Our biggest problem going forward

[lysglimt]

When I left work on tuesday, I watched the 2000 P.L goal-show - I only watched about 30 minutes starting in the 11/12 and 12/13 season. One thing that puzzled me was how many goals we scored from set-pieces using our heads. Evans, Evra, Chicharito, Rooney, Van Persie - I didn't count but it felt like we scored close to 20 goals using our heads. (I later found out that under Fergusons 5 last seasons - we scored an average of about 15 headed goals each season)

Didn't think more about it then until I woke up this morning and some journalist obviously also had started thinking about how few goals our players now score from headers. And the results shocked even me.

Under OGS we have scored 1 header in the P.L - Pogba against Bournemouth. In total last season we scored 4 (the other 3 were Lukaku x2 and Alexis). In comparison - Liverpool scored 18. No team scored fewer goals from headers than we did (Southampton and Cardiff were equally bad).

This season - we have 0 goals from headers - City, Liverpool, Leicester, Everton and Burnley already are at 5 and 4 respectively.

Our 3 attacking weapons - James, Rashford and Martial - between them have scored 107 goals for United. Rashford has 4 headed goals (one hardly counts as it was a header from Pogba that hit him in the head and Went in) - Martial has 3. If we only look at Rashford and Martial - that means they have scored 7 headed goals in 365 matches (252 matches where they started the game). Or to put it in context - if Martial and Rashford start all League-matches, statistically one of them will score 1 headed goal each season. Lukaku naturally was better - but despite his physical presence he only scored 8 headers in 2 seasons at United

In addition - Fred, Andreas, Greenwood, Gomes, Garner, Chong, Mata and Lingard are all players who are not likely to add a lot of headed goals.

So is the problem our players or our crosses ? In my opinion - a bit of both. McTominay, Pogba, Maguire are all players who should be able to score a few headed goals - but so far they are not doing it. Maguire missed an absolute sitter against Newcastle so we can't only blame the crosses and set-pieces, but where Liverpool has Robertson and ATA - we have Shaw and AWB - and as much as I like those guys, crossing isn't their best weapon.

We have too few quality crosses into the box, and when we finally put one in - we miss it anyway.

 

[AndersB]

Good point, totally agree. I certainly think the main reason is our crosses. Our full backs have been shit at them for quite some time, and they don't overlap that much either. James might help on the wing, but he drifts a lot inside, and we've lost our only attacker good at heading too (Lukaku). Rashford and Martial are both bad at it, especially the former, who doesn't have a nose for it at all. I think McT will eventually become really good in this department, though.

And don't get me started on our corners. That's probably been the one true permanent in my years following United - corners hitting the first man. (We've started to hit them with that flat, airy technique now, though, which has been a roaring success thus far).

The problem with Maguire, at least for now, is that he makes a foul 90% of the time. Watch the matches, it's ridiculous. But he's certainly a weapon if used right

 

[UpWithRivers]

Most of Liverpool is down to thier full backs. Alexander Arnold is a friggin crossing beast. I think Mane got the most headers and thats probably him comming in at the back post from AA crosses. Im guessing now though I'll have to watch it back.
Point is if Mane can score headers surely our players can. It's the crossing thats just terrible.

 

[RyRy11]

Years of playing Valencia, Shaw and Young (used to be great at crossing but has regressed) hasn’t helped. I think overall wing play has changed in modern football too, more teams find value in keeping the ball at feet rather than trust their strikers in the air. It’s hard to back this up with stats but it’s just a general feeling I get from watching football these days.

It’s fair to say our front three are particularly poor at heading and don’t make the runs because of it. Martial seems to be best of the bunch but he’s missed at least 3 great opportunities in the last 4 games to get a headed goal.

 

[lysglimt]

Years of playing Valencia, Shaw and Young (used to be great at crossing but has regressed) hasn’t helped. I think overall wing play has changed in modern football too, more teams find value in keeping the ball at feet rather than trust their strikers in the air. It’s hard to back this up with stats but it’s just a general feeling I get from watching football these days.

It’s fair to say our front three are particularly poor at heading and don’t make the runs because of it. Martial seems to be best of the bunch but he’s missed at least 3 great opportunities in the last 4 games to get a headed goal.

True but the player we have had who has scored the most headed goals in recent times was actually Chicharito - but he wasn't a particularly brilliant header of the ball, but he had a scary ability to always find space in the box. So when the ball arrived - he was usually completely unmarked.

This is Rashfords biggest problem - yesterday alone, I counted 3 times when we could have (or tried) to put a cross in - and Rashford was outside the box. He must learn to get in the box when we can get crosses in - or he will never be the goalscorer he can be. So it's not crosses alone (even if I admit they aren't good enough) - but we do not have enough people in the box when they eventually arrive

 

[Raw]

It's because we don't cross the ball accurately enough, or we simply don't have enough players making runs into the box to attack any loose balls.

 

[arnie_ni]

Awful movement in the box since rvp left. rashford and lukaku are v.poor at this.

Awful crosses into the box. Valenica used to smash it hard and low into the shins of the 1st defender and young puts it out for a goal kick most of the time.