22 Jan 2017 13:35:52
It was a bad result but these things happen so time to get over it and move on to the next game.

One thing that I would like to see for the rest of the season is some more rotation in corner kick takers. Milner supplied a beautiful cross for Firminio's goal but so many of his corners or in play crosses are just awful. Percentage wise I would say he is crossing one decent out of ten at the moment at best.

It is rare we score from a set piece into the box so to persist with the same takers seems illogical to me.

Whenever Clyne gets down the wing and crosses I never expect anything to come from it and the same with Milner. We are continually coming up against teams set up deep and yet we don't hit the byline often enough to at least vary the pressures the opposition defence is placed under.

I will always remain hopeful of winning the league, as I do blindly every year since we last won, but the fight for the top four is going to be hard enough this year if we keep dropping points to the lower teams like Swansea and Sunderland.

We have played some beautiful football this season but teams are sitting back against us a lot more. So now it is time for Klopp to show his tactical acumen without resorting to bringing on a centre half to play up front hopefully because that is a waste of time if the crossing, corners or free kicks aren't sorted out.

Just my opinion though.


1.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 13:54:48
Isn't the statistics regarding goals from crosses something like 7% of all crosses are met with a goal? It's not the 1980s buddy where you cross to 6ft5 lads in the box 1000 times a game

bad post


2.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 14:21:20
I remember last season Milner had some of the worst free kicks I'd ever seen, but if the ball was in play he crossed some beauties. It seems to be the same now. Boy can he take a penalty though.


3.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 14:46:44
Why mention the 80's? Has nothing to do with the 80's, crossing and set pieces are still very much a part of the game and I was referring to the lack of variation rather than quoting statistics. It's about offering a different outlet rather than sticking with the same option over and over again. Not sure why you would call it a bad post when I end it with "just my opinion" but you are entitled to your view as I am mine, I just think that you may not have understood quite what I was getting at.


4.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 15:05:11
Could be my fault because I wasn't clear, a cross doesn't have to be to the head "TheDownRater" and that is what I meant, not a succession of balls to the head of a striker, especially as we never played that way in the 80's.


5.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 17:44:39
So 11 crosses = goal, not a bad return, because ball to FB 30yds from byline, check back, play across the middle, back to centre back and repeat doesn't yield much better returns nor is it exciting.
Three goals yesterday were from open play crosses, they'll always have a big part to play in English football, hell Fergie got a knighthood out of it!


6.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 19:06:53
i have to disagree with the OP just because there's know one out there that gets goals from every one of his corner kicks and the fact that milner has provided so many goals from his crosses when know one else in the team has come near to milner then it seems that the OP is just picking on milner just because he is not getting goals provided from every corner or cross from him put it this way i would hate to be without his crosses or corners, he has put in some very good crosses and corners that the other players have not got on the end of, so who is really at fault there


7.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 20:58:52
Agree with McB, Whats the problem with long ball tactics? Anything that liverpool aren't good at are labeled as poor tactics or game style.
It's another good way to exploit your opponents Ariel abilities.


8.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 21:37:41
I didn't agree with it all, but it was certainly not a bad post McB. A bad post is when somebody tries to be clever and slams an entire well made argument with a single, guessed, and easily manipulated statistic; with no coherent explanation to go with it ;)

Maybe only 7% of all crosses come to goals, maybe not. All I know is Milner cannot cross it consistently well on his left foot, and Clyne has made about 2 good crosses in nearly 60 appearances.

Additionally, the only player in our team who can take an above average corner is Coutinho. Set pieces are about commitment on the training ground. You read stories about Bale staying behind for hours to perfect his striking technique. Coutinho has the natural ability to be a set piece specialist in my opinion. The way he hits the ball, he can create dip, curl, swerve and whip. He is just very inconsistent though and that requires practice to perfect. I am not sure he is the sort to stay late for a few hours though, I could be wrong.

I have been very critical of Gerrard down the years but he was incredibly dedicated to improving his own game. His free kick and corner threat came from hours of dedication on the training pitch. Looking around our team, the only senior guys I see having that same level of commitment are Milner, Lucas, Lallana, Henderson, Ings and Moreno (yes I said Moreno, he might be mentally unstable but he is actually a very good trainer of late! ) . None of them except maybe Moreno have the right kind of dead ball technique to home into being a consistent threat though. Milner and Henderson hit the ball so laboured that the keeper can watch it right into his hands, or a big lump like Shawcross can just step up and thump it out.

I think I am right in saying Ojo, Brannagan and Wilson are all pretty nifty from dead balls though. So maybe in a year of two one of them can make a difference.

We definitely need full backs who can cross and a set piece specialist though! It is most definitely still a big part of the game. In case anyone else missed it, our game yesterday had 5 goals in it and 4 of them came from crosses. Not the 80's indeed, but DownRater your point has absolutely no relevance or even a leg to stand on. If anything full backs nowadays are judged more on their crossing than their defending! Key examples being Walker and Rose who are widely regarded as the best set of full backs in the league despite both being incapable of making a clean tackle.


9.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 21:20:44
Seeing Southampton win 3-0, think we are in for a long night at anfield in return leg. We simply don't have players to cope with Southampton's pace.