Falkirk face a trip to Tannadice to face Dundee United following the international break, with John McGlynn’s Bairns able to look down on their opponents before the trip. The Tangerines lie seventh in the table on 14 points, two places and two points worse off than the visitors, albeit having played a game fewer.Dundee United Form Guide
Using the Dundee United v Falkirk Match Stats on Andy’s Bet Club, we can see that Jim Goodwin’s side are tough to beat. They have lost only three of their 11 Premiership matches this season and have gone down in only one of their last five.
1-1 Draw vs Hearts (A) – Premiership
2-0 Loss vs Motherwell (A) – Premiership
3-1 Win vs St Mirren (H) – Premiership
2-2 Draw vs Rangers (A) – Premiership
1-1 Draw vs Livingston (H) – Premiership
Dundee United’s Recent League Matches:
Hearts vs Dundee United
Against the league leaders, Jim Goodwin reverted to the 3-4-3 formation that has been the Terrors’ stock for this season but had been abandoned in the previous handful of games. In terms of result, it proved a successful ploy, particularly defensively, as they conceded only 0.68 xGA – the best they had managed in three matches and well below their average of 1.54 this season.
If limiting Hearts was the aim of the move, it certainly worked. The Jambos managed only one shot on target and 10 overall, compared to a season average of 12.82. The Tangerines were apparently comfortable controlling just 38.1% of the ball. They are not a team that typically dominates possession, with a season average of 44% but this was particularly pronounced in Edinburgh.
Goodwin’s side were comparatively ineffective going forward in terms of their overall numbers, despite the outcome of the game being a positive one for them. They had just six shots with 50% hitting the target, below their season average of 11.36 attempts per game, 4.91 of which hit the target.
While Dundee United’s average pass length of 19.76m was the first time they dipped below 20m in a Premiership match this season in this metric, their long pass share hit 18.57%, which is the 2nd-highest figure they have recorded. They played a high number of short passes in non-threatening areas before going long.
Motherwell vs Dundee United
Dundee United’s trip to Motherwell at the end of October resulted in a 2-0 defeat, and they could have few complaints about the outcome of the game. They were ineffective going forward, creating a season-low 0.46 xG and conceding 1.66 xG against, which is the highest figure they have recorded since a 3-3 draw with Hibs in mid-September.
Not only did Goodwin’s side lack shots – they managed only eight compared to their 11.36 season average – the quality of effort was low, too. Their best chance was an attempt from Luca Stephenson after 59 minutes that struck the post. It had an xG of 0.12. That came during a 12-minute flurry in which United had all of their best moments. Their average shot distance was 21.72 – the biggest of the season to date.
In terms of duels won, they were far lower than usual. United post 49.5% won in this regard over the season to date, but claimed only 44.8% won against the Steelmen.
While Motherwell were relatively well limited in the volume of opportunities they created, what chances they did fashion tended to be very good ones. The hosts might only have had nine shots, but four of those were of an xG of 0.2 or above.
There’s little striking about United’s defensive numbers from the game compared to their norms for the season. They pressed a little more intently than usual, with a PPDA of 9.68 compared to 11.37 this term, while their average passes per possession (3.27) and long pass % (15.15) were about on par with their season averages of 15.5 and 15.77% respectively.
Perhaps the one exception to this was that United were drawn into a massive 20 fouls, particularly around halfway on their right half of the park.
Dundee United’s One to Watch:
Craig Sibbald: Falkirk know all about the former Graeme High School kid, who turned out for his hometown team over 250 times. He’s enjoyed a resurgence in recent times at United following an injury-hit spell, scoring in back-to-back games against Rangers and St Mirren, helping him to be named United’s Player of the Month for October. The 30-year-old missed the match against Hearts before the international break because of a cut on his shin, but should be back for this one.
Final Thoughts
With 3.18 goals per match, only Hearts have been involved in matches that typically produce more goals than Dundee United, suggesting that this will be an exciting game. Given that Goodwin’s side have scored 18 this season and conceded 17, they are equally prone to conceding as scoring.
They are not a team that is likely to be proactive in the game. With just 43.9% possession on average this season, they rank 10th among all Premiership teams. When they have the ball, what do they do with it and how do they use it?
United are a pretty average Premiership side based on the metrics, but there are a couple of things that stand out. Firstly, they take more time on the ball to make a pass than any other team in the league, with just 12 passes per minute of possession. By contrast to this, they make a comparatively high number of progressive runs, ranked 4th in the league with 153, indicating a tendency to drive into space, particularly in the wide areas.
Imprecision is a problem, though. Not only do they make a low number of passes into the final third (41.4 per 90), they do this with the second lowest percentage in the league (54%).
They make up for this to some extent by getting a high percentage of their shots on target. They hit the target with 43.2% of their shots compared to a league average of 38.73% – Falkirk lead the way with 48.3%.
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