United have, for as long as I can remember, been slow to start games. We are also experts at losing an early goal, or two. It’s as if we want to lull teams into our pattern of play before ‘really’ getting going. Unfortunately for us, our opponents rarely play along – and score. Then our focus/panic sets in, and we start playing. This usually happens 10-15 minutes into a game, and it happened again on Sunday. We should be attacking from the off, and though it sounds over-simplified – we only need our defenders to do their job when our front line are not on the attack. Therefore, attack from the start. From the very first touch of the ball, to the last. Too often do we let teams come at us, and too often do we lose an early goal because of this. We must take the game to the opposition, rather than letting them into the game with our pedestrian attitude for the first ten minutes.
For a match report click here.
Chisholm, speaking after the game, said he was disappointed to lose two goals from two set pieces, and this is clearly something we need to work on. He went on to say that he was pleased that we played some nice football, and so was I. We dominated for large spells, working some nice moves and stringing some nice passes together. However, this was no exhibition match, and points are not awarded for artistic impression. If there is no end product in the way of goals, or if we give goals away cheaply as we did yesterday, then we will be staring down the barrels of another relegation battle this season. And the key word there is ‘battle’. We need to grind out results, and we need ‘fight’ - we showed it yesterday, and that’s good, but I’m now worried that when we are playing, say, Motherwell at Tannadice, with a smaller crowd, that the motivation will evaporate and we will lapse concentration again, the exhibition stuff will disappear and we’ll become lacklustre. I hope not, but I fear it.
FINISHING
Why can’t we score? We have now scored one goal in four competitive games this season. This needs to improve, obviously. We have some good strikers in Miller, Crawford and McIntyre, and there were chances aplenty yesterday, though not all fell to these three. We need to hit the target more often, and we need to be more composed in front of goal.
GOOD GAME
All in all it was a ‘good advert for Scottish football’ said Billy Kirkwood, and I agree, it was a pulsating game for the neutral, but entertainment doesn’t win games as witnessed yesterday. Play from the off, don’t concede at silly set pieces, and hit the damn target when we do get a chance. We are a decent side, and ‘on paper’ we should finish mid-table at least, but we will be punished if we make the mistakes mentioned above, and that was proved yesterday by Hearts.