New England - Postmatch

[Revfugee]

So should have NE...

I was being conservative. It was probably more like 5-6 good chances and the about 15 not so good.
At one point shots were 28-5. NE added 6 more after we started to push desperately forward.
They had three chances and converted one. Two of them were directly SJ’s spills.

That doesn’t change the fact that we dominated possession and shots and failed to convert.

 

[roxfontaine]

That doesn’t change the fact that we dominated possession and shots and failed to convert.

Not at all but I don't see the point in harping on it when the result shows that NE was more "clinical", as Dome put it. We've seen this MANY times before. Whole lotta possession and shots to no avail is not it.

 

[Revfugee]

Not at all but I don't see the point in harping on it when the result shows that NE was more "clinical", as Dome put it. We've seen this MANY times before. Whole lotta possession and shots to no avail is not it.

Usually when we’ve seen it in the past, we have possessed but failed to shoot. Again if we are able to snap off 3x the shots of our opponents and manage to penetrate like this, we will win a lot more than we lose. SJ is unlikely to do another double Saunders, Sands has emerged as a potentially solid Yangel replacement despite the miscues I cited above, and my only major beef other than the ridiculous lack of finishing is JLew’s dearth of minutes.

 

[canchon]

This game was over when NYCFC didn’t score in the first half. The Revs came in to bunker and play a sloppy game. Getting a goal in the first half blows up their game plan.

Once Fagundez and Agudelo came in, with the fact that NYCFC looked like they could keep shooting until the end of eternity without scoring, you knew if anyone was going to score it was going to be NE. Classic rope a dope by NE.

So in the last 3 home games:
1. Dominated, but gave up several goals including one late to tie
2. Went down to nine men and heroically didn’t get blown out 6-0
3. Dominated possession, completely inept in final third, another goal against run of play to lose

Yikes.

 

[adam]

Usually when we’ve seen it in the past, we have possessed but failed to shoot. Again if we are able to snap off 3x the shots of our opponents and manage to penetrate like this, we will win a lot more than we lose. SJ is unlikely to do another double Saunders, Sands has emerged as a potentially solid Yangel replacement despite the miscues I cited above, and my only major beef other than the ridiculous lack of finishing is JLew’s dearth of minutes.

Sands is really the Ring replacement and Ring slides into Yangel spot. Question still remains will Ring be able to heal up before the playoffs? And will Ring be the same player as an 8 as he was at the 6*?

*sidenote, Ring's only shot on goal this match he shot it low to the ground and right at the keeper. Really???? This is the one shot of his career he didn't lift the ball at all with his shot? The entire top of the goal was wide open. I hope he isn't in his own head.

 

[LionNYC]

Sands is really the Ring replacement and Ring slides into Yangel spot. Question still remains will Ring be able to heal up before the playoffs? And will Ring be the same player as an 8 as he was at the 6*?

*sidenote, Ring's only shot on goal this match he shot it low to the ground and right at the keeper. Really???? This is the one shot of his career he didn't lift the ball at all with his shot? The entire top of the goal was wide open. I hope he isn't in his own head.

He also took a shot from 30 yards and was dipping but still over the crossbar.

 

[mgarbowski]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1037734961225322496

ASA hasn't released their xG data for this game, but this Opta data is consistent with the view that we accumulated a lot of shots, but most of them sucked. We bossed 70% of the field but had no flow, inventiveness or clue close to goal. So we jammed the ball in and took a lot of bad shots.

ETA: And we will not be fine if we play like that the rest of the year.

 

[JayH]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1038085841300717573

dummyrun this was actually the play where I was complaining in real time that Taty was reluctant/unable to use his weak foot. Good catch that the Mata run clogged the 18 with an additional defender, but I am still wondering whether it was primarily the reluctance as there were several touches before the clog where he had a very clear look.

 

[Christopher Jee]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1037734961225322496

ASA hasn't released their xG data for this game, but this Opta data is consistent with the view that we accumulated a lot of shots, but most of them sucked. We bossed 70% of the field but had no flow, inventiveness or clue close to goal. So we jammed the ball in and took a lot of bad shots.

ETA: And we will not be fine if we play like that the rest of the year.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1038085841300717573

dummyrun this was actually the play where I was complaining in real time that Taty was reluctant/unable to use his weak foot. Good catch that the Mata run clogged the 18 with an additional defender, but I am still wondering whether it was primarily the reluctance as there were several touches before the clog where he had a very clear look.

Pep used to say that it was the coach's job to get the ball to the 18 and then it was up to the players. I don't buy into that 100%, but I think it explains how some of us think "we will be fine if we play like that for the rest of the year" and some people are turning over furniture.

Speaking for myself, when I said "play like that" I was talking about how we were able to get the ball into the final third in space.

I expect that if we continue to get the ball in the final third that often and we can maintain a consistent front 5 or 6, we will find the fluency that cannot really be coached and start to create better opportunities.

Separately, the irony of our post-NER situation is that a few games ago I was the one worrying about how the experimentation might take a while to stick and that the loss of momentum may be fatal (team and fans turn against the coach, starting a rot that prevents the regular annealing process that leads to fluency and form). Now I'm the one feeling fairly positive and the fan backlash appears to be on. Fortunately team spirit seems to be strong. Go figure.

 

[Revfugee]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1037734961225322496

ASA hasn't released their xG data for this game, but this Opta data is consistent with the view that we accumulated a lot of shots, but most of them sucked. We bossed 70% of the field but had no flow, inventiveness or clue close to goal. So we jammed the ball in and took a lot of bad shots.

ETA: And we will not be fine if we play like that the rest of the year.

Bad shots. No Berget, No Medina. No Isi. Unlikely we are this dire in the box when one or more of them returns. Which is why I’m not turning over furniture yet. More JLew would help too.

 

[dummyrun]

Pep used to say that it was the coach's job to get the ball to the 18 and then it was up to the players. I don't buy into that 100%, but I think it explains how some of us think "we will be fine if we play like that for the rest of the year" and some people are turning over furniture.

Speaking for myself, when I said "play like that" I was talking about how we were able to get the ball into the final third in space.

I expect that if we continue to get the ball in the final third that often and we can maintain a consistent front 5 or 6, we will find the fluency that cannot really be coached and start to create better opportunities.

Separately, the irony of our post-NER situation is that a few games ago I was the one worrying about how the experimentation might take a while to stick and that the loss of momentum may be fatal (team and fans turn against the coach, starting a rot that prevents the regular annealing process that leads to fluency and form). Now I'm the one feeling fairly positive and the fan backlash appears to be on. Fortunately team spirit seems to be strong. Go figure.

"I think the football was not fair with us in the last game. I hope in the next game the football will be fair with us."

One thing I like about Dome is that, win or lose, he's unfailingly honest (and, as far as I've seen, right) in his public statements about which team played better.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1038123940659560453

 

[mgarbowski]

Bad shots. No Berget, No Medina. No Isi. Unlikely we are this dire in the box when one or more of them returns. Which is why I’m not turning over furniture yet. More JLew would help too.

Berget is the main difference maker here because his skill set and style is not replicated by anyone else on the roster. Would be nice to have Isi, but we still had 2 of the top 3 scorers on the field, and you can only play so many people forward.
Also, "bad shots" was poor word choice on my part. And maybe you understood anyway, but let me clarify just in case. The Opta chart indicates not that we shot poorly, but that we took many shots that had a low chance of going in no matter how skilled the finish was. We accumulated enough that we were still a bit unlucky that none went in, but none (except one) had a good chance from the moment just before boot hit ball.

 

[mgarbowski]

Pep used to say that it was the coach's job to get the ball to the 18 and then it was up to the players. I don't buy into that 100%, but I think it explains how some of us think "we will be fine if we play like that for the rest of the year" and some people are turning over furniture.

Speaking for myself, when I said "play like that" I was talking about how we were able to get the ball into the final third in space.

I expect that if we continue to get the ball in the final third that often and we can maintain a consistent front 5 or 6, we will find the fluency that cannot really be coached and start to create better opportunities.

Separately, the irony of our post-NER situation is that a few games ago I was the one worrying about how the experimentation might take a while to stick and that the loss of momentum may be fatal (team and fans turn against the coach, starting a rot that prevents the regular annealing process that leads to fluency and form). Now I'm the one feeling fairly positive and the fan backlash appears to be on. Fortunately team spirit seems to be strong. Go figure.

I like this, because it explains that we're seeing the same things, but emphasizing different interpretations.

But since I have my negative hat on this week, the view that we just need time to adjust indicates to me that this whole City-way synergy thing is rather over-hyped. If a coach who helped invent the system and working at our sibling club can't take over our team mid-season without at least a couple months of sub-par transition performance, then what exactly is it supposed to be giving us?
I mean, yes, the style is attractive and potentially winning in its own right, but the touted intra-organizational benefits of everyone playing it seem not so real.

 

[Christopher Jee]

I like this, because it explains that we're seeing the same things, but emphasizing different interpretations.

But since I have my negative hat on this week, the view that we just need time to adjust indicates to me that this whole City-way synergy thing is rather over-hyped. If a coach who helped invent the system and working at our sibling club can't take over our team mid-season without at least a couple months of sub-par transition performance, then what exactly is it supposed to be giving us?
I mean, yes, the style is attractive and potentially winning in its own right, but the touted intra-organizational benefits of everyone playing it seem not so real.

Interesting provocation.

One thing that makes it difficult to evaluate is that we don't know what the alternative is or whether we'd be better off or worse.

Another is that I don't think we have been playing the exact same system. Man City started experimenting with inverted full backs and true wingers last season, well before we were. Unless you count some of the early experiments with RJ Allen as an inverted full back.

The more lasting aspects of "The City Way" seem to be about ball retention and recovery, the kind of players we acquire and how we develop them. I don't think the kind of adjustments Dome is making are the kind that we'd want to promote to "full City Way status" because we need some level of flexibility to stay ahead of our opponents. If that is the case then having these kinds of wobbles as we adjust may be expected. Or maybe we end up getting better over time at making these kinds of adjustments more often, which seems to be the master plan that Dome is trying to put in place.

 

[Christopher Jee]

"I think the football was not fair with us in the last game. I hope in the next game the football will be fair with us."

One thing I like about Dome is that, win or lose, he's unfailingly honest (and, as far as I've seen, right) in his public statements about which team played better.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1038123940659560453

Someone needs to tell him to start saying "quite really more ruthless" instead of "clinical" and we'll be set.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

My thoughts:

• Little disappointing that we didn't win. Some of the negativity is a little reactionary. We had a game plan and a system that should have won us the game. Sometimes it just doesn't happen.
• The Amagat sub was questionable but when our only other "offensive" midfield sub is T-Mac, I don't know how mad I can really get. It didn't lose us this game though.
• Lewis need to go on sooner.
• Castellanos looks like he could be a player but alot of our offensive woes were due to him. He's obviously not integrated in the team yet. I don't get the calls to play him in the midfield. He doesn't even know how his natural position with us yet.
• Mata looked semi-competent in the midfield.
• During the second half, we were playing Ring as a 10 in a 4231. He's not a 10.