How do we get back to this?

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Absolutely fucking magic.

 

[Gimli]

Absolutely fucking magic.

It makes it all the more hard to take that we are now so far out of our depth.

This team is not massively different to last year, but the way we play is hideous in comparison.

 

[JackSUFC]

I’m pretty sure that was just a week after we blew Burnley away at the Lane with perhaps the most complete 45 minutes I’ve ever seen from a Sheffield United team.

I’m convinced last season didn’t actually happen.

 

[DronnieBlade]

All starts with RETAINING POSSESSION OF THE FUCKING BALL from the keepers hands.

Maybe we should give that a go ?.

UTB

 

[jono_t2000]

Was a great goal. However those first 8 or so passes we had no pressure. We just aren't getting that kind of time or space this season.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

It's no excuse, of course, but having fans inside really did gee us up. However, I didn't think that would affect us this season. I thought we'd have learnt to deal with it like every other fucker seems to have done bar Arsenal.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Was a great goal. However those first 8 or so passes we had no pressure. We just aren't getting that kind of time or space this season.

We need to learn how to break through any press then.

Others do it to good effect.

UTB

 

[lazyfecklessblade]

That this piece of play happened 2 minutes after a massive kick in the nuts (BS offside goal that took 5 minutes to disallow) is incredible. These players were so tough mentally, what the fuck happened to them

 

[jono_t2000]

We need to learn how to break through any press then.

Others do it to good effect.

UTB

Exactly. Right now with any pressure we are either miscontrolling it, passing it straight to the opposition or hoofing it upfield.

Just saying that goal against spurs doesn't really highlight anything. Show me a goal where we are composed under a high press and score. That's what we need to get back to..

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

How do we get back to this?

Well, on the basis that they don’t currently seem to believe they’re actually capable of passing the ball like that, they could do worse than have it on repeat play on every screen at Shirecliffe. That and the highlights of Burnley / Man Utd at home.

 

[Bladesman]

Absolutely fucking magic.

We want to use injuries as an excuse as to why we are not at it but are we seriously saying we can't play like this because JOC is out injured and we don't have Hendo? In the Championship a number of players came in and out of the team on our way to promotion.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Exactly. Right now with any pressure we are either miscontrolling it, passing it straight to the opposition or hoofing it upfield.

Just saying that goal against spurs doesn't really highlight anything. Show me a goal where we are composed under a high press and score. That's what we need to get back to..

“Playing proper football, the Sheff Utd way” is now a distant strap line from a bygone era.

Except it was just a few months ago !!

UTB

 

[Superblade7]

All starts with RETAINING POSSESSION OF THE FUCKING BALL from the keepers hands.

Maybe we should give that a go ?.

UTB

Completely agree, I’ve been saying this to my mates for weeks that we need to play out from the back.

Tactic in that clip and last season was play out through defence, into midfield and retain possession whilst probing for opportunities to get it into the box. Difference this season is that you add McBurnie into the team and either Ramsdale or the defenders just lump it up to him, turn over possession and we have to endure wave after wave of opposition attack due to this.

We have been unlucky with injuries, we have made poor signings (for the future rather than improving the team now), we have made individual mistakes like Wilder keeps using as his excuse. But playing McBurnie and telling the team to play hoofball is all Wilder’s decision so he needs to suck it up, admit it’s a shit tactic and get back to the style we’ve played the last four seasons.

If we go down playing the dross we are now and having no shots on goal then it’ll be difficult to swallow but if we can get back to at least playing decent football and going down with a fight, then at least we can say we tried!

 

[sitwell]

Lundstram -Norwood-Fleck.
No Berge.

 

[Mojo]

Confidence and belief is absolutely shot that much is clear.

I can't see any other way they could get anything back other than by having a full crowd behind them. It really is killing us having no fans.

We just need to restore some pride so Wilder can take us forward into next season because if we carry on like this his job will be untenable.

 

[originaltrueblade]

I blame this fucking virus

 

[DronnieBlade]

Lundstram -Norwood-Fleck.
No Berge.

Even now, be better with Coutts Fleck and Duff.

Norwood is toast btw.

UTB

 

[JJBlade]

I blame this fucking virus

Well, a number of us did wonder what scarcely believable event was coming didn't we.

And people were warned not to get carried away because something was bound to happen.

 

[BobblesBlade]

O’Connell and Moussett

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Norwood is toast btw.

...and yet, not so long ago, he was integral - as this vid shows...

 

[ancientblade]

cant hurt if mcburnies out no excuse just to lump it forward but suppose we still will time to be brave chris and stop playing this stupid pullis type hoofball your better than that

 

[Bladeinleeds]

Just put on a 2019/20 highlights dvd in training - maybe the players might realise they are capable of playing 100% better than what is being produced atm. Because it’s gash

 

[blade too long]

Need a return of belief
A return to last season's shot conversion rate
A return to our 1.5 points per game form .Would see us safe

 

[Karaoke Blade]

Well, a number of us did wonder what scarcely believable event was coming didn't we.

And people were warned not to get carried away because something was bound to happen.

Perhaps the footballing gods do exist after all.

 

[Bladesman]

 

[FlamingLip]

Need a return of belief
A return to last season's shot conversion rate
A return to our 1.5 points per game form .Would see us safe

Just the small question of how.

 

[Rodley]

In Les We Trust

 

[Bladesman]

Just the small question of how.

I think the fans gave a lot of the players belief.

 

[JJBlade]

Perhaps the footballing gods do exist after all.

The footballing Gods are a bunch of out and out f@cking c@nts and I believe in them more than any more traditional God.
There is definitely something out there, and whatever it is, it f@cking hates us

 

[Greg.]

A clip of us proving we have at times repeated the nice passing in the OP's clip this season:



But no real big chance comes out of it. A consistent theme this year.

For stats nerds like me, left is the first 12 matches of last season vs. this season on the right:





- The xG conceded delta is huge. We were expected to concede 16.7 goals last season, but conceded 9, in part due to Henderson. Other way around this year, conceding 2 more than expected.

- Pass completion very similar (and actually more passes in the final third) but overall leading to a lower quantum and quality of chances created. Big regression backwards in output from the left in particular. Enda was looking great this time last year.

- Goal conversion has been woeful. Scored 3 of our 19 big chances (~16%) this year. Same ratio last year was double that (~32%). Even if we do pass it around nicely like the clip in the first post, we probably wouldn't be able to finish it.

- Allowed 45% more goal attempts to opponents in the box (>9 per game) than last season. JOC...

- Mousset has been a huge miss. Scored 3 (joint most) and assisted 3 (most) so involved in 6 of the 13 goals we scored last year. 23% of his 13 shots went into the back of the net. McBurnie's converted less than 5% of his 22 shots into goals this year.

- Same goes for Lundstram. Last season in the first 12 games = 12 chances created, 4 'big' chances created (goal scoring), 18 shots, 3 goals, 23 penalty area touches. The clip in the OP shows his high involvement in the build-up. Berge has created the same number of chances, but half the big chances, half the shots and half the shots on target.