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I don't particularly rate him as a defender but that was a pretty brutal ball to deal with. Really unlucky where it landed, but we got away with it.
Does he or does any of them for that matter? All I can see going on there is yet more evidence of how disorganized and clueless the defence is and has been since LvG took over. Thank feck the ball or cross didn't land in the direction of the lad strolling around whistling at the back post or he would have had then until next Christmas to figure out where he wanted to bury it.
If they were set up properly or in the system they were used too before all this 3 at the back and keep passing it back to them shite was introduced I think you'd see a big difference.
Anyone wanting to slate Evans for that header needs to take their agenda and do one. It's sheer bad luck.
It really isn't. You can clearly see Smalling is getting in a position to simply clear the ball with ease, except for Evans' header wrong footing him and heading it into the path of their forward.
I would be surprised if Smalling didn't shout and it was ignored; but even if he didn't Evans misreads the flight of the ball completely and has no idea about what was going on around him. A good defender has a picture of the situation and simply leaves it for Smalling to deal with, or puts themselves in a position to deal with it in the first place.
For me it was similar to defenders that just stick a leg out and end up deflecting a tame shot away from the keeper into their own goal. Yes you can brush it aside and hide behind "bad luck" but the fact is that it's actually poor decision making. Saying that he wasn't the only one, McNair was dreadful and Smalling was mediocre as well.
However Evans has been incredibly fortunate not to has cost us 5-6 points this season; he seems to gift the opposition a golden opportunity once every 150-200 minutes, which is unacceptable.
Which is exactly what he did against Stoke when Shaw cleared the ball over the bar, and yet somehow it was still his fault and he obviously got slated for it on here.It really isn't. You can clearly see Smalling is getting in a position to simply clear the ball with ease, except for Evans' header wrong footing him and heading it into the path of their forward.
I would be surprised if Smalling didn't shout and it was ignored; but even if he didn't Evans misreads the flight of the ball completely and has no idea about what was going on around him. A good defender has a picture of the situation and simply leaves it for Smalling to deal with, or puts themselves in a position to deal with it in the first place.
For me it was similar to defenders that just stick a leg out and end up deflecting a tame shot away from the keeper into their own goal. Yes you can brush it aside and hide behind "bad luck" but the fact is that it's actually poor decision making. Saying that he wasn't the only one, McNair was dreadful and Smalling was mediocre as well.
However Evans has been incredibly fortunate not to has cost us 5-6 points this year; he seems to gift the opposition a golden opportunity once every 150-200 minutes, which is unacceptable.
You're over complicating it to try and believe that Evans is at fault (no one is at fault, it's football, sometimes these things happen). You're forgetting that this situation happened in real time, from the time the ball left the attackers boot til it got to Evans is so little, I don't care what Smalling says or doesn't say, it's a natural reaction from Evans to try and get something on the ball. If he thinks he can head it, he will try for it, that's nothing to do with ability, it's nothing to do with reading the game, it's nothing to do with coaching etc it's pure natural instinct. You and I would have done the same thing, it's just a reaction when the ball comes from that distance.It really isn't. You can clearly see Smalling is getting in a position to simply clear the ball with ease, except for Evans' header wrong footing him and heading it into the path of their forward.
I would be surprised if Smalling didn't shout and it was ignored; but even if he didn't Evans misreads the flight of the ball completely and has no idea about what was going on around him. A good defender has a picture of the situation and simply leaves it for Smalling to deal with, or puts themselves in a position to deal with it in the first place.
For me it was similar to defenders that just stick a leg out and end up deflecting a tame shot away from the keeper into their own goal. Yes you can brush it aside and hide behind "bad luck" but the fact is that it's actually poor decision making.
Which is exactly what he did against Stoke when Shaw cleared the ball over the bar, and yet somehow it was still his fault and he obviously got slated for it on here.
You're over complicating it to try and believe that Evans is at fault (no one is at fault, it's football, sometimes these things happen). You're forgetting that this situation happened in real time, from the time the ball left the attackers boot til it got to Evans is so little, I don't care what Smalling says or doesn't say, it's a natural reaction from Evans to try and get something on the ball. If he thinks he can head it, he will try for it, that's nothing to do with ability, it's nothing to do with reading the game, it's nothing to do with coaching etc it's pure natural instinct. You and I would have done the same thing, it's just a reaction when the ball comes from that distance.
If you slow everything down, all your points have grounds. However, football is played at normal speed and that is extremely quick on the ground compared to the TV, so when you break everything down like you have, well you have just wasted both our time.
Yep, I have to agree with Getsme here. I don't think Evans was to blame here. He should have tried to get his head on the ball there, you can't assume your fellow defenders are going to bail you out. He was very unlucky that it dropped to their lad.Which is exactly what he did against Stoke when Shaw cleared the ball over the bar, and yet somehow it was still his fault and he obviously got slated for it on here.
I agree with this too, that he's not good enough, and will be shipped out.The lengths some go to to defend Jonny is amusing. As soon as LGV gets the defenders he wants this guy will be shipped out, simply isn't up to the standard we want to reach.
The lengths some go to to defend Jonny is amusing. As soon as LGV gets the defenders he wants this guy will be shipped out, simply isn't up to the standard we want to reach.
This.I don't think it's so much in defence of his performance, more so defending him from the absolute avalanche of abuse he cops because he isn't world class.
I have a lot of time for him, I'm the first to admit we need to invest in new defenders but I don't understand the abusing of players like Evans.
To be honest, we should be past the point of blaming individuals by now. Our defensive woes are systemic. Nobody seems to have the faintest idea what they're supposed to be doing. This is most apparent in a 352 but the gif above was during the second half, with a more conventional back four. And our defensive shape is still abysmal. We spend so much of the season playing a formation that confuses the shit out of everyone, they're still addled when they revert to a formation that''s supposed to be familiar!
If you ask me, there's far too much emphasis on the quality of individual defenders this season and not enough on the defensive coaching, which can make any back four look more than the sum of their parts. I really hope Van Gaal's "philosophy" pays attention to the basics of defending as a unit and we'll see long term benefits in the latter half of this season. Because up until now, we've been an absolute fecking shambles.
“People should change their ideas,” Louis van Gaal warned after Manchester United had kept their sixth clean sheet of the season in drawing at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. United have conceded only five goals in their last nine games and have the fourth best defensive record in the division. “It’s not about new players, it’s about organisation.”
The lengths some go to to defend Jonny is amusing. As soon as LGV gets the defenders he wants this guy will be shipped out, simply isn't up to the standard we want to reach.
As bad as he is, he's still better then Blacket (who is woeful).
Defense, midfield and forward line.We need a serious overhaul of the defence. Surely LvG can see such a simple thing?
Utterly gormless.....
We need a serious overhaul of the defence. Surely LvG can see such a simple thing?
Is our defence really that weak?
We have one of the best defences in the league, according to the table.
Surely our attacking midfield is weaker, given the lack of chances being created?