Ratings & Reactions: Sheff Utd v Villa

[The Fun Factory]

Rubbish. A opportunity missed. Its a shame as pre the covid outbreak in the squad we looked good for a top 8. Now I think its going to be a bottom half finish. Its still progress and at the start of the season i would have been delighted with a boring mid table but the way the season has shaped out with other teams being off form like Arsenal and Spurs it was a big chance to really push on.

Missing Grealish is  stating the  bleedin' obvious but Cash is also a big miss. Elmo has been great for us but he is past it now for the prem.

I still go back to January and I don't really understand why we bought another DM in Sanson (albeit for a good price) instead of another forward. We have nothing apart from Watkins and we are asking him to carry the entire front line in his first season of top flight football. He has done well but we could do with some other options. We have to face it that Davis is just not very good.

I think Smith should have started Barkley tonight for some creativity. Throws grenade and stands back.

[turvontour]

16 minutes ago, PaddytheVillan said:

Completely awful performance. Just the same as vs Leicester, Brighton, Burnley, West Ham etc etc. 

When was the last time we scored more than one goal in a game? 

It felt very similar to the Burnley game. You know that feeling that while we are on top and having best chances we are going to lose this.

The moment specifically was the Watkins header off the woodwork which was similar to that Barkley shot at Burnley. Just felt, yep, we're not winning this after that.

[Danishlad]

1 minute ago, hippo said:

To many players in the starting 11 tonight, have 1 good game in 5. El Ghazi, Traroe, Ramsey, Nakamba -throw in a duff performance from both full backs, and you can see we are up against up.

Nakamba has played well in all games,  Ramsey is 19 and played well in patches today, otherwise I agree

[Villa87]

That’s as bad as it gets in many ways. There was a lack of urgency and a total lack of ideas. The rushed panicking as the clock ticked by was a team devoid of composure. Really angry after that one. Fair play Sheffield United - they dug in and defended very well. Still thing they are atrocious though. 

[turvontour]

19 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

Fair play to Sheffield Utd, they showed they wanted it more.

We never turned up, we were second best, we were poor.

Nothing more than to say other than very very disappointing.

A huge 3pts missed.

 

I dont think it was a wanted it more sort of thing. Or that we were second best. 

It was all about tactics and personnel for me.

[wilko154]

Shocking performance.

Sheffield United were always going to be a difficult team to break down but we were going to have most of the possession, based on that the team selection was all wrong.

After 20 minutes you could see we needed better quality on the ball in the midfield.

Last 30 minutes were just hit and hopes into the box, and the changes came much to late yet again.

 

Performances like this are exactly why we won't be anywhere near Europe by the end of the season.

It's still a rebuild job that continues this Summer, but it proves even further that we need some high quality players brought in yet again.

[richp999]

When's Jack back? 

[Demitri_C]

8 minutes ago, Johnnyp said:

There is sensationalist and then there's this. This was a chance to get 3 points. We've 13 games left. Our form and the trajectory of it suggests we won't get Europe. Too up and down.

I agree we wont get it. A great  chance to finish above plop as well.  That wont happen again.

We have blown it

[Herman22]

We played last seasons Sheffield. 

They took the only chance they created but we didn't create enough. We just can't seem to string wins together. Anyway, on to the next game! 

[troon_villan]

All of us are well within our rights to be absolutely seething at that result so if anyone vents, OTT or otherwise, just leave them to it.  Don't dig them up for it.

[Tomaszk]

4 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

Firstly, I think Chris Wilder wins the game - in the first half, tactically, he got his shape and his tactics completely right, we struggled to get out, struggled to do anything with the ball and were outnumbered all over the pitch, particularly in wide areas - he completely out-thought us. In the second half, his team gave an organised, disciplined defensive performance full of character. We were out-managed tonight and that's to Wilder's credit.

I'd disagree with this part.

I think our performance and team selection handed all the impetus to them.

They played the same formation they have every single game for two and half years.

It's a nice match-up for a 4-3-3 and they've always done OK against us under Wilder with it. 

Surely we all knew Marv would be a waste of a shirt tonight. We were going to have more of the ball from the off and he has nothing on the ball. He's a man for stopping football, not playing it.

As usual, Smith largely spot on after saying we had the chances to win and were too aimless in the last 15 mins.

Did anyone touch the ball second half apart from McGinn? Agony watching the ball go back out for the left again and again to him. Did they forget Jack isn't there?

Annoying.

[CVByrne]

I'd take 10th at 55 points right now if it was on offer

[Demitri_C]

The worrying aspect for me is all this investment was to have quality to rely and have a game plan when jacks injured.  But yet again we look poor when he is out the team.

I dont want barkley. This was a opportunity to show us what he can do without jack and he was really poor again

[TheMelvillan]

Would have taken 3 PTS from Leeds (a) and sheff utd (a)

[Paddywhack]

9 minutes ago, OxfordVillan said:

I’ll leave it at this. 

Nice little victory for you there then. 

[turvontour]

22 minutes ago, Mantis said:

Ah yes because Smith explicitly instructed the players to go out and put in shit crosses all game.

Smith obviously has to shoulder a fair portion of the blame, but that's on the players too.

I cant believe watching that match that our first change is made on 70 minutes. Dont want to single him out but Ramsey just wasnt in that game.

[BOF]

And they were down to ten men

[The Fun Factory]

Its a opportunity missed. You could say its reverting to the mean and we are a mid table club at the moment but its is frustrating that we have not taken advantage of numerous big clubs having dodgy seasons.  I don't want to sound spoilt  given where we were even just a few years back but still very frustrating we are not despatching the poor sides away after getting great wins his season.

Edited March 3, 2021 by The Fun Factory

[Herman22]

Please tell me Cash and Jack are back for the next game! 

[sheepyvillian]

I thought Sansom looked really poor with his decision making. I know others weren't much better, but, for me, Sansom really stood out.