where has it all gone wrong 1237

I seriously hope Rafa does not leave. He has altered our style of play defensively, pushing further up the pitch, playing in the opposition half, zonal marking....some big changes that have resulted in a record sequence of clean sheets and proving that defending is about teamwork and a system of play, rather than individuals.

Rafa has brought in Alonso, Sissoko and Garcia, who have all contributed and made our midfield arguably the most dominant in the EPL. I thought we bossed it against chelsea in the league game for the first half, and together we have the strongest midfields in the league.

The goal scoring crisis ultimately led Rafa to play Gerrard off Crouch in the hope of scoring against Arsenal. Already deprived of Sissoko, the substitution of Hamman followed by the sending off of Alonso meant we ended up being overrun and outplayed against the Gunners. I firmly believe Gerrard should have started that game in central midfield, but as it panned out we got overrun in the middle of the park - unthinkable when you consider how inept they were at Anfield just a matter of days ago.

Distruptions to our defensive line up against Benfica led to uncertainty and mistakes on the night. We're struggling to score and the last thing we need is to gift 'soft' goals (taking nothing away from the strike). Our regular back five have set exceedingly high standards throughout the season and just of late they've started to make unforced mistakes and leak goals. And when you're not scoring, those mistakes become bane.

Everyone knows where our problem lies, and it now seems that the lack of confidence has spread throughout the team.

The next 3 premiership games are going to be tough without Sissoko and Alonso. I think we have to play Hamman and Gerrard in the centre of midfield (a strong pairing in itself), but we don't have any cover, so we're on thin ice for a while.

Whilst not privy to what's gone on behind closed doors, I wish Rafa would set aside any personal grievances and give Cisse a run in the side playing as the lead striker. I think Fowler would be the better foil for him, with Crouch on the bench as plan B. After all, it seems we've tried every other combination.

To answer Dave's questions;

1. No

2. No (please please please no)

3. Strikers have (through their own inability to score) put themselves under more pressure than they can handle. Unsure when to shoot-pbutt, lacking conviction in their goal attempts, lack of confidence in their on-field playing partners to link-up play.

4. I think the FA Cup match is now our biggest game of the season. If we should lose then I think we might struggle to make 4th, let alone 3rd. We need goals and I think our style of play and manner of wins-draws-defeats is of more importance than results - until we see an improvement in the performance (which equates to dominating a game, creating chances and taken them), we are going to continue playing in fear.

5. Japan and the number of games is just a bullpoo excuse. If you're winning then it does not matter how many games you have to play. We have a big squad and players are rotated. I am sure some Chelsea players have played more than Gerrard (our best and most effective player) for example.

Finally, I look forward to the time when we start to play exciting football again, and that can only be when the goals start to flow.

MW.