Why are we struggling and more importantly conceding so many goals away from home?
Why are we struggling and more importantly conceding so many goals away from home?We can all see this isn’t the United we know and I’m going to try and dissect the reasons why we are under performing on our travels.
Firstly in my view the most obvious reason is simply down to the standard of teams playing on their home turf improving. The amount of players that have been brought into the Premier League in the summer was a staggering 127 – that’s the most we’ve had for many a year. Not to mention the fact that this season more than any, the number of quality players brought in (mostly by Man City) are of a vast amount. The likes of Chamakh, Ramires, Toure, Balotelli, Silva, Boateng, Johnson, and Rafael Van der Vaart (who could be the signing of the season) have all been brought in to strengthen both individual teams and the Premier League itself. You then have some players who are relatively unknown and others of a good professional standard at the clubs outside the top 4 or 5 who so far this season have proven that they have what it takes to help their team take points off the top temas like ourselves: Dembele of Fulham, the experienced duo of Gudjohnsen and Pennant at Stoke, Hleb at Birmingham, Ben Arfa at Newcastle, Gyan at Sunderland, Odemwingie at West Brom, Obinna at West Ham, Alcaraz at Wigan….the list goes on.
Every team this season are proving to be tough at home making it more difficult for even the top teams like ourselves to get a result away from home. Birmingham are known for their stubborn defence at home, Blackburn are always dangerous at Ewood Park and Stoke are another prime example of a team who have made their home a fortress over the last 2 seasons. I don’t think anyone will be looking forward to facing these teams away from home. Infact, I don’t think there’s ever an easy place to go nowadays!
Adding to that, the so called ‘lesser teams’ always seem to up their game against the big clubs. Just look at the shock results that have occurred so far this season. West Brom beating Arsenal at the Emirates, struggling Wigan winning at White Heart Lane, not to mention perhaps the shock of the season as the Seasider’s Blackpool managed to come away from Anfield with a staggering 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon. Resulting in Blackpool having the best away record in the Premier League– who would of guessed that?
United have so far played teams who are known to be a force on their home patch. Not an excuse I know, but Fulham, Everton, Bolton and I can now put Sunderland in the same category simply due to the fact that we are in the minority of teams to have beaten the Black Cats at home in the year 2010. Looking on the bright side, we haven’t lost, but I’m sure you will agree, losing a 2 goal lead against Everton, missing a penalty and then going on to draw at Craven Cottage feel like losses nonetheless.
Carry on reading here
