[Albion] Is the problem goalscoring or not?

Mo Gosfield · Jan 19, 2020

A lot of us keep thinking that our supposed lack of firepower is the reason we are not sitting more comfortably in the table. The following stats seem to back this up.

23 games played

In 16 games, we have scored 0/1 goals ....W0 D6 L10

In 7 games, we have scored 2/3 goals.......W6 D1 L0

It appears that if we score two goals, we invariably win and if we score three, we always win

However, we have scored 26 goals in 23 games, which is the 11th best in the division. Four teams above us have scored the same or less number of goals ( Sheff U/Palace/Everton/Newcastle ) So what is the difference? Answer = 1-0 wins.

Sheff U.........4
Palace..........2
Everton........3
Newcastle....4

Not one single 1-0 win for BHA this season suggests that there is maybe a discipline/control problem at the back. 5 clean sheets have seen 4 comfortable wins ( Watford 3-0, Spurs 3-0, Norwich 2-0, Bmuff 2-0 ) Only a dire 0-0 early on, at out of sorts Newcastle, bucks the trend. Sitting a bit deeper under CH, plus the Dunk/Duffy ' bodies on the line and better in the air ' combo than the Dunk/Webster pairing saw a number of 1-0 wins. So in conclusion, it appears that when Potterball works we score goals and win. When teams adjust and make it more difficult for us, we lose a bit of focus and concentration, make more mistakes, invariably concede and don't win. Simplistic I know but it may not necessarily be all down to our strikers.

Bodian · Jan 19, 2020

Mo Gosfield said:
A lot of us keep thinking that our supposed lack of firepower is the reason we are not sitting more comfortably in the table. The following stats seem to back this up.

23 games played

In 16 games, we have scored 0/1 goals ....W0 D6 L10

In 7 games, we have scored 2/3 goals.......W6 D1 L0

It appears that if we score two goals, we invariably win and if we score three, we always win

However, we have scored 26 goals in 23 games, which is the 11th best in the division. Four teams above us have scored the same or less number of goals ( Sheff U/Palace/Everton/Newcastle ) So what is the difference? Answer = 1-0 wins.

Sheff U.........4
Palace..........2
Everton........3
Newcastle....4

Not one single 1-0 win for BHA this season suggests that there is maybe a discipline/control problem at the back. 5 clean sheets have seen 4 comfortable wins ( Watford 3-0, Spurs 3-0, Norwich 2-0, Bmuff 2-0 ) Only a dire 0-0 early on, at out of sorts Newcastle, bucks the trend. Sitting a bit deeper under CH, plus the Dunk/Duffy ' bodies on the line and better in the air ' combo than the Dunk/Webster pairing saw a number of 1-0 wins. So in conclusion, it appears that when Potterball works we score goals and win. When teams adjust and make it more difficult for us, we lose a bit of focus and concentration, make more mistakes, invariably concede and don't win. Simplistic I know but it may not necessarily be all down to our strikers.

All good points. I think the most frustrating thing is not converting the one goal lead into something more. Yesterday being a perfect example of this. If we'd got a second, the way Villa were playing, we would probably have had a clean sheet and an easy win. So, yes, in a way it is our goalscoring that's an issue - we need to be more clinical when winning instead of trying to pass it into the net.

Bozza · Jan 19, 2020

I think I posted something similar-ish a few weeks ago.

I guess for me, it comes down to the fact that we are not converting dominance into the goals required to win (more) games.

If we were battling to hold our own in many games then the goals scored, conceded and points picked up would probably feel about par. But in many games we have been the better side, often by some margin, but that has often not translated into the vital three points.

dwayne · Jan 19, 2020

We need goals from midfield. We've needed this for years now. In the premier League it's ridiculously fine margins, but I'm not convinced it's lack of decent strikers. Maupay, Murray and Connolly is just about enough.

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BensGrandad · Jan 19, 2020

IMHO our biggest problem is our inability to keep a clean sheet.

Tiptoe through the NSC · Jan 19, 2020

I couldn't agree more. Its the 1-1 draws that bother me. Burnley, Palace and yesterday are perfect examples of 1-0 wins that never happened because of sloppy defending. Chelsea (at home) and West Ham are similar in the sense that, although the opposition scored the first goal, it was a thoroughly avoidable one. I see why Potter persists with the Webster/Dunk partnership but I do miss the solidity of last season.

zefarelly · Jan 19, 2020

its a combination of players. a leopard needs feeding or its weak and cannot hunt. ( sorry to go all Cantona on you)

we need wingers and a midfield who understand the striker and visa versa . . . that is the biggest problem at the moment on pitch communication breakdown a worrying lack of crosses . . . . like the one for fairy socks yesterday.

BensGrandad · Jan 19, 2020

dwayne said:
We need goals from midfield. We've needed this for years now. In the premier League it's ridiculously fine margins, but I'm not convinced it's lack of decent strikers. Maupay, Murray and Connolly is just about enough.

Sent from my SM-G977N using Tapatalk

Not exactly true as Maupay is our best but not a 20 goal a season man. GM is finished except for odd cameos and Connolly has shown he is not really ready yet for the challange. We need a No 1 prime striker in order that Maupay becomes the secondary striker not the one to be relied on for goals.

Tom Hark Preston Park · Jan 19, 2020

Pretty sure we'd benefit from a more settled side that can build an understanding of what they can expect from each other. It's revolving doors for the starting eleven this season, and it's not all down to injuries.

Bozza · Jan 19, 2020

Tiptoe through the NSC said:
I do miss the solidity of last season.

At this point last season we'd conceded 32 goals to this season's 31.

zefarelly · Jan 19, 2020

Tom Hark said:
Pretty sure we'd benefit from a more settled side that can build an understanding of what they can expect from each other. It's revolving doors for the starting eleven this season, and it's not all down to injuries.

I agree, GP also needs to work on players understanding of each other and which ones work together in any given formation.

Bodian · Jan 19, 2020

Bozza said:
At this point last season we'd conceded 32 goals to this season's 31.

And the same number of clean sheets as well.

LamieRobertson · Jan 19, 2020

Tiptoe through the NSC said:
I couldn't agree more. Its the 1-1 draws that bother me. Burnley, Palace and yesterday are perfect examples of 1-0 wins that never happened because of sloppy defending. Chelsea (at home) and West Ham are similar in the sense that, although the opposition scored the first goal, it was a thoroughly avoidable one. I see why Potter persists with the Webster/Dunk partnership but I do miss the solidity of last season.

If you don’t score more than one you are always going to be susceptible to the possibility of not winning as the side losing press in the final twenty minutes of a game.
Mind you that didn’t do Southampton any good yesterday

TheJasperCo · Jan 19, 2020

More goals would certainly help

Eric Youngs Contact Lense · Jan 19, 2020

Scoring goals when you are on top feel to me as though its the issue .. without a 2 goal cushion we, as are most teams (See Arsenal, Man City yesterday too!) the risk is of a late equaliser. The big challenge is pushing on and getting the second goal - leaving yourselves open at the same time. Its a real challenge , not easy to remedy and one of THE biggest differences to last season.. go 1-0 up and defend what you have vs. pushing on to win.. Last season, lots of shouts and groans about letting teams come onto us, even when we were drawing, and losing points. Now the groans are that we don't sit and defend a lead.
I assume that this is part of the "process" GP alludes too - getting players who have been conditioned one-way to play another way. He has to show complete belief in the approach, or the whole process is doomed to failure. The pressure of the table may be getting to the players too, as it is the Amex crowd ( In my opinion). If we can score a second goal, in periods when we are on top, life will get much easier.

Colonel Angus · Jan 19, 2020

Mo Gosfield said:
A lot of us keep thinking that our supposed lack of firepower is the reason we are not sitting more comfortably in the table. The following stats seem to back this up.

23 games played

In 16 games, we have scored 0/1 goals ....W0 D6 L10

In 7 games, we have scored 2/3 goals.......W6 D1 L0

It appears that if we score two goals, we invariably win and if we score three, we always win

However, we have scored 26 goals in 23 games, which is the 11th best in the division. Four teams above us have scored the same or less number of goals ( Sheff U/Palace/Everton/Newcastle ) So what is the difference? Answer = 1-0 wins.

Sheff U.........4
Palace..........2
Everton........3
Newcastle....4

Not one single 1-0 win for BHA this season suggests that there is maybe a discipline/control problem at the back. 5 clean sheets have seen 4 comfortable wins ( Watford 3-0, Spurs 3-0, Norwich 2-0, Bmuff 2-0 ) Only a dire 0-0 early on, at out of sorts Newcastle, bucks the trend. Sitting a bit deeper under CH, plus the Dunk/Duffy ' bodies on the line and better in the air ' combo than the Dunk/Webster pairing saw a number of 1-0 wins. So in conclusion, it appears that when Potterball works we score goals and win. When teams adjust and make it more difficult for us, we lose a bit of focus and concentration, make more mistakes, invariably concede and don't win. Simplistic I know but it may not necessarily be all down to our strikers.

Interesting.

Can I just confirm, to get this straight in my head, are you saying that the more goals we score, the more likely we are to win?

zefarelly · Jan 19, 2020

Colonel Angus said:
Interesting.

Can I just confirm, to get this straight in my head, are you saying that the more goals we score, the more likely we are to win?

Rocket science level one, complete. ;-)

spence · Jan 19, 2020

An overrated kid and a Championship striker leading the line isnt good. I like Maupay a lot but with a heavy heart I don't think he is quite good enough. Finishing lets him down. Playing him on his own is pretty pointless and ineffective. He needs somebody to play alongside
Murray hit double figures in the previous two seasons and nothing to his name now.
9 goals scored from 3 strikers is on the poor side.

nwgull · Jan 19, 2020

Tiptoe through the NSC said:
I couldn't agree more. Its the 1-1 draws that bother me. Burnley, Palace and yesterday are perfect examples of 1-0 wins that never happened because of sloppy defending. Chelsea (at home) and West Ham are similar in the sense that, although the opposition scored the first goal, it was a thoroughly avoidable one. I see why Potter persists with the Webster/Dunk partnership but I do miss the solidity of last season.

I don’t miss the backs-to-wall attritional football of last year whenever we went 1 goal up, or if we were playing a big team. I know it was effective in the first half of the season in terms of results, but football is still an entertainment business for me and watching us sit on 1-0 leads with 11 men in our half was painful.

Mo Gosfield · Jan 19, 2020

Colonel Angus said:
Interesting.

Can I just confirm, to get this straight in my head, are you saying that the more goals we score, the more likely we are to win?

Score twice in games and we usually win. Score once and we cannot see the game out. All sides have games of dominance, when they cannot get that decisive second goal. Then, shape, discipline, organisation and mistake limitation come into play. The four sides above us in the table, who haven't scored more goals than us, have a combined thirteen 1-0 wins between them. We are still too error prone at the back and Webster is the worst culprit. Hopefully, he will improve. Not having that ' 1-0 up, got to win ugly ' in our mentality puts all the pressure on our strikers and although there is clearly room for improvement in that department, we have made too many basic errors in midfield and defence this season, leading directly to goals.

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[Albion] Is the problem goalscoring or not?

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