Bergen Blade
Well-Known Member
Mid-January Update:
There's been a notable change in the way we've scored goal the past few weeks, with goals now quite evenly spread across the three categories.
After the Wednesday home game in November, we'd scored just 5 (19%) of our 27 goals following Cat B attacks. From these 4 were at home and 1 away. It seemed to me that we weren't prioritising or weren't good enough at counter attacking effectively. If we regained possession high up the pitch, we failed to punish the opposition. We'd scored 10 (37%) Cat A goals and 12 (44%) Cat C goals.
I think it was in this period that people were starting to wonder if we should perhaps make some tweaks about how we attack. The debate about EARLY CROSSES vs LATE CROSSES started, as did the suggestions of adding a TARGET MAN to the squad.
The debate got a bit silly. After the Ipswich game, our third disappointing result in the last four, the new guy at Radio Sheffield told Alan Knill that there'd been suggestions that the team should be trying more early crosses. A frustrated and disappointed seemed to get a bit defensive. In a later interview Chris Wilder also seemed to dismiss, or even attack, the perceived criticism.
The new in town radio reporter hasn't had the best start with the management, and maybe that and the timing of the question (right after a disappointing result, during a sticky spell) meant an open debate didn't really include the management, as interviewers didn't dare to follow it up. Which is fair enough - the management don't have to go into that level of detail with reporters, and if they feel the media is trying to stir things up or criticise when overall we've done fantastically well, maybe it's understandable.
However, I think it's naive to believe that Wilder and Knill aren't continuously looking to tweak things, develop players individually, improve us collectively. I assume they are systematically analysing team performances in a much more detailed way than the amateur collection of data above. Since the pigs game where we dominated, but couldn't find a way through them we have scored 10 Cat B goals. We changed the team and definitely tried to focus more on counter attacking away at Brentford and Reading.
At the moment we've had a great spell, the confidence is back and we look strong, although we'll have to see if Wilder do play his preferred line up and formation in all the difficult away games coming up.
Regarding the playing style I think we're all happy at the moment. We're scoring a variety of goals, we look a little more keen on punishing the opposition quickly when we can and we don't always allow the opposition back in numbers before we attack. I thought it was interesting when Beans and Blades Analytics commented on winner against QPR, the latter saying that we'd tried some early crosses moments before we scored what was clearly a Cat C goal, from a good passing move and a late cross.
Recently we've also seen more examples of the opposite, us playing good passing, patient football and moments later strike immediately after winning possession.
I think it's this variation that we need, so that we don't do the same stuff over and over again. That'll prevent opposition teams from knowing what to expect. There has to be a bit of unpredictability about us, a mix of early and late crosses among numerous other attacking variants, if we're going to score enough goals.
Earlier in the season Wilder also distanced himself from the idea of having a target man, yet obviously brought one in now in January. I think he was right to do that, it can be one extra way of getting us more goals. I disagree that it has to imply long ball. Stats are showing that we're among the teams crossing the most. Hopefully Madine, when he plays, makes even more of those crosses end up in the back of the net.
So Chris and Alan, keep up the fantastic work, there's never been a more United fan base behind you. And don't get upset if us amateurs also play around with the thought that sometimes we could be doing things a little different. UTB
There's been a notable change in the way we've scored goal the past few weeks, with goals now quite evenly spread across the three categories.
After the Wednesday home game in November, we'd scored just 5 (19%) of our 27 goals following Cat B attacks. From these 4 were at home and 1 away. It seemed to me that we weren't prioritising or weren't good enough at counter attacking effectively. If we regained possession high up the pitch, we failed to punish the opposition. We'd scored 10 (37%) Cat A goals and 12 (44%) Cat C goals.
I think it was in this period that people were starting to wonder if we should perhaps make some tweaks about how we attack. The debate about EARLY CROSSES vs LATE CROSSES started, as did the suggestions of adding a TARGET MAN to the squad.
The debate got a bit silly. After the Ipswich game, our third disappointing result in the last four, the new guy at Radio Sheffield told Alan Knill that there'd been suggestions that the team should be trying more early crosses. A frustrated and disappointed seemed to get a bit defensive. In a later interview Chris Wilder also seemed to dismiss, or even attack, the perceived criticism.
The new in town radio reporter hasn't had the best start with the management, and maybe that and the timing of the question (right after a disappointing result, during a sticky spell) meant an open debate didn't really include the management, as interviewers didn't dare to follow it up. Which is fair enough - the management don't have to go into that level of detail with reporters, and if they feel the media is trying to stir things up or criticise when overall we've done fantastically well, maybe it's understandable.
However, I think it's naive to believe that Wilder and Knill aren't continuously looking to tweak things, develop players individually, improve us collectively. I assume they are systematically analysing team performances in a much more detailed way than the amateur collection of data above. Since the pigs game where we dominated, but couldn't find a way through them we have scored 10 Cat B goals. We changed the team and definitely tried to focus more on counter attacking away at Brentford and Reading.
At the moment we've had a great spell, the confidence is back and we look strong, although we'll have to see if Wilder do play his preferred line up and formation in all the difficult away games coming up.
Regarding the playing style I think we're all happy at the moment. We're scoring a variety of goals, we look a little more keen on punishing the opposition quickly when we can and we don't always allow the opposition back in numbers before we attack. I thought it was interesting when Beans and Blades Analytics commented on winner against QPR, the latter saying that we'd tried some early crosses moments before we scored what was clearly a Cat C goal, from a good passing move and a late cross.
Recently we've also seen more examples of the opposite, us playing good passing, patient football and moments later strike immediately after winning possession.
I think it's this variation that we need, so that we don't do the same stuff over and over again. That'll prevent opposition teams from knowing what to expect. There has to be a bit of unpredictability about us, a mix of early and late crosses among numerous other attacking variants, if we're going to score enough goals.
Earlier in the season Wilder also distanced himself from the idea of having a target man, yet obviously brought one in now in January. I think he was right to do that, it can be one extra way of getting us more goals. I disagree that it has to imply long ball. Stats are showing that we're among the teams crossing the most. Hopefully Madine, when he plays, makes even more of those crosses end up in the back of the net.
So Chris and Alan, keep up the fantastic work, there's never been a more United fan base behind you. And don't get upset if us amateurs also play around with the thought that sometimes we could be doing things a little different. UTB
