2. Chances that commentators call "easy" chances or one that brings the "should have scored" reflex, I am convinced are often not that easy. Mostly it's a matter of opinion. We all can think of a nightmare miss or two (Peter Van Vossen against Celtic is always the first that pops into my mind. But a lot of other chances are not nearly as easy. I think often we do better to say someone "could" have scored than that they "should" have.
Bottom line is it's harder to actually score a goal than it is to sit in the press gantry or on the sofa and say someone should have scored one.
Sorry to pick just one part of a good post, but this really is an excellent point.
I think people forget sometimes just how fine the margins are, not only when it comes to scoring, but all over the pitch.
All it takes is for a bounce to be not quite as expected, a bobble, even the wind just moving the ball a fraction, simply because the game at this level is played at such a ferociousy high pace, with defenders coming in, knocking the player, getting a nudge or a toe on the boot; in short, loads of things.
It's easy to watch the slow motion and say "he should have buried that", but the reality is different, not least because TV cameras distort so many things.
I know we expect these guys to be able to do it, just because they're pro's and playing at the highest level, but probably the best example was the free kick competition video.
There's Gomez, getting 5/5 then TAA (I think) quite rightly says "yeah, but he's passing it in, try doing that with a keeper there"
Look at Moreno scoring a rabona from a corner in practice, or any other one of a hundred video's you can watch with players doing incredible things, that never happen in matches, because they don't have the time.
The wonder is not that players miss, it's that they score the number of goals they do, given all the factors involved.
Here's a cracking miss from Ronny Rosenthal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ0Zyj4pYnc