Jim Goodwin is adamant Dundee United’s performances have not “fallen off a cliff” – even if the goals are no longer flowing for the Tangerines.
United have rippled the net just once in their last three Championship games, with an underwhelming 0-0 draw against Queen’s Park last Friday underpinned by wastefulness.
United’s profligacy in the final third has allowed Raith Rovers to steal a march at the summit of the league, opening a five-point lead.
Goodwin has no qualms about receiving criticism after drawing a blank against the rock-bottom Spiders, but is keen to put the performance into context.
He firmly believes United’s recent displays are comparable to the showings during a blistering start to the season. They remain the joint-top scorers in the division with 34 goals.
“A lot has been made of the fact we haven’t scored in the last couple of games against Raith and Queen’s Park,” noted Goodwin. “But I’m capable of stepping back and analysing the situation.
“We have a certain set of key indicators and metrics we look for when analysing games – and we created as many opportunities against Queen’s Park at Hampden as we did in the 5-0 victory against Partick Thistle.
“We had more penalty box entries; more final third entries; just as many crosses.
“Unfortunately, football can go that way sometimes. You can be doing a lot of things right and get into good areas, but don’t get the break of the ball.
“It’s not a major concern for me. I’d be a lot more concerned if we weren’t creating opportunities and those key performance indicators had fallen off a cliff!
“That hasn’t been the case.”
Up the tempo
Nevertheless, Goodwin still sees plenty of room for improvement in United’s work in the final third as they prepare to host Thistle.
A priority this week has been moving the ball with speed and impetus, with the Tangerines’ last few fixtures sometimes drifting into spells of pedestrian and stodgy football.
“As with any game here at Tannadice, the onus is on us to take the game to the opposition and to find a way to break them down,” continued Goodwin.
“Every team that’s come here has defended deep and got lots of bodies behind the ball.
“That’s something we need to be prepared for. We need to raise the tempo and intensity in our possession; to move the ball quickly and hopefully exploit spaces.”
No major transfer surgery
Given Goodwin’s continued belief in his squad, it is no surprise that he does not envisage major surgery during the January transfer window.
“I don’t think we need a huge amount,” he added. “The group has done extremely well up to now, but you are always trying to add quality.
“The job for me and Luigi (Capuano, CEO) is to find the quality players at the right price. We think we’ve identified one or two good targets and it’s up to us to get those over the line.”
Goodwin confirmed that club captain Ross Docherty will miss the visit of his former club. He is “touch and go” for next Tuesday’s showdown against Arbroath.
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