What a disappointing loss for Manchester United. Surely losing a game like this and giving up a second goal like this disqualifies you from winning the English Premier League, right. If you want to see a sequence of absolutely terrible defending then watch Sheffield United’s second goal. The second goal for Sheffield has it all.
Bruno Fernandes tries to rush back and stop Oliver Burke from scoring but to no avail and raises his hands up in frustration. David de Gea could have smashed the ball into the empty stands instead of passing the ball ten yards, barely outside his box. What stands out too though is the old putting your hands behind your back when defending.
Still a mystery to me why soccer players at this level are doing this. Really, this helps avoid getting a penalty kick called on you if the ball hits your outstretched arms? What’s worse is if you play tentative defense and let the other team pass the ball around you near your own goal box.
Both Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic and Anthony Martial try to defend with their arms behind their backs. It’s just too cautious and slow and they give the Sheffield United players too much time on the ball.
Instead, why not force the attacking players to put their heads down and be worried about losing the ball! Watch how slowly both Matic and Martial close down the Sheffield players during the second goal.
Sure, the hands behind the back aren’t the sole reason for giving up the goal but it sort of creates a laziness, like you’e conceding and giving up already. And maybe the hands behind the back worry is stressed too much at Manchester United, for Victor Lindelof did the same thing not too long ago.
As one YouTube commenter perfectly stated: “Watched the second goal five times and each time I discover something new. That should be in the textbook of bad defense.”
