[AltiUn]

The feck is this McTominay / Maguire propaganda on Sky?

 

[DSG]

Not sure why people are saying "dreadful", "abysmal", "horrible" and other such nonsense. Have words lost all meaning? If this is dreadful what would losing 4-0 be?

Our attacking pattern is still... a bit chaotic to be called pattern, but otherwise today was a very improved performance. We scored 2 goals, had 3 big chances (Hojlund x 2 and Garnacho) and we hit the bar twice. We should have scored 3 or 4 if anything. We were unlucky. Oh and we defended much better than we have done so far this season.

Counterpoint: Sheffield controlled long parts of the game in the first half. Some nice saves from Obama saved us. Start of 2nd half we looked poor again. Garnacho and Eriksen on turned the tide.

why is ETH asking Lindelof and Evans to do things they aren’t capable of doing? Evans as an extra body in midfield while in possession? Lindelof pinching in as an extra midfielder?

 

[Denis79]

So our two best players are McTominay and Maguire.

 

[Belisarius]

I missed the game but one for the fellow xg merchants.

I don't see how the xg could be that close. They had very few chances. We had so many outstanding chances.

Just off the top of my head:

- Bruno hit the cross-bar in the first half, keeper never moved
- Hojlund missed a tap-in by inches on a cross from Rashford (one of their players was pulling him back)
- Hojlund alone with their keeper after deflection from Rashford
- Amrabat hit the cross-bar with a shot
- Rashford intercepted back pass and instead of trying long shot into empty net passed it to Hojlund who took a weak long shot with Rashford wide open for return pass.
- Bruno played in Rashford alone on the left and he beat the goalie but was slightly wide right of the net.
- Garnacho's shot which just went inches wide left with the keeper standing looking
- Garnacho running the length of the field with the ball after one of their corners and having four United players busting a gut in support only to pass it to one of their defenders.

There are probably others I've forgotten. Perhaps Xg doesn't measure wasted chances or shots that miss the net but the game was nowhere near as close as those numbers suggest. We should easily have had four or five goals today.

 

[Jerom]

3 points in the pocket, but we wouldn't have any points against any other PL-team today.

 

[justsomebloke]

Either Maguire or Evans should be MOTM

Oh come on. Maguire was decent, good second half, but spotty first. Evans had several bad defensive interventions, not a very good game at all. Dalot and Amrabat our best IMO.

 

[Overhaul FC]

Bruno and Antony were poor. I'd like to see a game or two without Bruno to see Hannibal in the lineup who brings more energy and fight.

Hojlund, Garnacho and Mount could be a front 3 that works if Ten Hag is willing to admit Mount in CM isn't the answer.

I don't like Maguire at United but he and Evans both had a good game today. Lindelof was poor at LB so hopefully Reguilon can play 90 mins midweek ahead of the Man City game.

Copenhagen game:

Onana
Dalot Varane Lindelof Reguilon
Amrabat Mainoo
Antony Hannibal Garnacho
Hojlund​

Man City game:

Onana
Dalot Varane Lindelof Reguilon
Casemiro Amrabat
Mount Fernandes Rashford
Hojlund​

 

[Okey]

Something is wrong. Badly wrong. We're playing very poor baseline football. A neutral watching that would think we're a middling team at the lower rung of the table. What's happened? We can't even put together some decent football anymore???

 

[Red4Ever]

I didn't watch the second half so I'll have to take your word for it. I thought Sheffield United were comfortably better than us in the first half.

Yup from around 35 mins United controlled it

 

[Dominos]

We're still really really shit unfortunately.

If we want to reliably put a run of wins together we need to play at a much higher level than this. The next Brighton/Palace type result is only just around the corner if we play like this.

 

[TheReligion]

The feck is this McTominay / Maguire propaganda on Sky?

One scored a goal and spoke very well about Sir Bobby pre match, the other was MOTM.

Not hard to understand really

 

[BestRed]

Fairplay to Maguire, very solid performance ftom him today but as a team we seriously have to raise the overall level. But nonetheless a very iimportant 3 points on a very sad day for the club.

 

[Red Star One]

we are very painful to watch and hard to see any kind of progress in coaching, but at least it's another three points so I can't complain too much.

 

[Godfather]

No idea what we are trying to do out on the pitch. But hey ho 3 points

 

[Rightnr]

One scored a goal and spoke very well about Sir Bobby pre match, the other was MOTM.

Not hard to understand really

He was MotM because Sky are clearly pushing that agenda.

One is average against relegation fodder and the other has less touches as a midfielder than our goalie.

 

[Still ill]

The ability to grind out shitty 1 goal victories when we're in our current dysfunctional state is not nothing. Keep it up, lads. Maguire great, Amrabat showed a bit, Rasmus growing into it....not much but not nothing.

 

[always_hoping]

I missed the game but one for the fellow xg merchants.

All of the Sheffield United chances came from silly errors and the goal via a error also. Onana was thankfully better with his shot stopping in this game.

 

[The Irish Connection]

Not great in the first half but improved. Wasn’t convincing but was a must with in my mind and we’ll take all the away wins we can get..
Hope we don’t get battered by shitty

 

[The Irish Connection]

Fair play to Maguire. Won everything in the air and his passing was spot on. A game that probably suited him.

 

[chocolate cloud]

V comfortable performance. Controlled most of it. Sheffield United had barely anything. Amrabat was Carrick-esque. Rashford and Hojlund wasteful. Should have been 3 or 4-1 in the end. Imagine we win our next 3 games.

 

[justsomebloke]

I don't see how the xg could be that close. They had very few chances. We had so many outstanding chances.

Just off the top of my head:

- Bruno hit the cross-bar in the first half, keeper never moved
- Hojlund missed a tap-in by inches on a cross from Rashford (one of their players was pulling him back)
- Hojlund alone with their keeper after deflection from Rashford
- Amrabat hit the cross-bar with a shot
- Rashford intercepted back pass and instead of trying long shot into empty net passed it to Hojlund who took a weak long shot with Rashford wide open for return pass.
- Bruno played in Rashford alone on the left and he beat the goalie but was slightly wide right of the net.
- Garnacho's shot which just went inches wide left with the keeper standing looking
- Garnacho running the length of the field with the ball after one of their corners and having four United players busting a gut in support only to pass it to one of their defenders.

There are probably others I've forgotten. Perhaps Xg doesn't measure wasted chances or shots that miss the net but the game was nowhere near as close as those numbers suggest. We should easily have had four or five goals today.

Understat has it even tighter - 1.41-1.46. Once Fbref has the match report out, you can see the exact breakdown by each shot.
One thing to remember is that the xG doesn't take account of post-shot xG. So Dalot's goal and both of the crossbar shots will all be low-xG finishes.

 

[Red in STL]

Oh come on. Maguire was decent, good second half, but spotty first. Evans had several bad defensive interventions, not a very good game at all. Dalot and Amrabat our best IMO.

Maguire was our best player by along way and the ratings at the top right of the page agree

 

[DatIrishFella]

If we could finish, it would have been 4. Shite first half, better control second. Maguire and Evans were decent.

 

[stu_1992]

Got the win thankfully, a tough watch at times though. Second was much better to be fair bit we still needed a wonder strike to win it. Suppose we had a few other decent chances, especially from range but we need to be doing so much better.

Probably the best game I've seen from Onana, although there's a it a whole lot to chose from. Hojlund substitution was strange to me as I thought he looked most likely to score.

 

[Blades1889]

Game was lost as soon as McBurnie had to go off unfortunately. Best of luck for the season.

 

[cpresc]

Started looking at Tik Tok before half time.

kinda says it all

apathy

 

[The Hilton]

I don't see how the xg could be that close. They had very few chances. We had so many outstanding chances.

Just off the top of my head:

- Bruno hit the cross-bar in the first half, keeper never moved
- Hojlund missed a tap-in by inches on a cross from Rashford (one of their players was pulling him back)
- Hojlund alone with their keeper after deflection from Rashford
- Amrabat hit the cross-bar with a shot
- Rashford intercepted back pass and instead of trying long shot into empty net passed it to Hojlund who took a weak long shot with Rashford wide open for return pass.
- Bruno played in Rashford alone on the left and he beat the goalie but was slightly wide right of the net.
- Garnacho's shot which just went inches wide left with the keeper standing looking
- Garnacho running the length of the field with the ball after one of their corners and having four United players busting a gut in support only to pass it to one of their defenders.

There are probably others I've forgotten. Perhaps Xg doesn't measure wasted chances or shots that miss the net but the game was nowhere near as close as those numbers suggest. We should easily have had four or five goals today.

Understat has it even tighter - 1.41-1.46. Once Fbref has the match report out, you can see the exact breakdown by each shot.
One thing to remember is that the xG doesn't take account of post-shot xG. So Dalot's goal and both of the crossbar shots will all be low-xG finishes.

The penalty accounts for about 0.8xG, over half their total.

 

[Livewire1974]

Either Maguire or Evans should be MOTM

Evans quality also, should never have been sold.

 

[city-puma]

If we could finish, it would have been 4. Shite first half, better control second. Maguire and Evans were decent.

Interesting. We probably watched a different game.
Like every game we has played this season, we just simply can’t create decent chances.

 

[Livewire1974]

Started looking at Tik Tok before half time.

kinda says it all

apathy

Why are you here then ?

 

[fallengt]

I don't see how the xg could be that close. They had very few chances. We had so many outstanding chances.

Pen = xg 0.75
Hojlund missed few tap ins which xG didn't register at all. Garnacho's offside would've been overtuned had he scored. Those chances could easily been + xG 0.5-0.7.

This is why xG is fecking bullshit sometimes

 

[TheReligion]

He was MotM because Sky are clearly pushing that agenda.

One is average against relegation fodder and the other has less touches as a midfielder than our goalie.

And what?

 

[The Oracle]

I'm obviously happy that we got the 3 points, but my word watching us is like watching paint dry.

 

[phenry]

So our two best players are McTominay and Maguire.

Another way of looking at it is the players who had to fight for their place instead of being automatically selected showed the value of being picked on merit

 

[Shiva87]

Good result for the team. They need some confidence coming into this week.

Not worried about the style at the moment. Will get better with players coming back.

Rashford and Bruno are both at their lowest form wise that I have seen them. Rashford seems to be trying to beat 3 players every time he gets the ball. Bruno is not even getting his over the top passes right. His pass for Rashford when the latter was 1 on 1 on goal was just so over hit.

The attack is totally blunt at the moment with those two out of sorts. This week is going to be important, and the City game is worrying at the moment.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Should have been three or four in that second half. Very poor first half. Not looking forward to next week.

 

[justsomebloke]

Evans quality also, should never have been sold.

Maguire was our best player by along way and the ratings at the top right of the page agree

Okay...It's just that didn't really look like a central defence with an iron grip on events to me, in the first half at least. And this wasn't exactly the most potent attack in the league they were facing either. In the second SU mostly didn't make it as far as our third, which makes it easy for the CBs to look good. Maguire defended aggressively and well then too, and had many good passes, absolutely a good game. But hardly more than that.

 

[DSG]

I don't see how the xg could be that close. They had very few chances. We had so many outstanding chances.

Just off the top of my head:

- Bruno hit the cross-bar in the first half, keeper never moved
- Hojlund missed a tap-in by inches on a cross from Rashford (one of their players was pulling him back)
- Hojlund alone with their keeper after deflection from Rashford
- Amrabat hit the cross-bar with a shot
- Rashford intercepted back pass and instead of trying long shot into empty net passed it to Hojlund who took a weak long shot with Rashford wide open for return pass.
- Bruno played in Rashford alone on the left and he beat the goalie but was slightly wide right of the net.
- Garnacho's shot which just went inches wide left with the keeper standing looking
- Garnacho running the length of the field with the ball after one of their corners and having four United players busting a gut in support only to pass it to one of their defenders.

There are probably others I've forgotten. Perhaps Xg doesn't measure wasted chances or shots that miss the net but the game was nowhere near as close as those numbers suggest. We should easily have had four or five goals today.

I don’t think xG measures a chance like Hojlunds from Rashford’s ball across the box because he never made contact. Also, Dalot’s shot would generally have a poor xG because few shots go in from there.

 

[Yanited__]

Performance not that good but none of them have been. Can't expect much when we're evidently not that good/going through a tough period. We'll take these 3 points and hope we turn up for Copenhagen. Another must win.

 

[santeria13]

Surprised by how many people think we played terribly. It wasn't a vintage performance but at a weird kick off time with no recognised left back on the pitch and all of our back 4 and first choice defensive midfielder missing we... deservedly won a game of football?

I think because we started so slowly people's characterisation of the entire game gets skewed. United looked pretty disjointed and awkward for about the first 30 minutes - we were on the back foot and it felt a bit shit. But from the time they equalised we started to dominate possession and basically ground out half a dozen decent chances in the last two thirds of the match and one of them went in to put us ahead.

It wasn't spectacular football but it wasn't woeful either. We started slow, got better and given the circumstances I'm pretty happy with the win.

If you think we played anything but terribly, your standards are in the toilet. We're talking about the worst team in the prmier league who are also struggling with injuries. We should not be scraping a win, we should be winning comfortably and dominating them over the 90.