It was always going to get challenging to get any type of result on Saturday afternoon, but we didn't give ourselves much of a chance due to Sean Dyche getting his game approach all wrong.
It was not the result that hurt in the end, rather the manner of the performance. We made it far too easy for Manchester United. I’m just hoping Saturday was an off day and nothing more. Jordan Pickford was the only standout player and we could have been three or four down before half-time had it not been for him. Having said that, our season isn’t going to be defined by losing to United at Old Trafford.
The things we’ve been good at under Dyche – being compact and making it difficult for opponents to create – seemed to go out the window on this occasion and it was a step too far for us. We looked tired and were constantly being outfought in midfield.
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We were also wasteful on the ball, as we always have been, and I feel that is a headache for Sean Dyche. Moving forward, how can people begin to take more accountability? We seem to lose possession far too easily. Iwobi’s work ethic is great but his choice of passing is so often off the mark. Decision-making is what makes the top players stand out from the rest: their control and pride of not losing the ball sets them apart.
One player who came in for a lot of criticism after the game was Ben Godfrey, which I felt was a bit harsh. We tried to play a high line, which didn't work, and Godfrey was no more at fault than the centre-backs or right-back.
It also doesn't help that he is playing out of position, something I've had to do in the past. I played at right-back against Arsenal and my attempts to mark Marc Overmars still haunts me to this day. I’d never played in that position in my life and didn’t know what to do. Ben Godfrey reminded me of that, he didn’t know whether to be tight or go long. He had a poor game, but so did everyone else.
Teams don't fear us with DCL missing
We were lacking in the final third against United, something that has been the story of our season. We didn’t have a striker for the first five games of the season due to Richarlison not being replaced and Dominic Calvert-Lewin being injured.
Ellis Simms has done fantastically well in recent weeks, but he lacked the confidence and belief with the great chance he had during the first half. If that goes in, it’s a totally different game. When you’re playing poorly, you need to take advantage of those moments. You were expecting him to hit the target and give David De Gea something to worry about.
The question mark over the team all season has been about the availability of Calvert-Lewin, and we need him back. Especially with the way Dyche likes to play, he would suit the system perfectly and teams would be going into games concerned about facing him.
We don’t have that fear factor right now and we are a bit predictable. There isn’t really anyone in our team who the opposition will be looking at and think ‘We don’t want to face him.’ Is Dominic going to be the answer for us late on in the campaign? He was last year and could come to our rescue again. It’s going to be a huge gamble if he doesn’t play.
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