Has Pukki been found out?

[Il Pirata 249]

Not a dig, far from it, love the guy. Border line man crush, above Holt, Huckerby and Iwan for me.  But a few of his missed chances recently seem to follow a theme.

A lot of Pukki's goals come from a through ball, then a one on one with the keeper. Last season he was deadly, and seemed to find the far corner of the net perfectly and without issue. Ipswich at home, Wigan away, Leicester away... etc, etc. 

But looking at the two missed one on ones against Bournemouth and Newcastle, it appears the keeper is already on the way down before he kicks the ball, or at least as he kicks it. 

Question, is there a theme here, and have opposition goalkeepers / coaches cottoned on? Should Pukki look to work on near post finishes, or a couple of touches more and rounding the keeper? 

Not sure if this is of interest.. but has got me thinking. A lot of Pukki's goals seem to be very similar. 

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by Il Pirata

[hogesar 10,734]

Nothing to do with being found out. There is no finding out of a player with his movement and ability to finish quickly and require little backlift.

Hes just not been as clinical and given the goalie a chance. The left footed half volley was just unusual for him, didnt even force the goalkeeper to make a save.

[Canary dwarf 221]

I think he has lost his confidence in front of goal ,he still works hard and links the play well just can't finish😭

[Making Plans 957]

Just now, Il Pirata said:

Not sure if this is of interest.. but has got me thinking. A lot of Pukki's goals seem to be very similar.

But a few of his missed chances recently seem to follow a theme.

Yes indeed his goals are similar, as far as I can recall all his goals hit the back of the net.

Likewise all his misses don't.

There I think the similarity ends

And do we not already have a topic on Pukki

 

 

[Il Pirata 249]

Ok, let me re

2 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Nothing to do with being found out. There is no finding out of a player with his movement and ability to finish quickly and require little backlift.

Hes just not been as clinical and given the goalie a chance. The left footed half volley was just unusual for him, didnt even force the goalkeeper to make a save.

Ok, let me re-word "found out." 

Is his finishing predictable in certain situations? And have goalkeeping coaches noted this and encouraged their goalkeepers to dive early to the far post? 

[Il Pirata 249]

2 minutes ago, Making Plans said:

Yes indeed his goals are similar, as far as I can recall all his goals hit the back of the net.

Likewise all his misses don't.

There I think the similarity ends

And do we not already have a topic on Pukki

 

 

Ok, sorry for posting.

[Pugin 601]

Nope, he has not been found out. His confidence has taken a battering, he hasn't been quite the same since his injury at Leicester, and keepers now expect him to give them the eyes towards the near post, and roll the ball in at the far post. The players are off until Friday, I think the break will give Teemu a very welcome break, and he can come back ready to re-discover his form, maybe with a tweak here and there.

[lake district canary 4,813]

Just needs to be a bit sharper in front of goal.  It's an age old thing with strikers - in wanting to do well, if they try to be too careful, or think too much about it, they just make it harder for themselves. Maybe he just needs to blast a few, rather than just placing the ball, to keep defenders and goalkeepers guessing.  When he is on top form, he just gives the goalkeeper the eyes, then just puts the ball somewhere else. He will do that again, hopefully in the next match!

 

[Canary dwarf 221]

Maybe this break will do him good ,don't agree with some people on this forum that think he is still carrying some kind of injury ,he just lost his mojo in front of goal😄

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

11 minutes ago, Il Pirata said:

above Holt

I love Pukki but he’s not at Holt status of legend yet. Holty was a one off, the likes of which I don’t know if I’ll see in a City shirt again. Propelled us up the leagues and just got better every season culminating in being one of the best English strikers in that first PL season and was shamefully overlooked for a place in the England squad. Strength, pace and a underrated amount of skill and finesse, he scored all sorts of goals, some of the highest quality and worthy gracing any stage.

Sorry I know this wasn’t the point of the OP but as much as I love Pukki and hope he gets to the Holt level of greatness, for me he’s got a way to go yet

[Canary dwarf 221]

7 minutes ago, Fiery Zac said:

I love Pukki but he’s not at Holt status of legend yet. Holty was a one off, the likes of which I don’t know if I’ll see in a City shirt again. Propelled us up the leagues and just got better every season culminating in being one of the best English strikers in that first PL season and was shamefully overlooked for a place in the England squad. Strength, pace and a underrated amount of skill and finesse, he scored all sorts of goals, some of the highest quality and worthy gracing any stage.

Sorry I know this wasn’t the point of the OP but as much as I love Pukki and hope he gets to the Holt level of greatness, for me he’s got a way to go yet

Yeah it's easy to say that when he's out of form.

[Number9 272]

He's probably knackered, playing all the club games and all the internationals, hasn't had much time off.

The games he's been involved in have been emotionally charged too, it must take it's toll.

Hopefully this winter break will see him with his feet up refreshing himself properly. 

[Canary dwarf 221]

2 minutes ago, Number9 said:

He's probably knackered, playing all the club games and all the internationals, hasn't had much time off.

The games he's been involved in have been emotionally charged too, it must take it's toll.

Hopefully this winter break will see him with his feet up refreshing himself properly. 

Yeah can't be easy carrying the nation's hopes on your shoulders .

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

Just now, Canary dwarf said:

Yeah it's easy to say that when he's out of form.

???

Youre right, it is easy to say it. it was also easy to say it when he was in form too, which I did.

I don’t understand the reaction, I’m merely giving an opinion that Holt means more to me than Pukki. Ask me the same thing at any point since Pukki arrived I’d have said the same thing. Holt gave me 4 seasons of some of the best entertainment I’ve had as a city fan (he even made Hughtons first season bearable). I hope I’ll be saying the same thing in 2 seasons time about Pukki, but like I say, he’s not had the same impact on me as a city player, yet.

[ron obvious 1,710]

49 minutes ago, Il Pirata said:

Ok, let me re

Ok, let me re-word "found out." 

Is his finishing predictable in certain situations? And have goalkeeping coaches noted this and encouraged their goalkeepers to dive early to the far post? 

I have to say I was thinking exactly the same thing.

Many, many years ago I played 5-a-side on a very hard & bouncy pitch. I had some success scoring right footed from the left side by rolling the ball in front of me when put through &, as the keeper rushed out, tapping to the right & the ball's forward momentum did the rest. It has to be said the competitive level was, er, indifferent.

A superficial comparison I'll admit  but the principle of adding spin & forward momentum to bend a ball round a goalie is Temu's favourite tricks. Perhaps he needs to mix it up a bit more (he's shown he's far from a one trick pony, his superb volley on Saturday nearly caught their keeper out). Maybe lack of confidence is making him not take risks, trying too hard to be precise?

Pretty obvious I know but the best strikers do the unexpected; I remember Charlie George being deadly because he could generate enormous power with minimal backlift. Surprise is always the beat weapon!

[Aggy 944]

1 hour ago, Il Pirata said:

Ok, let me re

Ok, let me re-word "found out." 

Is his finishing predictable in certain situations? And have goalkeeping coaches noted this and encouraged their goalkeepers to dive early to the far post? 

 

1 hour ago, lake district canary said:

Just needs to be a bit sharper in front of goal.  It's an age old thing with strikers - in wanting to do well, if they try to be too careful, or think too much about it, they just make it harder for themselves. Maybe he just needs to blast a few, rather than just placing the ball, to keep defenders and goalkeepers guessing.  When he is on top form, he just gives the goalkeeper the eyes, then just puts the ball somewhere else. He will do that again, hopefully in the next match!

 

I posted the stats below on another thread already but the number of ridiculous posts on here today about Pukki is so baffling that I’ll post them again. If he needs to be sharper in front of goal, or his finishing is too predictable, then the same must be said for everyone in the division except Aguero, Aubameyang, Sterling, Vardy and Ings.

His “problem” is that last season he scored 1 goal every 3.4 shots, which is close to what Aguero and Vardy are at this season. Unfortunately he isn’t as good as Aguero and Vardy, and having stepped up to the prem, he’s now “only” performing as well as Salah, Kane, Rashford, Abrahams, Mane, Firminho, Gabriel Jesus.... etc...

His other problem of course is that nobody else in the squad is picking up the slack and it’s all on him. I said after about four games - if Pukki doesn’t score we won’t win games. 

 

Pukki 1 goal every  4.27 shots

 Kane 1 goal every 4 shots 

Salah 1 goal every 4.28 shots

Rashford 1 goal every 4.21 shots

Abrahams 1 goals every 4.59 shots.

 Mane 1 goal every 4.55 shots

Raul Jimenez. 1 goal every 5.45 shots

Firmino 1 every 6.88 shots

Gabriel Jesus 1 goal every 5.67 shots.

 Chris Wood  and Calvert Lewis 1 goal every 4.1 shots

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/top-scorers



[lake district canary 4,813]

27 minutes ago, Aggy said:

If he needs to be sharper in front of goal, or his finishing is too predictable, then the same must be said for everyone in the division except Aguero, Aubameyang, Sterling, Vardy and Ings.

His “problem” is that last season he scored 1 goal every 3.4 shots, which is close to what Aguero and Vardy are at this season. Unfortunately he isn’t as good as Aguero and Vardy, and having stepped up to the prem, he’s now “only” performing as well as Salah, Kane, Rashford, Abrahams, Mane, Firminho, Gabriel Jesus.... etc...



Fair enough stats, but you say he isn't as good as Vardy or Aguero....but that is no answer. The truth is he could be in that bracket if he sharpens up!  He cannot be content that he has missed so many one on ones, so from his point of view - and ours - he gets so many clear chances that he ought to be getting more.

 

[Mason 47 1,911]

No, he hasn't been found out. If it was that simple to 'find out' how to stop professional players then the better teams would have had Teemu in their pockets from the word go. See players like Arjen Robben- everybody and their dog knew he was going to cut in and shoot, didn't stop him doing exactly that and being a success.

If I had to put money on it, I'd say part of his body is causing him pain when shooting (which naturally matches up with what we've heard). Although he's tough and he can play through the pain, his body is naturally protecting whatever it is (probably that errant toe) and he just isn't shooting with the same freedom. 

He smashed in a goal against Southampton, scored a typical Teemu goal against Leicester, then injured his toe and since then his shooting just hasn't been on it. 

[hogesar 10,734]

2 hours ago, Il Pirata said:

Ok, let me re

Ok, let me re-word "found out." 

Is his finishing predictable in certain situations? And have goalkeeping coaches noted this and encouraged their goalkeepers to dive early to the far post? 

To be fair hes scored a fair amount last season near post, a couple this season too. I mean any striker one on one will typically favour opening their body to bend into the far post as you tend to have more control over that finish. It's just his finishes havent been as clinical.

The other thing to note is a fair few of his goals come from him taking the shot earlier than expected but in the last few games he hasnt really taken it early.

[Aggy 944]

47 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

Fair enough stats, but you say he isn't as good as Vardy or Aguero....but that is no answer. The truth is he could be in that bracket if he sharpens up!  He cannot be content that he has missed so many one on ones, so from his point of view - and ours - he gets so many clear chances that he ought to be getting more.

 

The problems might be better explained with this stat.... when you look at total number of shots we are 11th with 301. Pukki has had 66 shots and scored 11. So we’ve had 235 shots from players other than Pukki and we’ve scored 13 goals from players other than Pukki. 

13 in 235 shots. That’s one goal for every 18.1 shots. Let that sink in for a while, as it really is abysmal.  

https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/clubs/total_pass?se=274

[Canary dwarf 221]

3 hours ago, Fiery Zac said:

???

Youre right, it is easy to say it. it was also easy to say it when he was in form too, which I did.

I don’t understand the reaction, I’m merely giving an opinion that Holt means more to me than Pukki. Ask me the same thing at any point since Pukki arrived I’d have said the same thing. Holt gave me 4 seasons of some of the best entertainment I’ve had as a city fan (he even made Hughtons first season bearable). I hope I’ll be saying the same thing in 2 seasons time about Pukki, but like I say, he’s not had the same impact on me as a city player, yet.

They are both great players for us and both mean a lot too me too, Im nether gonna knock holty and pukki will come back believe me.

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

7 hours ago, Canary dwarf said:

They are both great players for us and both mean a lot too me too, Im nether gonna knock holty and pukki will come back believe me.

I’m sure he will. I haven’t been criticising Pukki. He’s still by far the most important player we have and i wouldn’t contemplate dropping him

[Midlands Yellow 4,682]

Confidence shot slightly and the injured toe causing him problems.

[Yellowhammer 95]

I would like see idah given a chance ,to be dropped after scoring three goals in his first match could not have done his confidence any good . Soon there will nothing to lose by giving him a place in the squad for first team games 

Edited February 3, 2020 by Yellowhammer

[ZLF 334]

Interesting that the common theme from the geordie fans after the game was that they wish they had pukki rather than joelinton (overlooking the fact that their midfield doesnt have the passing range to make the most of his movement) as he is a proper striker.

Pukki is still getting into the positions,  getting a very healthy proportion of his efforts on target (2saved, 2 blocked, one off target sat) but is faced with some good keeping, or exceptional blocks (first half on sat) that are stopping him from scoring.   It is only a matter of time.

His strength and movement is far superior to what Idah has to offer right now (Idah had another start immediately after his hat trick),  who is rightly behind Drmic at  the moment,  which is why we were considering loaning him out;  he needs some pro game match time. 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by ZLF

[It's Character Forming 1,204]

Yep he's not been nearly as clinical since he broke his toe before Christmas.

[Making Plans 957]

17 minutes ago, It's Character Forming said:

Yep he's not been nearly as clinical since he broke his toe before Christmas.

Nothing more than a coincidence or for some a convenient reason to doubt his ability

It's just not happening for him at the moment

That's all

It happens to the best

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by Making Plans

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

We've put him under too much pressure to score goals because we haven't got goals in our midfield, apart from Cantwell (who has actually relied on Pukki creating his chances!).  

Been obvious for a long time that we don't have enough goals in this side, because we lack quality. That's why talk of miracles is just silly. 

[lake district canary 4,813]

22 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Been obvious for a long time that we don't have enough goals in this side, because we lack quality. That's why talk of miracles is just silly. 

The only thing that is obvious is that we haven't scored enough goals yet.  And it wouldn't be a miracle if we stay up - it will be because we start putting one or two more chances away - which we have the ability to do. If you are creating chances, sooner or later goals will start going in.  Man City had 21 shots on the goal yesterday and didn't score - it happens to every team.  

[Nuff Said 5,950]

His poor form might make it easier to hang on to him in the summer. Every cloud and all that...