Are Bale and Lennon too quick?

[ThorntonSpur]

just a thought

last night on a couple of ocassions the ball was pulled back and there was no one their to finish it off.

I think this has happened quite often during the season.

so should we put one of them through the middle as a second striker and play VDV wide?

or just by a ffing fast strriker in the summer??

concerend it may cosy 4th thats all

 

[AJW]

Strikers are too slow IMO. Someone like Agbonlahor, whilst not the best finisher in the world, would be able to keep up with them at least

 

[dimiSpur]

Yes they are too quick and too good. Let's re-sign Routledge, he was a slower, shit version of Lennon, and Etherington looks a tad slower than Bale, so yea! Sorted! :up:






:roll:

 

[MrWoolley]

I think it's more that the wingers have no partnerships with either of our three strikers and thus the strikers are often in the wrong places or not reading the types of balls coming into the area. Hopefully next season we'll have a striker who is playing week in, week out and able to form a partnership with them.

 

[adamthfc]

We don't have enough pace elsewhere in the team.

 

[nedley]

I think it's more that the wingers have no partnerships with either of our three strikers and thus the strikers are often in the wrong places or not reading the types of balls coming into the area. Hopefully next season we'll have a striker who is playing week in, week out and able to form a partnership with them.

Spot on.

 

[dav3j]

I think it's more that the wingers have no partnerships with either of our three strikers and thus the strikers are often in the wrong places or not reading the types of balls coming into the area. Hopefully next season we'll have a striker who is playing week in, week out and able to form a partnership with them.

Last season (especially of course the 9-1 Wigan game) there were points it looked like Lennon and Defoe were really clicking. Pav and Bale sometimes works well too.

 

[Maske2g]

When Bale pulled on back, we had 2 queing for a ball across the face of goal.

When Lennon went through, he was fairly central and already the most advanced player.

They are fast, but they don't have wheels.

So no.

 

[MrWoolley]

Last season (especially of course the 9-1 Wigan game) there were points it looked like Lennon and Defoe were really clicking. Pav and Bale sometimes works well too.

Yeah they did click at the beginning of last season. I remember a few games where we had so much success by Lennon getting to the byline then pulling it back for Defoe to power home. I think they both got injured at different stages and it hasn't been the same since. Shame.

 

[StanSpur]

The problem is not with the strikers keeping up, it is a question of their positioning. Often they were ahead of the balls being cut back, one should be dropping into the hole further back whilst the other attackes the goal line. Supporting midfield players like Lampard would be good too

 

[WhiteStripe]

Rotation of formation and forwards has cost us. Neither Lennon nor Bale have really had the chance to play in sync with any of our forwards this year. I would say that the most in sync striker in terms of getting on the end of crosses has been Crouch, and when he had a run in the team with both Lennon and Bale, this is when we looked our most dangerous. Not necessarily with his goalscoring prowess, but his ability to bring others (namely VDV) into play.

If we buy a similar type player to Andy Carroll in the summer, Bale and Lennon will be able to build up a telepathic relationship, having faith as to where in the box they will find a striker. At the moment it's all hearsay and assumptions for them, half the time they put a logical ball in cutting back behind the defenders and nobody is there.

Our team needs consistency next year (and for the rest of this one). Consistent formation, consistent at the back and consistent up top.

 

[Booney]

To quick or not to quick...

 

[Maske2g]

The problem is not with the strikers keeping up, it is a question of their positioning. Often they were ahead of the balls being cut back, one should be dropping into the hole further back whilst the other attackes the goal line. Supporting midfield players like Lampard would be good too

Yes they should.....but you need two centre forwards for those basics!!

 

[EastLondonYid]

Crouch is too tall...

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Bale and Lennon are not too quick.

Other players in the team are too slow.

 

[TwoSaintsComeMarching]

Rotation of formation and forwards has cost us. Neither Lennon nor Bale have really had the chance to play in sync with any of our forwards this year. I would say that the most in sync striker in terms of getting on the end of crosses has been Crouch, and when he had a run in the team with both Lennon and Bale, this is when we looked our most dangerous. Not necessarily with his goalscoring prowess, but his ability to bring others (namely VDV) into play.

If we buy a similar type player to Andy Carroll in the summer, Bale and Lennon will be able to build up a telepathic relationship, having faith as to where in the box they will find a striker. At the moment it's all hearsay and assumptions for them, half the time they put a logical ball in cutting back behind the defenders and nobody is there.

Our team needs consistency next year (and for the rest of this one). Consistent formation, consistent at the back and consistent up top.

Agree with all this. None of our strikers have had a consistent run of games.

I have no doubt that if Pav gets a consistent run now he will score a hatful. Hopefully Harry keeps Defoe on the bench - he's had enough time to find his form this season.

 

[Spurger King]

Clearly too quick. They should be clamped. That should slow them down a bit.

 

[brasil_spur]

Strikers are too slow IMO.

This.

 

[Bobbins]

The problem is the way our strikers attack the space in the box.

Pav, Crouch, Defoe and VDV all attack the edge of the six yard box. It doesn't seem to matter what combination of them are playing, who we are against, or who's playing on the wings. They all attack that same space in the box.

Now fine, one player must attack the six-yard box, it's a fundamental part of being a striker. But someone must also attack the goal-line (how many crosses have we 'just' failed to convert along that line over the last couple of seasons?) and someone must also attack the penalty spot.

This is really very basic stuff - stuff that I would've thought Sir Les would be drilling into them every training session.

But nope - they all go to the same place, in almost every attack.

Pav seems to be the only one with half a brain to occassionally drop off into space around the penalty area, and if you look at the positions he's scored his goals from, a fair number have come from this area.

It's embarrassingly basic football to be honest. Makes me really wonder about our coaches.

 

[MendD3]

Lennon, Modric and Bale is what makes us what we are, very fast, add someone like Kenweyne Jones or Didier Drogba who are not just super powerful, but exceptionally fast, we can beat teams like Real Madrid.

Everything is there for me, but one of these type players.