Out-thought and Out-fought

[robbiez666]

I was expecting to lose this game pretty easily and maybe get tonked.

I did not expect the Wolves players to out-work our players. Everytime we had the ball they closed us down. They gave us now space, always had our players marked and never looked like they were breaking sweat doing it.

We are so ponderous. So slow, both in thought and action. It's just so obvious. So telegraphed. No one makes any runs. No one breaks their neck to get challenges is. We're second to everything. So slow to react.

Once again a player outside the box gets to take target practice. Once again the player who (eventually) bothers to make an effort to close him down is way too slow. We're always on the back foot. The times they actually went into second gear they just waltzed round us. So simple.

Wolves have got some incredible players at this level. Different class. But we were clueless both on and off the pitch tonight. How long are we going to persist with this formation? Keep doing the same things over and over and over again even though they aren't working. Giving the captaincy to a player who has zero qualifications to be one. Playing the same players. Dropping our player of the season for no apparent reason?

Sigh. Something needs to change. We look tired and lacking energy and ideas.

 

[JohnDenver]

The best team in the league (by a mile) beating us isn't reason for change.

We're still ahead of schedule. Tweak around the edges but don't overreact.

 

[robbiez666]

The best team in the league (by a mile) beating us isn't reason for change.

We're still ahead of schedule. Tweak around the edges but don't overreact.

Our current form is a reason to change though, surely?

 

[JohnDenver]

Our current form is a reason to change though, surely?

Your post was specifically talking about this game, not the last 10. You say you expected us to get tonked. Well, what else does getting tonked look like?

Losing to Bolton and co is what should give cause for thought, not tonight's game.

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

our form is pretty bad and has been since Coutts has gone

i think effort wise we have really dipped on this especially upfront,
Our front 2 used to put so much pressure on the opposition defenders by constantly hounding them

Wilson and Leon are just not doing it , Leon probably tired but Wilson for me is a sub at most until way up to speed with the way we play
also we have lost Duff man for some reason , who is great at pressing

 

[A Storm of Blades]

I was expecting to lose this game pretty easily and maybe get tonked.

I did not expect the Wolves players to out-work our players. Everytime we had the ball they closed us down. They gave us now space, always had our players marked and never looked like they were breaking sweat doing it.

We are so ponderous. So slow, both in thought and action. It's just so obvious. So telegraphed. No one makes any runs. No one breaks their neck to get challenges is. We're second to everything. So slow to react.

Once again a player outside the box gets to take target practice. Once again the player who (eventually) bothers to make an effort to close him down is way too slow. We're always on the back foot. The times they actually went into second gear they just waltzed round us. So simple.

Wolves have got some incredible players at this level. Different class. But we were clueless both on and off the pitch tonight. How long are we going to persist with this formation? Keep doing the same things over and over and over again even though they aren't working. Giving the captaincy to a player who has zero qualifications to be one. Playing the same players. Dropping our player of the season for no apparent reason?

Sigh. Something needs to change. We look tired and lacking energy and ideas.

Can't really argue with much of that mate. I'm not sure the players believe in the system at the moment

 

[BushBlade]

Our current form is a reason to change though, surely?

We've been beaten by two sides with very good players, in the main PL class. We won an away game just before that.

We looked crap because they were better players, man for man, quicker in thought and deed and technically excellent. Same as when we made L1 teams look shit last season.

 

[ShefRedandWhite]

An expected result but we gave a very disappointing showing nonetheless.
Too many hopeful long balls OR just taking the easy option, with nobody wanting to force the issue. Confidence is well and truly gone by the look of it... But do we persevere or change formation and/or tactics?

 

[robbiez666]

Can't really argue with much of that mate. I'm not sure the players believe in the system at the moment

The system could work if we had any speed but we're so slow. The players are slow, the passing is slow and the speed of thought to make a pass is slow.

We're also not making any runs so players have nothing to aim at.

 

[Sean Thornton]

our form is pretty bad and has been since Coutts has gone

i think effort wise we have really dipped on this especially upfront,
Our front 2 used to put so much pressure on the opposition defenders by constantly hounding them

Wilson and Leon are just not doing it , Leon probably tired but Wilson for me is a sub at most until way up to speed with the way we play
also we have lost Duff man for some reason , who is great at pressing

Whichever striker combination we use, until we can get the ball to them in decent positions, we'll struggle to score. Basham and Stevens were poor and O'Connell looks as if he's put a stone on.

 

[robbiez666]

We've been beaten by two sides with very good players, in the main PL class. We won an away game just before that.

We looked crap because they were better players, man for man, quicker in thought and deed and technically excellent. Same as when we made L1 teams look shit last season.

We've won 2 of the last 10. It would be relegation form if we hadn't had such an excellent autumn.

 

[A Storm of Blades]

The speed of play makes or breaks the system. Play it at 50% and you'll get slaughtered.

 

[PokerBlade]

Honestly, I was a bit frustrated again, but I was going to be happy to write this game off. Two absolutely beautiful goals from Wolves. They did to us what we did to teams last season and it's equally as obvious that they'll cruise to the title the same way. In true Sheffield United style we managed to turn it into an absolute disaster.

 

[Roygbiv]

We definitely don't have the same intensity as we did earlier in the season. We have lost a huge amount of confidence and it's understandable when you don't get results but put your all in every week. I personally thought today our heads went down in a way I haven't seen this season but the players are only human. They are on the whole playing really well but not getting the results. It must effect you mentally.

That was definitely poor today though. As good as Wolves are, we didn't even make them come out of third gear.

 

[Sean Thornton]

The system could work if we had any speed but we're so slow. The players are slow, the passing is slow and the speed of thought to make a pass is slow.

We're also not making any runs so players have nothing to aim at.

I'd say runs are being made but it gets passed backwards and sideways a bit first so the strikers have to drop back. Then when someone decides to go forward, there's no one available.

 

[Bladezz]

They were unreal. There players and fans are so much better than ours.

 

[Bergen Blade]

It's easier to close us down when they are always allowed to get all 11 men behind the ball before we attack.

I thought it was a surprisingly attacking move to play 3-4-1-2 today, and in hindsight it was naive. I suspect we were concerned with our lack of goals recently and we wanted to get Holmes going. I think Wilder regrets he didn't go with the Norwich line up and set us up to be a bit more cynical.

 

[robbiez666]

The speed of play makes or breaks the system. Play it at 50% and you'll get slaughtered.

This

 

[robbiez666]

I'd say runs are being made but it gets passed backwards and sideways a bit first so the strikers have to drop back. Then when someone decides to go forward, there's no one available.

One of the issues today was that we were so slow that we allowed them to get everyone behind the ball, giving us no space to run into.

 

[BushBlade]

We've won 2 of the last 10. It would be relegation form if we hadn't had such an excellent autumn.

True but we've brought in four players to address that and they've got to settle in. We've tended to lose against the better sides in this division, there haven't been many that we 'should' win and lost, Bolton apart.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Unfortunately our movement off the ball is very poor, thus resulting in too many unnecessary passes by defenders to other defenders in our own half playing it safe. Nobody with maybe the exception of Holmes willing to take the ball to the opposition or make a telling pass.Yes we might have matched em on possession but we were never in this game.

 

[Weasel]

We are currently so slow at moving the ball forward... why take 5 touches and break with pace when we can slooooooooowwwwww the game down and take another 25 touches... We wait until every twat is back in their defensive positions before ponderously venture forward. What has happened to the team from earlier in the season when we broke with pace? I'm bewildered by how slow we have become amd how negative we now are.

 

[robbiez666]

True but we've brought in four players to address that and they've got to settle in. We've tended to lose against the better sides in this division, there haven't been many that we 'should' win and lost, Bolton apart.

Whilst I accept we've had a tough run of games, I'd say Millwall is a should win. You could argue Wednesday as well, but derbies are unpredictable.

It's concerning at the moment that we've only scored 3 in 6 league games.

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

The system is broken and has been for months,since the Burton game.

I thought Wolves looked like they had 15 players on the pitch at times.

 

[A Storm of Blades]

We definitely don't have the same intensity as we did earlier in the season. We have lost a huge amount of confidence and it's understandable when you don't get results but put your all in every week. I personally thought today our heads went down in a way I haven't seen this season but the players are only human. They are on the whole playing really well but not getting the results. It must effect you mentally.

That was definitely poor today though. As good as Wolves are, we didn't even make them come out of third gear.

It's a good point mate. Conceding absolute worldies and last minute goals is taking it's toll. It's like the first hit that hurts a fighter, it makes you tentative thereafter. All the more reason to drop a few.

 

[robbiez666]

The system is broken and has been for months,since the Burton game.

I thought Wolves looked like they had 15 players on the pitch at times.

It was telling that when, on the few occasions they decided to up gear, their players were always in space. There was always a ball to an unmarked player. Whilst, they were tight on all our players all game.

 

[BushBlade]

Whilst I accept we've had a tough run of games, I'd say Millwall is a should win. You could argue Wednesday as well, but derbies are unpredictable.

It's concerning at the moment that we've only scored 3 in 6 league games.

At the Den? Maybe but that was in the aftermath of losing Coutts at a time when we couldn't do anything about it. We've now done something about it so we'll so how effective that is. Holmes looks like he could be an asset, but I don't like to judge players on one game so we'll see.

 

[Sean Thornton]

We are currently so slow at moving the ball forward... why take 5 touches and break with pace when we can slooooooooowwwwww the game down and take another 25 touches... We wait until every twat is back in their defensive positions before ponderously venture forward. What has happened to the team from earlier in the season when we broke with pace? I'm bewildered by how slow we have become amd how negative we now are.

This.


I think it's easy to blame the forwards. If you watch the defensive players half the time they aren't even looking forward when passing it around.

 

[Hartley Hare]

They were unreal. There players and fans are so much better than ours.

Sorry mate, but this is just wrong and I am not referring to the grammatical error.

HH

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

In their/our defence, when you're struggling for confidence and go to the best team in the League, then concede an early goal - it takes some fookin balls to pick yourself up.

After recent results it was no surprise to see us go into our shell.

One footnote I noticed about today's game - last years captain and vice-captain (Sharp & Coutts) weren't on the pitch and our lack of leadership was really really noticeable.