'Blackburn Are Scoring Goals But Could Have More'
- Lancashire Telegraph reporter Elliott Jackson has discussed Blackburn Rovers
- Jon Dahl Tomasson host Leicester City at Ewood Park on Sunday
- Jackson highlights Rovers' high scoring rates, but also their conversion rate
- Sammie Szmodics is likely to cause problems for the Foxes, he says
Rovers are currently mid-table in the Sky Bet Championship table with 10 points from eight matches, winning three, drawing one, and losing four. Scoring 17 goals in three Carabao Cup ties is an indicator of their scoring prowess, however, but Jackson believes they have paid a price for not converting even more chances through the league campaign.
The Lancashire outfit welcome Leicester City to Ewood Park for a 12pm BST kick-off on Sunday.
"It’s an interesting time," Jackson said this week. "Although the points tally doesn’t look spectacular, it’s been a pretty decent start to the season, as far as performances go. There’s been a pretty familiar feeling of Rovers playing quite well and not taking their chances.
"I think there’s a general feeling among the fanbase, having finished seventh last season and missing out on the play-offs on goal difference, that they’ve got a decent chance to go again.
"A top-10 finish would be good, but they’re playing really well between both 18-yard boxes. The issue has been – as it was at the backend of last season – not turning chances into the goals.
"Without a real recognised, proven goalscorer at Championship level, that’s been their undoing in recent games. They’ve had buckets of chances at crucial moments in games, at 0-0 or 1-0, and they’ve not taken them.
"Ultimately, that’s what’s cost them in the last few games. Any Leicester fans, looking at the league table, it probably doesn’t give a fair summary of how Rovers’ season has gone so far. That said, it should be a very entertaining game with both teams adapting a very attacking philosophy and I’m expecting goals."
Blackburn have also been conceding goals, however, and let in seven over their past two games - consecutive reverses to Sunderland and Ipswich Town. Fixing those issues will be key to their chances of mounting a promotion challenge.
"It's mainly the timing of when goals are going in," Jackson added. "If you go back to the Ipswich game, they had huge chances in that match at 3-3 and at 3-2. Although they’re scoring goals, they’re creating so many chances to score more. That’s been the big impressive development since Jon Dahl Tomasson came into the club.
"When he started with the club last summer, they really struggled to create opportunities in that first six months, but in 2023, it’s been such fluid, expansive football. Genuinely, they are creating six, seven or eight big chances per game.
"The Sunderland game they lost was absolutely remarkable because they should have been 3-0 up after 25 minutes. We’re talking three massive opportunities that should be in the back of the net. They’ve scored a lot of goals and there’s been a lot of goals in the games, but they could have scored more. They should really have more points at this stage of the season.
"It's undoubtedly going to be a tough game for them. They beat Middlesbrough 2-1 nearly a fortnight ago now and they also had lots of chances in that game. They should have put it to bed and didn’t. Middlesbrough then scored and then suddenly it became really nervy. They’ve been punished for not taking those chances.
"It’s another step up for them this time by playing Leicester, who are top of the league. They’re going to have to be better defensively as well. They can’t give away soft goals like they have and they’ll have to be more clinical in the final third.
"Against a better defence, those chances are probably not going to be as free-flowing as they have been in the last few games. That said, I don’t think there’ll be any fear. Rovers have showed at the backend of last season that they’re capable of beating top teams.
"Between both 18-yard boxes, they can certainly give Leicester a game, but the game will be defined by what happens inside the 18-yard boxes. Leicester have been a much better side in that department so far this season."
Jackson says Blackburn's main man on Sunday is likely to be Sammie Szmodics - the in-form ex-Colchester United midfielder.
"He's has been the key man this season," he said. "He’s already got five goals and one assist. He’ll definitely start in the most advanced of the midfield three in an attacking no.8 role. They usually line-up in a 4-3-3 in a similar way to Leicester.
"If Joe Rankin-Costello’s at right-back, he’ll drift into midfield in the same way that Ricardo Pereira has for Leicester. It could be very interesting from a tactical point of view with both teams lining up relatively similarly, depending on who’s at full-back for Rovers."