Our Defense

[borbokis]

So, I know we're (mostly) all happy and we're top of the league etc. etc. but does anyone else think we concede far too many goals? Is it down to the way we set up as a team?

I'm just a little concerned on how we can improve on this aspect of our game. The individual players all seem to get plenty of praise, Moore, Lafferty, Basham, O'connel, Ebanks Landell, Wright all have their fans but there must be a weak link somewhere. Is it down to the Midfield?

Tell me to shut up and enjoy being top of the league but Wilder and Knill must surely be working on this behind the scenes

 

[JJ Sefton]

So, I know we're (mostly) all happy and we're top of the league etc. etc. but does anyone else think we concede far too many goals? Is it down to the way we set up as a team?

I'm just a little concerned on how we can improve on this aspect of our game. The individual players all seem to get plenty of praise, Moore, Lafferty, Basham, O'connel, Ebanks Landell, Wright all have their fans but there must be a weak link somewhere. Is it down to the Midfield?

Tell me to shut up and enjoy being top of the league but Wilder and Knill must surely be working on this behind the scenes

Only one team in the top six (Millwall) have conceded more than us.

 

[S64 Blade]

This defense pulled off the unlikeliest of results.

 

[borbokis]

Fuck, first thread i've started for ages and there's a spelling mistake. Apologies everyone

 

[Slim Man]

When Jake Wright is in it, it's fine hence us never losing with him on the pitch. When he isn't there isn't a single organizer in that 5 man back line. That needs altering in the summer if we want to stay up first and foremost because we can't afford to concede this volume of goals in the championship and get away with it. Billy won't always be there to bail us out.

If we do sort that straight out though we could have a very good season ahead of us - and I think we will.

 

[borbokis]

Only one team in the top six (Millwall) have conceded more than us.

I agree for most of the season we've been great. When we had a settled back 5 with oconnel, wright and ebanks landell we went on a decent run but the last few matches have worried me a little. Luckily we have sharp to get us out of jail

 

[elgoog44]

I think Dannysufc_ is right in the fact we need Wright, he shouts organises and commands, Moore does it to some degree but we need Wright out there bossing either EEL and JOC or either one of those and Bash, might be worth at some point to try Wilson in the side if ready, see what he is about but will be difficult as the others there on merit

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

It will be interesting to see if we keep the same formation when we go up - Bristol City went up using the 3-5-2, and quickly got found out. I'm not saying it cant be a success but you get the feeling Championship teams have the quality to negate the strengths, and expose the weaknesses of that system.

 

[shorehamview]

DEFENCE.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Interesting thread....so often it's the defence that takes responsibility for a goal being scored. But advocates of the analytical aspects of the game often look at where a move breaks down as the point where a goal becomes a probability. Perhaps we should ask if the midfield are doing their job properly? Are we being caught out at a point where we least expect to give the ball away? I'm curious to know if anyone else considers the defence needs more help/protection from other areas of the team. Certainly, conceding 5 goals in two games isn't impressive, and just a bit worrying.

 

[borbokis]

It will be interesting to see if we keep the same formation when we go up - Bristol City went up using the 3-5-2, and quickly got found out. I'm not saying it cant be a success but you get the feeling Championship teams have the quality to negate the strengths, and expose the weaknesses of that system.

I'm a big fan of 352 with wing-backs as you can probably tell from my username

 

[borbokis]

Interesting thread....so often it's the defence that takes responsibility for a goal being scored. But advocates of the analytical aspects of the game often look at where a move breaks down as the point where a goal becomes a probability. Perhaps we should ask if the midfield are doing their job properly? Are we being caught out at a point where we least expect to give the ball away? I'm curious to know if anyone else considers the defence needs more help/protection from other areas of the team. Certainly, conceding 5 goals in two games isn't impressive, and just a bit worrying.

We need Bergen Blade to wade in on this. I did mention in the OP that it may be a midfield issue. When I've listened into the matches on the radio Keith always says "no problem with that goal, well played by the opposition" or something along those lines but we need to make sure they don't get into those goal scoring positions somehow

 

[JJ Sefton]

I agree for most of the season we've been great. When we had a settled back 5 with oconnel, wright and ebanks landell we went on a decent run but the last few matches have worried me a little. Luckily we have sharp to get us out of jail

Indeed. We are the division's leading scorers with 67 goals. Second is Scunthorpe with 61 and joint third are Bristol Rovers and Bury with 54 each, 13 behind us.

 

[Need4speed]

If we play 3 5 2 with wing backs we need wing backs. I love Freemans attitude but he is not a wing back He is a mediocre defender who likes to get forward but has a weak final delivery. Lafferty is a full back not awing back.
If we get to the Championship we need to sign a right wing back who is also good enough as a defender to play in a flat back four. Personally I dont think EEL is going to be good enough and therefore we need to sign a top class centre back. If we could get Chapman and riley back on loan would we need any other additions depending of course who we release

 

[Grizzly blade]

It's a weird one, because we have runs of games where we hardly concede.
For me, it's down to formation.
The way we play is we bomb both full backs on when in possession in their half. This leaves 3 dealing with defending, plus midfield.
But you are trusting the midfield to keep the ball well, or if we lose it win it back very quickly. There will be the inevitable times we lose it and it might be the quality of opponents and ability to break that depends how well we defend.
Plus, with Bash back there, he likes to carry the ball out and join attacks....committing another defender forward. This means we may on occasion be caught light at the back.
But as others have said I think when Wright is missing there is less talking, so we need to keep him fit.

On the whole, we have been good at the back. We know our full backs aren't the best outright defenders but we have still been good. Granted, last few games we have conceded a few, but I feel we are coming back into top form ready for the big push over the last 10 games.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

If we play 3 5 2 with wing backs we need wing backs. I love Freemans attitude but he is not a wing back He is a mediocre defender who likes to get forward but has a weak final delivery. Lafferty is a full back not awing back.
If we get to the Championship we need to sign a right wing back who is also good enough as a defender to play in a flat back four. Personally I dont think EEL is going to be good enough and therefore we need to sign a top class centre back. If we could get Chapman and riley back on loan would we need any other additions depending of course who we release

Sign a right back? Brayford still with us!

 

[cooperblade]

We allow fewer shots at our goal than any other team in the division which suggests that our defence are doing an excellent job. However, when opponents do get a chance, we're easier to score against (it takes fewer shots per goal) than all bar two teams.

This could suggest a number of things:

* We have a weak goalkeeper who doesn't save many shots
* When we allow a shot, it is usually a high quality chance (from a central area not far from goal)
* We've been unlucky (opponents have scored at an unsustainably high rate) and it will even itself out


I think Moore is a bit over-rated by United fans generally and has been a fault for a few goals but he isn't a weak goalkeeper and his shot-stopping is usually good / excellent. He certainly isn't a Bunn / Howard type who regularly lets in powderpuff long range efforts.

This visual corrects for shot quality and doesn't suggest we should be conceding many.

So to conclude, we've just been unlucky from a defensive point of view and it won't stop us winning the league at a canter


(Think it'll need sorting next season though - might be an unpopular view but Wright, whilst an excellent organiser, might not be up to scratch against higher quality strikers. It could be a Stancliffe in Division 1 scenario where he gets sacrificed early on)

Credit to https://experimental361.com/

 

[Roygbiv]

We seem to find it ok against the lower sides. We've only conceded 3 in our games against the bottom 6 but that may be more down to their tactics

 

[Upton_Blade]

Freeman will be given the chance to prove himself next season as will all the others who have performed really well this season as its only fair and Wilder will know that.

If he can't cut it then he will be replaced without a 2nd thought.

Wilder has shown he isnt afraid to implement changes if things arent working. Just look at how he jettisoned Long.

 

[Grecian2000]

We allow fewer shots at our goal than any other team in the division which suggests that our defence are doing an excellent job. However, when opponents do get a chance, we're easier to score against (it takes fewer shots per goal) than all bar two teams.

This could suggest a number of things:

* We have a weak goalkeeper who doesn't save many shots
* When we allow a shot, it is usually a high quality chance (from a central area not far from goal)
* We've been unlucky (opponents have scored at an unsustainably high rate) and it will even itself out


I think Moore is a bit over-rated by United fans generally and has been a fault for a few goals but he isn't a weak goalkeeper and his shot-stopping is usually good / excellent. He certainly isn't a Bunn / Howard type who regularly lets in powderpuff long range efforts.

This visual corrects for shot quality and doesn't suggest we should be conceding many.

So to conclude, we've just been unlucky from a defensive point of view and it won't stop us winning the league at a canter


(Think it'll need sorting next season though - might be an unpopular view but Wright, whilst an excellent organiser, might not be up to scratch against higher quality strikers. It could be a Stancliffe in Division 1 scenario where he gets sacrificed early on)

Credit to https://experimental361.com/

Excellent analysis. Don't understand a word.

Does it agree with my thoughts that we attack like buggery and score more than we concede in the main?
Long may it continue.

 

[Antonb]

Our defense worries me. As soon as a team can put us under a bit of pressure, we concede. I new we would need another goal at Oxford to win the game. We wouldn't have lasted at 2-1, and it proved to be the case. We have to shore that defense up. We are not going to score 3 goals every game. The defense is the major priority for me when we get promoted. We will end up going straight back down again .

 

[cooperblade]

Freeman will be given the chance to prove himself next season as will all the others who have performed really well this season as its only fair and Wilder will know that.

If he can't cut it then he will be replaced without a 2nd thought.

Wilder has shown he isnt afraid to implement changes if things arent working. Just look at how he jettisoned Long.

Think Hussey is an even better example of how ruthless he can be. Not many managers would bomb out one of their own signings so quickly (and completely).

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

If we play 3 5 2 with wing backs we need wing backs. I love Freemans attitude but he is not a wing back He is a mediocre defender who likes to get forward but has a weak final delivery. Lafferty is a full back not awing back.
If we get to the Championship we need to sign a right wing back who is also good enough as a defender to play in a flat back four. Personally I dont think EEL is going to be good enough and therefore we need to sign a top class centre back. If we could get Chapman and riley back on loan would we need any other additions depending of course who we release

Very harsh on Freeman. He makes mistakes, but plays (to order, presumably) a high-risk game. He has contributed more than enough goals, assists, dominance of opposition left-side defenders and mid-fielders, etc., to make up for goals conceded by his defensive errors. He is a key part of our play this season.

 

[ucandomagic]

We attack and score loads. That means we will always be open to a quick break with good finishers. That is why the goals per shot ratio against us is high.

The key is not losing the ball high up the pitch when we are on full attack. Forward passes are OK but lateral passes need to be cautious as an interception creates the opportunity for a very rapid counter.

Most successful higher level teams have a fast strong defensive midfielder who protects the back 4 and also stays deep when they attack.

Tufty likes attacking creative midfielders and he likes to press all over the pitch, which means that we are strong when our opponents are in sustained possession. We may need a bit more steel in CM in the future.

As a final point - we get up and down the pitch so much that our defence is often completely knackered at the end. Just look at Lafferty for the Oxford second goal as they stroll past him. Again, not a criticism, just a by-product of the way that we choose to play.

The way that we play is fine for the place that we find ourselves in. Tufty has shown that he learns quickly and adapts quickly. I'm sure that will continue to be the case as we move on to much better things.

UTB

 

[larkymasher]

If you look at promoted teams there is always the question whether players can progress to the next level up. I think our current strongest line up could cope in the division above as long as the poorer end of the squad departs and we bring in the experience we need in the championship.

Players who with all due respect are not featuring now, will struggle to feature next season.

Wilson, Hussey, Reed, McNulty, O'Shea, Clarke, Scougall, Chapman. These are 8 who should go, they have not added to the team in a major way other than cover, to enable us to bring in very good replacements. That makes the squad strong in my opinion.

Those new players then put the current strongest 11 under pressure to perform.....

 

[Sharp as a blade]

More pace in the side in certain areas would certainly help us in my opinion.

As others have commented we play a high risk game and commit people forward when attacking.

When we lose the ball in these advanced areas we are often quickly counter attacked. Lafferty, our midfield 3 and Freeman often aren't quick enough to get back behind the ball (especially as teams tend to have fast players in wide areas).

This usually leads to our 3 CB's been stretched and space opens up in key areas which means when the opposition has a shot on goal, it's usually a decent chance hence the high goals conceded to shots faced.

In my opinion if we replaced lafferty with a more natural wing back with pace, or had a defensive midfielder in the Kante mould (dreaming now) we wouldn't have as much of a problem.

 

[Sharp as a blade]

However who cares!

We're Sheff United....... we're top of the league!

 

[Blend-it-like-Harris]

Since fans here have embarked on the soccer analysis trail (I don't bother when I know how good we are) then you may be interested to compare stats with those achieved by our "greatest manager ever" (I don't agree it was Bassett, but "Hey-Ho");
Promotion season 1988/89
Wolverhampton W. 46 26 14 6 96 49 92
Sheffield United 46 25 9 12 93 54 84
We lost 12 games that season - we'd need to lose twice as many in 10 games as we have in 36 to equal that.
Our average For/Against goals were 2.02/1.17 compared to 1.86/1.11.
Maintaining the same ratio to the end of this season will give us 86/51 with goal difference of +35

If you play good open attacking football you put bums on seats and hopefully put points on the board too. If you bore the arse off the paying public you might still put points on the board but don't win over the fans. I'm not making any veiled references here to any rival clubs, but you might think otherwise.

Chill out guys - this manager is going to better Bassett's promotion season by some margin - and if any Blades fan wants to agonise about our defensive frailties based on that scenario then all I can say to them is - "Take a chill-pill"

 

[Fulwood Blade]

So, I know we're (mostly) all happy and we're top of the league etc. etc. but does anyone else think we concede far too many goals? Is it down to the way we set up as a team?

I'm just a little concerned on how we can improve on this aspect of our game. The individual players all seem to get plenty of praise, Moore, Lafferty, Basham, O'connel, Ebanks Landell, Wright all have their fans but there must be a weak link somewhere. Is it down to the Midfield?

Tell me to shut up and enjoy being top of the league but Wilder and Knill must surely be working on this behind the scenes

Agree totally about the defence.

I really like Coutts in front of the back 3, but he is not and never will be a defensive type player who can protect the back 3 as and when - Fleetwood highlighted that fact, when pace counted and according to the ones that went to Walsall, they again killed us with breaks and pace.

To go to the top of the Prem, Kante for Chelsea (and for Leicester last season) is the ideal type of player to sit in front. Absolutely phenomenal player at the role he is asked to play. CW doesn't like defensive type midfield players though, perhaps the management strategy is just to score more than the opposition.

Loving the team at present, great to watch - but it's a poor manager that settles for "there is no improvement to be made", so I would expect CW will be looking at where to improve.

Our team is always going to be Work In Progress, and better players will come in next season. If we keep a back 3 next season, JOC is probably ok , Basham may be OK, Wright probably not, EEL - 100% goes back to Wolves.

2 x CH's would be my priority - don't concede, don't lose.

UTB

 

[GrayBlade]

I think that we can either play like Clough used to set us us and be happy to keep it tight, be ok with a draw or maybe nick a goal, or we go for it every game and try to out score the opposition. We can't have it both ways.

If you look at our players especially the midfielders and also bear in mind the season Sharp is having, this team is far better equipped to go far it every game than defend. And let's be honest, it's so much more entertaining than the 'We start with a point and I'll be happy with a point...' having our first shot on target in the 80th minute crap isn't it?

If we go up, we'll remember this season for the entertainment value as much as the promotion. I think it's easily the best since 02/03 and the days of Jags, Brown, Tonge and Macca and Nuddy.