Lack of creativity...will it cost us?

[double0]

What we have gained is strength and a lot of power. we are now able to overpower teams with brut strength and a doggishness in the latter stages of games. The next 1-3 signing could be so crucial about the future of the club in terms of being major rivals to Manchester.

 

[Syn_13]

Without a creative maestro in the side we lack the ability to unlock teams who park the bus. Sure our newfound steel in the midfield will do great against physical sides and when we're under the cosh but I do think we're missing creativity. There's not a single succesful club out there that doesn't have a creative player within their ranks that's vital to the team. We have to rely on literally dozens of shots otherwise and hope we break teams down with a barrage of attacks. It's ok to a point but not a great tactic to rely on.

 

[Twizzle]

I think we have enough creativity to get the job done, its our finishing that seems to be the problem

 

[walworthyid]

We need a creative player and a proper finisher IMO. It is also a weakness of 442 in that we don't have a player between the lines which is why I think that avb has encouraged Lennon and bale to drift inside. It is surely no coincidence that both Lennon and bale have scored from late runs into the box in recent games and we have become more fluid as a result. This seems to be a way of compensating for our lack of guile in terms of passing by using movement to create openings that do not require particularly difficult passes.

It will certainly be interesting to see who Avb is after as I just can't imagine he will want to break up Sandro and dembele. I can only think that he would go to 4231 in order to fit a moutinho type in to the team? Or per haps he will look at bringing in a more advanced player but then what happens to gylfi and clint?

 

[RichSpur58]

Yes it will. I think the team is performing better than the sum of its parts. That is all down to AVB.

We have a lot of shots from outside the box without actually getting in behind teams. Better sides will deal with that.

 

[NEVILLEB]

Chelsea and Liverpool have already strengthened this window

We need to add a playmaker and a striker

 

[Mattspur]

I think the difficulty we have in breaking down teams at home who 'park the bus' is a lot more simple than people think.

1. Manchester City, The Etihad Stadium – 116.5 x 78 yards – 8932 sq.yards - Capacity: 48,000 (all seated)
2. Manchester United, Old Trafford 116 x 76 – 8816 sq.yards Ground – Capacity: 76,100 (all seated)
4. Everton, Goodison Park – 112 x 78 yards – 8736 sq.yards - Capacity: 40,569 (all seated)
8. Arsenal, Emirates Stadium – 114 x 74 yards – 8436 sq.yards - Capacity: 60,432 (all seated)
14. Chelsea, Stamford Bridge – 113 x 74 yards – 8250 sq.yards - Capacity: 42,449 (all seated)
16. Liverpool, Anfield – 110 x 75 yards – 8250 sq.yards - Capacity: 45,362 (all seated)
19. Tottenham Hotspur, White Hart Lane- 110 x 73 yards – 8030 sq.yards - Capacity: 36,214 (all seated)

Less space.

 

[Adam456]

I think the difficulty we have in breaking down teams at home who 'park the bus' is a lot more simple than people think.

1. Manchester City, The Etihad Stadium – 116.5 x 78 yards – 8932 sq.yards - Capacity: 48,000 (all seated)
2. Manchester United, Old Trafford 116 x 76 – 8816 sq.yards Ground – Capacity: 76,100 (all seated)
4. Everton, Goodison Park – 112 x 78 yards – 8736 sq.yards - Capacity: 40,569 (all seated)
8. Arsenal, Emirates Stadium – 114 x 74 yards – 8436 sq.yards - Capacity: 60,432 (all seated)
14. Chelsea, Stamford Bridge – 113 x 74 yards – 8250 sq.yards - Capacity: 42,449 (all seated)
16. Liverpool, Anfield – 110 x 75 yards – 8250 sq.yards - Capacity: 45,362 (all seated)
19. Tottenham Hotspur, White Hart Lane- 110 x 73 yards – 8030 sq.yards - Capacity: 36,214 (all seated)

Less space.

That is a very, very good point, though, if one were being pragmatic, means that creativity is that much important until we get the new stadium

 

[Spurs 1961]

This season all pitches have to be the same size. 105 x 68 metres

 

[Mattspur]

This season all pitches have to be the same size. 105 x 68 metres

Which is about 115 yards x 74 yards. And the rule says it's only if the club has the space to do so. Our pitch is still the same size it's always been because we haven't got the space to make it larger.


That's an extra 500 odd sq yards which we don't have.

 

[spurs mental]

We're third in the league, are the leagues thirds highest scorers, behind only the top two. If that's not good enough for us, then I don't know what is. I don't think we could have expected to be any higher in the table than we are now, at this point.

Yes we've dropped some silly points, Everton away and Wigan at home come to mind immediately, but overall I think we've done well so far. The next 5 months will be exciting.

But, we do make a lot of chances. In fact we've had 272 shots on or off target, and that doesn't include shots blocked anything like that. That is a serious amount of shots to have and shows that our strikers just haven't been clinical enough, and that's with Defoe probably being in the best form he's been in for us. Ade hasn't been in great form of late, hopefully with his goal on Tuesday will have boosted him.

We are creating scoring opportunities, just not putting enough of them away, and we're still third highest scorers!

 

[stevenqoz]

Subtlety, in central areas, if anything......that is what we lack. Dembele strong player, fine dribbler but lacks a killer pass. Sandro super hero warrior, goes box to box but incisive passing a weakness. Parker, all heart and can also go box to box but passing only adequete. Huddlestone, decent but not incisive passer, Livermore : Vinny Samways incarnate. Carroll...little boy who is still learning to play with the big boys. None of these people are Luca Modric who was our most consistantly subtle player...even including the skillful VDV. I would also add that all these present central midfield players are not weighing in with goals so considering that we are actually doing amazingly well.

 

[Tottenham_God]

It is okay lads.
Our creativity problem has been rectified
Two words. JERMAINE JENAS

 

[Stoof]

You say we don't create "chances" and they are all "pops from the edge of the box" - but that's how we've scored goals for years.

How many of Defoe's goals are simply that? Shift and shoot?

You say they're not a chance (per se) but for him, they definitely are. Making a yard of space within 20-25 yards is a chance for Defoe as he has shown for years.

Against Reading I can count at least 5 that should have been put away including one of Defoe's "hit and hopes".

1) Ade header (wide)
2) Daws header (scored)
3) Defoe shift and shoot (narrowly wide)
4) Lennon chance on his left foot (blocked)
5) Adebayor header (scored).

That we score from having a half chance isn't a bad thing!! (Dempsey).

You create those sorts of chances in a game, you're going to score - whoever the opposition - and we're only getting better too.

 

[theShiznit]

Our passing is simply not creative enough, hell a pass played quickly is lauded as some kind of special skill.

Maybe it's this lack of intelligence that BC bangs on about (in the passing and the movement) but it's very rare we see an unpredictable pass or something out of the blue in the pass department, you see lots of players in great positions and space centrally but the first look of those on the ball is out wide or a lay off backwards centrally or wide.
It's got to the point now where players centrally (even if in acres of space) are not looking for the ball and expecting a pass wide.

Most of our creativity ATM comes from players beating men, and therefore taking them out the game to make space, or pacey counter attacks but as we are all too aware, a well drilled narrow team sitting deep can combat this.

Funnily enough, Dempsey seems to be the one most likely to do a creative off the cuff type of pass leading to a goal scoring chance.

 

[ultimateloner]

I think we will get CL without having to buy in Jan.
We have scored 41 goals thus far; that is on par with Chelsea and Man City (41/39). So the suggestion that we lack creativity is unfounded (or maybe we are but we aren't scoring less goals).
Our problem is at the back. We have only kept 5 clean sheets compared with Arsenal's 7, Chelsea/Man City's 8. Man Utd only ahd 5 but they scored 54 goals thus far which is over 10+ more than the next highest. we have conceded 27 goals comapred to Arsenal's 22, Chelsea/Man City's 19.
Given the returning players we effectively have a new backline (Kaboul/BAE come to starting line up) I expect us to go to Chelsea/City's level of defence which means about 1 less goal/game. If we maintain the attack and get that defence we are as good as any bar Man Utd.

 

[double0]

This season all pitches have to be the same size. 105 x 68 metres

Exactly that's what I thought.

 

[WexfordTownSpur]

If the choice were between a world class striker and a world class MF I would take the striker! I think Dembele creates space with his movement, parker can play a pass or two, and with the wide options we are ok at the moment.

Having said that if we can get Moutinho, I wouldn't say no

 

[TheGreenLily]

Not so much creativity, it is also intelligence in regards what to do with the ball.

Far to many times, play has broken down just because a player has made completely the wrong choice, not seen a run or basically not been aware of what is happening around them.

Though it could be argued that creative players are just the result of having a more intelligent footballing mind, which is different from individual flair.

 

[Spurger King]

Yes I think it will cost us a place in the Champions League if we don't sort it out in the January window.

We're fine away from home, and I know AVB likes to set his team up so that the 'system' produces the chances, but at home we really do need a playmaker to unlock the opposition defense. In several homes games this season the lack of such a player has been glaringly obvious.