
Originally Posted by
Coney
I wonder how much of that is the success factor. When players are used to winning and scoring, they take on a certain air of confidence that seems to make them shot even better. Manu is a case in point, in that a lot of their players didn't seem that good but once they have played in a winning team they themselves then become winners. By contrast, our players who have not won are more tentative on their shooting. This is why it might be that had we won the CC last year we just might have had the boost that would have tipped things more in our favour over the rest of the season, rather than, perhaps, after conceding to Birmingham, the players have that 'here we go again feeling' just as the supporters have.
Since Barca and Real are used to hammering in the goals, albeit possibly against what might be considered lesser defences in the Spanish league, as they start their CL matches, they are still in the mindset that when they get near the goal, their shots are so likely to go in they relax and just get on with it, whereas our guys tense up and snatch at it (when they can be arsed to shoot rather than pass, that is).