Power Overwhelming
Mclucky FC Vs Advisors Alliance
Time: 3.00 pm (40 minutes per half)
Venue: Tanglin Field 1
Starting Line-up:
Kelvin
ChunWei EeYang WeiDe ZhangWei
Ben SiuChun Rayner SinCheng
Alvin BoonWee
( 4-4-2)
Subs: Leslie, WeiChern, BingDe
Pre Match
Following their massive 6-1 demolition of Jackson's Team, Mclucky were off to the semi-remote Tanglin Field to face off with Advisors Alliance (I remember them having a proper team name, but I forgot what it was, so we'll just have to make do with what was printed on their jerseys...). Advisors Alliance, with many middle-aged members and a few younger ones mixed in between, were up against a young and energetic Mclucky team. Experience versus Youth. Composure versus Gung-ho. Who would prevail? Mclucky FC also welcomed the return of Wei Chern, who is in Singapore during his term break from study in Australia.
Team Tactics: Players were told to maximise their superior speed advantage and pass the ball around whenever Mclucky had possession to try to wear the opponents down. The long ball tactic used in previous matches was also to be put to use, with the ball being played down the flanks towards the corner flags. Our strikers, Alvin and Boon Wee, were told to spread their play towards the flanks in support of the wingers.
Match Highlights
1st Half
Mclucky concede their fastest goal ever in all the matches played so far. Within a minute of play, No.14 hits a left-footed shot which hits Eeyang and lobs over the stranded goalkeeper into goal. This is what the papers would term as a "fluke" goal while the rest will just say "Tyco!". 1-0. Advisors Alliance claim first blood.
Goalkeeper Kelvin then shows the rest why he should remain as No.1 for Mclucky when he makes a goal line clearance in the 7th minute after No.14 pounces and strikes on a long ball again. No.14 of Advisors Alliance is proving to be quite a handful for the Mclucky defenders, who try hard to deprive him of the ball. Substitution for Mclucky FC is made in the 22th minute, when Bing De replaces Zhang Wei at left-back. Siu Chun is then replaced by Wei Chern in the 24th minute in an attempt to improve the fluidity of Mclucky's play.
Mclucky then get the chance to equal the score in the 25th minute, when the referee awards them a penalty after No.21 (known to us as the "ang moh") handles the ball in the penalty area. Wei Chern makes no mistake from the spot as he fires home to put Mclucky on level terms. 1-1 and all square.
The tactical formation of Mclucky FC is then reshuffled in order to accomodate the introduction of Leslie into play, who replaces Ben and will operate in the middle together with Wei Chern. Rayner moves further down to play at right-back while Chun Wei is pushed up to operate in the right wing.
The introduction of Leslie almost results in a goal when Mclucky are awarded a free-kick outside the opposition's penalty box. Leslie gets the resultant kick on target but the keeper saves.
Siu Chun is then paired up with Alvin as Mclucky's striking duo after Boon Wee leaves the field in the 33rd minute. Ben then slots in on the left wing after replacing Sin Cheng three minutes later.
The unthinkable then happens just before half-time when No.14 of Advisors Alliance scores his second goal after latching on to yet another long ball after Eeyang mis-times his interception.
2-1. He then registers his hat-trick in the closing moments of the first half, scoring via ANOTHER long ball. 3-1. Double salvo in double minutes. Half time and Mclucky are down by two goals. They had better find a way to counter Advisors Alliance's long ball tactic.
Half Time
After much discussion, it was though that Mclucky's defence line was operating too far up on the
field. Instructions were then given to players to try to anticipate the movement of the ball while Wei De was assigned the role of sweeper in order to prevent any the of Advisors Alliance's strikers (particularly No.14) from latching onto long balls played from their half. Boon Wee regains his striking role in front while Siu Chun was placed in a withdrawn striker's role behind him. Leslie and Wei Chern remain in mid-field while Sin Cheng comes in for Chun Wei in the right wing.
Second Half
Mclucky are unable to break through the well-discliplined Alliance defence for a good 20 minutes before substitutions are made in order to introduce fresher legs onto the field. Sin Cheng is taken off and Chun Wei reverts to his role in the right wing while Siu Chun is taken off his withdrawn striker's role. Rayner replaces him and Alvin comes in for Boon Wee to regain his target striker's role.
33 minutes into the 2nd half, and Advisors Alliance are awarded a free-kick outside Mclucky's box. No.8 ("Jack") takes a good whack at the ball and it flies into the net, leaving the goalkeeper grasping thin air. 4-1. Advisors Alliance seem to be doing a demolition job.
Mclucky then manage to score a consolation goal via Ben when he gets the ball into the net from close range after the Alliance's defenders had missed Weide's long free-kick from the half-way line. 4-2 and the matches ends that way.
Post Match comments
What a footballing lesson the Advisors Alliance folks gave Mclucky FC. A well discliplined defence, good passing of the ball, composure under pressure and lots of stamina to show for their age. I won't say the Mclucky lads lack pace and stamina, but the defence is certainly messy at times while the movement of the ball also seemed limited. Defenders were often seen going for the same ball, resulting in more open space created for opposition strikers to run into. Crosses into the opponent's box from the flanks were also relatively poor, therefore the strikers did not get the service they so badly needed.
You would have realised by now that our goals from this match came from a winger and a penalty taken by a midfielder. No service = No goals in this case, unless we had Khee Yong who is fast and is able to fend off more physical defenders. I believe he more efficient at receiving the ball from deep and running at opposing defenders.
Boon Wee is quick too but he lacks the physical build to fend off larger-sized opponents and is easily muscled off the ball. This is where Alvin comes into play. Using his large build, he is able to hold up the ball up and lay it on for oncoming supporting players. However during the match, the defenders assigned to mark him were much bigger-sized than he was, therefore he was unable to hold on to the ball for extended periods of time.
What I suggest is that Mclucky should play a 4-3-3 system when attacking while changing back into a 4-5-1 when the oppenent is in possesion of the ball. Place Alvin in the middle of the 3-men attack, while placing Boon Wee/Ben/Chun Wei beside Alvin as forwards. A 4-5-1 will allow players to aim the ball at Alvin for a quick counter-attack when we regain possession of the ball. The forwards will then leave their midfield role and roam further up in support of Alvin. (Alvin you can also start to train to "turn and shoot on sight")
Siu Chun/Rayner/Leslie/Wei Chern/Sin Cheng can then operate as a 3-men midfield to keep things tight in the middle.
Sin Cheng has vision and can pass short balls with ease, but let's admit it, the dude has to improve on his crossing. Why not place him in midfield? The flanks is not really where he belongs to as Mclucky's "down the flank" playing style requires the wingers to possess pace and stamina, which he does not have a load of. Perhaps he will do better in midfield, we will never know until we try.
My choice of Boon Wee/Ben/Chun Wei as forwards are explained in this way. All three have pace and agility. Ben and Boon Wee offer more attacking options as they like to cut into the centre of the field. They can draw defenders away from Alvin and create more open spaces for attacks. This works vice-versa between them and Alvin. On the other hand,Chun Wei, though less willing to cut into the middle, offers a more flexible option as he seems tireless and I am quite sure he will be the first to rush back to help out the midfield during an opponent's counter-attack. (Provided he does not suffer from cramps =X)
Ultimately who plays where depends on Mclucky's style of play for that day, and it is the Captain, Wei De, who makes the decisions. So many choices and so many styles... Which one will you pick? 4-4-2 and down the line passing? Or 4-3-3 that goes into 4-5-1 while defending? 3-5-2? 4-2-4? Hahaha... No matter what formation, it takes a lot of disclipline to keep the formation in shape and to use the formation to its full advantage. That we must try to do.
posted by Yao Zong @ 4:34 AM
18 Comments:
Actualli, u can try pairing chunwei wif alvin as strikers. i tink it is a gd combi.will start scroing. coz chunwei has gd shootin power, fast and tricky enof. and he is aggressive anof for a striker.
we especially cant play 1 striker cos, we wun haf enough offensive power. offence might just be the best defence. central players should not hold the ball for too long, while flank players should try moving down the flanks, so that opposing defenders are stretched to their max. this will give strikers more room to play. unfortunately, our tactics now is to pump the first ball for the striker on the flanks, which means there will only be 1 man in the box. and at the back, if we r attacking from the left, the right back shud move inside to support. we always get caught in 1 on 1 situations when the long ball is pumped in and our defensive line is too high.
eh...haha...my meaning of 1 striker is only when we are defending... The target man is there so that we can counter attack fast if the opponents push many of their players up... The target striker provides us with a long ball option instead of us trying to play short passes to launch counter attackes...which may be too slow because the opponents would have recovered into their original positions by then. I agree with BoonWee on stretching the opponent's defence. The 4-3-3 with the 2 forwards supporting the striker can be used to do that. The forwards can draw defenders out from the box while central midfield players can move up to support the striker. Same thoughts on the wingers moving in to support when we attack down the flanks.
No offence, but I believe all this talk of formations is purely academic if we fail to perform the most basic tasks. Our inability to be disciplined, to make simple passes, to refuse to take the simpler route, and the non-existent off the ball running renders all formations useless as our attack breaks down within 2-3 passes and we are left scrambling back to intercept and defend, we can't hold on to possession long enough to even let the opposition notice that we actually have formations.
We are all technically capable of making simple passes, but somehow, as if its too embarrassing to make a simple open pass, there are many who would prefer to run till they have been closed down enough that they are forced squeeze a poor pass to no one. Even if its not positive play, at least we prolong our possession. It does not reflect poorly on you if you have to pass back to your fullbacks. We have to be mature enough to not let our ego get in the way of a simple pass! Speaking of such higher order tactics is really self-deluding tomfoolery when we must first humble ourselves.
Yap, agree with Siu TOTALLY. Is a common observation to see people refusing to pass the ball back to the defender or mid-fielders who are BEHIND them. Is not a shame to pass the ball to the back or to your side. if we cannot hold possession, how can we move on to win the game?
Ahh.. After much thoughts and discussion during our free time in the office with Junwei, I stumble upon the very reason why our defensive line is often played so high up.
Do you guys remember me shouting 'Midfield! Get BEHIND the man you're marking instead of BESIDE him!'?
Our midfield love to stand so high up when we're in defence.
My dear midfield: Please remember that you're defending against the opposition's midfielders, and not their defenders!
Our midfielders love to stand BESIDE or worse, IN FRONT of the opposition's midfielders!
As mr Leslie once said, we should stand 'between the player and the goal' when we defend against a player.
So please.. 看人不要看球！！！
If the midfielders stand beside the opposition's midfielders, once a long ball comes in and if the midfielder in question fails to anticipate and intercept that floating ball, the floodgates will be opened.
From what I remember, most of the passes which they managed to breach our defence is through the centre of our midfield. From my point of view as a left back, there's always a yawning gap between the midfield and the defence.
Until we get that right, we'll continue to leak goals against oppositions of similiar technical qualities to us.
Although i agree there should be midfielders staying back, I still feel long balls still stay within the jurisdiction of defenders. Against the style of the Advisors, I suggest another method instead, of course though it would require accurate reading of the game. Leave only one last man to stay in line with the lone striker, the moment the opposition pumps the ball, take a step up.Takes experience of course.haha...
sorry that was me
I still feel that chunwei shld try to play striker instead. If it fails, he can go back to his position. u nvr noe unless u try.
Have to agree with siu on this, perhaps we should get to play the simple game effectively first. It's good to have a nice formation, but I think it's even more important that we are able to provide support to our teammates in possession. That way, we keep the ball, and can still plan our attack even if it means going backwards. With one or two of those killer passes, we can then break into the opponents' defence and hopefully get something out of it.
But then again, it'll mean that we all have to be very fit in order to keep running into those open spaces. And coupled with what bing said (midfielders sometimes neglecting defensive duties...*hands up in guilt ^.^*), it all means that we either have to train up our fitness, or put in a lot more heart and discipline when into our play. This is where team unity comes in too, being able to run and sweat and bleed for each other.
Wah, so emotional. But just my two cents on the situation.
In fact, if our off the ball positioning is good enough, we can run a lot less then the usual pump-long-ball-lose-possession-chase-and-defend style we play. It means everytime we have a chance we pass, spread the play, its really a lot less running, and more of anticipation of how you can help out your team mates. If you anticipate well, you can slow jog there, by the time your help is needed, you can sprint there within a few steps. It beats hounding the opponent any day.
Also, I agree with Benny, in that, although fancy formations and tactics is fun and engaging to an extent, we must remember the underlying assumptions. Before we start thinking about colourful 3D charts with multi-directional and flanking arrows, we must remember the assumption is that the team can ALREADY PLAY A BASIC GAME.If we can't play the basics, all the chart and arrows we can draw will vaporise when we kick off, lose the ball, and mayhem ensues.
Haha... this topic on team tactics seems a little controversial... wait until weide gets back from his camp and reads this haha... glad to see all the discussion going on hehe... Though i have never stepped onto the pitch to play in a Mclucky game b4, i agree with the part where players refuse to pass the ball back and the defence line being pushed to high.
The suggestion of formations helps in the visualisation of how we could play, not how we must play.
Frankly speaking, all these stuff (eg: simple passes, running into open space, long balls, being alert and looking out for team-mates in open spaces etc. etc) require off-the-game training. You can't expect the team to improve as we play more games together. 90 minutes of pure football action does not allow for that. Then again, Weide has mentioned to me before that "they all just want to play games". Who are "they"? haha... I myself also dunno...
We can start 1001 topics on tactics and plays, but at the end of the day, if we don't practise it, what's the point???
Actually, if each player consciously take an effort to rememeber to pass, we can improve, and I am hope we do, because technically, we are good enough to be a formidable team, although i understand during the game its hard to re adjust your gameplay, therefore we must remind each other constantly.
Frank and postive comments and criticism from everyone here... Good to see everyone thinking on how we can improve haha... oh yeah you guys on the field must talk to each other more haha.. Don't be shy hahaha........
to benny:
I do recognise that the midfielders DO come back and help out in defence..
however, it is HOW the midfielders defend that is appalling.
As I've mentioned, our midfielders love to stand BESIDE the player or even IN FRONT of the player in question that they are supposed to be marking, as if they will DEFINITELY be able to intercept whatever ball that is passed to the attacker.
Hence, whenever a high, lobbing ball is launched to the middle of the park by the opponents, there is always a HUGE gap IF the our midfielder fails to intercept that floating ball.
Unfortunately, the 'if' has become 'often' too many.
So my suggestion: the centre midfielders, when defending, please stand BEHIND the player u are defending against FIRST, i.e. between him and the goalmouth.
And IF you think u are able to intercept the ball that is being passed to him, u can always sprint, overtake him and then intercept the ball.
I know that is quite theoratical, but however, if we managed to keep our discipline on this, we can easily hold the fort and then provide meaningful attacks from the back.
=)
Yes, i am delighted with all the comments by you guys. McLucky will surely improve as we play more games.
A reminder of the fundamentals, like passing back to the defenders and defending behind the men, are very important to our team. Watch more games, look at how the ball is passed around, how the players position themselves. Don't simply look out for the fanciful dribbles or spectacular goals. An organised build-up play is what we need. We might not be professionals but we can learn to play like them.
Formation-wise. I am open to all kinds of suggestions. 4-3-3 looks plausible for our team. A good alternative when 4-4-2's not effective?
I am also in the stage of learning, so if there's any suggestions, do not keep them strictly to this blog, express them on the pitch too. If there's anything you feel I've left out during the team talk session, please feel free to express them out. Thank you.
Of course, if we win games, we will enjoy them.
Actually, I thought we did pretty well in the second half of this match when we switched to a 4-2-3-1 kind of formation.
Speaking from an attacker's point of view, I felt an extra sense of security when we had 2 holding midfielders behind us, knowing that they'll be able to sweep up any counter attacks that the other team may try after we pour forward. Also, I don't think 1 holding midfielder can cover and anticipate the entire width of the pitch without being caught out on the other flank, so maybe the extra man can help him cover up.
The lone striker problem can easily be solved if the wingers or the more attacking minded midfielder can push up in support.
Of course, I still stand by the belief that we have to get out fundamentals right and create options for each other. But from the few matches that I've played in so far, this is the most comfortable system I've seen.
Comments? ^-^
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