One other thing to consider when discussing whether we should or shouldn't be throwing on strikers towarss the end of a game is what impact that has on ball retention, delivery of the ball, etc......play with alot of strikers and inevitably you have to get the ball there alot quicker, as you haven't the personnel to pass the ball around to get it there.......so the delivery is more likely to longer and inevitably a percentage long ball.......if you are playing aginst a tight well disciplined defence, like stoke's, that is going to play into their hands......changes in shape can deliver results, such as didi in istanbul, babel against arsenal in the clqf, not putting extra players in the box, but changing the shape of the game to enable better delivery, control, etc.
there are times to get more strikers on, and times to change your shape, and times to gamble......but that tends to be at 1 down, when a gamble is warranted as there is nothing to lose
what i think we don't do as well as we can/should is condense the play in the opposition half......where teams are compact and disciplined, we tend to stay deep to draw them out, where that isn't working we should be pressing the game and trying to play our game further up the field.....players like xabi, gerrard, etc. do good work all over the park and can do their work on the edge of the box as well as on the half-way line.....and the percentages then shift in your favour, the bonce of the ball, ricochets, bits of skill, etc....all of these have higher pay-offs when they go for you when you are camped in the last third of the pitch.....you will have games like stoke at home where fuck all goes your way, but as a rule they will be the exception, luck, good fortune, skill, etc. will pay off as you pressure the opposition.
we can do that more, and i believe that is one of the improvements that we could make to turn some of the draws into wins, even when we are not plaing that well, and particulalry at home......that and increasing our tempo during the game to pressurise opponents (again, something we are very good at when we do do it).....not massive changes, and neither changing our principles, but building on the foundation of those principles
not massive changes, but ways of continuing to build on our impressive season so far.....