Tuesday, 9 June 2020
Friday, 6 March 2020
MY VIEW ABOUT THE ELCLASSICO .
on sunday real madrid played barcelona at the santiago barnebau . after the game the first thing that i read after the game was that of piques comment that this was the worst real madrid side that he had played . to be honest this is the game where on my criticism of pique that he is the weak link in their team was confirmed . there are many a questions that are left unanswered by this game . first off did barcelona got the right man in the form of kiki stein as their manager because i dont see real changes in the game play . now winners are not questioned and since real have won so zidane wont be questioned . but the way they played then i thought that they were looking for a draw . there is no game plan other than counter attacking .even on the counter attack they dont have a proper cohesion . if there is one player that i am so disappointed then it is isco . isco had the best shot in the open play on barcelona's goal but to be honest there are several instances in the game where on he is found wanting .his positional understanding as well as decision making was absolutely hopeless and at times hopeless . isco is playing in the number 10 position and he is given the freedom to move anywhere . so when he has the ball he should be talking to the players telling them as to where he does he wants them and also play himself in . he needs to talk with his coach about the tactics .most importantly he needs to be available for pass all the time in the attack . to be honest i am not at all satisfied with his positional intelligence . barcelona had one chance in the game at goal and it fell to griezman . now can a striker like griezman miss a shot like that but the answer lies in the barcelona's tactics . 
this is game from where i am going to divert from tactical to tactical positional analysis . i want to take some examples and since pique is the big mouth i want to show as to how he is responsible for the goal . the centre backs are considered to be the team organiser on defense and they are the one who have the command as who needs to do what and so lets take his example . here in the first thing kross has the ball and the positions are as shown . here pique should be readind as to what kross can do and the empty spaces that his team is leaving and he should be giving a should to either braithwhite or semedo to drop a little deep because there was a big space between him and semedo and this is where pique comes short .he should had realised the danger and should had given the call to semedo in particular because it is his zone or he could had moved a bit more towards semedo so that he could had narrowed the space in which kross released vinicius so that he wont have got that space and time on the ball to get the start and made things difficult . another instant is of the second goal that real scored here too umtiti went out wide to closed down mariano who turned on him . here pique should had read the danger and should had shown him the outside and most importantly he should had gone quickly to close mariano down . while doing so he should had shouted to his other players to close down the gaps and look out for runners who would come at the end of the pass that the player that pique is closing . this is how pique is .
there is another thing i want to talk about and this time i am able to show it in the pics . isco released vinicius in the space with benzema in support .now vinicius was surrounded by three to four players . now this is what intrigued me . instead of getting near vnicius and tryin to have some interplay he pulled away from vinicus leaving him to deal with those players surrounding him .now his thinking is trying to get in a goal scoring position but then there are lot of variables come into play . first off can vinicius deal with them .secondly the air time or the time the ball travels is the most important thing because the longer the pass the more time the opposition gets to do something and take preventive measures . now instead of going wide if he stays in close proximity to vinicius then not only there can be interplay but half of the players gets benzema's attention which in turn gives vinicius to do something . coaches need to creats such plays and they need to teach their players as what they need to do .they have to take moch drills teaching them as to how they can work these situations and get something out of it .
this is game from where i am going to divert from tactical to tactical positional analysis . i want to take some examples and since pique is the big mouth i want to show as to how he is responsible for the goal . the centre backs are considered to be the team organiser on defense and they are the one who have the command as who needs to do what and so lets take his example . here in the first thing kross has the ball and the positions are as shown . here pique should be readind as to what kross can do and the empty spaces that his team is leaving and he should be giving a should to either braithwhite or semedo to drop a little deep because there was a big space between him and semedo and this is where pique comes short .he should had realised the danger and should had given the call to semedo in particular because it is his zone or he could had moved a bit more towards semedo so that he could had narrowed the space in which kross released vinicius so that he wont have got that space and time on the ball to get the start and made things difficult . another instant is of the second goal that real scored here too umtiti went out wide to closed down mariano who turned on him . here pique should had read the danger and should had shown him the outside and most importantly he should had gone quickly to close mariano down . while doing so he should had shouted to his other players to close down the gaps and look out for runners who would come at the end of the pass that the player that pique is closing . this is how pique is .
there is another thing i want to talk about and this time i am able to show it in the pics . isco released vinicius in the space with benzema in support .now vinicius was surrounded by three to four players . now this is what intrigued me . instead of getting near vnicius and tryin to have some interplay he pulled away from vinicus leaving him to deal with those players surrounding him .now his thinking is trying to get in a goal scoring position but then there are lot of variables come into play . first off can vinicius deal with them .secondly the air time or the time the ball travels is the most important thing because the longer the pass the more time the opposition gets to do something and take preventive measures . now instead of going wide if he stays in close proximity to vinicius then not only there can be interplay but half of the players gets benzema's attention which in turn gives vinicius to do something . coaches need to creats such plays and they need to teach their players as what they need to do .they have to take moch drills teaching them as to how they can work these situations and get something out of it .
Friday, 21 February 2020
MY TAKE ON ATH MAD VS LIVERPOOL
ath mad played liverpool in the first leg of ucl round of 16 . i was reading the headlines and the news and i was not surprised . before writing this article i was watching bhau torsekar's video on journalism and when i was reading the news about this game i can see as to why the journalist are sold out . did the journalist saw the same game saw . every other journalist had lauded ath mad and sort of criticized liverpool . well if i am jurgen kloop then i would be holding my head high after this performance .this match showed as to why liverpool are the best team in europe and how they outplayed,outclassed and totally dominated one of the best team in the europe . if i am jurgen klopp then i will show this game as a case study of how you play and dominate your opponents . now about simeone if i am simeone then i will not cherish this win instead i will do a brain storming as to why was i outclassed and outplayed and what should i do so that this will not happen again . i will not criticize him for his tactics but then when you deploy them then you have see that they are effectively deployed . most importantly when you see that your tactics are working then you need to tweak them . the fact about coaches like simeone , mouriniho that they are so rigid that just dont change .
liverpool started the game with their usual 4-3-3 system while ath mad started with their patented 4-4-2 formation . the game started with the usual story like . the players are fresh especially ath mad's who like press francitcally at start of each half . in this frantic pressing liverpool conceded a goal . but after the chaotic 10 min the game settled to its real script . ath mad started to sit back and absorb the pressure and hit liverpool on the counter . ath mad play a very narrow defense so liverpool moved the ball from flank to flank and trying to gauge the response and the movement of the players as well trying to see the opening in the ath mad' defense . although liverpool dont need it since liverpool with their ball movement can create that space . most importantly liverpool dominated the who half . they just knew when to up the tempo and when to slow the game down .most importantly they just strangled ath mad in their own half and there is a reason for that . most importantly liverpool a little impatient with their shooting and taking shots . i am delighted by liverpool's performance and if they remain patient with their shooting and try to take their shots just a bit deeper in opposition half then they can be more potent .
ath mad like to play on the counter attack . i wont criticize them for that . even liverpool like to play on the counter attack . now when you play on the counter all the components in the system need to work in tandem . ath mad for the major part of the match were poor on their execution of counter to liverpool's offense. first off i disagree with the shape that ath mad adopted . ath mad like to have all players behind the ball so the ath mad's front two will be in front of the opposition back four . so if the ball is passed they likely to be pressed and no opposition will give time and space on the ball and give the chance to have the counter on them . so ath mad had to move the ball very crisply . the forwards needs to understand that any time spent on the ball gives defense an edge in pressing them . most importantly the forwards that they have the responsibility of not only starting the counter but also of keeping the possession . they first need to keep the possession and then try to start to counter because both the ath mad forwards were not in tandem . they were flat . secondly i was disappointed by ath mad's midfielder's . the decision making by these midfielders was poor . they were trying to release the forwards or pass it to them where they were better off keeping the ball and passing it around trying to beat the press and then see the opening and make a move . whenever ath mad moved the ball and made more than 3 passes in a move they pushed liverpool back and had they had a better coaching they could had done something better with the ball .
i am disappointed in simeone and his style of coaching . i think with time he hasnt evolved just like mouriniho who just struggle with the offense . if i was the ath mad coach then i would have had lost my voice after the match for the mistakes that his players were making . he removed lamar at half time and i dont know why but moratta stayed on . to be honest i would be shouting my lungs out for his misadventures . most importantly when you are playing on the counter attack then the forwards should be ready to receive the ball and start rolling . i found and moratta and correa wanting . also the midfield they should be supporting the front players and only feeding them when it is possible . the reason why i said then is flat is because they were standing like midfielders while they need to be taking where on one is ready to make run behind the back which keeps their attention getting the other forward the time and space on the ball . they were just flat . when simeone will see the tapes i hope he corrects his mistakes . but all and all i would be disappointed if liverpool dont reach the next round .
liverpool started the game with their usual 4-3-3 system while ath mad started with their patented 4-4-2 formation . the game started with the usual story like . the players are fresh especially ath mad's who like press francitcally at start of each half . in this frantic pressing liverpool conceded a goal . but after the chaotic 10 min the game settled to its real script . ath mad started to sit back and absorb the pressure and hit liverpool on the counter . ath mad play a very narrow defense so liverpool moved the ball from flank to flank and trying to gauge the response and the movement of the players as well trying to see the opening in the ath mad' defense . although liverpool dont need it since liverpool with their ball movement can create that space . most importantly liverpool dominated the who half . they just knew when to up the tempo and when to slow the game down .most importantly they just strangled ath mad in their own half and there is a reason for that . most importantly liverpool a little impatient with their shooting and taking shots . i am delighted by liverpool's performance and if they remain patient with their shooting and try to take their shots just a bit deeper in opposition half then they can be more potent .
ath mad like to play on the counter attack . i wont criticize them for that . even liverpool like to play on the counter attack . now when you play on the counter all the components in the system need to work in tandem . ath mad for the major part of the match were poor on their execution of counter to liverpool's offense. first off i disagree with the shape that ath mad adopted . ath mad like to have all players behind the ball so the ath mad's front two will be in front of the opposition back four . so if the ball is passed they likely to be pressed and no opposition will give time and space on the ball and give the chance to have the counter on them . so ath mad had to move the ball very crisply . the forwards needs to understand that any time spent on the ball gives defense an edge in pressing them . most importantly the forwards that they have the responsibility of not only starting the counter but also of keeping the possession . they first need to keep the possession and then try to start to counter because both the ath mad forwards were not in tandem . they were flat . secondly i was disappointed by ath mad's midfielder's . the decision making by these midfielders was poor . they were trying to release the forwards or pass it to them where they were better off keeping the ball and passing it around trying to beat the press and then see the opening and make a move . whenever ath mad moved the ball and made more than 3 passes in a move they pushed liverpool back and had they had a better coaching they could had done something better with the ball .
i am disappointed in simeone and his style of coaching . i think with time he hasnt evolved just like mouriniho who just struggle with the offense . if i was the ath mad coach then i would have had lost my voice after the match for the mistakes that his players were making . he removed lamar at half time and i dont know why but moratta stayed on . to be honest i would be shouting my lungs out for his misadventures . most importantly when you are playing on the counter attack then the forwards should be ready to receive the ball and start rolling . i found and moratta and correa wanting . also the midfield they should be supporting the front players and only feeding them when it is possible . the reason why i said then is flat is because they were standing like midfielders while they need to be taking where on one is ready to make run behind the back which keeps their attention getting the other forward the time and space on the ball . they were just flat . when simeone will see the tapes i hope he corrects his mistakes . but all and all i would be disappointed if liverpool dont reach the next round .
Tuesday, 18 February 2020
MY TAKE ON GETAFE VS BARCELONA
barcelona played getafe at getafe's home .getafe had been high flying in the league and they had been playing some good football . spanish press love for high line continues because getafe's high line is the highest in the la liga and it is widely reported . while writing about getafe i am going to take their two matches into consideration . getafe 's game against barcelona and valencia . getafe like's press high up and it looks like they have barrowed a page out of ariggo sacchi's tactical book . they play a 4-4-2 system but it more like 4-6 since all the men get behind the ball and try to help press . getafe played two different teams and two different tactically team's . most importantly they like to play on the counter just like liverpool where on they like to take advantage of the spreaded team .
the reason that getafe's plan worked against valencia was that valencia play similar to getafe . they too play a 4-4-2 system . so getafe could read as to what valencia were going to do when they have the ball and take proper actions . they limited valencia's ball movement in one zone and they successfully could strangle them in that zone . most importantly valencia's midfield just couldnt support their front players and parejo just couldnt cope with the pace of the game . barcelona's coach must had watched this game and he knew what he needed to do . he knew that he needed to break that strangle hold that getafe applies in the midfield . getafe first bring all the players behind the ball .secondly they play shape in the middle of the park denying the space for the opposition so they have to go wide to move the ball . now it even more easier for getafe to press because on the flanks they cannot use the whole pitch and the number of players that get imvolved in the play are limited so you can successfully press .against valencia this startergy worked .most importantly valencia played a very bad game and their player's just couldnt show their quality their on the ball . now barcelona knew what they needed to do .
most importantly the system that barcelona deploy's makes it difficult to press . plus most important thing is the quality of players that barcelona have got which are extremely important and the most important thing that nobody bother's to give credit is the quality that ter stegen possess . first bacelona's system they have three in the midfield plus messi too drops deep to get involved in the build up . most importantly once the ball gets to messi it gets very difficult to press because there is only one winner in one on one with him and once he beats his marker the defense had scramble to stop . so when this happens the whole defense can fall apart . still what getafe tried to do was they tried to make it difficult to get the ball to messi .they really worked hard and tried to press high up the pitch .but in this barcelona had one ace who deserve equal praise like the rest of the team and that is ter stegen .
when you are pressed at that time the back four's distribution becomes very important and there ability to pick pass to a player who had time and space on the ball and can relive some pressure on the press . but when even the back four is pressed then at that time the goal keepers ability to pass the ball and pick out of the back and pass perfectly becomes a very rare commodity . ter stegen has that i dont have the stats to show but he was absolutely hit .his ability to pick out a guy upfield is a very handsome quality he possess . his ability makes barcelona playing with 12 man on the field because the opposition cannot over commit for the fear of being hit back and ter stegens ability to pass is just the most important thing in that barcelona team .
getafe just couldnt over commit .first they couldnt bring the back four out of position because that would had let been disastrous . the other thing that barcelona did very good was barcelona pressed hard as soon they lost the ball they pressed getafe which was not what getafe expected and because of this getafe conceded possession many times . the thing is when you are so compact to press it is a boon as well as a curse because the opposition can give the same medicine to you which are trying to give it to them . most importantly i was not impressed by arrambari and maximovic who gave the possession cheaply many times . they should had the confidence and move the ball quickly cause they should read as to what barcelona were doing and should had tried to evade the press . getafe's coach likes jurgen style of football but then kloop's team has a very distinct style of playing football and there offense is one of the most perfectly coreographed thing . each and every player in the play knows his role and they play to perfection so if getafe are to go anywhere it is the offense which has to be bettered that what is . barcelona just stopped them in the first half and only in the second half because of pique's idiocracy that getafe could have had a chance .
last but not the least but i am disappointed in barca coach's tactics . the team is not playing the flowing football that barca known for and most importantly there is over dependency on messi . i think that after 15 min once he guages the opponents as to what they are doing and their players he should try to improvise . they still are playing slow offense where on they are confused as to what to do next . most importantly if setien is a man's coach then he should tell messi that he needs to share more of the ball with other team members .for his team's sake and even for messi who would want to more of a threat the the other players need to combine because messi will always be a ace on the field but when others will combine then he will have that time and space on the ball and then he can do what he does best .
the reason that getafe's plan worked against valencia was that valencia play similar to getafe . they too play a 4-4-2 system . so getafe could read as to what valencia were going to do when they have the ball and take proper actions . they limited valencia's ball movement in one zone and they successfully could strangle them in that zone . most importantly valencia's midfield just couldnt support their front players and parejo just couldnt cope with the pace of the game . barcelona's coach must had watched this game and he knew what he needed to do . he knew that he needed to break that strangle hold that getafe applies in the midfield . getafe first bring all the players behind the ball .secondly they play shape in the middle of the park denying the space for the opposition so they have to go wide to move the ball . now it even more easier for getafe to press because on the flanks they cannot use the whole pitch and the number of players that get imvolved in the play are limited so you can successfully press .against valencia this startergy worked .most importantly valencia played a very bad game and their player's just couldnt show their quality their on the ball . now barcelona knew what they needed to do .
most importantly the system that barcelona deploy's makes it difficult to press . plus most important thing is the quality of players that barcelona have got which are extremely important and the most important thing that nobody bother's to give credit is the quality that ter stegen possess . first bacelona's system they have three in the midfield plus messi too drops deep to get involved in the build up . most importantly once the ball gets to messi it gets very difficult to press because there is only one winner in one on one with him and once he beats his marker the defense had scramble to stop . so when this happens the whole defense can fall apart . still what getafe tried to do was they tried to make it difficult to get the ball to messi .they really worked hard and tried to press high up the pitch .but in this barcelona had one ace who deserve equal praise like the rest of the team and that is ter stegen .
when you are pressed at that time the back four's distribution becomes very important and there ability to pick pass to a player who had time and space on the ball and can relive some pressure on the press . but when even the back four is pressed then at that time the goal keepers ability to pass the ball and pick out of the back and pass perfectly becomes a very rare commodity . ter stegen has that i dont have the stats to show but he was absolutely hit .his ability to pick out a guy upfield is a very handsome quality he possess . his ability makes barcelona playing with 12 man on the field because the opposition cannot over commit for the fear of being hit back and ter stegens ability to pass is just the most important thing in that barcelona team .
getafe just couldnt over commit .first they couldnt bring the back four out of position because that would had let been disastrous . the other thing that barcelona did very good was barcelona pressed hard as soon they lost the ball they pressed getafe which was not what getafe expected and because of this getafe conceded possession many times . the thing is when you are so compact to press it is a boon as well as a curse because the opposition can give the same medicine to you which are trying to give it to them . most importantly i was not impressed by arrambari and maximovic who gave the possession cheaply many times . they should had the confidence and move the ball quickly cause they should read as to what barcelona were doing and should had tried to evade the press . getafe's coach likes jurgen style of football but then kloop's team has a very distinct style of playing football and there offense is one of the most perfectly coreographed thing . each and every player in the play knows his role and they play to perfection so if getafe are to go anywhere it is the offense which has to be bettered that what is . barcelona just stopped them in the first half and only in the second half because of pique's idiocracy that getafe could have had a chance .
last but not the least but i am disappointed in barca coach's tactics . the team is not playing the flowing football that barca known for and most importantly there is over dependency on messi . i think that after 15 min once he guages the opponents as to what they are doing and their players he should try to improvise . they still are playing slow offense where on they are confused as to what to do next . most importantly if setien is a man's coach then he should tell messi that he needs to share more of the ball with other team members .for his team's sake and even for messi who would want to more of a threat the the other players need to combine because messi will always be a ace on the field but when others will combine then he will have that time and space on the ball and then he can do what he does best .
Wednesday, 5 February 2020
MY TAKE ON THE MADRID DERBY .
real madrid played ath mad in the madrid derby . when two big teams play then you need to some great intricate play's .great understanding of the situation and most importantly very good technical ability . even though there was a result the game was a stale one . how many clear chances did both teams created . it is expected that when two big team play then they try not to over commit . real started the game with 4-5-1 while ath mad started the game with their usual 4-4-2 formation . the game wasnt that great it was an ordinary affair .
i think its time ath mad need to find somebody and simieone's should move on . while i am critical of simeone i dont think very great about zidane . the reason being just look at the number of chances created by real in open play . while playing the game there are small things that make a lot of difference . like when should go solo or when should pass .the commentators used a good phrase for it going down the blind alley and at times morrata and certain ath mad players were doing that and that needs to change. now ath mad like to sit back and hit on the counter . they like to play deep and this invites a lot of trouble because when you are playing deep and compact you can be conceding the possession as well as corners . thats what happened in the first 20min . real started the game with isco and valverde in the wide positions . real especially on the right side were doing good progress in taking the ball upfield but there are small things that need to be corrected . first thing when you had play then you need to have a good reading of your position(i.e you need to know whether you can have time on the ball ,can you do a half turn , which player is guarding you and many things .) there were two instances in particular where on i felt that the players made the wrong decisions . first off ramos who missed a shot in the box on real's corner. he should had known that he had time and space on the ball and should had taken a touch and then shot the ball .a touch makes a world of difference in football . secondly when modric ,valverde and casmeiro were moving the ball from right modric had taken the position between lines and there was no direct opponent who was guarding him . he had the time and space to make a half turn and pass the ball.most importantly the reason i am saying this is that modric passed the ball outside to valverde but he could had passed it inside and taken the defense by surprise because that is what the team tries to do when they have the ball . another thing is real were moving the ball from wing to wing in a bid trying to find the space but how can you find the space if you dont work out a single wing . most importantly real players were trying to move ball from one flank to another in between a move and that is stupid and in that process they were conceding the possession . in the first half real were just poor they couldnt penetrate . their best chances came of corner's which they should had taken.
ath mad likes to play on the counter and the reason i am critical of simeone is because real were trying to press up .but while doing so they were not that tight and ath mad could pass the ball around . if you had seen real madrid matches then both varane and ramos dont get tight on opposition and they were sitting allowing the opposition forward time and space on the ball. both vitolo and moratta were guilty of spending time on the ball and making poor decisions .while playing on the counter you have to seize the moment . you need to be aware at what time you need to release the ball and when to keep it . ath mad created good chances in the first half but poor decision making and solo ventures couldnt bring the chances to frutition .most importantly in football your chances double up for scoring when you keep the opposition guessing . if you go single minded that you are just going to just shoot or pass then it gets easy for the opposition to read you . the reason for this is most of the players are single minded but great players are hard to read because they can disguise their shot or pass which makes them more threatning . in the first half correa had the chance to pass the ball instead of taking shot then he would had made himself more threatning and that would the team overall .
the game changed in the second half .zidane made two substitutions he bought two wide players thinking that he didnt had speed on the wings . now you are lauded if you win and you are criticized ifyour move fail . in the whole match madrid created one good move when vinicius and mendy combined on the left wing and vinicius released mendy behind the back four . before that substitution had happened and lamar was drafted on the left wing while correa was sent forward to partner vitolo . untill that moment mendy had crossed some good balls in the first half . most importantly ath were caught napping and they didnt thought that real could muster that move . most importantly the back four fell asleep . since Vrsaljko was played out in the move felipe had to move to cover Vrsaljko's space . this led to entire defense moving and in that they lost benzema . the other thing was compared to other times ath mad were playing with a high defensive line which gave mendy the space between back four and the goalkeeper to cross the ball which led to real's goal .
the one player that impressed me the most was casmeiro . he performed his defensive role astutely and didnt let that ath mad work those traingles and his defensive work was the result that real dominated in the second half . he is not known for his offensive role but let me tell you he has a good reading of the game on that as well . in the first half he crossed a peach of a ball . he absolutely produced a great ball which should had been read by benzema . a striker should a read as to where his team mates can cross the ball and should try to get there . casmeiro crossed the ball where the goal couldnt come and the back four couldnt get there . benzema had the chance had he read casmeiro's intentions and tried to get there . this is what is called jellying where on teammates read other and it produces great football .
my criticism of simeone's is because when you make the adjustment then you should try play a different game . he replaced moratta trying to match real man for man . lemar is not correa who can run behind defense .he plays different game .so he has to make adjustments to the game plan as to how will now operate when they have the ball . most importantly even when real made the changes they didnt change the shape and had simeone tried to calm his troops he could have had something from the game . ath mad's offense just fell apart in the second half and simeone has to be held for the loss .
i think its time ath mad need to find somebody and simieone's should move on . while i am critical of simeone i dont think very great about zidane . the reason being just look at the number of chances created by real in open play . while playing the game there are small things that make a lot of difference . like when should go solo or when should pass .the commentators used a good phrase for it going down the blind alley and at times morrata and certain ath mad players were doing that and that needs to change. now ath mad like to sit back and hit on the counter . they like to play deep and this invites a lot of trouble because when you are playing deep and compact you can be conceding the possession as well as corners . thats what happened in the first 20min . real started the game with isco and valverde in the wide positions . real especially on the right side were doing good progress in taking the ball upfield but there are small things that need to be corrected . first thing when you had play then you need to have a good reading of your position(i.e you need to know whether you can have time on the ball ,can you do a half turn , which player is guarding you and many things .) there were two instances in particular where on i felt that the players made the wrong decisions . first off ramos who missed a shot in the box on real's corner. he should had known that he had time and space on the ball and should had taken a touch and then shot the ball .a touch makes a world of difference in football . secondly when modric ,valverde and casmeiro were moving the ball from right modric had taken the position between lines and there was no direct opponent who was guarding him . he had the time and space to make a half turn and pass the ball.most importantly the reason i am saying this is that modric passed the ball outside to valverde but he could had passed it inside and taken the defense by surprise because that is what the team tries to do when they have the ball . another thing is real were moving the ball from wing to wing in a bid trying to find the space but how can you find the space if you dont work out a single wing . most importantly real players were trying to move ball from one flank to another in between a move and that is stupid and in that process they were conceding the possession . in the first half real were just poor they couldnt penetrate . their best chances came of corner's which they should had taken.
ath mad likes to play on the counter and the reason i am critical of simeone is because real were trying to press up .but while doing so they were not that tight and ath mad could pass the ball around . if you had seen real madrid matches then both varane and ramos dont get tight on opposition and they were sitting allowing the opposition forward time and space on the ball. both vitolo and moratta were guilty of spending time on the ball and making poor decisions .while playing on the counter you have to seize the moment . you need to be aware at what time you need to release the ball and when to keep it . ath mad created good chances in the first half but poor decision making and solo ventures couldnt bring the chances to frutition .most importantly in football your chances double up for scoring when you keep the opposition guessing . if you go single minded that you are just going to just shoot or pass then it gets easy for the opposition to read you . the reason for this is most of the players are single minded but great players are hard to read because they can disguise their shot or pass which makes them more threatning . in the first half correa had the chance to pass the ball instead of taking shot then he would had made himself more threatning and that would the team overall .
the game changed in the second half .zidane made two substitutions he bought two wide players thinking that he didnt had speed on the wings . now you are lauded if you win and you are criticized ifyour move fail . in the whole match madrid created one good move when vinicius and mendy combined on the left wing and vinicius released mendy behind the back four . before that substitution had happened and lamar was drafted on the left wing while correa was sent forward to partner vitolo . untill that moment mendy had crossed some good balls in the first half . most importantly ath were caught napping and they didnt thought that real could muster that move . most importantly the back four fell asleep . since Vrsaljko was played out in the move felipe had to move to cover Vrsaljko's space . this led to entire defense moving and in that they lost benzema . the other thing was compared to other times ath mad were playing with a high defensive line which gave mendy the space between back four and the goalkeeper to cross the ball which led to real's goal .
the one player that impressed me the most was casmeiro . he performed his defensive role astutely and didnt let that ath mad work those traingles and his defensive work was the result that real dominated in the second half . he is not known for his offensive role but let me tell you he has a good reading of the game on that as well . in the first half he crossed a peach of a ball . he absolutely produced a great ball which should had been read by benzema . a striker should a read as to where his team mates can cross the ball and should try to get there . casmeiro crossed the ball where the goal couldnt come and the back four couldnt get there . benzema had the chance had he read casmeiro's intentions and tried to get there . this is what is called jellying where on teammates read other and it produces great football .
my criticism of simeone's is because when you make the adjustment then you should try play a different game . he replaced moratta trying to match real man for man . lemar is not correa who can run behind defense .he plays different game .so he has to make adjustments to the game plan as to how will now operate when they have the ball . most importantly even when real made the changes they didnt change the shape and had simeone tried to calm his troops he could have had something from the game . ath mad's offense just fell apart in the second half and simeone has to be held for the loss .
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
MY TAKE ON THE GAME BETWEEN VALENCIA VS BARCELONA
barcelona played valencia in the la liga on saturday .earlier barcelona had sacked their coach valverde and installed new coach . so it was worth watching as to what tactics he deploys . the criticism faced by valverde was that when things start to go against the team . he is not able to change things . the thing is that barcelona lost but all the focus in on the offense as to what barca does in the opposition half . the other half doesnt gets the proper attention which is very much required . even if barcelona had been failing to score but would had defended properly then they would had drawn games . the main problem for barcelona is not their offense but their defense . they dont have a natural leader at the back which is very much required by any great team who would organise things for them . just look at liverpool and the success they are having after signing van dyke . pique is world cup winning player and he is the one of the most senior most player at the club and has that experience but at times it seems that he is the problem who has lost reading of the game and makes all the wrong decisions . what barcelona are missing is a leader like pique at the back who can do all the organising . another thing is man utd are right of now looking for a new coach and the one name that i would throw in the ring is that of the new valencia coach celades who has steadied the ship . i would certainly like him to be considered . 
barcelona started the game with 4-3-3 formation while valencia started with 4-4-2 formation . the commentrators while commenting rightly pointed that there was no difference between valverde's style and stein's style . now the main thing that needs to be considered is can barcelona look past messi . who is making the tactical decisions because the amount of ball that he is seeing is good and bad for the team . good this way that he is the best ball player in the world and bad this way that he has slowed down and stopping him means that you are effectively stopping the team . another thing is that if you are playing other players you have to get them involved in the game . the trouble with valverde and even with stein is that they are not just able to devise a proper offense where on all the players see equal amount of the all and all the front players have equal chance and not just messi . barcelona were passing but the passing looked pedestrian and laborious . barca's offense looked predictable and valencia looked comfortable while defending and they knew when to press and when to sit back and absorb the pressure . if you looked at the offense then it is all messi . how of the ball was seen by griezman . the team will only function well when it plays as a team . in the first half griezman hardly saw the ball and even if saw it then his only work was to pass it back to messi . i think messi too will benefit if he can gel these players and create offense not ony exclusive messi .
the trouble is not messi but its pque . barcelona conceded the first penalty in the first half which was saved but before that counter attack barca faced another counter attack and pique's stupidity was seen evident in that one . valencia tried to release one of the front four behind the barca back four with ball over the top .now when you coach defense it is coached that he shouldnt even head the ball in the middle so that the opposition has a chance . he should either head it wide or try to clear it . pique headed the ball but instead of clearing he headed right in front of the back four . this kind of stupidity is what is costing barca . secondly valverde had a fallout with busquestus .particularly this season and he had dropped him in some matches . the reason i think valverde must be unhappy is that busquestus doesnt maintains his positional discipline and he should be one who should try to stop the counter but he seems to fail in those attempts . valencia's second goal is the prime example of busquestus incompetence and that doesnt gets highlighted which is the main reason why barcelona are struggling .
valecia played the game very nicely . they didnt went chasing and most importantly coquelin who much criticized at arsenal ( for no reason although he is good player ) and kongdobia who flopped at inter played a very good game . they protected their back four very nicely and they moved the ball very nicely . the most worrying thing about barca were not able to stop valencia in the tracks.
on the other note man utd is in the news and they are going to sign bruno fernandes but is he the answer then certainly not . most importantly they should be looking for napoli's allan and zalensky or even emre can or somebody better . last but not the least but if somebody is criticizing fred of man utd then he is stupid. he is only guy in the team who giving the best performance in that team and should be lauded than criticized .
barcelona started the game with 4-3-3 formation while valencia started with 4-4-2 formation . the commentrators while commenting rightly pointed that there was no difference between valverde's style and stein's style . now the main thing that needs to be considered is can barcelona look past messi . who is making the tactical decisions because the amount of ball that he is seeing is good and bad for the team . good this way that he is the best ball player in the world and bad this way that he has slowed down and stopping him means that you are effectively stopping the team . another thing is that if you are playing other players you have to get them involved in the game . the trouble with valverde and even with stein is that they are not just able to devise a proper offense where on all the players see equal amount of the all and all the front players have equal chance and not just messi . barcelona were passing but the passing looked pedestrian and laborious . barca's offense looked predictable and valencia looked comfortable while defending and they knew when to press and when to sit back and absorb the pressure . if you looked at the offense then it is all messi . how of the ball was seen by griezman . the team will only function well when it plays as a team . in the first half griezman hardly saw the ball and even if saw it then his only work was to pass it back to messi . i think messi too will benefit if he can gel these players and create offense not ony exclusive messi .
the trouble is not messi but its pque . barcelona conceded the first penalty in the first half which was saved but before that counter attack barca faced another counter attack and pique's stupidity was seen evident in that one . valencia tried to release one of the front four behind the barca back four with ball over the top .now when you coach defense it is coached that he shouldnt even head the ball in the middle so that the opposition has a chance . he should either head it wide or try to clear it . pique headed the ball but instead of clearing he headed right in front of the back four . this kind of stupidity is what is costing barca . secondly valverde had a fallout with busquestus .particularly this season and he had dropped him in some matches . the reason i think valverde must be unhappy is that busquestus doesnt maintains his positional discipline and he should be one who should try to stop the counter but he seems to fail in those attempts . valencia's second goal is the prime example of busquestus incompetence and that doesnt gets highlighted which is the main reason why barcelona are struggling .
valecia played the game very nicely . they didnt went chasing and most importantly coquelin who much criticized at arsenal ( for no reason although he is good player ) and kongdobia who flopped at inter played a very good game . they protected their back four very nicely and they moved the ball very nicely . the most worrying thing about barca were not able to stop valencia in the tracks.
on the other note man utd is in the news and they are going to sign bruno fernandes but is he the answer then certainly not . most importantly they should be looking for napoli's allan and zalensky or even emre can or somebody better . last but not the least but if somebody is criticizing fred of man utd then he is stupid. he is only guy in the team who giving the best performance in that team and should be lauded than criticized .
Saturday, 5 October 2019
MY TAKE ON THE BARCELONA VS INTER MILAN GAME .
inter milan played barcelona at home . this is the first of the two test that conte's side had this week . before i write the article let me tell you . in football when sir alex fergusson was the man utd manager his famous quote used to be that football is played for 90 min . you have to plan according to the halves . you cannot play with the same tempo all throughout the game and you need to plan the moves as the game progresses . even though its a team game but individuals make the team . with every passing minute in the game you get tired and that affects your intensity,concentration, relex and even your decision making since these are all related . for the very first half i thought that what conte's 2016 italian team did with the spanish team . they played a wonderful counter attacking football and nullified the opposition and were brave on possession .while he aced the first half he should had read the second half and should have had a plan b this is where he was and is lacking . he should had read in the second half that barcelona will be changing things . they will get more aggressive and try things differently . while at the same time his players which were playing superbly in the first half will be able to play the same way in the second half . he should have got more italian and just try to make things difficult for barcelona . then even when the game was equalised he should have had taken that and should had tried to win the game and should had taken the draw . this first half performance was enough for him to win the game mentally and would had given him the upper hand in the second encounter which would be very interesting one .
barcelona started the game with what you call the best possible 11 that they can put on the pitch with their best formation . while conte started with his pet 3-5-2 formation . first off i dont know as to how barca blaugranes has got into my google feed but in the first half conte's team played the best counter attacking football and valverde just didnt had no answer for it . now its in the barca dna to go and press while the time is gone . now most of the teams ( except the english players that too who play in the premier league ) are good in one and one situations . they move the ball quickly and the time to hard press had passed . the trouble with barcelona is that barcelona are still in this middle limbo as to what to do when they loose the ball . should they go and press and try to win possession or just sit back and allow the time and possession on the ball . this thing was boon for inter milan and conte had prepared his team for that . this is perfect example of how you should move the ball . they moved the ball inside and outside with midfielders supporting the wide players perfectly in moving the ball . most importantly they choose to take it to move the ball from back to front right from the goal keeper who was calm even in press and moved the ball very nicely . 
now the things to notice in the first half was barcelona were just too slow in their interplay . i had said this many a times this barca side just searches for messi to do everything . barceloan always like to move from back to front and it wasnt just that inter were starting very deep . they started with a high line trying to win the ball high but never overdoing thing and move back as the ball moved up . barcelona were slow in build and they just couldnt take advantage of the high line that inter were holding initially because the distance between front line and back line was less than 25 yards and barcelona just couldnt do that .i think conte must had watched the dortmund-barca game and he would based his tactics on that . inter were playing deep and they just couldnt play a fast tempo game because that would had isolated sanchez and martinez and barcelona could had contain them . so inter had to build up with small passes but with good tempo and counter barca . in the first half you can read the barca's play and that meant that inter could adjust themselves to the play or even press them . barcelona were just too slow in the first half .
the trouble with dropping too deep is that if you loose possession then it can come to bite back your ass because ur players are in opposite momentum and opposition can find the spaces to hit you . barcelona just couldnt even do that in the first half . but in all of the match inter played a deep line and this has problems because even if you are protecting the box it just creates chances just beyond the box and this was always the trouble for inter .
the second half started somehow like the first half for the first 10 min but then you start to get tired and you cannot play the same style for 90 min .in the second half barcelona upped the tempo messi started to take control of the game and most importantly valverde had to change the things . he changed the shape . he subbed busqeustus and asked de jong and arthur move in front of the back four while vidal was drafted just behind suarez . now just as the second half progressed the hard work that inter did in the first half had started to take the toll . they were on their toes in the first half and were eager to close down . more importantly barcelona were playing on a counter counter system where on they were eager the take the ball up very quickly and that created the chance for suarez between the lines . as i had already said that when you drop too deep it creates chances around the box . i would say this was suarez's brilliance because he took the volley shot . had the tried to take a touch and shoot then he would had been closed down but he realised the importance of the moment and took the shot .
conte then had realised the inter were lite in front the back five and barcelona were trying to take advantage of it . secondly sanchez had run full steam so he needed to be subbed . so he subbed gagliardini for sanchez and changed the shape from 5-3-2 to 5-4-1 . this fell in barcelona's hands as inter couldnt bring players forward quickly on the counter attack . secondly barcelona having equalized thought that they could get something out of the game . they subbed dembele for griezman who is more direct than griezman . this pushed inter more deeper . the second was all brilliance by suarez who used goidin's momentum against him messi passed the ball to suarez and suarez's first touch took the ball past godin who was coming to close him down . barca could score because again inter were lost the possession in the middle of the park and barca countered .
now again barca blagurana's had severly criticized valverde for his team's first half performance . to be honest they are correct . valerde was seen dropping on his one knee and seemed clueless as to what was happening and how his team getting outplayed . he was mute on the sidelines and was'nt passing a single instruction . now the coaches can spot things from the sidelines which the player cannot see in the flow of the game . let me give you an example . in the first half inter's middle three were againt barca's middle three of which brozovic was coming out of his natural position to press busquestus . now the coaches job is to spot the gaps in the opponents formation and he should ask his team to try to exploit it . he can ask the team to play to play at a certain tempo depending on the situation in the game . now the brozovic's example is given because he coming out of his natural position which is quite much . he coming beyond 10 to 15 yards and that length needs to be exploited . any anamoly in the formation of the opposition is to be exploited and that is what the coaches job is . this is where valverde was lacking and first half performance wasnt helping . it was good that barca won the game or else there may be voices asking for valverde's head.
now the things to notice in the first half was barcelona were just too slow in their interplay . i had said this many a times this barca side just searches for messi to do everything . barceloan always like to move from back to front and it wasnt just that inter were starting very deep . they started with a high line trying to win the ball high but never overdoing thing and move back as the ball moved up . barcelona were slow in build and they just couldnt take advantage of the high line that inter were holding initially because the distance between front line and back line was less than 25 yards and barcelona just couldnt do that .i think conte must had watched the dortmund-barca game and he would based his tactics on that . inter were playing deep and they just couldnt play a fast tempo game because that would had isolated sanchez and martinez and barcelona could had contain them . so inter had to build up with small passes but with good tempo and counter barca . in the first half you can read the barca's play and that meant that inter could adjust themselves to the play or even press them . barcelona were just too slow in the first half .
the trouble with dropping too deep is that if you loose possession then it can come to bite back your ass because ur players are in opposite momentum and opposition can find the spaces to hit you . barcelona just couldnt even do that in the first half . but in all of the match inter played a deep line and this has problems because even if you are protecting the box it just creates chances just beyond the box and this was always the trouble for inter .
the second half started somehow like the first half for the first 10 min but then you start to get tired and you cannot play the same style for 90 min .in the second half barcelona upped the tempo messi started to take control of the game and most importantly valverde had to change the things . he changed the shape . he subbed busqeustus and asked de jong and arthur move in front of the back four while vidal was drafted just behind suarez . now just as the second half progressed the hard work that inter did in the first half had started to take the toll . they were on their toes in the first half and were eager to close down . more importantly barcelona were playing on a counter counter system where on they were eager the take the ball up very quickly and that created the chance for suarez between the lines . as i had already said that when you drop too deep it creates chances around the box . i would say this was suarez's brilliance because he took the volley shot . had the tried to take a touch and shoot then he would had been closed down but he realised the importance of the moment and took the shot .
conte then had realised the inter were lite in front the back five and barcelona were trying to take advantage of it . secondly sanchez had run full steam so he needed to be subbed . so he subbed gagliardini for sanchez and changed the shape from 5-3-2 to 5-4-1 . this fell in barcelona's hands as inter couldnt bring players forward quickly on the counter attack . secondly barcelona having equalized thought that they could get something out of the game . they subbed dembele for griezman who is more direct than griezman . this pushed inter more deeper . the second was all brilliance by suarez who used goidin's momentum against him messi passed the ball to suarez and suarez's first touch took the ball past godin who was coming to close him down . barca could score because again inter were lost the possession in the middle of the park and barca countered .
now again barca blagurana's had severly criticized valverde for his team's first half performance . to be honest they are correct . valerde was seen dropping on his one knee and seemed clueless as to what was happening and how his team getting outplayed . he was mute on the sidelines and was'nt passing a single instruction . now the coaches can spot things from the sidelines which the player cannot see in the flow of the game . let me give you an example . in the first half inter's middle three were againt barca's middle three of which brozovic was coming out of his natural position to press busquestus . now the coaches job is to spot the gaps in the opponents formation and he should ask his team to try to exploit it . he can ask the team to play to play at a certain tempo depending on the situation in the game . now the brozovic's example is given because he coming out of his natural position which is quite much . he coming beyond 10 to 15 yards and that length needs to be exploited . any anamoly in the formation of the opposition is to be exploited and that is what the coaches job is . this is where valverde was lacking and first half performance wasnt helping . it was good that barca won the game or else there may be voices asking for valverde's head.
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