[Albion] You need three regular goal scorers.

Hugo Rune · Dec 20, 2019

After chewing the bones of the disappointing draw at Selhurst, one thing has become crystal clear. If we want to make good progress into the top ten, we need to be scoring more goals. We had twenty shots on target against a dull Palace side but only converted one. Do we have enough top goal scorers in the team?

Most ‘Top Six’ sides will have a trio of perhaps Salah, Mane & Firmino or Kane, Son & Ali or even Aguero, Sterling & Jesus. A trio that just gets goal after goal. It strikes me that we have just one player (Maupay) accepting the burden of scoring goals. With our possession stats, our conversion rates are appalling where as Palace are the best in the League. Not good.

Which other two players can start bagging some critical goals in order to help Maupay out with the goal scoring chores and thus drive us forward into the top ten where our football style and application deservedly would have us?

Perhaps these are the type of goals we should be scoring:

https://youtu.be/qmfmenpt6WY

hans kraay fan club · Dec 20, 2019

Hugo Rune said:
After chewing the bones of the disappointing draw at Selhurst, one thing has become crystal clear. If we want to make good progress into the top ten, we need to be scoring more goals. We had twenty shots on target against a dull Palace side but only converted one. Do we have enough top goal scorers in the team?

Most ‘Top Six’ sides will have a trio of perhaps Salah, Mane & Firmino or Kane, Son & Ali or even Aguero, Sterling & Jesus. A trio that just gets goal after goal. It strikes me that we have just one player (Maupay) accepting the burden of scoring goals. With our possession stats, our conversion rates are appalling where as Palace are the best in the League. Not good.

Which other two players can start bagging some critical goals in order to help Maupay out with the goal scoring chores and thus drive us forward into the top ten where our football style and application deservedly would have us?

Perhaps these are the type of goals we should be scoring:

https://youtu.be/qmfmenpt6WY

Connolly and Trossard.

Unless we are playing against Excelsior or Willem II, in which case your suggestion might be worth trying. (even then, probably not, as the aforementioned will tear them apart anyway)

Rogero · Dec 20, 2019

Fully agree. We need wingers and midfield who can score 6 or 7 goals at least per season. I suppose that may happen when we upgrade people like Propper and Stephens who are very good players but need to chip in more. I am sure they are working on this and its not a secret.

Stat Brother · Dec 20, 2019

Posters seem to be forgetting these 10 to 15 goals guaranteed this season:-

https://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?373798-Glenn-Murray&highlight=Murray

Cadiz Seagull · Dec 20, 2019

When Maupay and Connoly are playing together they will score goals but when one of them are missing, like the last two games, we have a problem. Defenders can double up on whoever is playing and that also removes a get out option when we have the ball in our own area. Two fast forwards give us the option to play a long ball but only one doesn't.

We need a third option, either to rotate or even just come on as sub. But this needs to be someone different to what we already have. Someone like Andone but without the attitude, Someone strong and pacy and good in the air.

At the moment our only change option is Murray but I'm afraid he's no longer the answer.

WildWood · Dec 20, 2019

I hate to say I told you so, but I did say at the time that Adam Virgo would be a tough goal scorer to replace....

Napper · Dec 20, 2019

Connolly will get goals , He's only 19 and is already a fantastic player. I wouldnt be surprised that by the time he reaches 22 he will be banging 15 + a year consistently

Stat Brother · Dec 20, 2019

Napper said:
Connolly will get goals , He's only 19 and is already a fantastic player. I wouldnt be surprised that by the time he reaches 22 he will be banging 15 + a year consistently

For whom?

PHCgull · Dec 20, 2019

Hugo Rune said:
even Aguero, Sterling & Jesus

Jesus!

Mellotron · Dec 20, 2019

Whilst you're correct I don't feel we're getting that many "clear cut" chances - how many of those 20 shots against Palace should have been goals?

Then again I know that can be a bit of a chicken-and-egg argument, i.e. a better striker would make more chances for themselves.

WATFORD zero · Dec 20, 2019

We have three who are 25 years old, 23 years old and 19 years old and are all in their first season in the Premier League.

I'm happy to show a little patience :smile:

Hugo Rune · Dec 20, 2019

Mellotron said:
Whilst you're correct I don't feel we're getting that many "clear cut" chances - how many of those 20 shots against Palace should have been goals?

Then again I know that can be a bit of a chicken-and-egg argument, i.e. a better striker would make more chances for themselves.

The Dunk header really sticks out but I see those as bonus goals.

My concern against Palace was that Trossard and Groß looked a lot more likely to assist than score. It’s surely up to Biss, Mooy, Pröpper, Dunk, Montoya & Burn to be worrying about getting the ball in the box to create a goal scoring chance, it’s seemed to me that Maupay was the only one ‘sniffing’ and he was generally well marked by at least one Palace player for most of the game.

Hugo Rune · Dec 20, 2019

hans kraay fan club said:
Connolly and Trossard.

Unless we are playing against Excelsior or Willem II, in which case your suggestion might be worth trying. (even then, probably not, as the aforementioned will tear them apart anyway)

My suggestion was in regards to the ‘type’ of goal: Cleanly struck. Accurate. With power. Not straight at the keeper (see Palace game). Less so the player.

It’s clear that the scorer of those goals will be gone in January but shouldn’t Groß or Tross be knocking in at least half a dozen like that per season? Izquierdo can do it but will he ever be the same as he was?

Guinness Boy · Dec 20, 2019

Mellotron said:
Whilst you're correct I don't feel we're getting that many "clear cut" chances - how many of those 20 shots against Palace should have been goals?

Then again I know that can be a bit of a chicken-and-egg argument, i.e. a better striker would make more chances for themselves.

I think our xG was 2.69 which would suggest another goal would have been underachieving and a third would have been clinical finishing. I'd suggest the best chances were the not given stonewall penalty and Dunk's header. Maupay's instinctive jab from a yard when their keeper dropped the curling cross also goes in on another day.

Thunder Bolt · Dec 20, 2019

Connolly, Trossard, Maupay, and Gross.
Propper is also playing further forward.

Bozza · Dec 20, 2019

Mellotron said:
Whilst you're correct I don't feel we're getting that many "clear cut" chances - how many of those 20 shots against Palace should have been goals?

Then again I know that can be a bit of a chicken-and-egg argument, i.e. a better striker would make more chances for themselves.

Agreed.

I listened to the first bit of the latest Albion Unlimited podcast yesterday and Messrs Aspinall, Cantor and Harms dampened by soaring Albion mojo a little bit but, on reflection, justifiably so.

Much of our recent football, inciuding the first 70 minutes at Selhurst Park, has been sublime and an utter joy to watch, but at the sharp end of the pitch we are coming up a bit short and not creating the chances our general level of play deserves.

The BBC Sussex chaps made the very same point as you, in that we didn't really make the Palace keeper do much that wasn't routine and we'd not expect him to deal with. We took a fair few long-shots, which isn't a bad strategy on a slick greasy pitch, but they were pretty much all fired straight down the 'keeper's throat.

However, we are still very much a work in progress and there are occasional very obvious signs of players not being on quite the same wavelength, and you can only hope, with some optimism, that this will improve and, in time, we'll see the team really clicking in the final third.

hans kraay fan club · Dec 20, 2019

Hugo Rune said:
My suggestion was in regards to the ‘type’ of goal: Cleanly struck. Accurate. With power.

Like Maupay against Wolves? Or Trossard against West Ham? Or Connolly's second against Spurs? Or Groß against Everton?

All are capable of striking a ball cleanly enough, but I don't think you can expect to see many of the type of goals scored in that video. Potter's method is about getting numbers forward quickly, to support the attack, and create good chances - not about allowing the opposition to settle behind the ball, and then take speculative hits from distance.

Bozza · Dec 20, 2019

Guinness Boy said:
I'd suggest the best chances were the not given stonewall penalty and Dunk's header. Maupay's instinctive jab from a yard when their keeper dropped the curling cross also goes in on another day.

The AU chaps also made the point at how few of our centre-half set-piece heading opportunities are finding the back of the net, which is also fair comment.

Did Dunk have two the other night, or just the one? Regardless, it feels like he should have several more headed goals this season than the sole one scored against Man Utd.

Medwayseagull · Dec 20, 2019

Bozza said:
The AU chaps also made the point at how few of our centre-half set-piece heading opportunities are finding the back of the net, which is also fair comment.

Did Dunk have two the other night, or just the one? Regardless, it feels like he should have several more headed goals this season than the sole one scored against Man Utd.

Two - one straight at the keeper in the first half and one over the bar late in the second half.

hans kraay fan club · Dec 20, 2019

Bozza said:
The AU chaps also made the point at how few of our centre-half set-piece heading opportunities are finding the back of the net, which is also fair comment.

Did Dunk have two the other night, or just the one? Regardless, it feels like he should have several more headed goals this season than the sole one scored against Man Utd.

Only Dunk at United, and Webster at Villa, were headed goals*, but add in Webster's at Arsenal, Dunk at Anfield and Duffy v Norwich, and that isn't a bad return from the centre backs, to date.

*depending on whether you wish to include / ignore Hayden Roberts in the Villa cup game

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[Albion] You need three regular goal scorers.

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