We're remarkably vulnerable after scoring

[The Hilton]

It's a bit of a running theme this season, and was present again tonight, our players seem to lose their heads immediately after scoring and teams can cut through us. It isn't a lack of effort, if anything it's because players are too desperate to get the ball back and charge towards the ball leaving spaces for opposition teams to exploit.

It's cost us against Bayern, Arsenal, Galatasaray twice, among others, and really should have cost us again tonight against Villa, every time we scored they had a good chance straight from the restart before we settled down and looked solid again. What can/should Erik do about it?

 

[Mike Smalling]

It’s not just after scoring either. We’ve also seen it when we had a goal disallowed, a player sent off, or conceded a goal. Team easily loses all composure.

We were lucky not to concede after both the 1-2 and 2-2 goals today.

 

[RyRy11]

Definitely something they should work on going forward. It's exacerbated by the Hollywood through-balls we try and play but we should make it a priority to play the ball around a bit to calm things down. That's what we've lacked during EtH's reign but just a calm, controlling influence in the middle of the park would do.

 

[CallyRed]

We tend to suffer alot with concentration lapses.

 

[Carlsen19]

We tend to suffer alot with concentration lapses.

Which probably starts from the clown in goal and works its way up the rest of the team.

 

[Pickle85]

Yep, I was thinking this too. We've been worryingly fragile just after conceding for a while now.

 

[Shane88]

Having a stroppy captain addicted to tantrums doesn't exactly lend to spreading calm.

Something as simple as a point to the head and a calm down gesture would probably help these headless chickens a lot.

 

[Plant0x84]

It's a bit of a running theme this season, and was present again tonight, our players seem to lose their heads immediately after scoring

Did I miss something? We scored 4 without reply (VAR excepted)
We looked vulnerable after conceding the first, when we scored I felt there was only one winner.

 

[Plant0x84]

Having a stroppy captain addicted to tantrums doesn't exactly lend to spreading calm.

Something as simple as a point to the head and a calm down gesture would probably help these headless chickens a lot.

You want to point to the head of a headless chicken? You’re taking the piss lad….

 

[CallyRed]

Did I miss something? We scored 4 without reply (VAR excepted)
We looked covetable after conceding the first, we be we scored I felt there was only one winner.

Villa had their best chances immediately after we scored.

 

[Pickle85]

Did I miss something? We scored 4 without reply (VAR excepted)
We looked covetable after conceding the first, we be we scored I felt there was only one winner.

We do regularly look shaky directly after conceding tbf

 

[The Hilton]

Did I miss something? We scored 4 without reply (VAR excepted)
We looked covetable after conceding the first, we be we scored I felt there was only one winner.

We looked comfortable during normal play, but for a minute or so after the restart after each of our goals, Villa cut through us and had a good chance in the box.

 

[Plant0x84]

We do regularly look shaky directly after conceding tbf

We do, but not tonight.

 

[Pickle85]

We do, but not tonight.

Yeah we did. Not for long, but directly after we sure did

 

[TwoSheds]

Statistically it's one of the most likely times for any team to concede. The point about us losing concentration for other reasons like disallowed goals, red cards, referee talking to people at set pieces and breaking up the play etc is definitely valid though and something we need to work on.

 

[Glorio]

It's a number of things.
First - a lack of mental resilience from key players. Take our captain for instance, can produce magical passes to split defences from just about anywhere on the pitch, but is all passion with very little composure and discipline (exacerbated by the captaincy I reckon). Bruno lost his head because he received a ... yellow card against Spurs and was never the same for the rest of the game.
Rashford is our senior attacker in the team and his effort and general quality go to pot when things don't go his way

Second, tactics - we've been too open, and thus have been susceptible to conceding goals when opponents have been bouyed by a goal they've scored or have been sparked to life from conceding to us

Third - Defence. Our defenders lack aggression and Onana just seems a liability for the time being