Inspiration....

The report on the recently-played match between Mclucky FC and Soccerblues FC drew numerous players to leave their comments on the blog. Many formation and tactical suggestions were brought up and it is good to see that we are all brain-storming for ideas on how to improve the team. So, inspired by all these comments, here are some ideas for this week's upcoming match with the "Damai Field" team.

If I remembered correctly, the "Damai Field" team (lets call them DFT and spare my fingers haha.....) had tall central defenders and quick wingers that counter-attacked constantly down the flanks, although apparently it always happened on the right side of our midfield...Remember? Our photographer Junhan had problems trying to capture the team on film during the game because the action was happening far away from where he was. Not sure whether the same group of players will face us again, but if they do.......


1. Use Alvin (he should be there =P) as the target striker

Not much explanation needed haha... We all know he has great physical presence upfield and nobody chests down long balls quite like Alvin. Will be able to shield the ball from the tall and big-sized central defenders for quite some time, allowing support to arrive from the wingers or midfield.


2. Speed on flanks to cut into middle

In an ideal situation, the presence of Alvin upfront should cause a few problems for their central defenders and either of them (should/will) stick close to him whenever we attack. This is where the forwards, either Ben/Boon Wee/Khee Yong/Sin Cheng come into play.

Alvin with ball:
Support Alvin and get him to lay the ball to them while the rest of the open forwards start their runs into the box, drawing defenders along with them. This will create more space for the forward with the ball to work with, leaving him with more options.

Any forward with ball:
Alvin would then try to support that forward while the rest make their runs into the box. If Alvin manages to draw the central defenders out, it would create more space down the middle.


3. Limit area where wing-backs overlap to

This would be a little "negative" in footballing terms, but at least it would reduce the chances of our wing-backs being caught out of position if we lose possesion deep in the opponent's half and they start a counter-attack using a long ball. Where the limit would be placed would depend on the pace of players deployed in those positions and how attack or defensive-minded they are.


4. Pack the midfield

Deploying more players in the middle would give us more options when we pass the ball around. Using the 4-2-3-1 system (as described by Siu Chun), the 2 holding midfielders would keep things tight in the area close to defence while the 3 midfielders further upfront would be able to provide adequate support to Alvin when we attack.