Frickin ick. Oh well. Let's not dwell on it, but enjoy the fact that we had Dan to score for us and Billy to keep their shots out. Way to step up. It was said many times last night that good teams win ugly, and that certainly was an ugly game. I feel like I spent more time on my knees than a white house intern.
The last ten minutes of the game, however, weren't that bad. This is when we entered our nice, swift passing game.
What I have noticed is that we have started every game this season like we're frantic sprinters who've dropped the relay baton somewhere. People move around at different speeds and soon we're completely fragmented with no cohesion. This leads to a lack of passing options, and we wear ourselves out when we don't have to. My suggestion is that we focus on moving as a team, opening up on offense, consolidating on defense, but passing quickly and trying to maintain an even pace (except, obviously, on breakaways, counters, etc.). Does this make any sense?
Anyway, our next few games will test us. Personally I'm anxious to see how we bounce back after last night.
What was really positive about last night - despite our bafflement, overconfidence, frustration, we never took it out on each other. We remained positive with each other. I've seen and been on other teams who vented their frustration on each other. Well done.
best,
jc
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3 comments:
Jeff, thanks for setting this up,what fun! I felt like poo, it took me until the middle of the second half to get my second wind. It was torture trying to keep up. Usually by now my enduro is kickin in.... I guess the week of 3 games will help. my in-laws are in town this weekend, someone come up with an excuse to get me out of the house!
The one thing I noticed compared to the other games was the amount of mistakes we made was much higher. We seemed to want to turn and/or dribble whenever we could. It was like we resorted to passing only if we couldn't dribble. When we play well, it is because we pass well and move well off the ball. I'd like to see us go back to passing early and often. Even if the player with the ball isn't under immediate pressure he should still pass. Four or five quick passes will open up the opposition, especially if we go from one side to the other and back again.
The other thing I noticed was our running into space was almost non-existant compared with previous weeks. There are two basic runs we should be making up front. Either back towards the ball or diagonally into the corners. Both of these runs cause confusion for defenders. Do they go with the runner or try to hold their space? If they go with the runner it means there's space for someone else to exploit. If they don't go with the runner then we have someone unmarked to pass to. The easiest player to mark is the one who stands still.
Sam, Steve, great points. Mike, I was cocky... I can honestly say I turned the ball over 3 times as the last defender trying to make something happen. Enjoy the weekend....
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