarassment than last season. i dont care hgow people pad it out … trasitional period, new signings not settled and all that rubbish. Apparently we have been in a transitional period for 22 years – thats total rubbish. You dont see that happening at other clubs do you.

    Come on Liverpool, we’re a proud set of fans, we deserve better than this. Get rid of the rubbish and buy some decent overseas proven talent otherwise next season will be more of the same.

    YNWA

    • Chan says:

      Red4life heard of GIGO, Garbage In, Garbage Out?

      To get rid of the smaller rubbish you must first get rid of the mother of all rubbish, KD.

  • Chan says:

    DC was sack and made the fall guy when it is KD who prepared that shopping list of Carroll, Adams, Downing and Henderson.

    Just because the name is KD, does he automatically void of all responsibility for his actions? As we are reading this RH was made manager of England. Say what you want but many in the FA deemed him as fit for the job, mainly because he has done well generally elsewhere.

    Funny thing is, this is the same guy that we panned not so long ago. Is KD’s record any better than RH?

    Many of KD’s fans says we must allowed him to make mistake. I begged to differ. He knows the club well, managed elsewhere and given 113 mill, HE IS NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE THIS KIND OF MISTAKES. A rookie manager like AVB or someone new to LFC is allowed to make mistakes and goes through a learning curve.

    KD is simply out of his depth and its obvious, except maybe to his fans.

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    Yep.. exactly as i think!
    True.. true… but i don’t think that the statements are 100% correct!

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  • Mike says:

    Nice article, thanks 🙂

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