Blowin' em away & our anaemic goal difference

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Gothamizm

Gothamizm

The last time we qualified for the Champions League, we won a lot of games by a small margin, but we had a few where we completely SMASHED a team which really boosted our goal difference. For a quick recap, that's the season that we beat Wigan 9-1 (admittedly, a freak result of massive proportions), Burnley 5-0 & Hull 5-1.

There were no such results last year (a tired squad stretched over two or three competitions for most of the season will do that) & so far, beating Liverpool 4-0 & Bolton 3-0 aside, there haven't been any blowout games where we've just racked the goals up. I remember actually thinking in the last 20 minutes of the Liverpool game, given how we completely dominated, that we should really be trying to score more.

Given our grand (but not unrealistic) aspirations of winning the title this year, should we expect or push for some games where we score a load of goals against more modest opposition, especially since we have Wolves & Wigan at home before the end of the month?
 
Our goal difference is currently pretty good against teams below us. So for guaranteeing a CL place we should be ok just knocking 1 or 2 past teams. However, for title aspirations a couple of 5-0s are need to get our goal difference anywhere approaching United and City.

Has a title ever been won on goal difference? I don't think it has, has it?
 
Before Christmas i thought someone was due a smasing off us. Although we have done very well through the Christmas period picking up plenty of points I dont think we have really looked like boshing anyone.
 
Don't really know about the past but looking at how close it is already (& that we're likely to be behind for most of the season). I was just looking at it as a comparison - United & City have destroyed teams already & have a goal difference difference of more than ten on us.

Obviously, if the choice is points or goal difference, I'll snatch the points any day. But just something that has concerned me whenever I look at the table (which these days, is very very often).

EDIT: I have to agree, Dru - we've not looked like we're going to wipe the floor with anyone since Liverpool. :/
 
Teams see us as more of a threat now so are likely to defend deeper and deeper and play for a draw. Makes it harder for us to rack the goals up which is where the difference is between us and the Manchester teams currently.
 
Sibs said:
Our goal difference is currently pretty good against teams below us. So for guaranteeing a CL place we should be ok just knocking 1 or 2 past teams. However, for title aspirations a couple of 5-0s are need to get our goal difference anywhere approaching United and City.

Has a title ever been won on goal difference? I don't think it has, has it?
Click to expand...

It has. And not a good one to remember. Ar**nal beat Liverpool on the final game of the 1988-1989 season.

All the more remarkable as Arse needed a win to go level with Liverpool on the postponed final day of the season. Postponed because of the Hillsborough disaster.

The top two were playing for the title on the final day and Michael Thomas scored in the last minute of the season to win the league on goal difference. By one goal.

My old man is a Gooner shit and never lets me forget that day.
 
Schoolboy'sOwnStuff said:
Sibs said:
Our goal difference is currently pretty good against teams below us. So for guaranteeing a CL place we should be ok just knocking 1 or 2 past teams. However, for title aspirations a couple of 5-0s are need to get our goal difference anywhere approaching United and City.

Has a title ever been won on goal difference? I don't think it has, has it?
Click to expand...

It has. And not a good one to remember. Ar**nal beat Liverpool on the final game of the 1988-1989 season.

All the more remarkable as Arse needed a win to go level with Liverpool on the postponed final day of the season. Postponed because of the Hillsborough disaster.

The top two were playing for the title on the final day and Michael Thomas scored in the last minute of the season to win the league on goal difference. By one goal.

My old man is a Gooner shit and never lets me forget that day.
Click to expand...
And Flav watches that final five minutes every night before bed.
 
You don't need to win a game twice.......get to 2-0 and sit back

conserve energy for when you actually need it

a win is a win, a one goal and a 10 goal margin still count for 3 points
 
Complaining about the goal difference might be too soon and of course points are the most important, but at the end of last season we had the worst GD of all the top five teams. City were closest to us, but still twelve better. We were even eight goals behind Liverpool in 7th. Man United lost the 2011/2012 title on goals, and SAF bought Van Persie to make sure that didn't happen again. Of course this season they're already eight goals behind City, but that could be Moyes' fault. The point is that GD might very well be decisive, especially in a year like this that seems so open, and after 1/4 of the season is soon over, we are in the same position as last year, with only a slightly disturbing +1 to our name.
 
I think that there's often a lot of emphasis put on GD, but as has been pointed out - got to prioritise points over goals.

Granted the two go hand in hand, and I can see the worries when we don't play the attacking, fluent, beautiful football we love.
 
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