That still there makes it look a lot less open for Villa then I thought watching it live, and when they showed the replay.
Toronto - Postmatch
- Thread starter NYCFC_Dan
- Start date
A couple of thoughts from the game (I had too much work to get done, so was watching at home):
- Elfath was god awful. The foul called against Ring that set up the Gio FK in the first half that went off the wall was probably the worst call of the game. And that includes not going to VAR to review the handball in the box.
- Also on this, just as we are talking about how effective VAR has been in the World Cup, THIS is the exact reason why it's so damn frustrating here. It isn't used how it should be. For some reason the fucking MLS refs have bigger egos and aren't willing to admit they are wrong, more than the refs in the middle of the pitch at the freaking World Cup.
- As Midas noted, Isi was fantastic, our second best player last night IMO (behind Maxi). It was just this time he did struggle finishing like we've seen him do before, but he opened so much for us. Often, players were picking him out to start our attack into the 18. And it was a lovely seal by him that set up the first goal. A pretty harmless header, and he sealed off the defender so he could turn and take the ball into the box and cross it.
- Maxi was our MOTM yesterday, was the engine to the attack and set so much up. Needs to do better on the finish in the first half 1v1 with Bono, but the touch to set that shot up was class.
- SJ - that goal was a terrible error from him, but one we often don't see him make. Glad he's not getting a ton of shit for it, but honestly it helps that we came out with the win. I'm sure some of the comments may be different had we not scored twice.
- Berget - happy to see him get the two goals. As I've noted in an earlier post, I still think it's too early to give up on the guy. I'm still not convinced I want him starting all the time, but he's still a decent option and provides us something that nobody else on this roster can.
- I thought Ofori was quietly good. Perhaps it helps that Toronto wasn't pressuring at all, but I thought he had a very nice shift.
Honestly, I kind of like the way they're handling it at the World Cup, which is that VAR only recommends that the ref go look at the video himself if they're very sure that the ref is going to overturn the previous decision. Like, don't hold up the game to have the ref review something that is only borderline.
I mentioned toSanBartG at one point that it looked like we had only two defenders. Don’t think it was an isolated incident.
Yeah, as I mentioned above, Torrent clearly made a change at halftime where he put us into a more Man City-like attacking formation with a front 4 or 5 and a back 1 or 2, while giving Ring the "free 8" mantle. We still dropped into a 4-4-2 when out of possession, for the most part, but when we had the ball we'd go super front-heavy unlike in the first half when our possession formation kind of flowed between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 with Ring staying at least a little closer to the 6 hole.
My guess is, at the half Torrent said to the guys something along the lines of, "look, we're down a goal but Toronto are clearly terrible and we don't have to worry about defending much... how about we go for it and play Pepball?".
Thought someone else mentioned it. Good description.
Hope to see more of it. We looked very dangerous.
And yes, Toronto looks putrid.
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dummyrun
Guest
Ring was playing in front of Ofori in the first half, too, but after Villa's injury Maxi took over the second striker slot from Berget and turned it into more of a ten role. His involvement in midfield helped Ring contribute more there. NYCFC's whole possession shifted dramatically into Toronto's half after the break, and part of that was Ben Sweat doing a decent Delph impression.
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That’s how it is supposed to be done here too. It’s the general rule.
I was okay with no handball call on the cross. His arm wasn’t too far off his body. More ball-to-arm for me.
Sweat actually looked really good inside as well. We really clogged the middle. Had 8-9 in the midfield at times.
An article in the Athletic has the quote that dummyrun refers to in the tweet he posted above. Torrent said he prefers wingers outside and outside backs controlling the inside. He further said the club was in trouble in the first half when the outside backs were up and the wingers moved in.
https://theathletic.com/407357/2018/06/25/nycfc-begins-domenec-torrent-era-with-seamless-transition/
"I thought this was better and then I said to them, ‘don’t give up, we are the New York City Football Club, don’t give up.’”
https://theathletic.com/407357/2018/06/25/nycfc-begins-domenec-torrent-era-with-seamless-transition/
His arm was completely away from his body, extended out because he was falling to the ground horizontally. While that’s a natural position for anybody trying to break their fall, it’s not a natural position for somebody placing their body in the way of a cross. The ball literally hit the bottom side of his armpit/arm.
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The “outside backs up/wingers in” is PV’s classic formation, his bread/butter 433.
The amount of space Berget makes for the wingers with the way he runs the channels is wildly under appreciated by those fixated on his touches. He regularly drags both CBs off their high line allowing whichever midfielder that's at the top of the box space to operate in closer. Our wings also have more space than they have ever had as a result. Harrison left a year too soon, he would have flourishedthe way Isi does in the space Berget creates.
Everyone at this level has bad touches and bad passes (aside from maybe Maxi). You can find the same complaints about players that everyone loves as people do about Berget. Isi was great yesterday but he sent a solid amount of crosses to no one and took a low percentage shot with a wide open lewis to his right at the end of the game. My point isn't that Isi was bad in anyway, the issue is people have decided Berget is bad and are watching for instances that support their opinion.
Everyone at this level has bad touches and bad passes (aside from maybe Maxi). You can find the same complaints about players that everyone loves as people do about Berget. Isi was great yesterday but he sent a solid amount of crosses to no one and took a low percentage shot with a wide open lewis to his right at the end of the game. My point isn't that Isi was bad in anyway, the issue is people have decided Berget is bad and are watching for instances that support their opinion.
I recall one moment in the first half when Domè was shouting to get Sweat's attention during a lull in play, and when Sweat noticed him Domè waved Sweat back from his advanced position to fill in a hole on the wing closer to the defensive line. It was a small thing, but fun to notice.
There's maybe some argument here. But I still think it was far enough extended and provided a clear advantage to TFC.
Sorry, but this part is one of my pet-peeves. Ball-to-arm is irrelevant. I have only seen one arm-to-ball play (Suarez against Ghana in 2010).
Lol, I was parenting and didn't watch the last ten minutes. Did he really sub on Lewis and McNamara? A+ troll, guess we know Dome reads the forums.
I'm excited to see this change, it always felt like we crushed the legs of our more offensively talented wingers with heavy defensive responsibilities covering for our less offensively talented outside backs so they could push way up into the attack. Mata is the only outside back on the current team and Angelino is the only other in the history of the team that has enough offensive skills to justify this approach. With all the other outside backs it always felt like we were forcing a system at the expense of our wingers.
It will also be interesting to see if Dome prefers a more balanced approach as compared to PVs fixation on funneling everything up the left side. It's been better this year with Tinnerholm but it's still unbalanced. Up until this year I'd describe PVs system as LB back up, LW winger in, RB plays CB, RW rots alone in the corner and then in transition runs back to cover the entire left side of the pitch in front the LB that's standing in in the LCB spot.
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dummyrun
Guest
I feel like this is one of those 50-50 calls where it’s so subjective.
I just thought it leaned more towards being a PK because he also had his other arm back, and the ball hit that arm as well
So far so good.
I'll take it as a good sign but I often find this chart doesn't tell the full story based on the way we played under PV. We've had a number of games where our true attacks all went down the left but this chart still showed us as balanced. Many times we will play the ball out of the back about 60% up the field on the right only for the RW or Maxi to grab the ball and send it back to the CBs to loop it around and start the attack up the right. Most of the attackers stay on the left and the RW would have no support and no choice but to send it back. Still registers on this chart as a right side % but if we are being honest it was never anything more than a either a forced play up the right because the defense took the left side away or a half hearted attempt to offset some left side attacking with a right side move to try to keep the defense honest.
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