"It falls apart" - Steven Schumacher makes concerning Bolton Wanderers claim | OneFootball

The Wanderers boss has made a worrying claim regarding one key aspect of his team this season.

Bolton Wanderers manager Steven Schumacher has voiced his frustration with his team's wastefulness in front of goal, after his side fell in frustrating fashion to Rotherham United on Tuesday night.

The Trotters dominated the lion's share of their clash with the Millers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in midweek, battering on the Rotherham door all night long, but they just couldn't beat Cameron Dawson in the visitors' goal.

Incredibly, Schumacher's side registered 36 shots on Rotherham's goal, but just seven of them were on target (per FotMob).

As such, despite only recording seven attempts on goal themselves, a solitary shot on target would be all that was required for Matt Hamshaw's men to claim all three points.

"It isn't the first time" - Steven Schumacher fumes at Bolton's inability to put the ball in the back of the net

Understandably, Schumacher wasn't best pleased with his team's performance in front of goal against the Millers, but he admits that ruthlessness in the final third has been a recurring problem for his side.

Speaking via The Bolton News, the 40-year-old said: "It isn’t the first time, it happened to us at Blackpool two weeks ago.

“We had 70 per cent of possession, however many shots, more than double their shots, we had 30-odd crosses, more than double them, so it's happened before.

“This team are capable of doing that, so I don't think it is a freak. It happens a lot, often more than it should. They did do so well to a certain point, and just when it matters, it falls apart.”

Schumacher is right to point out their 2-1 defeat away at Blackpool as another example of his team not being good enough in the final third, as his side registered 72 per cent possession, 16 shots, but just four of those were on target (per FotMob).

In fact, ahead of this weekend's latest round of League One action, Bolton sit fifth in the division for the most big chances missed with 58 (per FotMob); another clear indicator that his team have just been lacking that clinical nature in attack this season.

Bolton's finishing woes look set to cost them a play-off place this season

Heading into this weekend's trip to Barnsley, Bolton now sit two points outside the League One play-off places with just five games of the season to go.

With Wanderers now seven points behind fifth-placed Charlton, chasing down Reading in sixth appears to be their only realistic avenue for a top six finish this term.

Given the stage of the season we're now at, Bolton's finishing issues may well not be able to be addressed before the curtain falls, with perhaps a more fundamental problem facing them in that regard that may need to be looked at in the summer.

However, if they are to be playing for a place in the Championship after 46 games have been played, then Schumacher must see some improvement from his players in the final third.

“Aaron Collins could have 25 goals, and Maca (John McAtee) could have 20, because the amount of chances they get, they should have more," the Bolton boss continued. "But they have done well, so I'm not criticising anyone, I'm not.

“The lads are saying they're giving us everything, they're getting into good areas, they're working incredibly hard, they're executing game plans, apart from sticking it in the net. And one mistake all the time seems to cost us.

“Pragmatic would suggest that you take less risk. We spoke on Saturday about us not taking enough risk, and we were a bit slow. (Against Rotherham) we took loads of risk, we had bodies in the right areas, and we've been punished because we didn't win a tackle.

“I don't think it's about being pragmatic, it's about being clinical. We're not clinical enough, and that's something that was probably aimed at this squad before I got here, and it's continuing.”