I think this picture best sums up what's wrong with our defense.
Firstly , Dier is standing infront of everyone , clearly highlighting a lack of communication between him and the rest of the back 4 , we need a leader in there not players playing by themselves on their own instincts.
Next , Where is Serge Aurier? Oh yeah that's right he's nowhere to be seen because he doesn't even play as a RB effectively. Consequently Lo Celso/Sissoko have dropped into the 4 you can see infront of Dier , what does that mean? It means 4 Sheffield United players are left on the edge of the box where Lo Celso/Sissoko should be , if one of them had been there Berge wouldn't have been able to pick up the ball and consequently score.
I've always said we needed a CDM but I feel like any player that plays in that midfield will always be dragged out to the right to cover for Aurier , we cannot continue to play like this where our team is so lob-sided and players are filling in for Aurier half the game. The first thing we have to do is buy an actual RB.
The squad currently has 1 natural RB and 1 Natural LB , that's honestly not good enough.
A lot of these defenders are poor and have regressed but having a CDM and midfield that does it job tracking back all the time , would certainly make the team more solid.
If I was incharge I'd look for a NEW CB , RB , LB and CDM.
Completely disagree with this!! There is loads wrong with the "defending" but not in how you've described it.
Warning!!! War & Peace incoming:
A bit of housekeeping first - This kind of freeze-frame analysis simply doesn't work as it fails to show where the problem is. To break down the anatomy of this goal you need to go through the entire phase.
The second bit of housekeeping - Aurier IS NOT RB!! He is played as a WB!! His position is in advance of both Sissoko and Lo Celso in the double pivot. This is vital in the analysis of this goal, it's how we are tactically set set-up to play and it shows how Wilder tactically got around it in this goal.
1. The move starts with Aurier pushed up the pitch in his WB role (he is man-marking their LB who's come in narrow, into the inside left position. Sissoko playing in the double pivot with Lo Celso is now occupying the classic RB space.
At this point we are in a 4 made up of Sissoko, Sanchez, Dier and Davies, with Lo Celso in front of back 4. Pan out It's a 7 vs 5 in our favour with us having 5 men behind the ball to Utd's 1.
There is NOTHING wrong with our defenders they are all where they should be and marking/covering who they should.
The problem is in our midfield, Lo Celso is all on his own and his sat too deep and Sissoko is out of position as the RB, he needs to drop and is way, way too wide he's basically out of the game.
THIS IS THE FIRST PROBLEM.
2. Because of Sissoko's position, Lo Celso is completly isolated (Winks has also been in this situation numerous times when he played in the double pivot).
3. Aurier is putting their LB under pressure but he manages to find a ball to Berge who is completely unmarked! Not a single Spurs player within 10yrds!!
THIS IS THE SECOND PROBLEM
It is important at this point to emphasise that this situation is made from not poor individual players not doing their jobs, but a brilliant tactical play by Wilder. This attack has come about by exploiting how Jose uses Aurier as a WB. It isolates one of the two players in the double pivot and to compound this, Lo Celso isn't the player that you want isolated in the double pivot (much like Winks isn't the player you want to be isolated).
4. Utd turn up the threat by switching the play from left to right with unmarked Berge moving the ball swiftly on with his 2nd touch out wide. You can see this is a well-drilled tactical move as Berge doesn't even look up to make the pass, he knows it's already on.
5. In order for Spurs to keep our backline, Son sprints the 15yrds in an attempt to close Berge down. he doesn't get to him in time. This was Son's man, he was late to move into position. Or it could have been Lo Celso's man but my gut tells me it's Son is the logical one because to have both your deep-lying midfielders out the game isn't a Jose thing. But take your pick. I'm going for Son's error, which makes this the FIRST PLAYER ERROR and our THIRD PROBLEM in this attack.
6. Because Son doesn't get to Berge quick enough he slips in a lovely pass out to a wide.
It's still 7 vs 5 in our favour!
7. Davies is now forced to come out to the wide Utd player. This is the correct thing to do for a defender in this position, Son is out of position due to him sprinting to close Berge. IT'S STILL 7 vs 5.
8. As Davies comes across Davies is instantly in trouble as another Utd player joins the attack and overlaps making it a 2 vs 1 against Davies.
9. With Son out of position (central) he now makes another desperate sprint to cover Davies, this is the correct thing to do, all be it let's not lose sight of the fact that we are in the process of Wilder getting the better of Jose tactically here and Son is scrabbling around trying to recover. But by covering Davies Berge is now open and unmarked again (Lo Celso should now be the man alert to this and as the sole deep-lying defender it's now his man).
It's now 7 vs 7!
(it's also worth noting just how good Utd's movement is off the ball here, with the advanced players coming short their number 3, who up to this point has been tracked by Aurier from midfield into the box).
10. Son does NOT get across in time to help out Davies. Davies inevitably loses the 2 vs 1 and the ball get's played behind for the cross to be tee'd up.
It's still 7 vs 7.
11. Let's take a look at the defensive positions just as the cross is about to come in. Dier is perfectly placed!!! He is covering the angle at the near post, stopping a potential shot inside going across the goal to the back post and also cutting out a ball played across the face of the goa AND he has their CF covered. He also isn't blocking Lloris's view and he too is well positions for a ball across the face of goal and a shot at his near post. This is PERFECT!!!
12. Son AGAIN now stops his run to cover Davies and lets the other Utd player in the 2 vs 1 run off him unmarked/challenged and the ball is pulled back to him. But Berge (not picked up by Lo Celso...see point 9 above) takes the ball, turns and scores.
TDLR
Jose's gets fucked in the arse by Wilder.
Wilder brilliantly exposes Jose's use of Aurier as WB, by getting rid of one of the two in the double pivot and isolating the worst of the two defensively.
Throughout this entire attacking phase by Utd our defenders were where they should be. The players exposed were Sissoko, Son and Lo Celso. Although not right positionally as the cover RB (not narrow enough and not inline with other 3, Sissoko is tactically in the ballpark of what is required from him in this system. Lo Celso simply didn't fulfil his role as the loan deep-lying defender (but is he a deep-lying defender, is this why we bought him??). Son as a consequence of Lo Celso too deep got drawn to Berge, he was too late and then in turn out of position to cover Davies and then left his man when ball pulled back.
