Soccer By Kyle

Check out my tactical analysis of Fulham’s 2-1 win over...

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 12:35:00 -0500

Check out my tactical analysis of Fulham’s 2-1 win over Newcastle last night at Soccermetrica.

“The tactical development of the game can be broken into three phases that were brought about by tactical and personnel changes from Pardew. In the first phase Newcastle started the game in a 4-3-3 yet were getting dominated in terms of possession despite having an extra midfielder and created few goalscoring opportunities of their own. In the second phase Pardew switched to a 4-4-2 with Ba and Cisse paired up top after Ba had become isolated in the 4-3-3. In the third phase Newcastle were chasing an equalizer and brought on Shola Ameobi to replace Ben Arfa and moved to what was basically three center forwards and began hitting everything long into the box for Ameobi, Ba and Cisse.”

nice

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 02:05:42 -0500

nice

I’m one excited neutral for the Manchester derby. Follow my...

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:07:43 -0500

I’m one excited neutral for the Manchester derby.

Follow my tactics blog at http://soccermetrica.blogspot.com/

I’m one excited neutral for the Manchester derby. Follow...

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:03:36 -0500

I’m one excited neutral for the Manchester derby.

Follow my tactics blog at http://soccermetrica.blogspot.com/

A little bit of talent in that wall. (source:...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:08:56 -0400

A little bit of talent in that wall.

(source: thebloyeninheritance.wordpress.com)

(source: theboleyninheritance.wordpress.com)

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:05:23 -0400

(source: theboleyninheritance.wordpress.com)

Why does a google image search of “full kit wanker”...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:46:50 -0400

Why does a google image search of “full kit wanker” produce so many Liverpool fans? Does Liverpool have more full kit supporters than other clubs?

Who wears a suit better?

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 07:36:26 -0400

Who wears a suit better?

Bale announced in starting XI versus Chelsea but forced to...

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 07:32:00 -0400

Bale announced in starting XI versus Chelsea but forced to withdraw just prior to kickoff as his lady reportedly goes into labor. Bummer for Spurs

"I write here with the authority of someone who once, many years ago, played an 11-a-side match still..."

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 05:36:00 -0400

“I write here with the authority of someone who once, many years ago, played an 11-a-side match still suffering the effects of a form of popular hallucinogen, which had been accidentally ingested the night before. It is not an experience to be dismissed completely out of hand. Picked to play in central defence, I made the decision to move myself to sweeper as the game kicked off, patrolling instead the deep spaces behind the defence, and reading not just the lines but the contours, the ripples, the textures of the play, powerfully in tune with its internal rhythms, not so much running around as remaining still while the world rearranged itself around me. My doors of footballing perception were open. I could taste the space. I could smell the ball. I could feel the swell of the play. I could hear people shouting at me occasionally.”

- Barney Ronay shares his own experience mixing drugs in football in this excellent piece about England’s players being fed caffeine pills in the buildup to their qualifier in Warsaw.

"During each and every minute of the match, until the mentioned last one, sports atmosphere full of..."

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:11:45 -0400

“

During each and every minute of the match, until the mentioned last one, sports atmosphere full of respecting fair-play spirit was at the pitch and the stands, from warming up of both of the teams, through national anthems and applauses of all the present when the English anthem finished.

Unfortunately, after the fourth minute of the additional time and the victory goal scored by the guest team, unpleasant scenes were seen at the pitch. And while most of the English team players celebrated the score, their player number 3, Danny Rose, behaved in inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar manner towards the supporters on the stands at the stadium in Kruševac, and for that he was shown a red card. Unfortunately, it would turn out that was the moment the incident, that later developed, had started….

FA of Serbia absolutely refuses and denies that there were any occurrences of racism before and during the match at the stadium in Kruševac. Making connection between the seen incident - a fight between members of the two teams - and racism has absolutely no ground and we consider it to be a total malevolence.”

”

- -Statement released by the Serbian FA denying there were any instances of racism directed towards English players by Serbian fans and blaming Danny Rose for the melee than ensued after the final whistle.

That’s a pretty remarkable statement from the Serbian FA given there is clear video evidence of monkey chants being directed towards Rose. This shows the Serbian FA has no intention of combating racism among its fans and players and Uefa has to set an example by banning them from international competition. Jonathan Wilson (a writer I greatly admire) wrote in the Guardian that a competition ban runs the risk of further isolating Serbia and should only be used as a last resort but I don’t see how any lesser punishment properly addresses the problem. We should be far more worried about the safety of the black players who will continue to be forced to play in that sort of environment if no international ban is put in place than isolating a country that doesn’t show the proper remorse over the actions of its supporters.

Photo

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:55:46 -0400

Danny Rose was subjected to monkey chants from Serbian fans...

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:21:00 -0400

Danny Rose was subjected to monkey chants from Serbian fans after England’s 1-0 U21 European Championship qualifying win in Serbia yesterday.

Serbia is no stranger to this type of unsavory behavior. In 2010 their Euro 2012 qualifier in Italy had to be called off after Serbian ultras fought police and fired flares onto the field. In 2007, Serbian fans directed monkey chants at England’s Nedum Onuoha. In 2003, black Wales players Robert Earnshaw, Danny Gabbidon and Nathan Blake were the victims of racial abuse from Serbian fans in a Euro 2004 qualifier.

To date UEFA’s punishments have been laughably weak. Serbia had to pay a £107,000 fine for the incident in Italy. They were forced to play one home qualifier behind closed doors and couldn’t take any fans to away games. They were fined just £16,000 and £11,000 for the 2007 England U21 and 2003 Wales incidents respectively.

Tougher sanctions are demanded this time around and many, including Danny Rose, are calling for Serbia to be banned from international competition. In reference to FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s remark in 2011 that racism on the pitch can be forgotten with a post match handshake between players, British PM David Cameron said, “It is not good enough to say people should shake hands and forget about it.”

He also added, “Clearly it is for Uefa to investigate this issue but we would expect tough sanctions. If we are going to stamp out racism from football, then it is no good giving derisory fines, as have been handed out in the past.”

Lord Ouseley, chairmen of the Kick it Out campaign, offered the most damning condemnation of UEFA’s inability to properly deal with racist fan behavior. He said, “The fact Uefa has been so woefully weak in the past in administering punishments makes it easy to re-offend. The jury is out on Uefa’s capacity and willingness to tackle racism on the scale necessary. If they don’t do what is appropriate in this instance, everyone will lose confidence in Uefa. They can’t afford not to act.”

The modern football sweeper

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:20:08 -0400

The modern football sweeper:

And this is a link to my Soccermetrica post on how an altered version of the classic sweeper position is making its way back into certain professional sides.

Tactical Analysis: West Ham 2-1 QPR

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:10:55 -0400

Tactical Analysis: West Ham 2-1 QPR:

The above is a link to my newest post on Soccermetrica, a tactical analysis of West Ham’s 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers this evening.

Preview: Arsenal vs. Chelsea

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:32:22 -0400

Preview: Arsenal vs. Chelsea:

The above link is to my new post on Soccermetrica, a preview of tomorrow’s London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal.

Brian Clough (source: SEATPITCH)

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:41:58 -0400

Brian Clough

(source: SEATPITCH)

Thoughts on USA 1-0 Jamaica

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:05:20 -0400

Thoughts on USA 1-0 Jamaica:

The above is a link to my brief tactical analysis of the US’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Jamaica at Soccermetrica.

In the wake of this morning’s release of the Hillsborough...

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:15:46 -0400

In the wake of this morning’s release of the Hillsborough disaster report, I thought it would be an appropriate time to post this documentary detailing the events of April 15, 1989 when 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at an FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday. The documentary features firsthand accounts of supporters at the ground on that day and explains how the poor judgment of police led to the crush in the two central pens of the Leppings Lane end of the stadium occupied by Liverpool supporters. In the aftermath of the incident blame was placed on Liverpool supporters by South Yorkshire police to cover their own catastrophic mistakes that ultimately led to the deaths. PM David Cameron said today the released report showed “the Liverpool fans were not the cause of the disaster.” No member of the FA or South Yorkshire police has ever been charged for the events that transpired that day but the release of this report should held bring to light those who were accountable for the disaster.

You can read the full report at the Hillsborough Independent Panel website here.

The full documentary shown above is available on YouTube in six parts. The video above is part one of six.

The first 8 mins of this press conference with Brendan Rodgers...

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:06:12 -0400

The first 8 mins of this press conference with Brendan Rodgers after their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal offer a pretty fascinating tactical discussion of why he prefers 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1. The three central midfielders in Rodgers’ 4-3-3 operate with one deep lying holding midfielder that controls the tempo of the game and two more advanced central midfielders in front of the holder (what Rodgers refers to as a “1 and a 2” in this press conference.) This system loosely forms a midfield triangle. The job of the two more advanced midfielders is to make a lot of vertical runs forward to join in the attack but also to quickly retreat when the team loses possession. Therefore the two advanced midfielders must have the capacity to do a lot of running so the holding player isn’t left to try to break up a counter on his own. The midfield triangle is expected to move forward and backward as a compact unit.

A 4-2-3-1 by contrast employs two deeper lying holding midfielders (what’s called a double pivot) playing behind a more advanced attacking midfielder. In this formation, the triangle in the 4-3-3 is flipped. In the 4-2-3-1 the attacking center midfielder is responsible for linking play with the two wingers/wide forwards and the center forward. The problem Rodgers sees with this formation moving forward into attack is that the two deep lying midfielders end up moving the ball horizontally side-to-side to the outside backs rather than advancing the ball up the field since their is only one attacking midfielder linking play between offense and defense. In a 4-3-3 the two more advanced midfielders offer more options for moving the ball vertically up the field. With the extra man linking play between defense and attack, teams can move up the pitch more directly with forward passes rather than knocking the ball side to side.

Liverpool’s game Sunday against Arsenal showcased a fascinating tactical battle between the two systems. Rodgers’ Liverpool set out in his favored 4-3-3 while Arsene Wenger employed a 4-2-3-1. With the injury to Lucas Leiva, Rodgers was again forced to use Joe Allen as the deep lying holder with Steven Gerrard and Nuri Sahin in the more advanced midfield roles. For Arsenal, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby operated deep in the midfield as a double pivot while Santi Cazorla played in an advanced role just behind center forward Olivier Giroud. In the end it was Wenger who won out, Arsenal emerging 2-0 winners at Anfield. The big issue for Liverpool was on the defensive end where they struggled to stop Arsenal from countering. One of the problems that can arise when playing with just one holding midfielder rather than two is you have one less player helping the back four break up counter attacks. With Joe Allen operating centrally in front of the back four by himself, Cazorla was able to get into open pockets of space either side of him and in front of the Liverpool back four. Michael Cox discusses how Cazorla’s ability to get into these pockets of space was the deciding factor in the game on his Zonal Marking blog. A two holding midfielder system is more effective at restricting the space an opposition attacking midfielder has between the defensive and midfield lines. Another major defensive problem for Rodgers was that Diaby was able to use his powerful dribbling ability to get in behind Gerrard and Sahin. In the press conference Rodgers harps on how in the 4-3-3 it’s crucial for the advanced midfielders to be able to make defensive recovery runs and suggests perhaps Sahin wasn’t quite up to the Premier League pace in his first outing and failed to keep Diaby in check. With Diaby advancing past Sahin and Gerrard with the dribble, Allen was left with the unenviable task of trying to deal with him and Cazorla simultaneously. He was forced to pick up Diaby on the ball, leaving Cazorla unmarked in space in front of the Liverpool back four. Cazorla is an incredibly clever player and gifted passer and will pick apart any defense given the kind of space he was allowed by Liverpool.

Rodgers also discusses how important it is for his defense and midfield to stay compact when they move forward in possession. A compact defense and midfield is important in any tactical system but this is especially true for the 4-3-3. When a defense fails to push up in possession this creates large gaps between the midfield and back four. Then, when the team loses possession, they become prone to counter attacks that stem from the opposition advancing the ball into these gaps and running with pace at the back four. The two holding midfielders of a 4-2-3-1 can cover more ground side to side to stop a counter than the one holding midfielder in a 4-3-3 so defenses in a 4-2-3-1 can keep a slightly deeper line. In Liverpool’s 4-3-3, Allen is left largely on his own to break up counters and obviously can’t cover the full width of the pitch alone. The back four has to get close to him so the opposition can’t exploit the space on either side of him. Liverpool failed to do this and were made to pay with Arsenal’s first goal (you can see the footytube highlights here). Gerrard gives the ball away cheaply in the attacking third. Arsenal play a short outlet to Podolski and Allen is forced to step to him. Liverpool’s center backs Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel fail to push forward (it’s actually pretty shocking how deep they are) and Cazorla is left with acres of space between Allen and the center backs. Podolski plays a simple ball into Cazorla who is left with 25 yards of space to dribble into before playing a ball at the 18 to Podolski for an easy finish. Rodgers says this goal was evidence the side still are transitioning to a new style of play and suggests he may need to tweak the tactics while they become more comfortable playing in a 4-3-3. Interestingly, before Gerrard gave the ball away, Liverpool’s buildup play looked just the way Rodgers would have wanted. Allen received the ball at his own 18 from Reina, played a beautiful forward ball wide to Glen Johnson who spotted Gerrard making a bursting run through midfield. With three quick, proficient passes Liverpool had advanced the ball well into the attacking third- unfortunately Gerrard’s attempted pass for Suarez let him down.

The press conference shows Rodgers is a thoughtful tactician with a strong idea of how he wants the game to be played and what type of players he wants in his system. As long as the club show some patience and give him time to put in place his system, I think Rodgers will be a fine manager.