Finally! An Opponent With A Team Name!

Mclucky FC Vs Soccerblues FC

Time: 3.00pm
Venue:Pasir Ris Crescent Secondary School
Weather: Sunny with scattered clouds

Starting Line-up:
Alex (GK), Chun Wei (DR), Zhang Wei (DC), Wei De (DC), Yang Teng (DL), Rayner (MC),
Siu Chun (MC), Sin Cheng (MC), Boon Wee (FL/R), Wei Chern (FC), Ben (FL/R)
**FL/R represents Left or Right Forward**

Substitutes: Bing De, Da Hao

Formation: 4-3-3

Pre Match

Anyone can fill me in on what happened before the match started? Other than warming up by playing "pig in the middle"? Yours truly woke up late on a sunny Saturday afternoon after being hypnotised by the football match between Italy and Ukraine at 3am. Watching the first half of the match was like watching paint dry, a fantastic remedy for insomniacs who simply cannot get to sleep. I arrived at the pitch just in time to catch the later moments of the first half, so anyone who wishes to add to the match highlights (and arrived a lot earlier than me) are highly encouraged to do so. Moving along...

Match Highlights

First Half

The first half saw Mclucky FC taking the lead through Wei Chern, who plants a firm header into the back of the net following a good delivery of the ball from the corner. 1-0 to Mclucky.

Siu Chun almost scores a second goal for Mclucky when he spots the keeper off his line and trys a 25-metre screamer from distance. The ball sails over the keeper's flailing arms but it hits the cross-bar and goes out of play.

The Soccerblues manage to secure an equalising goal soon after when they scramble the ball into the net after a frantic goal-mouth scramble. All square at 1-1.

The Mclucky lads then get a chance to take the lead in the closing moments of the first half when they are awarded a penalty after a Soccerblues defender was deemed to have held back Boon Wee while he was heading towards goal. Wei Chern steps up to take the spot kick but it is saved by the flamboyantly-clad Soccerblues keeper, who had been giving quite a reassuring performance throughout the first half. A goal each for both teams as the referee signals the end of the first half.

Second Half

The 4-3-3 formation adopted by Mclucky FC seems to be working well when they come out with all guns blazing in the second half. However, the forwards seemed to have left their scoring boots at home, unable to convert the numerous goal-scoring opportunities into actual goals. Credit must also be given to the Soccerblues defenders, who were quick to close down our forwards and deny them space to move or pass the ball into.

The inablity to score a crucial goal would prove to be Mclucky's undoing later in the second half when Kee Yong, the playmaker of the Soccerblues, curls a free-kick into the top right corner of the net from outside the penalty area. The Soccerblues take a 2-1 lead towards the end of the match.

The goal fired up the Mclucky lads, who stepped up a gear and tried to press for an equaliser, but were stopped in their tracks by the outstanding Soccerblues goalkeeper, who came off his line several times in the closing stages to thwart the threat of our on-rushing forwards. Tight defending by the opposition towards the end also made it hard for Mclucky to create any realistic goal- scoring opportunities. A hard-fought match where finishing proved to be the decisive factor. It ends 2-1 in favour of the Soccerblues.

Post Match

The 4-3-3 formation proved to be penetrating enough, but poor finishing cost us dearly. With better finishing, the match could have finished in our favour and by a much larger score-line. However, one can see that the ball movement between our own players has improved quite significantly when compared to our previous matches. Our players seem to be more composed when in possesion of the ball too, looking out for open team-mates to pass the ball to or simply passing the ball back into defence when they run short of options. Off-the-ball positioning has also improved, which along the formation, gives the forwards and midfielders more space to work with. Defenders were also quick to back-track and shadow opposing players making runs into our penalty box, limiting the opponents to long shots and high balls.

Now with the demerits. The 3-men midfield were often seen shifting out of position as the game progressed. Sin Cheng in particular, was most often seen drifting out of his position to move further up the pitch. Our triangular 3-men midfield became a 3-men "diagonal line" midfield in the end, with Rayner in danger of being over-worked as he had to cover the area left behind by Sin Cheng whenever the Soccerblues counter-attacked. More discussion is needed on this issue so all are welcomed to leave your comments! Don't be shy! "Just Shoot!"

With the 4-3-3 system, our forwards on the wings are encouraged to dribble and run with the ball to maximise their speed and agility advantage, but sometimes they are often caught too far up near the corner of the pitch with little or no options to pass the ball, resulting in them trying to take on 2 or more defenders on their own and more often than not, losing possesion of the ball in the process.
Perhaps in a situation like this, we could push our midfield slightly higher onto the pitch to support the wingers, or could we get our wing backs to be more adventurous and move beyond the half-way line to support the attack? Maybe this is the reason why Sin Cheng drifted out of postion so often during the match with the Soccerblues? To provide more options in attack? More discussion is also need on this topic. 不要客气，有话直说。

Player Ratings (flames not included...just honest comments...haha)

Alex:
Competent replacement for Kelvin, but could do better with his handling of ball when under pressure from opposing players. Thanks for coming!

Chun Wei:
Another reassuring performance at right back, but became largely anonymous when deployed as a forward as he did not use his pace and agility to their full advantage.

Zhang Wei:
Deputised in central defence as Wei De's partner and did well. Watched his man and shadowed him well. Was also on hand to clean up any loose balls in the penalty area, providing important backup to Wei De. Now we know he can play in any side of the defence.

Wei De:
Puts in effort week in, week out. A composed and imposing figure in defence, but should have helped Alex in organising the defence during set-pieces.

Yang Teng:
A newcomer in Mclucky FC. Often caught out of position (as described by Bing De in his "don't-stand-in-front-of-the-man-you-are-marking" comments earlier) whenever opponents attacked down his flank. Needs to communicate more with fellow midfielders and defenders to distribute defensive duties (ie: who marks who).

Rayner:
An excellent defensive midfielder with exceptional ball-winning skills. Provides an added attacking edge with his surging runs down midfield and has good vision to pick out fellow players with a long through-balls. Protects the defence well.

Sin Cheng:
Jekyll and Hyde performance. Attack-mindedness caused him to drift out of his midfield position often, leaving a gaping hole in midfield to be covered by the remaining midfielders. We all know you can do better, just like you did at Bishan. I want to see that sort of through passes again!

Siu Chun:
One of the best performances I have seen from him. Played accurate long balls for the forwards to chase. Has good vision and distributes the ball well, although his stamnia could be further improved to allow him to last a full game.

Boon Wee:
Made use of his pace and trickery to cause problems for the Soccerblues' defence. Could be better in his decision-making when faced with numerous markers by passing the ball back to open players nearby rather than trying to take on the defence himself.

Ben:
Similar to Boon Wee. Penetrating runs into the heart of the opponent's defence but made questionable decisions on several occasions with his decision to run and jink his way through defenders rather than making use of open team-mates nearby as the easier option.

Wei Chern:
Held the ball well as the target striker but still lacked physical presence upfront when compared to Alvin. A good header of the ball but is essentially still a creative midfielder who prefers to pass the ball and play-make rather than shooting on-sight.

Bing De:
Commanding and defensive-minded figure who can play either in defence or just in front of it. Has good tactical knowledge and reads the game well, allowing him to help out in organising the defence when opponents counter-attack.

Da Hao:
Has improved since I last saw him play. Should be more composed when he receives the ball in defence if there are no opposition players nearby. Playing a short pass to team-mates nearby is a better choice rather than just clearing the ball high up into midfield.

Mclucky's Man of the Match: Siu Chun

Quote of the Match:
"Bing De, you know you got 3 or 4 options to pass the ball to? etc etc..."
--- Siu Chun