Go to a game at any level, at your local park or in the Premier League, and you will still hear it. Tyler Mahle Jersey . "We need a goal, shoot more!!!" Thanks to a rise in analytics, the inaccuracies of the statement have been explained many times. Such emotional messages are shouted at times of frustration but, without question, less and less people believe the more you shoot the more you score approach. For those still unsure about this notion, they should study the case of this seasons Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Spurs drew 0-0 on Sunday at Everton to move into fourth in the table, despite scoring just nine goals from their first ten matches. They are ahead of Manchester City despite scoring 19 goals less. Tottenham are where they want to be in the table but they are far from where they want to be as an attacking unit. Andre Villas-Boas side currently average one goal every 100 minutes in the Premier League. Of the nine goals, three have been penalties. The other six have come from open play, at an average of one every 150 minutes. Despite needing more goals, however, their fans are not shouting shoot more. Thats because, through 10 matches, Tottenham leads the league in shots per game (17.5). They are also third in the league in shots on target per game (5.9). This is not a team struggling to get into the final third and create opportunities, it is a team handing the opportunities to the wrong players. Finding Soldado Call it 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, or all of the above, Spurs are a side that plays with a sole striker flanked by wingers/attackers helped by a central three, usually with one pushing further forward than the other two. In nine of their ten league games so far, their main front man has been new signing Roberto Soldado. The Spaniard cost Tottenham 26 million pounds in the summer after scoring 59 goals in 97 league appearances during the last three seasons for Valencia in La Liga. He is seen as a major upgrade to what Spurs had last season. So far, Soldado has four goals (three penalties) but only one from open play. This has led some to put the blame on him as the reason for Tottenhams inefficiency in front of goal. "I need to see more from Soldado, I dont think he is helping his teammates enough," commented Robbie Earle during Sundays game on NBC. The 28-year-old obviously plays a part in Tottenhams struggles to score goals but it is much smaller than some believe. The cast of characters behind Soldado It is clear Tottenham is a team still trying to find their identity this season. It is not easy to make the amount of changes they made this summer and succeed immediately, something Villas-Boas acknowledged earlier this season after their win against Norwich. "We have good competition for places. We are stronger than the previous year, now we have more quality in depth and we need time to bond them together." This transitional time has seen a number of different players operate as the three attack-minded players behind the striker (the two wide players and the most attacking member of the midfield 3). At Everton on Sunday, AVB selected Aaron Lennon on the left, Lewis Holtby in the middle and Andros Townsend on the right. The three combined for just nine passes to their striker, with the left back and goalkeeper topping the combinations charts towards Soldado. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) In total, Soldado combined best with his left back (who was the games best player) in an otherwise frustrating day finding outlets. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) This has been the story so far for the sole striker in Tottenhams system. In the ten league games this season (Soldado 9 starts, Defoe 1), the starting striker has received the ball just 211 times; an average of just over 21 times per match. It is a remarkably low number for a team that shoots so often. League leaders Arsenal, ranked sixth on 14.3 shots per game and second with 6.4 shots on target per game, are finding their main striker a lot more. Olivier Giroud has started all ten of their league games so far. He has played 865 Premier League minutes (three minutes less than Tottenhams starting strikers) and has received 357 passes from his teammates (146 more). Not only has this helped Giroud score more goals but it also means he connects better with his teammates to help create a much more cohesive attack. Giroud averages close to 30 completed passes per game while Soldado is at just 21. Through 10 matches, the Frenchman is receiving 15 more passes per game than he would if he played as the sole striker of Tottenham, despite Arsenal having attacking threats in the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil who have all showed they can score consistently at this level. Tottenham, on the other hand, have surrounded Soldado with gifted players, many who have yet to prove they are goal scorers at this level, meaning they should be relying more on the Spaniard to not only finish off balls they give him but to get involved in the attack and help them more. Lennon certainly isnt a scorer and knows his role, except he now finds himself on the left where he cant deliver regular crosses in for Soldado, who scored all of his 24 La Liga goals last season in the penalty box. Townsend, now preferred on the right, has started each of their last nine games and leads the team in shots per game, twice as many as Soldado. Englands new golden boy, however, is part of the problem at Tottenham, wasting many chances and not combining with the clubs star striker. There is some irony that Townsends only goal this season came from a cross, not finished by any of the players in the box, which rolled into the corner of the net at Aston Villa. The winger is clearly a favourite of the manager but for the club to succeed going forward he must start to work better with Soldado. A grand total of 23 passes to the striker of choice in 757 Premier League minutes so far is abysmal. Townsends pace and ability to penetrate deep into opponents territory is impressive but he needs to find his striker a lot more than once every 33 minutes if he is to turn into a player Tottenham can rely upon. Mesut Ozil, he will never be, but it is worth noting the German has found Arsenals striker 44 times in 608 minutes, or once every 13 minutes. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) Five of Tottenhams six open play goals this season have all come from their own efforts, and even the goal they scored from a direct mistake (their second at Villa scored by Soldado) you could argue came from Tottenhams high pressing that caused the home sides turnover. The other five showed examples of what Spurs need to do to improve. Gylfi Sigurdssons brace against Norwich was helped by Christian Eriksens decisive ball on the first goal and then ability to switch the play to find Paulinho on the second to cross the ball into the box. Eriksen again found Sigurdssons intelligent diagonal run against Chelsea and it is not difficult to assess that a Tottenham team in need of goals need the Danish creator back in the side. Defensive Solidity However, Villas-Boas clearly wants his team to be more difficult to break down, which is why Holtby has been preferred to Eriksen in the last three games and why new signing Erik Lamela has yet to play more than 27 minutes in a Premier League match. The former Chelsea man led his teams to just 15 clean sheets in 65 Premier League games as a manager before this season but he has already got seven from the teams opening 10 matches. Paulinho, a healthy Sandro and Moussa Dembele in the middle of the field have helped their back four look very comfortable. Michael Dawson is playing the best football of his career at centre-back, his new partner, the technically impressive, Vlad Chiriches looks perfect in this system while Jan Vertonghens move to left back has solved a long issue in that position. Spurs are ranked second in the league in shots allowed at just 9.5 per game and look very much like a top four contender at the back. Going forward, they now need to find the balance and that starts with getting Soldado involved in the game more. The Spaniard is not the problem for Tottenhams problems in front of goal. He is the solution still waiting to be discovered. Cincinnati Reds Gear . According to a report from ESPN, Lynch wants a new contract from the Seahawks, and will likely skip all off-season workouts until he can renegotiate his deal with the Seahawks. Adam Dunn Jersey . Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel also accused Pistorius of tailoring his testimony to fit the evidence at the scene. Pistorius denied the accusations. Nel alleged that the Olympic runner changed his aim with his 9 mm pistol to ensure that he hit Steenkamp as she fell back against a magazine rack in a toilet cubicle. https://www.cheapredsjerseys.us/2305s-bronson-arroyo-jersey-reds.html . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany - With an overwhelming offensive display, Real Madrid became the first road team to score six goals in a knockout-stage game of the Champions League and put itself in position for its fourth straight trip to the quarterfinals. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored two goals each Wednesday night in a 6-1 rout of Schalke in the first leg of their second-round matchup. "We played a very, very good match," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We got well into the match, scored two early goals and that opened the game and left us able to counter and to use the speed of our players." In the nights other game, Aurelien Chedjous goal off Wesley Sneijders corner kick in the 64th minute gave Galatasaray a 1-1 tie against visiting Chelsea, which had gone ahead when Fernando Torres scored in the ninth minute. Ronaldos two goals gave him 11 in the Champions League this season and 34 in 34 games in all competitions. With 61 Champions League goals in his career, Ronaldo moved one ahead of Ruud Van Nistelrooy for third place, trailing only Raul Gonzalez (71) and Lionel Messi (66). Real extended its unbeaten streak to 27 games, seven shy of the club record set in 1988-89. Second legs of the total-goals series are March 18. Los Blancos, who had 58 per cent possession and outshot the hosts 21-10, are seeking their record 10th title in Europes top club competition following semifinal elimination in each of the last three seasons. Madrid had won only once in its previous 25 matches in Germany, 3-2 at Bayer Leverkusen in 2000. "Real and Bayern are the two best teams in the world," Schalke cooach Jens Keller said, referring to the runaway Bundesliga leader and defending Champions League titlist. Michael Lorenzen Jersey. Benzema scored in the 13th and 57th minutes, while Bale had goals in the 21st and 69th minutes. Ronaldo scored in the 52nd and 89th. With Real ahead 1-0, goalkeeper Iker Casillas made a stunning reflex save on Julian Draxlers shot from three yards following a deflected cross from Jefferson Farfan. "It was an incredible save, maybe the crucial moment of the match," Ancelotti said. Schalkes Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had the most spectacular goal on a volley in the fourth minute of stoppage time. "The difference in class was clear," Draxler said. "We can forget about the second leg and concentrate on the Bundesliga." In Istanbul, Torres scored following Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback pass. "I wouldnt want to say thats a great result. We all now know what a strong team they are," Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said. "Little bit disappointed today really at halftime it wasnt more than one nil up. I think we played very well first half, we controlled it. They didnt have any chances and we have about four or five very good counterattacks, and we didnt make more of them." Didier Drogba, whose penalty kick won the 2012 title for Chelsea, was playing against his former team. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is trying to win a Champions League title with a third team following victories with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010. "They have very powerful strikers and we are going to have a difficult time at Stamford Bridge — thats for sure," Mourinho said. ' ' '