[Albion] Sheffield United vs Brighton & Hove Albion *** Official Match Thread ***

[Icy Gull]

I know, horrible isn't it, and I"m sick of it too, I understand your anger and frustration but I would not use your words, but its your choice.
For me, after a totally bizzare season for many reasons, I'm just pleased we yet again managed to stay in the league.
We really must improve next season though, especially against the 'poorer sides' but we have showed many times that we are a really good side.
Regarding Potter he has shown that he is a great coach but sometimes his curveballs and substitutions are a step too far, unless injury dictates.
Bringing Connolly on, who even I can see should be nowhere near the first team, deserves the pelters he gets on here from some.

I am so angry at the moment, I will have my Potter is God hat on again in a couple of days though

 

[Uh_huh_him]

The pass from AJ to Maupay was hit as hard as possible and behind him.
A better pass was required, not drilled at 100 mph and behind

Bollocks.

Aj has made a bit of space and smacked it into a very dangerous position, in a split second..
That's all you can ask for.

The fact Maupay was in front of it is neither here nor there.
His job is to direct it goalwards not expect the ball to come in at a slower pace and in front of him.

 

[Weststander]

It's the same for a lot of clubs at this level, and those wages are pretty standard.

Is he worth that ? No-one is. But it's what it costs.

I'm just glad he played well tonight. He comes on with a few minutes to go normally and he's on a hiding to nothing here unless he does something amazing.

It’s a glaring huge transfer gaff.

£35m for 2 goals and an assist.

Every club makes them and we do too.

 

[GT49er]

I refuse to type that pathetic phrase that you’ve used because it makes any post that contains it utterly worthless.

Amen to that!

 

[Hamilton]

Everyone who is saying that we were OK in the second half...

We Lost!

 

[perseus]

Izzy shot was on target

 

[amexer]

Maybe apart from Steele any of the subs would have been better then Connelly

 

[London Irish]

You have no idea how much I’d like to switch my allegiance, this result was almost inevitable. Four points dropped against WBA and Sheffield United, how is that even possible with the players we have?

In these cases, people generally look at the manager if they believe the players are good enough. It might actually be a mixture of the two though

 

[banjo]

Izzy shot was on target

 

[Jovis]

The pass from AJ to Maupay was hit as hard as possible and behind him.
A better pass was required, not drilled at 100 mph and behind

Ok Neal.

 

[Weststander]

To be fair Lallana misses a fair few himself... I’m starting to see this as an issue throughout the team.

Lallana’s in the team to run the midfield, drive us forward, create chances. He hasn’t been knocking goals in since 2016/17.

 

[Steve in Japan]

"We're disappointed."

I'm ****ing gutted.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

What I can't understand is we should be fantastic considering how close together Potters eyes are, or maybe the Giggs/Borg theory is horseshit.

 

[FF1]

AJ did OK

That is very brave of you to say that around here but reality is he did GREAT. Totally changed the game!!! We so desperately need someone that gives us width... Opens up everything.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

The pass from AJ to Maupay was hit as hard as possible and behind him.
A better pass was required, not drilled at 100 mph and behind

Dear Mr Maupay Senior,

Really appreciate how much effort your son Neal puts in for the club, but unfortunately it does appear the PL is a level to high for him and his ability.

Blaming AJ for a brilliant 20min cameo where he created more chances than some players who started the game, and laid a goal on a plate for Neal I don’t think is the way to go.

Yours
K.Hairpiece.

 

[Mancgull]

To be fair Lallana misses a fair few himself... I’m starting to see this as an issue throughout the team.

I thought Lallana was poor tonight and his shooting is sub standard. He’s been great for us over the last few games but tonight he wasn’t.

 

[vagabond]

Sheffield United vs Brighton & Hove Albion *** Official Match Thread ***

Lallana’s in the team to run the midfield, drive us forward, create chances. He hasn’t been knocking goals in since 2016/17.

Agreed.. and he’s brilliant of late. But man, he’s missed some terrific chances himself. Disappointing for a player of his class and ability.

 

[jcdenton08]

Desperately poor first half from the lads. Tactically and physically dominated there, I'm afraid to say. Lots of niggly little fouls by the Blades, high intensity and not letting us play.

However, when we do have chances, we are ponderous and uncertain of how exactly to attack the goal. Welbeck pulling wide left, Maupay pulling wide right, leaving no crossing options. Ball gets recycled out and a cross from deep or the ball gets turned over.

Lots of silly mistakes, including for the goal, which was four separate mistakes. Webster losing the ball and being out of position, failure to stop the cross, failure to clear the ball twice, first Dunk then Gross, and poor decision making from Veltman to retreat to the line instead of staying with McGoldrick.

I was ready for a tactical change after ten minutes, it was painfully obvious that Sheffield United are set up to stop us playing through midfield. We have no genuine width right now, Gross is all over the shop at right wingback.

I think we should change immediately to a flat back four, play more direct and get Lallana up the pitch at the point of a diamond, with Bissouma as the water carrier. Get Trossard wide, bring on Izquierdo for Gross and actually try and get down their sides with some width and pace.

Probably our worst first half of the season.

Well, I have to say, there was a certain predictable quality to that second half. We couldn't have been much worse than the first half, against what was a spirited but technically team of grafters.

Tactically, I was astonished that the tweaks made were so minor, until the first substitutions. It was painfully obvious that the Blades had our number. It was eerily reminiscent of us under Hughton playing against the big sides; we'd occasionally snatch a win under almost identical circumstances.

The tactical changes were the ones mentioned above (I don't have psychic powers, Stevie Wonder could've seen what needed changing) - so why did it take 16 minutes of the second half to change things? That struck me as the epitome of passive management - "let's wait and see, we might get a flukey one".

I feel sometimes with our boys, which I suspect comes from the culture Potter has created, that there is something somehow undignified about adapting to match situations. As if the footballing gods will judge us for heathen long balls forward, when we are chasing a goal with seconds remaining.

The introduction of true width completely changed the flow of our attacks for the better. Jahanbaksh and Izquierdo looked bright, but I can't begin to follow Potter's logic sometimes.

He starts with a left wing back who is primarily a centre midfielder in Moder, fine. It isn't working tactically as he is offering little width, so who does he bring on? Dan Burn, a natural left sided player, who has played the position numerous times this season? Zequiri, who has played there several times this season - despite being a recognised left sided forward? Izquierdo, a left sided traditional winger, who hugs the touchline and provides exactly the width and pace we needed? No. He goes for Connolly, a player recovering from injury, whose form wasn't exactly A+ before he was dropped and subsequently injured. A player who has played exclusively as a striker for us, is right footed and to my knowledge never played left wingback once in his career, even at youth level. I really do not understand why this decision was made.

Bissouma was superb and, aside from perhaps John Egan the best player in the pitch. His shooting is still woeful, but the frustration is that he had to try and brute force a goal himself.

The strikers, as a pair, were dreadful. Maupay looks absolutely bereft of confidence. He is always on his heels lately, and often his first touch kills momentum dead. His miss from 2 yards demonstrates this fundamental lack of anticipation as the Ur-example. Welbeck, when playing poorly like tonight, doesn't offer anything. Without any space in behind, he rather lummoxes around looking a little lost. He offers zero aerial threat, leaving him looking all fizz and no gin.

A real off night, yet again. Some very worrying individual performances, especially from Webster, Trossard, Maupay and Gross, who is not a right wing back and should not be sent out to play in that position again.

But the bedrock of it was the tactical set up, bizarre substitutions and a complete unwillingness to play the team rather than the system.

 

[Icy Gull]

In these cases, people generally look at the manager if they believe the players are good enough. It might actually be a mixture of the two though

Tonight, I will mostly be blaming GP

 

[Winker]

I know Moder was coming back from an offside position for his goal etc but is there any time limit on this? He came back three or four paces before he hit it, what exactly should he have done?