Failure to kill off games. Is it killing our title hopes?

There has been a growing trend this season for an awful lot of Liverpool games. Brilliant 1st half. Free-flowing football. Movement, passing, directness, pace. Dominance in terms of play. But not in terms of goals. We usually lead at the break at HT by just the 1 goal, but in terms of play it seems like much much more.

We seem to come out after the break like a totally different team. Our passing is not the same, our directness is still not there. The whole team seems to relax, sit back and expect someone else (Suarez) to conjure something out of nothing, to do the creating and the goal we need to kill of the game.

Our failure to kill of games is seriously hurting us this season. How many times have we been the dominant team, failed to kill them off, and drop points. Three games spring to mind instantly. Sunderland + Norwich at home, Stoke away. All 3 games, we were clearly the dominant team, yet only come out of all 3 games with just 3 points. 9 should have been acquired.

This failure to kill of teams has an effect through the team.  As we are failing to score, we are also conceding goals. Many which draw teams level with us, and something we fail to come back against. We have only kept 2 clean sheets this season, and in both instances the opposition had a man sent off. We have conceded in each of our last 6 games at Anfield.

Is the critical factor of this failure to kill off games our lack of a clinical striker? In the Norwich City game alone, we had 29 shots at goal. This resulted in just 1 goal. Luis Suarez had 11 alone, yet none resulted in a goal. 38 times this season a PL team has had fewer shots themselves than he had in 1 game. Unfortunately, Suarez is not the clinical striker we need. He is the creator.

Up until the Norwich game ( our first 8 games of the season ), we had a chance conversion rate of 9%. That is awful for a team that is looking to finish in a top 4 place, let alone challenge for any honours.

It still is early days in the season so all hope is not gone. We still have 29 games to go and many points to challenge for. We are still only 1 place off of a CL spot. But truly, we all know that the way we play lately, we should have a much higher goals and points tally. We should be higher up the table. Some of the football we are playing is brilliant, but our lack of clinical finishing is seriously hurting our season. Already. Will it be addressed, either on the training field or will it be addressed in January?

 We certainly should of put Norwich to bed in the first 15 minutes.

It definitely is!!

Imagine if we had beaten Sunderland, Stoke, Man United and Norwich? We'd be top with 24 points.

It is more annoying because we played at Anfield in 3 or those 4 games.

And in matches, if you're 2 or 3 up after about half an hour, a goal conceded won't hurt us or better yet, there's a possibility we go on and score more.

Top teams finish all these "lesser" clubs quickly.

It definitely is!!

Imagine if we had beaten Sunderland, Stoke, Man United and Norwich? We'd be top with 24 points.

It is more annoying because we played at Anfield in 3 or those 4 games.

Now Im proper depressed!!

In short yes, we don't have a clinical finisher in the team. I know that's what everyone is hoping Andy will become, but can we afford to sit around waiting? Id like to see us buy a aging poacher in Jan, so as to leave Andy room to develop but ensure waiting for him to hit form doesn't f*ck our champs league chances

In fairness, we do need a clinical striker. We need him now, not wait around for one player we hope will be a clinical striker to get fit. We need him before it's too late. Spurs are 2 points behind with 2 games in hand and if Arsenal beat Stoke, they are also 2 points behind us. All while the teams ahead of us keep  gaining points.

In fairness anyone that thought we were going to league this season really wasnt living in reality

In fairness anyone that thought we were going to league this season really wasnt living in reality

Every team starts off on 0 points and has 38 games to play. If you look at the way we have played in the majority of games, who would disagree that we couldn't win the league. As said above, if had taken our chances in the games, we would have 24 points and be top of the league now.

Yeh i think winning was a long shot but 4th seems more achievable still plenty of time but worrying we are dropping points at home and so many tough away games to come

Every team starts off on 0 points and has 38 games to play. If you look at the way we have played in the majority of games, who would disagree that we couldn't win the league. As said above, if had taken our chances in the games, we would have 24 points and be top of the league now.

But if everyone took the chances they would be top of the league

How long has this been going on against the lower teams, you just know whats coming next week

The Toon are 4 points in front.
Norwich 3 points behind.
Dont mention Stoke or Spurs.

Reality.

Its like 08/09 but a lot worse because at least then we came 2nd.

Suarez has got to score after his brilliant skill early on. Carroll has got to score in the last minute! Its sickening. Should have been 2 or 3-0 at half time.

And then one sh*te piece of goalkeeping and bang the cu*ts are level and thanks to some class keeping we keep the lead. Kenny needs to get them doing a lot more finishing in training because as Adryan said, if we had been composed we would be F***ing top! Gutted at the moment. F***ing sick!

It's more amazing that we've been failing to beat the teams we SHOULD be beating without any excuses.

Beating your rivals alone are not enough to be at the top of the table and the end of the season, you have to kill all the lesser sides and make yourself feared.

I really fear for Kenny if we dont get top 4 I really do, FSG have shown there ruthless streak with the Red Sox and I think we will be doing well to get top 4. Before I get slated I would give Kenny 10 years if he wants it and then replace him with Rafa.

 I dont think this season will meet the expectations of a lot on here. For me City Chelsea and Utd are streets ahead of anyone else and until we match there spending they will stay miles ahead

Probably, however it does highlight how important Lucas is for us!

To me to win a title we need to spend another about 60 million on a dominant centre half a striker and a right midfielder without anyone leaving

Probably, however it does highlight how important Lucas is for us!

I totally agree with this and i've not been his biggest fan in the past but it's games like today that show how important he is to us!

I maybe wrong on this but now things have settled in the boardroom and club maybe its affecting our play,when we had the thieves in charge there was a collective in the team we were the incredibles with a never die attitude,we put some teams to the sword we were F***ing relentless.

Im not sure whats going on in the team but something just aint clicking.

Firstly, we're only 9 games in, so we have about 29 games left.

What happened today was that we missed heaps of chances. FFS, we didnt lose, but we should've won. Some we're saying 29 shots? The EPL site says 15 on target, 15 off target. It only accentuates the boys are creating heaps of chances and their failure to be clinical. Maybe Kenny should've threw in Carroll earlier, but then again, Kenny know best.

Like i said before, we're only 9 games in and its not too late imo. All the lads have to do if practice their finishing, for us to be deadly and their attitude when their a goal up. Kenny knows what he needs to do next for us to advance.

Is it killing our hopes? It's too early to tell, but i know it won't be if they make things right!

15 + 15 = 30 ~ 29!

I mean .. if it happens every now and then, it's more acceptable but it's happened 4 out of 9 games this season and it's not a good sign at all.

Look at what two drawn home games in 2008/2009 cost us.

How did we miss lucas today he wouldnt have scored or stopped the goal. We played great for most of the game but are absolutely terrible infront of goal. We created loads and lucas wouldnt have won us the game. A few weeks ago it was because we missed gerrard. The problem is we have a defence that is always prone to leaking goals and in suarez we have an excellent creative player but a sh*te finisher honestly he cant finish he gets too excited infront of goal hes not cool enough. But this sh*te we missed lucas is bollox. I love lucas but he wouldn have won us the game. And we havent a hope of winning the league wer not near united or city. And i have a feeling wel struggle for fourth

Firstly, we're only 9 games in, so we have about 29 games left.

There is an elephant in the room, and it is impossible to ignore it. We have a problem converting our chances and keeping a clean sheet, and it is becoming a pattern now. Sunderland, Stoke, Mancs, Norwich. Those are 4 matches (3 at home) where we have failed to convert our numerous chances, or to keep a clean sheet, and have dropped points because of it. The problem will not just go away. Kenny needs to change something on a big scale. It might be the system we are playing, or his team selection. In any case, if we continue at this rate, finishing 4th would be just a dream.

By the way, here are some comparative stats from last season, and this season, under Kenny:

2010/11 season:

Matches played: 18
Points per game: 1.83
Goals per game (scored): 1.94
Goals per game (conceded): 0.94

2011/12 season:

Matches played: 9
Points per game: 1.67
Goals per game (scored): 1.33
Goals per game (conceded): 1.11

As you can see, we are scoring less and conceding more than last season under Kenny. I am not saying that it is time to hit the panic button, but changes need to be made. Personally, I would start by going back to the 4-4-1-1 system that Kenny was playing in the spring.

Carroll

Suarez (Bellamy)

Downing (Maxi) - Lucas (Spearing) - Gerrard (Adam) - Kuyt (Henderson)

Enrique (Aurelio) - Agger (Coates) - Skrtel (Carragher) - Johnson (Kelly)

Reina (Doni)

We should keep it simple, and play to our strengths. Let the other teams worry about Carroll's aerial dominance, and Suarez' mobility and trickery. Build our game around these two attacking players, and the goals (and points) will arrive.