After being so strong at defending them last season we’ve really struggled already this season.
We got very lucky last week and again on a few occasions today.
Is this just the step up in class or have we changed things?

Regardless of class there's no excuse for the free header that led to their first goal. That was just poor defending.

Seems we were so worried about who to mark in the six yard box we completely forgot about the area outside.

Nearly an OG on one before the goal too. Definitely need work in this area.

Need to sort it out by the time we play Arsenal or it will be double figures.

Utd put 10 crosses into the box, mixed it up short middle , long edge of box and won everyone - inventive nad dangerous.

We were no where near their threat on ours

Just an example of another side of the game that has been spoiled by the modernisation of football. Pick up your man, anyone spare cover the front post and watch for runners from the edge of the box and actually want to go and head the ball. Basics but they work.

United are really strong on set pieces but they didn't need to be today, no clue what happened with the first goal but it was some of the worst defending I've seen in a long time. Work to be done.

Spijed wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 30, 2025 9:40 pm

Regardless of class there's no excuse for the free header that led to their first goal. That was just poor defending.

Seems we were so worried about who to mark in the six yard box we completely forgot about the area outside.

There were three United players including the scorer just queuing up unmarked

There were a few times again today where someone was unmarked.
It surely can’t be a tactic.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 30, 2025 10:13 pm

United are really strong on set pieces but they didn't need to be today, no clue what happened with the first goal but it was some of the worst defending I've seen in a long time. Work to be done.

The first goal should never of been a free kick and was taken about 5 yards further forwards than it should of been that meant we pretty much had to defend in a line. Just 2 other things the officials got wrong today

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 30, 2025 10:13 pm

... but it was some of the worst defending I've seen in a long time. Work to be done.

Too right there is.

warksclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 30, 2025 10:15 pm

There were three United players including the scorer just queuing up unmarked

And the guy who headed it is probably their smallest player.

Didn't we leave Amad to have a shot unmarked from the edge of the area, then in the second half Fernandez had exactly the same chance when all our players were expecting a cross into the six yard box?

For the first goal we let 2 men just stand completely unmarked on the edge of our box yet still Casemiro had a free header from 4 yards out.

We looked like school boys defending set pieces instead of picking up a man .

Against Derby our delivery was awful. Yesterday, both our delivery and defending (especially) was just as bad, if not worse.

While it wasn't the greatest set piece defending in the world, it was a jammy own goal. Dubravka was very unlucky not to claw that out.

The comment about Casimero being their smallest player made me laugh, he's 6'1" and a reyt unit.

Change in set piece coach anyone?

He was mocked, but so many forget what a role he would have played in our defending last season.

We scored from one though.

We do seem to look better on attacking corners, though.

Esteve got a great near post flick which created the chaos. We didn't have much success 2 years ago. Esteve didn't seem a danger in attacking corners either.

Maybe we are not man marking in case we start pulling there shirt as referees are told to give a penalty just a thought..

123EasyasBFC wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 30, 2025 10:51 pm

The first goal should never of been a free kick and was taken about 5 yards further forwards than it should of been that meant we pretty much had to defend in a line. Just 2 other things the officials got wrong today

Nobody's perfect. You got two pieces of basic English wrong.

Goalkeeper wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:00 am

Nobody's perfect. You got two pieces of basic English wrong.

Great input there, I expect you to be calling out every single piece of English you see incorrectly on this thread or is it a deliberate attempt because it’s me that’s posted.

What stands our for me is that there is plan to mark the opponents danger men, ie when we play Arsenal are Esteve, Ekdal, Foster, Ugochukwu,Walker picking up Saliba, Gabriel, Timber,Calafiori etc'. You dont need to be an in depth set piece coach or analyst to know these guys will hurt you. Classic example was against Sunderland last week when Ballard who is Sunderlands main dangerman at set pieces, was given the freedom of the town and he set up an absolute sitter when he headed across our goal from a long free kick. I saw it at Spurs where there seemed to be no plan and you invariably get Cullen marking someone almost a foot taller and more physical

Fretters wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 8:21 am

Change in set piece coach anyone?

He was mocked, but so many forget what a role he would have played in our defending last season.

Makes you wonder what's gone wrong this season, not least with amount of space Dan Ballard got last weekend.

You can understand if a player rises in a crowded box and guides in a header. There's litlle you can do.

But with last weekend and yesterday the alarm bells should be exploding with the amount of space we are giving players.

If we don't tighten up we'll be relegated, regardless of what we do elsewhere on the pitch.

When we'll often be playing far better footballing teams in open play, set pieces are one area where we should be on a level playing field in theory. A lot of work clearly needs to be done.

I remember years ago Man City scored from a short corner...pass to the edge of the box and curl it in the far corner. We don't pick those short passes up. They almost scored a second like that in the same game.

Thing is, other better teams were on that all season as a few teams then spotted it as a weakness.

In this league we'll be targeted every game now based on yesterday's weaknesses. We need to shore that up very quickly or it'll be like giving every team a 1-0 head start

Zonal marking is dogger.

We are worse at set pieces all over the pitch since this new guy arrived who is paid to improve these

Just watched the highlights again from yesterday. We could easily have conceded 4 from corners-one was a goal, then Mount hit the top of the bar with a glanced header and there were two that went to the edge of the penalty are, that involved a good save and the other one a shot from Fernandez that went just wide

Full of positivity on here

Spike wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 11:55 am

We are worse at set pieces all over the pitch since this new guy arrived who is paid to improve these

Apart from the one we scored from yesterday.

123EasyasBFC wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:09 am

Great input there, I expect you to be calling out every single piece of English you see incorrectly on this thread or is it a deliberate attempt because it’s me that’s posted.

It was an attempt at a joke. Apologies if I offended you. It really wasn't meant to.