Post by deadbat on Sept 17, 2020 20:07:23 GMT
United’s entry into the Carabao Cup lasted one game as a defeat to fellow Premier League side Burnley on penalties saw another loss in a disappointing first week of the new season. United had started well taking the league through David McGoldrick inside 3 minutes but Burnley came back into the game and deservedly levelled via Matej Vydra just after the hour mark. United did have chances to win in normal time but Sharp and McBurnie failed to convert and the game went to penalties. The shoot out saw McBurnie the lone unsuccessful taker and Burnley easily scored all five with new keeper Foderingham not getting close to any of them. It was not the best of games and neither side were particularly convincing in a contest lacking quality all over the field. United still seem to be lacking fluency but did change much of the starting line up and will point to a promising debut from Max Lowe.
United started with Wes Foderingham in goal and new wing backs Lowe and Jayden Bogle with Jageilka and Robinson alongside new loan signing Ethan Ampadu. Norwood was the one player to retain his place alongside Berge and Osborn. McGoldrick and Oliver Burke got the starts up front with the former West Brom man also making his first start.
Burnley had a mixture of fringe players with some first teamers but had Pope, Westwood, Rodriguez, Brownhill starting. Wood and McNeil were on the bench.
The game began with United resplendent in their pink away kit and after an early Burnley free kick, the away side began well moving forward as a unit. It was not long before they took the lead. Good work from Berge and then Norwood saw Lowe get in down the left and his cross was turned in from close range from MCGOLDRICK.
Burnley tried to respond and Rodriguez blazed over on the angle but United were knocking it about confidently with Berge involved in most good things. Osborn and Lowe nearly linked down the left before the ball was cleared.
On 15 minutes Gudmundsson had to come off after a poor challenge from Robinson had caught him. He ended up needing a stretcher. Pieters came on to replace him. Burnley had half hearted appeals for a penalty soon after and then a cross just evaded the incoming strikers as the home team started to find a foothold in a game United had controlled. The pendulum continued to swing as another chance came for the home team but as the ball was headed off the line from Jagielka, a foul was given in the build-up.
Brady’s excellent cross somehow missed everyone before at the other end Lowe continued to impress but his cross shot was saved easily in the end.
Rodriguez then nearly got on Lowton’s ball as Burnley continued to probe but after Osborn was caught late at the other end, Norwood’s whipped free kick was palmed away by Pope. Berge then combined with Burke but the ball was cleared just before Lowe could get a shot away.
Burnley though they had a penalty at the other end as the ball forward saw Vydra in and Foderingham came and wildly chopped the striker down but he was fortunate that the offside flag went up to spare his blushes.
McGoldrick won a corner with neat work after combining with Berge but the ball was cleared and the final three minutes of stoppage time saw little incident.
The second half saw Burnley have a great chance to level. Robinson gave it away and the ball was played by Pieters into the path of Brady who moved into the area Robinson had vacated. He was one one on one but his effort hit the post and it bounced clear. Replays showed Foderingham may have got a slight touch.
United had men over and Norwood and McGoldrick won a corner that eventually came back in and McGoldrick hooked over his own head and over the bar. It was stop start for the next 5 minutes before McGoldrick and Burke went off for McBurnie and Sharp.
Burnley had more of the ball now but had not created too much at this stage but a simple move and suddenly the he home side were level. It was a basic diagonal ball and Rodriguez got away from Jagielka and breasted it down. Vydra ran in unopposed with Robinson not switched on and tucked it home easily. It was really poor and static defending from not stopping the cross and not reacting to the first or second ball.
Soon after Jagielka’s poor period continued as he chopped down Vydra and was maybe lucky to get away with a yellow. The free kick from Brady was deflected wide for a corner.
Lowe continued to find himself well forward and his cross found Sharp who took way too long to get his shot away and was harried out of it. Lowe then fed McBurnie whose effort was deflected wide with Pope beaten at his near post. Norwood then had a low shot well saved after a decent move as United suddenly found new life after being pegged back.
Burnley though had a great chance when a superb Lowton cross was headed wide from Vydra right in front of goal. If he left it, Rodriguez would have probably scored.
Ampadu was booked for a late tackle on Vydra before Wood came on for Rodriguez as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Basham replaced Bogle before right on full time United had a final chance. After a corner was cleared, a Lowe shot was nearly turned home by McBurnie but Pope saved with his legs at point blank range. Burnley went up the other end and won a corner of their own but it came to nothing and the stoppage time played out with no further incident and the game went to penalties.
NORWOOD took first and sent Pope the wrong way with a great kick. 1-0 United
WOOD scored easily for Burnley sending Foderingham the wrong way. 1-1
McBurnie took a poor kick which was not far enough away from Pope who saved quite easily. 1-1
VYDRA smashed his home. 2-1 Burnley
SHARP scored high up just as Pope nearly kept it out. 2-2
BROWNHILL scores as Foderingham goes to ground very early. 3-2 Burnley
BERGE scored confidently sending Pope the wrong way. 3-3
PIETERS sends Foderingham the wrong way again. 4-3 Burnley
OSBORN cracking kick high and into the roof of the net. 4-4
BRADY rolls it in as the keeper….goes the wrong way again. 5-4 Burnley
Burnley win 5-4 on penalties
United – Worrying we lost again (5 straight going back to last season) and our wretched away form continues but in the grand scheme of things am I that bothered we went out? Not really. I am probably glad but it was a game we started well, scored and then got scrappy and fell away. They had half chances and deserved to get back in it. We then started playing again and maybe should have nicked it with chances at the end but failed to take these and then the penalties the better keeper showed combined with McBurnie fluffing his lines.
We were not awful tonight but were not great either. It was very average but then so were Burnley. I do think it was quite a dull game and that we seem to lack the energy and life we had say 6 or 9 months ago. We look very one paced. Fortunately, so did Burnley.
There were good performances from Lowe and also Berge but a few did not really impress – Foderingham and Burke. Some of the other newcomers were ok but need to do more to get a first team shirt regularly. It is concerning that we seem stuck in a rut results wide and not sure we are the side we know we can be but changes maybe did not help tonight. It was quite bitty all night again and the touch, passing and general movement was quite stilted. We only had a handful of good footballing moves all night.
I have to say I do feel we are playing too much direct, long stuff. When we get it down and play it, we look much better but the long punt has to stop. Jagielka was guilty of this a lot but so were others. When we went through Berge or got Lowe involved, we looked like moving Burnley about. We started the game well and had a good spell near the end of doing this but were not consistent enough in this. Burnley were as bad if not worse and relied on the long diagonal cross a lot but often this caught us out.
We need to regroup and ensure we are bang at it Monday. We need 8 or 9 being very good on the night as Villa will be up for it with it being their first game and with some new players in too. We need a really big performance. A defeat and suddenly people may start to be concerned as even though it is early; we start to play catch up already. We still badly need a striker and probably two. I have seen various combinations and remain unconvinced any are Premier League quality week in, week out. The movement and pace/threat we offer up there is little to nil. Didzy comes off and does his bit bit mostly away from goal which is fine as a link man but we rarely look penetrating (we did in the first few minutes then never did it again). At the back the backups were switched off most of the night too and this static defending has been a feature of whoever has started. We did see some real bright moments from Berge and Lowe though and that is promising.
Ratings:
Foderingham 5.5/10 – Mark may seem harsh as he actually may have got a touch on the one that hit the post but he looked jittery all night to me. A few crosses he never got to and then he was very lucky not to concede a penalty for a wild tackle as he came running out. He also came running out once and nearly got in a mess. The goal he had no chance. The penalties were not great though. I know that is harsh but he literally just fell on the floor every kick well before they even kicked it. Reminded me of Peter Shilton v West Germany in Italia 90! Not a convincing debut at all and seeing him in some pre season games I had concerns over his command of his area and general calmlness.
Bogle 6.5/10 – He was ok. Nothing special and did not see too much of him going forward but a steady game. He seemed more withdrawn than Lowe who was more involved. He was a bit more reserved. Defensively ok, nothing too much to worry about.
Lowe 7.5/10 – Along with Berge, our man of the match for me. He was busy all night. Got up and down, involved in most good things we did and made our goal. Every chance or move we had he seemed to be involved in or assisting in. Good on the ball, decent athlete and wanted to make his mark. Defensively a few times he was a bit out of position but he will get better as he learns the system. One of the plusses of the night.
Ampadu 6/10 – As with Bogle, steady if nothing spectacular. He was ok and neat and tidy but did not advance too much and seemed a bit unsure when to go and when not to go. He likes to get stuck on and did get booked but also did not like his theatrics when he went down a few times being balanced. Need to see more of him. A few times him and the others were ball watching at the back. I thought he was the best of the three at the back just but all three did not mark or get tight to men.
Jagielka 5/10 – Looks done to me. Sorry to say. Everything is at full stretch. He just boots it when under pressure and the goal came from him not picking up. He then gave a bad foul away when he was outpaced again. I really will worry if Egan gets injured for any length of time. Jags been a fantastic servant but he looks a player on his last legs. I said we need to address the centre back cover and we have not done this.
Robinson 6/10 – Not a great night – he committed a bad foul early on and then we did not see much of him going forward. Defensively he made two big errors, giving the ball away and not getting back on the Brady shot off the post. He then did not react to Vydra moving off him at all and they scored. He seems a bit static defensively at times and needs to be quicker to see danger. He is steady but I worry pace/movement shows up his weaknesses.
Norwood 6.5/10 – Ok in a different position. He was able to play more balls and crosses as he was further forward playing wide right. Seen a lot say we should play him there and Berge as the pivot. Not sure I agree. I think Berge is a more forward-thinking player and can drive with the ball and make mor happen with penetration whereas Norwood lacks pace to be effective long term in a wide position. It was ok today but not sure it is the answer. I’d rather if anything those two both play in a two with Fleck in front of them and the wing backs giving us the width.
Osborn 6.5/10 – As above; steady ish but not sure we controlled the midfield enough after a good start. He began the game well and was involved in many of our moves and attacks but then regressed as the game went on and I thought they had more of the ball and actually had too much space in the middle.
Berge 7.5/10 – Nice and neat/composed. Good range of passes and at the heart of our good spell to begin the game and whenever we had decent attacks, he seemed involved. Just kept it simple but it was effective today rather than the backwards/sideways stuff – he still went forward and carried it too. Was our best player with Lowe.
Burke 5/10 – Seen some say he did well. I thought he was mostly non-existent. Ran around like a headless chicken and did not seem to know where to run. Does not look a centre forward as comes short when he needs to go long and vice versa. No real link play with McGoldrick. Not surprised he went off as he was not in the game at all. I forgot he was playing most of it.
McGoldrick 7/10 – Scored after coming off his defender, had another decent shot and his touch and link to begin the game was good. He was out best forward of the four tonight but he did fade after the first half hour and seems to lack fitness.
Subs –
McBurnie 5.5/10 – Missed two chances – one was a decent effort but then the other at the end he has to score. His touch was off but he showed more effort than Burke the time he was on at least. He then missed a penalty with an effort where he never looked like he was going to score.
Sharp 5/10 – Looked painfully slow and took an age to get a shot off when he had a really good chance. Everything takes him too long to do – he rarely can touch it off and go. He has to take touches and work it round just for a simple pass.
Basham – Barely involved as only came on for the last few minutes. Seemed an odd sub to me as he was not going to take a penalty.
Manager Wilder 6/10 – Changed the team and got some legs into some players and Lowe/Berge gave him food for thought. A few others did not take their chances; namely the keeper and Burke. Bogle and Ampadu were ‘alright’ but need to see more.
Burnley – First game of the season and they had a mixed bag of normal starters with some fringe. They had two key centre backs out and a few others missing but still had plenty of experience. They started badly but gradually got back into it and maybe should have been level at the half. They did get level after dominating the early part of the second half but then after this actually we had the better chances. They looked about as half arsed as us about it and I am not sure were that bothered to get through. They have a painfully small squad though and even less strength depth than us.
Opponent Man of the Match – Vydra was lively all night and got his goal. Pope made the big save at the end and the spot kick that won them the game. He was the difference when it mattered as our keeper did not look close to saving a penalty sadly.
Opponent Weak link – Felt the two centre backs Dunne and Long were as static as ours but we did not get behind them all night.
Referee/Officials – Paul Tierney. Fine really. It did stop start a bit but I felt we committed a lot of fouls actually and were a bit niggly – Robinson especially lucky not to be booked. Ampadu and Jagileka got booked for poor fouls too. They will be annoyed they may have lost a key squad man due to the Robinson foul. If it was the other way round, we would be angry probably.
United started with Wes Foderingham in goal and new wing backs Lowe and Jayden Bogle with Jageilka and Robinson alongside new loan signing Ethan Ampadu. Norwood was the one player to retain his place alongside Berge and Osborn. McGoldrick and Oliver Burke got the starts up front with the former West Brom man also making his first start.
Burnley had a mixture of fringe players with some first teamers but had Pope, Westwood, Rodriguez, Brownhill starting. Wood and McNeil were on the bench.
The game began with United resplendent in their pink away kit and after an early Burnley free kick, the away side began well moving forward as a unit. It was not long before they took the lead. Good work from Berge and then Norwood saw Lowe get in down the left and his cross was turned in from close range from MCGOLDRICK.
Burnley tried to respond and Rodriguez blazed over on the angle but United were knocking it about confidently with Berge involved in most good things. Osborn and Lowe nearly linked down the left before the ball was cleared.
On 15 minutes Gudmundsson had to come off after a poor challenge from Robinson had caught him. He ended up needing a stretcher. Pieters came on to replace him. Burnley had half hearted appeals for a penalty soon after and then a cross just evaded the incoming strikers as the home team started to find a foothold in a game United had controlled. The pendulum continued to swing as another chance came for the home team but as the ball was headed off the line from Jagielka, a foul was given in the build-up.
Brady’s excellent cross somehow missed everyone before at the other end Lowe continued to impress but his cross shot was saved easily in the end.
Rodriguez then nearly got on Lowton’s ball as Burnley continued to probe but after Osborn was caught late at the other end, Norwood’s whipped free kick was palmed away by Pope. Berge then combined with Burke but the ball was cleared just before Lowe could get a shot away.
Burnley though they had a penalty at the other end as the ball forward saw Vydra in and Foderingham came and wildly chopped the striker down but he was fortunate that the offside flag went up to spare his blushes.
McGoldrick won a corner with neat work after combining with Berge but the ball was cleared and the final three minutes of stoppage time saw little incident.
The second half saw Burnley have a great chance to level. Robinson gave it away and the ball was played by Pieters into the path of Brady who moved into the area Robinson had vacated. He was one one on one but his effort hit the post and it bounced clear. Replays showed Foderingham may have got a slight touch.
United had men over and Norwood and McGoldrick won a corner that eventually came back in and McGoldrick hooked over his own head and over the bar. It was stop start for the next 5 minutes before McGoldrick and Burke went off for McBurnie and Sharp.
Burnley had more of the ball now but had not created too much at this stage but a simple move and suddenly the he home side were level. It was a basic diagonal ball and Rodriguez got away from Jagielka and breasted it down. Vydra ran in unopposed with Robinson not switched on and tucked it home easily. It was really poor and static defending from not stopping the cross and not reacting to the first or second ball.
Soon after Jagielka’s poor period continued as he chopped down Vydra and was maybe lucky to get away with a yellow. The free kick from Brady was deflected wide for a corner.
Lowe continued to find himself well forward and his cross found Sharp who took way too long to get his shot away and was harried out of it. Lowe then fed McBurnie whose effort was deflected wide with Pope beaten at his near post. Norwood then had a low shot well saved after a decent move as United suddenly found new life after being pegged back.
Burnley though had a great chance when a superb Lowton cross was headed wide from Vydra right in front of goal. If he left it, Rodriguez would have probably scored.
Ampadu was booked for a late tackle on Vydra before Wood came on for Rodriguez as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Basham replaced Bogle before right on full time United had a final chance. After a corner was cleared, a Lowe shot was nearly turned home by McBurnie but Pope saved with his legs at point blank range. Burnley went up the other end and won a corner of their own but it came to nothing and the stoppage time played out with no further incident and the game went to penalties.
NORWOOD took first and sent Pope the wrong way with a great kick. 1-0 United
WOOD scored easily for Burnley sending Foderingham the wrong way. 1-1
McBurnie took a poor kick which was not far enough away from Pope who saved quite easily. 1-1
VYDRA smashed his home. 2-1 Burnley
SHARP scored high up just as Pope nearly kept it out. 2-2
BROWNHILL scores as Foderingham goes to ground very early. 3-2 Burnley
BERGE scored confidently sending Pope the wrong way. 3-3
PIETERS sends Foderingham the wrong way again. 4-3 Burnley
OSBORN cracking kick high and into the roof of the net. 4-4
BRADY rolls it in as the keeper….goes the wrong way again. 5-4 Burnley
Burnley win 5-4 on penalties
United – Worrying we lost again (5 straight going back to last season) and our wretched away form continues but in the grand scheme of things am I that bothered we went out? Not really. I am probably glad but it was a game we started well, scored and then got scrappy and fell away. They had half chances and deserved to get back in it. We then started playing again and maybe should have nicked it with chances at the end but failed to take these and then the penalties the better keeper showed combined with McBurnie fluffing his lines.
We were not awful tonight but were not great either. It was very average but then so were Burnley. I do think it was quite a dull game and that we seem to lack the energy and life we had say 6 or 9 months ago. We look very one paced. Fortunately, so did Burnley.
There were good performances from Lowe and also Berge but a few did not really impress – Foderingham and Burke. Some of the other newcomers were ok but need to do more to get a first team shirt regularly. It is concerning that we seem stuck in a rut results wide and not sure we are the side we know we can be but changes maybe did not help tonight. It was quite bitty all night again and the touch, passing and general movement was quite stilted. We only had a handful of good footballing moves all night.
I have to say I do feel we are playing too much direct, long stuff. When we get it down and play it, we look much better but the long punt has to stop. Jagielka was guilty of this a lot but so were others. When we went through Berge or got Lowe involved, we looked like moving Burnley about. We started the game well and had a good spell near the end of doing this but were not consistent enough in this. Burnley were as bad if not worse and relied on the long diagonal cross a lot but often this caught us out.
We need to regroup and ensure we are bang at it Monday. We need 8 or 9 being very good on the night as Villa will be up for it with it being their first game and with some new players in too. We need a really big performance. A defeat and suddenly people may start to be concerned as even though it is early; we start to play catch up already. We still badly need a striker and probably two. I have seen various combinations and remain unconvinced any are Premier League quality week in, week out. The movement and pace/threat we offer up there is little to nil. Didzy comes off and does his bit bit mostly away from goal which is fine as a link man but we rarely look penetrating (we did in the first few minutes then never did it again). At the back the backups were switched off most of the night too and this static defending has been a feature of whoever has started. We did see some real bright moments from Berge and Lowe though and that is promising.
Ratings:
Foderingham 5.5/10 – Mark may seem harsh as he actually may have got a touch on the one that hit the post but he looked jittery all night to me. A few crosses he never got to and then he was very lucky not to concede a penalty for a wild tackle as he came running out. He also came running out once and nearly got in a mess. The goal he had no chance. The penalties were not great though. I know that is harsh but he literally just fell on the floor every kick well before they even kicked it. Reminded me of Peter Shilton v West Germany in Italia 90! Not a convincing debut at all and seeing him in some pre season games I had concerns over his command of his area and general calmlness.
Bogle 6.5/10 – He was ok. Nothing special and did not see too much of him going forward but a steady game. He seemed more withdrawn than Lowe who was more involved. He was a bit more reserved. Defensively ok, nothing too much to worry about.
Lowe 7.5/10 – Along with Berge, our man of the match for me. He was busy all night. Got up and down, involved in most good things we did and made our goal. Every chance or move we had he seemed to be involved in or assisting in. Good on the ball, decent athlete and wanted to make his mark. Defensively a few times he was a bit out of position but he will get better as he learns the system. One of the plusses of the night.
Ampadu 6/10 – As with Bogle, steady if nothing spectacular. He was ok and neat and tidy but did not advance too much and seemed a bit unsure when to go and when not to go. He likes to get stuck on and did get booked but also did not like his theatrics when he went down a few times being balanced. Need to see more of him. A few times him and the others were ball watching at the back. I thought he was the best of the three at the back just but all three did not mark or get tight to men.
Jagielka 5/10 – Looks done to me. Sorry to say. Everything is at full stretch. He just boots it when under pressure and the goal came from him not picking up. He then gave a bad foul away when he was outpaced again. I really will worry if Egan gets injured for any length of time. Jags been a fantastic servant but he looks a player on his last legs. I said we need to address the centre back cover and we have not done this.
Robinson 6/10 – Not a great night – he committed a bad foul early on and then we did not see much of him going forward. Defensively he made two big errors, giving the ball away and not getting back on the Brady shot off the post. He then did not react to Vydra moving off him at all and they scored. He seems a bit static defensively at times and needs to be quicker to see danger. He is steady but I worry pace/movement shows up his weaknesses.
Norwood 6.5/10 – Ok in a different position. He was able to play more balls and crosses as he was further forward playing wide right. Seen a lot say we should play him there and Berge as the pivot. Not sure I agree. I think Berge is a more forward-thinking player and can drive with the ball and make mor happen with penetration whereas Norwood lacks pace to be effective long term in a wide position. It was ok today but not sure it is the answer. I’d rather if anything those two both play in a two with Fleck in front of them and the wing backs giving us the width.
Osborn 6.5/10 – As above; steady ish but not sure we controlled the midfield enough after a good start. He began the game well and was involved in many of our moves and attacks but then regressed as the game went on and I thought they had more of the ball and actually had too much space in the middle.
Berge 7.5/10 – Nice and neat/composed. Good range of passes and at the heart of our good spell to begin the game and whenever we had decent attacks, he seemed involved. Just kept it simple but it was effective today rather than the backwards/sideways stuff – he still went forward and carried it too. Was our best player with Lowe.
Burke 5/10 – Seen some say he did well. I thought he was mostly non-existent. Ran around like a headless chicken and did not seem to know where to run. Does not look a centre forward as comes short when he needs to go long and vice versa. No real link play with McGoldrick. Not surprised he went off as he was not in the game at all. I forgot he was playing most of it.
McGoldrick 7/10 – Scored after coming off his defender, had another decent shot and his touch and link to begin the game was good. He was out best forward of the four tonight but he did fade after the first half hour and seems to lack fitness.
Subs –
McBurnie 5.5/10 – Missed two chances – one was a decent effort but then the other at the end he has to score. His touch was off but he showed more effort than Burke the time he was on at least. He then missed a penalty with an effort where he never looked like he was going to score.
Sharp 5/10 – Looked painfully slow and took an age to get a shot off when he had a really good chance. Everything takes him too long to do – he rarely can touch it off and go. He has to take touches and work it round just for a simple pass.
Basham – Barely involved as only came on for the last few minutes. Seemed an odd sub to me as he was not going to take a penalty.
Manager Wilder 6/10 – Changed the team and got some legs into some players and Lowe/Berge gave him food for thought. A few others did not take their chances; namely the keeper and Burke. Bogle and Ampadu were ‘alright’ but need to see more.
Burnley – First game of the season and they had a mixed bag of normal starters with some fringe. They had two key centre backs out and a few others missing but still had plenty of experience. They started badly but gradually got back into it and maybe should have been level at the half. They did get level after dominating the early part of the second half but then after this actually we had the better chances. They looked about as half arsed as us about it and I am not sure were that bothered to get through. They have a painfully small squad though and even less strength depth than us.
Opponent Man of the Match – Vydra was lively all night and got his goal. Pope made the big save at the end and the spot kick that won them the game. He was the difference when it mattered as our keeper did not look close to saving a penalty sadly.
Opponent Weak link – Felt the two centre backs Dunne and Long were as static as ours but we did not get behind them all night.
Referee/Officials – Paul Tierney. Fine really. It did stop start a bit but I felt we committed a lot of fouls actually and were a bit niggly – Robinson especially lucky not to be booked. Ampadu and Jagileka got booked for poor fouls too. They will be annoyed they may have lost a key squad man due to the Robinson foul. If it was the other way round, we would be angry probably.
