Post by deadbat on Oct 29, 2022 16:32:50 GMT
The Blades got back to winning ways as they saw off West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns in the lunchtime kick off at the Hawthorns. The new manager bounce did not happen for the Baggies as Carlos Corberan’s first game ended in defeat for the Baggies. It was a strange quirk that the last time West Brom appointed a new manager, Steve Bruce, they faced United and once again it did not have the instant desired affect the home side would have wanted. Goals from Ndiaye and McBurnie inside the opening 25 minutes saw a very different start to the game than that of the previous Saturday where United had trailed by two goals to nil. West Brom huffed and puffed but most of their opportunities came from long range and United defended well, despite more injuries and suspension further weakening the Blades for coming weeks. In the end United saw it out comfortably against a poor West Brom side with Ndiaye by far the best player on the pitch and a constant threat.
Heckingbottom made expected changes with McBurnie and Ndiaye coming in up top for Brewster and Sharp and Doyle also coming in for McAtee. Enda Stevens was back on the bench. New manager Corberan sprang a slight surprise starting ex Blade Matt Phillips and leaving one-time United target John Swift on the bench.
The game started with West Brom once again trying to utilise the long throw from Furlong but United were moving it about well and had a chance after near build up but Norwood fired a long way over the bar. At the other end the Baggies were trying to utilise the strength and pace of Phillips on Osborn and from such a position, West Brom should have made more of it but the cross was eventually cleared by Osborn after no one could get on the end of it.
On eleven minutes, United took the lead. It came from patient football and as it was moved across, the ball fell to Doyle who clipped a diagonal ball inside the full back Townsend and Baldock came onto it and played a dangerous ball across the box. McBurnie came in and completely missed his kick but it fell to NDIAYE who took a touch and steadied himself before curling expertly into the far corner. It was poor defending and simple goal in its creation and execution but showed the coolness of Ndiaye in front of goal.
The home fans enthusiasm for the new manager had not lasted long with noticeable audible groans when the ball was played out of play twice. The long throw from Furlong seemed to be their main tactic but the time he was taking to throw these in using the towel on the side-line was not helping any momentum build up. Ndiaye’s quick feet had continued to be a major threat and he was the architect for the second goal on 23 minutes. It started with another cheap give away from the home side but smart one touch football saw Fleck and Norwood play in Ndiaye who used his control and body strength to come away from two players and dart forward. As more defenders converged on him, he slipped it to the left and on to MCBURNIE whose first touch was perfect allowing him to come on and curl a beautiful finish into the far corner giving Palmer no chance.
For United it was the polar opposite of last week with the two players left out being involved in both goals and seeing the Blades two goals up after a similar passage of time that had elapsed last week then the Blades found themselves trailing by the same score.
West Brom had struggled to create much and much of their attacking play came from the long throws of Furlong although one caused confusion and Davies was not entirely convincing as the Blades bumbled it clear. The Blades continued to look threatening with their play on the attack and Ndiaye continued to cause all sorts of problems and West Brom struggled to hold his strong running and positive play. Ahmedhodzic was booked for bringing down Grant after he lost the initial battle before Davies finally made a save after the Blades could not clear and Phillips long ranger had to be pushed away.
United still looked very dangerous when they did attack and Ndiaye again broke and came inside and looked to curl another shot into the goal but West Brom made the last-ditch block to deflect it over for a corner. West Brom still were looking to set plays to cause problems and a ball from Diangana had to be cleared before McBurnie headed away three times after the home side won a succession of corners.
The second half saw United keep the ball well and seemed in control but a break down the left saw Diangana get away from Basham too easily and Grant rather botched the finish tamely toeing the ball at Davies. It was the first time the home side had really penetrated the Blades defence. Swift and Molumby came on for Livermore and Wallace for the home side who were looking for a way back into a game they had struggled to really cause any major problems.
Ndiaye still was proving to be the stand out player and his skills saw him come out out of a crowded area yet again before moving it across but Baldock and McBurnie could not fashion a chance. Ndiaye then set up a chance for Osborn whose shot was blocked. Soon after Doyle’s clever ball put Ndiaye in who took it round the keeper but the angle was too tight and he shot just wide. Doyle then had two efforts, wide and over, after United had kept the ball well high up the pitch.
Brewster came on for Fleck for United but West Brom finally had some opportunities as one of their changes Molumby fired wide before Grant could not get on the end of a ball from Phillips. Brewster seemed to be the latest United player to pull up holding his hamstring as West Brom broke but Swift curled off target. The fears of another injury were confirmed as Brewster hobbled off to be replaced by Sharp. Baldock came off for Robinson not long after that before Davies had to beat away a powerful shot from Molumby that was straight at him but needed dealing with.
Reach came on for Townsend and Thomas Asante for Gardner Hickman before Stevens came on for Basham as another United player seemed to have picked up a knock.
The game entered the final few minutes and the Blades were doing enough to stop any clear chances although a ball over saw Thomas Asante somehow fail to convert and Ahmedhodzic made the block before the ball squirmed away.
The additional four minutes of stoppage time saw the Blades not really put under any pressure and in the end the final pass or ball from West Brom continued to be poor and United saw it out easily to get that vital win after such a long period without success. For West Brom the new manager Corberan realises what a task he has with a side low in confidence, conceding goals and struggling to fashion many opportunities the other way.
United – We needed a win and we got it. A deserved victory and one that in the end was relatively comfortable. We played our better players and looked dangerous from the off and West Brom, like us last week, struggled when we attacked and ran at them. We scored two good goals and looked a threat when we kept it down and got our front two into the game. West Brom struggled really badly with Ndiaye in particular and did not know what to do with him. For us the other way, they had a few long throws and did improve after 25-30 minutes but other than a few moments where Davies dithered or the ball bounced around, I only recall one comfortable shot from range.
This continued second half where other than a Grant chance where they got through a bit easily, they had most of their efforts from range and in general play they struggled to break us down. Indeed, we still had a few other good chances from Ndiaye when he went round the keeper and Doyle with a couple that was even better than anything they created. There was always the concern if we conceded one, after our brittle defensive performances we may panic but we did ok and defended well as a team. It helped West Brom were so poor and looked clueless relying on the long throw or set play to create much (saw a stat that said they have had the most crosses in the league but scored the least from them which is unbelievable). They were clearly lacking in confidence and they knocked the ball our or overplayed it quite often and you sensed they lacked the belief to get back into the game.
United were not amazing but it was not much different to us as Preston or Hull really. We got the goals and did what we had to and kept a clean sheet which is what we needed after a spell of conceding so many goals. I thought no one played badly and all the defence and midfield were solid but the front two were a constant threat and the best two players on the pitch. Ndiaye in particular was superb to watch and deserved to win the man of the match. He at times almost looks unplayable with his dribbling, strength and pace. His ability to come out of tight areas and run at defences is superb to watch. A superb player that we need to enjoy watching as you worry how long we will have a talent like him!
In the end the only real concern was the booking to Ahmedhodzic, which leads to a suspension and then more injuries with Brewster probably out till after the World Cup with yet another hamstring injury and then Basham and Baldock possibly picking up knocks too. At least Stevens (and Clark) are back but the injuries show no sign of abating. We have four more games and you hope we can just stay around the top 6 and in touch and get the likes of Lowe, Berge, Bogle, Brewster and maybe even Norrington Davies back although the latter two may be longer.
Today was so important that we stopped the rot and got a win. We got back to basics of winning some of the 50-50 stuff, cutting out the errors and making sure we just did enough to block/head/clear the ball when we had to. I do think West Brom were a poor side but so were Coventry and a few others we have struggled with recently. Overall, I liked the fact that we did try and play a slightly different way in that we attacked through the middle as well as wide and West Brom struggled when we got it down and played through the front two.
There were still some concerns outside of the injuries (Bash still struggled at times and Davies less than convincing) but overall, it is a 2-0 away win with a solid performance where we looked dangerous, scored two good goals and maybe could have had more. It was a deserved win. Yes, better teams could have exploited some of the sloppiness we showed at times but then we have had games as Hecky had said, where other teams have exploited our mistakes. Today we did what we needed to do.
We now start thinking about the break and somehow getting there without more serious injuries (but is happening most weeks) and hopefully getting some of those I mentioned back but I also think we need to ensure we get some results and can put a few more wins on the board. Bristol City and Cardiff are no shakes and Rotherham should give us a good opportunity too to get some wins. Burnley will be tough next week of course but we are due a win at the Lane too. Suddenly we do feel better after a good win at a side that should be doing much better so for now just glad to get three points again.
Ratings:
Davies 6/10 – Not convincing to me. He made one pushed out save which you would expect and a beat away second half but I felt that every time the ball came in, he looked like he was struggling – either stuck on his line or punching thin air. I was just concerned every time it went near him that he was not commanding. Sure, some will say this is a silly mark as we kept a clean sheet but not sure he made many great saves and as I say I was concerned when the ball came in the box.
Baldock 7/10 – Usual ‘up and at em’ performance from furious George. He set up the first with a good measured cross into a really good area and got into some good positions too. Defensively he was fine as they attacked down our left-hand side more.
Osborn 6.5/10 – They clearly exploited him down this side and kept putting the ball into Phillips. Twice early on he was got at as he was too far forward and Phillips was able to get into good areas. They kept coming at us down this side but he did stick to his task and got better and did the basics defensively when he had to. They had less of a threat 2nd half and he also got forward a few times including one shot that was blocked after good work from Ndiaye. He was better after the break in his ball retention but worry that teams are and will exploit his lack of pace/physicality and defensive awareness down this side.
Ahmedhodzic 6.5/10 – Another game which was patchy. A few headers and blocks and where he stepped out but got robbed a few times and then a silly booking (Hecky said do not get a stupid booking). He did some good things and covered across and a good block at the end but then he also overplayed a bit too and put us in trouble.
Basham 6/10 – Thought he was our weakest defender again and the number of times he gets turned and ran past these days is a worry. Twice they came down this channel area first half and nearly got in and then the second half when Grant came down this side. He looks at full stretch all the time and whilst he made some clearances, I just felt positionally he was not really in the right areas and attacking wide, he is not offering that same threat. Just looks off the pace.
Egan 6.5/10 – Thought he was ok today and won headers and tackles when he had to but at times the clearances were not always away from the centre or with conviction. Not sure he was put under pressure that much and a few headers sort of looped up into the air. These marks may seem low for the defence but not sure they were really tested with people running at the defence and a few headers away from throws was the main positives they did.
Norwood 7/10 – Decent game. Had a few poor shooting efforts when well placed – one over and one wide but he was his normal self in terms of passing and moving it around and helped us control the midfield when we needed to. The first 20 minutes thought we moved it around nicely and he was at the hub of it. As the game went on, he just got his foot in when he needed to and helped stem them having any real momentum.
Doyle 7.5/10 – Our best midfielder today. He was busy and good on the ball. Involved in the first goal with a pass wide and had a few others decent pieces of link play. Got into good areas second half and maybe snatched at a few shots when well placed (seems he gets into good areas but then panics a bit) but he was always in the action and gave us excellent energy. Lovely ball to Ndiaye for the chance.
Fleck 6/10 – Did a few ok things early and got his foot in and involved in a few bits of football but thought he was quiet for spells too and that a lot of our good football came through others. He was steady but not shocked he came off when he did as he seemed to be fading.
Ndiaye 8.5/10 – The best player on the field and by a distance. He scored the first and set up the second. Had chances first half and second to score another one or two and always in motion. His strength and ball control is really something to watch and lovely to see him come out of tight areas to glide away from defenders. He is so tenacious and hard working added to his skill and ability to keep the ball and bring others into play. A joy to watch. Errea will not be impressed with him drawing attention to our poor quality kit workmanship as he held up his badge that fell off at full time!
McBurnie 8/10 – Second to Ndiaye for our man of the match. He was excellent at both ends of the field. Won a number of defensive headers both halves and also came into midfield to link and help us win this battle. The first goal he miskicked and was lucky but the second a fantastic first touch to set it up and then a lovely curled, cushioned finish. He was always involved and a nuisance. He was excellent today and our front two caused them all sorts of problems.
Subs –
Brewster – Came on and had one piece of link play and then a run where he pulled up. Clearly a hamstring again. He has injured this muscle a few times already since he came here but worryingly it is another player with the same sort of injury. Will be out till after the World Cup you think.
Sharp – Put himself about as we at this stage where just holding what we had.
Robinson – Won a few tackles/headers as we saw the game out.
Stevens – Need him back with the number of players out but he needs to find some form after two seasons after very poor performances.
Manager: Heckingbottom 7/10 – A solid win. Amazing what happens when you pick the right team isn’t it? Ndiaye and McBurnie caused them all sorts of problems and Fleck gave us more legs and defensive protection in the middle. It was arguably (maybe Robinson for Bash or Osborn) our strongest side of the players we had available and we looked much more solid today. We seemed to be better organised defensively and attacked from different areas the other way. I was fine with Brewster and then Sharp coming on keeping us an attacking outlet and both were more positive changes than he has made before. Overall, it is a clean sheet, a decent to good performance and back to winning ways. We did not make any stupid mistakes and seemed to have more of a spine and of course with the best two players on the field given the start, we always looked dangerous the other way.
West Brom – I must admit at the start of the season I had them as right there for promotion – think I may have even tipped them for automatic. Bruce is an experienced manager whose star may have waned but he has been successful in his managerial career and has the know how you would have thought to get them right near the top. Add in additions like Swift and Wallace and I saw no way they would be struggling and top 10 – probably top 6 – seemed a shoe in. Shows what I know! A dreadful start and Bruce is sacked and they started this game in the bottom 3. Every time I have seen them, they have looked poor and a soft touch with a brittle back line and outside of the two aforementioned creative talents that came in, lack a regular goal scorer or supply at that end. I still felt that they would be nowhere near the bottom and still maintain that. Corberan will improve them but it is a mostly aging squad that still need a lot of changes made in the coming seasons. Promotion now even at this earlier stage does seem a long shot but then look at us and Forest last season so who knows. The likelihood is they will improve but not enough to seriously challenge and I expect a mid-table finish probably.
Corberan did well at Huddersfield and seemed a good appointment in that his style at least is different to the Ismail that came in from Barnsley, after a similarly successful season with an underdog side that made the playoffs. His style is more football and possession based but does rely on the press and off the ball work and the issues with age/running power may mean this style is evolved over time with newer players coming in to help make it work.
Today he realised how hard it may be for him to bring in a style to a team playing a certain way (albeit badly with many defeats so not sure a change short or long term is a bad things). They relied on set plays and throws and struggled to play much football on the deck and the other way they struggled with our front two and you felt we may create something every time we played it through them. They looked slow and cumbersome. The goals killed any new hope or momentum with the manager and they could not really react. They had a better 15 minutes up to half time but most of the efforts came from the throw ins or knock downs or long-range efforts. This continued after the break and they had a few go wide or over until a few late scrambles across the box when time was nearly up. They never really looked like getting back into it and United still looked more dangerous on the break. They look a woefully slow side and even the new signings Swift and Wallace are not known for their pace. They need to change the way they play and it may take a few more windows for that to happen.
Today they looked a side struggling for ideas with a new manager and not quite sure how to play and with no confidence, it meant when they conceded twice, it was always going to be hard for them to get back into it and in the end, it was rather a meek defeat and a deserved one.
Opponent Man of the Match – No one really stood out. The thrower Furlong caused us some issues with his chucks but takes an eternity to take them and slows down any momentum. The ex-Blade loanee Phillips may have been the main threat as he at least tried to run at us and had one decent shot. He was the best of a bad bunch. Surprised Swift did not start but he offered little when he came on and Wallace was not in the game -two players many Blades wanted us to sign. Molumby was their best sub as at least he had a few shots towards goal.
Opponent Weak link – Take your pick. They had a number of players struggling for confidence. Grant looked like is badly out of form and Livermore looks a player on his last legs in the middle but at the back I thought we could get through them every time. O’Shea and Pieters both looked woeful to players running at them and on both goals the time they gave us was incredible. The latter struggled with Ndiaye all game and just seemed to be shouting, ‘Help!’ every time we got it to our Senegal dangerman.
Referee/Officials – Dean Whitestone. After some shockers at the Lane in recent weeks, I thought surely, we will get someone who just can at least be consistent. We had not lost under his charge last season winning at Hull and Peterborough but he denied us a stonewall penalty at home to Bournemouth at the Lane if you remember? Today he was fine. One booking all game and that was obvious for Ahmedhodzic. The rest of the game can rarely remember many tackles let alone bad fouls and an easy one to referee. No contentious decisions or penalty appeals and he did let it flow. Nice to be not talking about the ref for once.
