Away Form

[Farlz]

Just now, Delphinho123 said:

I can’t actually remember the last time we won away from home and I walked away thinking - we deserved that and played well.

Literally. It probably wasn’t even that long ago but I can’t remember!

We've played well once away from home in the league and that was Burnley. 

[Pinebro]

I don't care about what the stats say.

Eye test tells me we are shite away from home.

We may have gotten some wins but we aren't playing well.

Edited December 26, 2023 by Pinebro

[allani]

16 minutes ago, villan95 said:

United had presumably played a similar amount of matches recently though and even had 2 days less rest than us heading into this one. I think it was just a really poor performance rather than fitness personally.

United have been doing it for 30 odd years and spent considerably more money building a squad capable of withstanding the challenges of such runs.  For a lot of our key players this is their first experience of this type of extended run of fixtures.  Lots of teams who are playing in Europe for the first time struggle - West Ham were in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle last season.

[Delphinho123]

At some point our poor performances away from home were always going to catch up on us. 

[useless]

At some point we were always going to lose another game, we're not prime era Guardiola Man City or prime era Klopp Liverpool. Last night was our first defeat in eight, or first defeat in eleven in all competitions

[Risso]

10 hours ago, Pinebro said:

I don't care about what the stats say.

Eye test tells me we are shite away from home.

We may have gotten some wins but we aren't playing well.

I completely agree. Other than possibly Burnley , we haven't looked very good in the majority of away games.

Newcastle, Liverpool, Man U - played off the park and battered.

Forest - majority of possession but did nothing with it and no decent attempts at all

Wolves and Bournemouth - came from behind to rescue a point, played quite badly in both of them

Chelsea and Brentford - needed an opponent to be sent off to get the wins

Tottenham - Could have been 4 or 5 down first half, did well second half.

 

[TRO]

On 03/12/2023 at 16:04, jayEm said:

Sorry but away form is absolutely an issue.

Yes, it is.

The qualities required away from home, are not in abundance in our squad, and injuries will test, what we do have....We need some help from players, with an appetite in competing away from home.

trying to play expansive football, without competing, is a recipe for inviting teams in to a game.

[TRO]

10 minutes ago, useless said:

At some point we were always going to lose another game, we're not prime era Guardiola Man City or prime era Klopp Liverpool. Last night was our first defeat in eight, or first defeat in eleven in all competitions

you are right, if you are looking soley at results.....but performances may suggest a slightly different picture.

some of the traits of yesterday, have been in attendance in previous games.....it wasn't a wake up call, some of us, have seen this coming, despite some great performances too.

The poor elements of this performance, have been lurking under the surface....and playing some out of form players has exasporated the situation, along with the absence to key players.

 

[useless]

Time to snap out of it and get a grip, we're sixth in the away table, what do people expect, that we we should be winning every game or something, we're sixth in the away table and top of the home table, our form is fine.

 

[TRO]

10 hours ago, Pinebro said:

I don't care about what the stats say.

Eye test tells me we are shite away from home.

We may have gotten some wins but we aren't playing well.

spot on.

We simply don't compete for the ball enough, in some games and it invites teams in to the game.

[Reivax_Villa]

It takes a certain mentality to have that killer instinct away from home..

We don’t fully have it yet.

Players like Emi, Watkins, Pau have it..

This is what separates top 4 to the rest of the league..

We as fans are learning because we haven’t been in this situation before and we are understanding what it takes to be a top4 team..

[TRO]

10 minutes ago, useless said:

Time to snap out of it and get a grip, we're sixth in the away table, what do people expect, that we we should be winning every game or something, we're sixth in the away table and top of the home table, our form is fine.

 

The table, does not represent that game......The table represents 19 games, we are talking about the elements of play in that game, and the manner in which we surrendered the initiative, back to the home team.

sure, the crowd was up for it for once, but that was encouraged by our lack lustre display.....We gave ourselves the luxury of a 2 goal cushion, was it beyond us to have frustrated them, by playing like Sheff Utd, who reduced us to a ball of frustration, with a defensive game of defiance.

Why do we go there with such an intent of playing so open and inviting?.....Its just food and drink, for their technically gifted players, these are the same ones, that other teams, not as good as us, just nullify them.

We wonder why, we keep get suckered up there....its because we keep playing in to their hands....we don't learn.

Edited December 27, 2023 by TRO

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, Reivax_Villa said:

It takes a certain mentality to have that killer instinct away from home..

We don’t fully have it yet.

Players like Emi, Watkins, Pau have it..

This is what separates top 4 to the rest of the league..

We as fans are learning because we haven’t been in this situation before and we are understanding what it takes to be a top4 team..

I agree with that....but its a bit more than that too.

We always seem to find a way, of playing in to their hands, in terms of style....we was wide open at times.

performances like that are nothing new to us, up there, and it has been with different personnel over the years.....its an approach, we get wrong.....and the way the game played out, has been played that way so many times.

Its simply Naive.

[Follyfoot]

I’m not so sure what the panic is all about on another day we take those big chances directly after they scored their goals. We win the game, margins

[TRO]

10 hours ago, allani said:

United have been doing it for 30 odd years and spent considerably more money building a squad capable of withstanding the challenges of such runs.  For a lot of our key players this is their first experience of this type of extended run of fixtures.  Lots of teams who are playing in Europe for the first time struggle - West Ham were in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle last season.

I think there are so many theories available of why a 3rd placed team, who have played superbly well all season, in general.....succumbed to a performance like that....and not for the first time.

Despite all the great play of this season, specific aspects of that performance is lurking under the surface, and we have seen elements of it in games this year.

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, Follyfoot said:

I’m not so sure what the panic is all about on another day we take those big chances directly after they scored their goals. We win the game, margins

There isn't any panic...we are just querying why we played shite.

what big chances? we scored 2 perfectly good goals.....more wasn't the issue.....conceding was.....and it was in other games too.

Edited December 27, 2023 by TRO

[Reivax_Villa]

21 minutes ago, TRO said:

I agree with that....but its a bit more than that too.

We always seem to find a way, of playing in to their hands, in terms of style....we was wide open at times.

performances like that are nothing new to us, up there, and it has been with different personnel over the years.....its an approach, we get wrong.....and the way the game played out, has been played that way so many times.

Its simply Naive.

I agree with you, we are accustomed to this type of outcome.

Ive seen enough from the coaches and players to know in two weeks the mood and results will be completely different to what we are facing today..

[TRO]

9 minutes ago, Reivax_Villa said:

I agree with you, we are accustomed to this type of outcome.

Ive seen enough from the coaches and players to know in two weeks the mood and results will be completely different to what we are facing today..

I hope you are right.

Personally, I have seen things in games we have won, that tell me, these things are lurking below the surface....That performance yesterday, despite going 2 goals up , which lets face it should be enough to get 3 points for a 3rd placed team, unless you go Kamikaze.

I find Villa's style very nervy at times, despite enjoying the attacking play.

I still find our defensive work, passive at times, and unconvincing for me.

Naturally, I will take the rough with the smooth and I know we are WIP.....but maybe its a matter of opinion, where some of that work needs to be applied.

I am sure the manager, sees the weaknesses, and will address them.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Risso said:

I completely agree. Other than possibly Burnley , we haven't looked very good in the majority of away games.

Newcastle, Liverpool, Man U - played off the park and battered.

Forest - majority of possession but did nothing with it and no decent attempts at all

Wolves and Bournemouth - came from behind to rescue a point, played quite badly in both of them

Chelsea and Brentford - needed an opponent to be sent off to get the wins

Tottenham - Could have been 4 or 5 down first half, did well second half.

 

A narrative that is conveniently denied with some.

I think we are lacking the characters for away games...ours are predominantly home birds who like the euphoria of the crowd.

We need a few more characters like McGinn, who can't do it all on his own.

 

[Follyfoot]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

There isn't any panic...we are just querying why we played shite.

what big chances? we scored 2 perfectly good goals.....more wasn't the issue.....conceding was.....and it was in other games too.

Bailey directly after they scored their first and McGinn directly after they scored their second. first produced a fantastic save from their keeper. The second got cleared off the line.