THREAD:

Analysing Scott McTominay's performance vs Newcastle: the good and the bad.

Note: quality of performance is attached to roles. We don't say a CB played poorly because he didn't score.

Scott's task was to man the defence, break up dangerous opportunities, recycle possession and progress the ball if he could.

0:08 — Foul

At the very beginning Scott sets out to play quite aggressively off the ball — an instruction from Ole — and it results in a foul after eight seconds though the referee plays the advantage.

Despite the foul this aggression he showed was vital throughout the game.

0:30 — Pressing, Interception and Block

Straight after, he is involved in a press and it results in a long ball which he intercepts. Then, he recovers to block off the movement of the CF. This allows us to recover possession.

1:41 — Newcastle Goal

We lose possession from a corner and Scott finds himself a bit too forward. However, that's not inherently an issue. Though, it becomes one as Shelvey — the one who receives the ball — finds himself ahead of Scott in the transition.

1:41 — Newcastle Goal

During his track back, he doesn't actually sprint as hard as he can to cut off a potential pass to Shelvey. In fact, he jogs albeit quickly. This was probably the result of being slightly gassed from the intensity he put in already.

Inexperience? Perhaps.

6:00 — Important Block

AWB loses possession and is out of position. ASM spins in behind and if the ball is played through he'll have a one-on-one vs Lindelöf. Remember, we're already nervous at this stage.

However, Scott steps in and times his blocked stance very well.

6:36 — Tackle

Fred loses possession with a risky pass and we end up with five players ahead of the ball. However, the Newcastle player slips and Scott quickly reads an opportunity to protect his defence. So, within two seconds he steps in and we win the ball back as a result.

9:28 — Presence

ASM turns Fred and then skips past Bruno. However, Scott, once more, steps in and his presence forces ASM to overhit the ball. Against a trickier customer Scott's outstretched leg could have resulted in a foul. So, that's something to remember here.

Point:

After 10 minutes, Scott had broken up multiple Newcastle attacks and continued to do this for the remainder of the game. The thread will be too long for me to show all of them.

Though, the next tweet is the epitome of his off-ball work and ties it all together.

95:15 – 95:23 — Track Back, Intercept and Duel

In the 96th minute he is the reason why we win possession for Rashford's goal. He tracks back ~50 yards and READS the potential pass. It's not just aggression. Then, he intercepts AND duels, winning the ball for us.

Point:

Scott did a lot of off-ball work that went under the radar by people saying he didn't play well. Rather, these people were reactive to our goals and completely ignored the foundations Scott (and Fred) laid down.

Point:

So, did Scott man the defence well? Yes. Did he break up dangerous opportunities? Yes. Now, what about his on-ball proficiency? Let's see.

6:32 — Deeper

Scott found himself in these positions earlier on. He recycled the ball and then backed up the player he recycled to. This displays a mature mindset. It was emphasised to him that he needs to cover first and progress after. He stuck to this from the beginning.

8:20 — No Opportunity

One weakness in his performance is that he could have called for the ball more when we were in deeper positions. I mean, the possession underneath results in us keeping the ball but these smaller things will add a lot to his game.

20:41 — Opportunity

Here, he took the decision to drop back 20-or-so yards in order to collect the ball from Lindelöf to free him from pressure. This was a good decision and shows that his decision making improved as the game progressed.

Always a good sign.

20:44 — Verticality

Just after he receives the ball, Marcus makes a run in-behind the defence and Scott tries to find him. It fell just short but there was a time when Scott would've attempted the safer option. Here, he attempts to play vertically which is, again, a good sign.

28:06 — Difficult Pass

Here, he tries to free up pressure by playing a lateral pass to the left for Shaw. However, he times it a little too late and it ends up being regressive, forcing Shaw to let it run past him.

It was a good idea but the execution was lacking.

33:31 — Read Space and Create Chance

Here, Bruno makes a run for AWB and Scott reads the space left. He makes a run, gathers the ball and plays a good pass in traffic. He was under pressure and the space in front was tightening. Yet, he still did quite well.

35:38 — Line-Breaking Pass

Scott has the easier option of playing it to Bruno, Fred or even Maguire. Instead, he fizzes a beautiful pass to Mata who doesn't even have to move from his spot. It results in James breaking away and AWB's cross–shot in the end.

Point:

There were many more instance of his on-ball decision making which led to an efficient and calm display. However, Twitter threads aren't made for that sadly. Nevertheless, I'm sure you understand the point.

What about some statistics?

Scott completed 47/53 passes (89%) — some say 48. He challenged for the ball 14 times off the ball — more than any other player from either team. He cut off 8 separate attacks — joint-1st with AWB — and he won the ball back 11 times with runs.

Strengths:

• he made himself a strong presence defensively
• he covered a lot of ground to close off lanes
• he stepped in with vital interceptions
• he single-handedly prevented multiple attacks
• he retained possession very well

Weaknesses:

• he was a bit careless with some challenges
• he could have demanded the ball a bit more
• he could have progressed possession a bit more

Overall, this was an excellent performance from Scott. He was a starter at the beginning of 2019/20 and lost his place. He has worked hard to regain his position in the XI and Ole tested him with clear instructions which he fulfilled.

End of Thread.