The Decline of the Long Shot

[Dave]

Ruben Neves - 26 shots from outside the box. 1 goal.

Andre Schurrle - 25 shots from outside the box. 1 goal.

Andros Townsend is the next closest player to these two. He has 0 goals.

 

Are the days of seeing players score screamers in the Premier League over?

[Devil-Dick Willie]

Managers get pissed at players for trying the spectacular these days. Just pass it around the edge of the box like you're vintage Barca. Shite. Always love to see a player drop the shoulder and hammer the ball like it slept with his mum

[Marc]

No

Your stats don't really prove that there is a 'decline in the long shot' It shows that 2 players (that you've cherry picked) had had lots of shots but only scored two goals. A comparison would be shots or goals this season compared to previous seasons.

 

[Dave]

4 minutes ago, Marc said:

No

Your stats don't really prove that there is a 'decline in the long shot' It shows that 2 players (that you've cherry picked) had had lots of shots but only scored two goals. A comparison would be shots or goals this season compared to previous seasons.

 

These are the two players who have attempted the most shots from outside the box in the Premier League this season.

[Marc]

1 minute ago, The Palace Fan said:

These are the two players who have attempted the most shots from outside the box in the Premier League this season.

The top of the title is 'the decline in the long shot'. How does showing the two players that have attempted the most shots prove that the long shot is declining?

Or are you trying to say that players are scoring less goals to long shots?

Either way you need to compare it to previous seasons because I don't know if this is more or less than previous seasons. I don't know if long shots are increasing or decreasing by just the amount of shots two players have had over 12 weeks of a season.

[Honey Honey]

I was watching a video the other day of Laurent Robert goals and it got me thinking then that you just don't see it anymore. At least nowhere near his quality and frequency.

Robert did constantly shoot from long range though. If you don't buy a ticket you don't win the lottery and all that.

Football felt more entertaining in those days. The possession obsession and passing overkill now has worsened the game. Fewer risks are taken. Which might be linked to the lack of long range efforts.

As I have said on here before the big teams back in Robert's day used to have you shitting your pants from start to finish. That's not the case anymore and it's because they spend so long doing nothing on the ball and we sit still. Yet the scorelines are the same.

[SirBalon]

Coaches do get upset at players attempting long (longer than would seem reasonable) shots during an important game.  It's not only losing advantage of having the ball but in most cases due to the evolution of the tactical game where being in possession of the ball is concerned, a player attempting an off the cuff long shot and the possibility of the ball not actually leaving the playing area and staying active, results in players being seriously out of position and requiring personal interpretation in terms of positional recovery.  The permutations in today's very tactical and mathematical game at the top end are probably massive.

It sounds ridiculous, but every area of the pitch, every player's position, every run and diagonal choice is something that's drilled in when training during the week and becomes almost second nature.  A surprise element where you should be in control can result in serious errors occurring and important games becoming a mess.

[Honey Honey]

I wouldn't call it an evolution I'd call it a virus that restricts its host.

[Smiley Culture]

Goals from outside of the box 2018/19 so far - 37.

Goals from outside of the box 2017/18 - 138. 

Goals from outside of the box 2016/17 - 123. 

Goals from outside of the box 2015/16 - 143. 

 

[Stan]

3 minutes ago, Smiley Culture said:

Goals from outside of the box 2018/19 so far - 37.

Goals from outside of the box 2017/18 - 138. 

Goals from outside of the box 2016/17 - 123. 

Goals from outside of the box 2015/16 - 143. 

 

Based on that, there'll be 128 goals from outside the box by the end of the season.

So a decline from last season and 3 seasons ago, increase on 2 seasons ago.

YOUR THEORY IS FLAWED @The Palace Fan

[Stan]

Also, just because someone takes more shots and is less successful, doesn't mean there's a decline of the long shot.

Two players - Maddison and Sigurdsson - may take less shots outside the box but be more effective with it (I think they've both scored two but not sure how many they've attempted). 

They're the first two that come to mind anyway.

A decline in numbers, perhaps. Who knows what the stats are for whether there's a decrease/increase in percentage or success of long shots in total.

[Inverted]

There are a lot of outside of the box finishes that I wouldn't really call long shots. Like you can have well-worked chances around the edge of the box and then a neat finish from just outside the edge of the box, and those don't really count as long shots imo.

Or goals like Milner's last night where it's from a bit of a distance, but it's actually a clear chance.

 

[SirBalon]

Indeed for me a long shot is something from long range where you test your luck although there have been plenty of cases where it's a measured decision from the shooter in terms of either seeing the goalkeeper badly placed or has had a sense that the opposition goalkeeper has been jittery in any midrange shot.

Shots from just outside the box aren't really what we recall as your typical spectacular long shot goal.

[Dr. Gonzo]

It’s because we don’t have midfielders as good as Lampard and Gerrard in the league anymore

[6666]

Don't know if Lampard was actually that good at long range shots. Tried about 50 a game. It's like Ronaldo with freekicks.

[Cicero]

Says the bloke who claims all Hazard does is score penalties. 

[Azeem]

"If you don't have the ball, you cannot score "

-Johan Cyruff

[Dan+]

1 hour ago, Azeem said:

"If you don't have the ball, you cannot score "

-Johan Cyruff

 

[Stan]

11 minutes ago, Dan said:

 

He executed it so quickly even the cameras didn't pick it up  

He was a machine that season. Own-goal specialist.

[6666]

21 hours ago, Cicero said:

Says the bloke who claims all Hazard does is score penalties. 

I don't remember saying that... but if I did, it was probably 3 or 4 years ago when he was extremely inconsistent and when he didn't really score that often from open play. You pretending that I said it recently is cheap. I actually credit Hazard for turning into a decent player just before he leaves in the summer.

[Cicero]

3 minutes ago, 6666 said:

I don't remember saying that... but if I did, it was probably 3 or 4 years ago when he was extremely inconsistent and when he didn't really score that often from open play. You pretending that I said it recently is cheap. I actually credit Hazard for turning into a decent player just before he leaves in the summer.

It was a hasty generalization. And now looking at your comment on Lampard, you are doing it again. 

[CaaC (John)+]

 

[6666]

3 minutes ago, Cicero said:

It was a hasty generalization. And now looking at your comment on Lampard, you are doing it again. 

Neither were hasty generalisations. Both were fair comments.

[Cicero]

10 minutes ago, 6666 said:

Neither were hasty generalisations. Both were fair comments.

Comments that were backed with insufficient evidence

[The Artful Dodger]

Ronaldo v Porto or Gerrard V West Ham. They're the two best long shot goals for me