And we still outplayed them: please log in to view this image They had two half chances and scored them both. If that's our worst performance then we're a bloody good side.
I'm not really sure what my point is here. Just I find it interesting that our stats are better than the opposition in almost every game we play. We literally never get properly outplayed in terms of chances.
Stats can be very misleading especially shot count. What about them having twice the amount of corners and the lions share of possession? Having 2 more shots means **** all.
We had a couple of chances Saturday, Boyds one off the line, maccas free header and Proschwitzs sitter. Barnsley were the better team, whatever the stats say.
I was there and Barnsley were far far superior. They were well drilled, hassled and harried when we had the ball (I'd question 43% possession) as we were next to useless when we had the ball. We literally couldn't string a pass together. It improved when Simmo came on, he doesn't score many but he holds the ball up really well and makes some excellent runs. Something we missed until that point as Boyd and Fryatt were chasing shadows. Elmohamady and Brady were marked out the game completely. Things need to improve dramatically on Saturday.
Boyd off the line with the lob immediately after they scored was a bit unlucky - if he'd placed it anywhere else or even hit it slightly less cleanly it would have gone in. Boyd shot from edge of area a couple of minutes later was a bit of a tame one but was no worse an opening than the opportunity they scored their second with. After seeing it again though trying to play Fryatt in would have been a better option even if he'd perhaps have had to delay the pass slightly to allow him to stay on-side. Beginning of the second half there was a great chance from a Brady free-kick but no-one got a clean contact on it - tap in if they had. Proschwitz header was a shocking miss and McShane whistled one just over too. We didn't create much by our standards but still created as many opportunities as they did. They just took theirs with 2 great finishes - credit to them. On another day even against better strikers neither of those would have gone in but we do need to work the 'keeper more if we expect to win matches. I've watched the game back on tigers player and we weren't massively inferior to them. They just seemed to have 5 around our midfield 3 most of the game hence we never really had prolonged possession. Still, we did create as about as much as they did, they just took 2 half-chances very well indeed. We lacked the individual flair and dominance in posession we've become accustomed to. If we score early on Saturday we'll win. If we ask them if they fancy a battle with a couple of stiff challenges early on then we'll win too. I doubt they will change their shape to nullify our threat the same way the last 3 oppositions we've faced have and it is more likely to be an open game which should suit us better. We didn't play well on Saturday and they won the midfield, but we did create as much as them if you look over the highlights reel. They just found 2 excellent finishes from half-chances really. We didn't. Coming away from Oakwell I'd be agreeing with BS man. Having seen the highlights a couple of times and watched the whole match again on tigers player - we probably weren't as bad as it felt on the day. Wouldn't say we outplayed them though.
We were ****, whatever the stats say, we were second best in every regard. I'd rather we'd had 20% possession and three shots on goal, as long as the bloody things went in.
I noticed that too - they seemed to have us surrounded whenever we had the ball. I don't dispute we were crap but really I think it was more because we couldn't cope with their harrying and closing down than us not being arsed. I just think we need to remember sometimes there's two teams and if your opposition play well enough to totally stop us playing there isn't much we can do. I also agree with your last sentence. I think because it was such a big game with a massive build-up and to lose it all in the 4th minute was a blow we (predictably) never recovered from. If that was a middle of the season game it'd just be a case of dusting ourselves down, these things happen. I don't think the players' effort is in question. The fact that even when we play ****e we still create chances is nice, but it just makes it even more irritating that we don't have a striker. If someone decent was in Proschwitz's position we could have drawn it 2-2 late on just with the chances he had.
