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Subject: [NT] Bosna i Hercegovina
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Sokker BiH
Bosna i Hercegovina is a “middle” aged Sokker nation, with it’s national team into it’s 6th season. It is still showing growth, up to ~270 users. It’s current ranking is 47th, which is lower then deserved. They are certainly stronger then 10 or so teams ranked above them (new nations throwing things off in this part of the chart). Tougher then many 4th seeds.
BiH NT
I would say the strength of the team is in it’s defense. Dubravko Škrielj is representative of a fairly solid defense core. No game-breaking strikers. Danis Salatić is a nice winger who can provide some width. Radosav Rekić, their preferred keeper, is a little off-form at the moment.
Okoance_ is an experienced manager having served several seasons (I believe) as BiH NT coach, though I think he has just returned from a hiatus (could be wrong about this).
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Bosna i Hercegovina is a “middle” aged Sokker nation, with it’s national team into it’s 6th season. It is still showing growth, up to ~270 users. It’s current ranking is 47th, which is lower then deserved. They are certainly stronger then 10 or so teams ranked above them (new nations throwing things off in this part of the chart). Tougher then many 4th seeds.
BiH NT
I would say the strength of the team is in it’s defense. Dubravko Škrielj is representative of a fairly solid defense core. No game-breaking strikers. Danis Salatić is a nice winger who can provide some width. Radosav Rekić, their preferred keeper, is a little off-form at the moment.
Okoance_ is an experienced manager having served several seasons (I believe) as BiH NT coach, though I think he has just returned from a hiatus (could be wrong about this).
(edited)
Head to Head
Canada has superior players at essentially every position, particularly at striker. How Canada’s strikers fare against the BiH defense is the key question – hopefully they will be a little more dynamic then against Greece.
Previous Meetings
Senior friendly 5 seasons back. Think this was, I believe, Seca vs. Okoance as managers. Rex Barry took a 1st minute red card, so Canada played the whole match with 10 players. Controlled the game, and outshot BiH 12-4, but only managed a 1-1 draw.
Youth friendly during the unofficial U21 tournament 3 seasons back. One of Choquet’s brightest days – he was in on all 5 of Canada’s goals (3 G, 2 A) in a convincing 5-0 victory.
This match
One of BiH’s top midfielders (Sanjin Nadžaković) played in their friendly last week and managed to get suspended. Doesn’t help their cause any.
Past matches still seem to be out - questionable if they will be up before match-day. If so, scouting will be limited. Even so, sparing gross managerial incompetence or incredibly bad luck, Canada should be in good shape.
Canada has superior players at essentially every position, particularly at striker. How Canada’s strikers fare against the BiH defense is the key question – hopefully they will be a little more dynamic then against Greece.
Previous Meetings
Senior friendly 5 seasons back. Think this was, I believe, Seca vs. Okoance as managers. Rex Barry took a 1st minute red card, so Canada played the whole match with 10 players. Controlled the game, and outshot BiH 12-4, but only managed a 1-1 draw.
Youth friendly during the unofficial U21 tournament 3 seasons back. One of Choquet’s brightest days – he was in on all 5 of Canada’s goals (3 G, 2 A) in a convincing 5-0 victory.
This match
One of BiH’s top midfielders (Sanjin Nadžaković) played in their friendly last week and managed to get suspended. Doesn’t help their cause any.
Past matches still seem to be out - questionable if they will be up before match-day. If so, scouting will be limited. Even so, sparing gross managerial incompetence or incredibly bad luck, Canada should be in good shape.
sparing gross managerial incompetence or incredibly bad luck
Well thats possible isn't it :p
Just kidding I'm sure the boys will do well :D
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Well thats possible isn't it :p
Just kidding I'm sure the boys will do well :D
(edited)
Heehee. You never know. :)
I should add that I'm looking for input about the tactic. I have some ideas, but appreciate other opinions. I won't be formalizing things until after the cup matches and form update.
I should add that I'm looking for input about the tactic. I have some ideas, but appreciate other opinions. I won't be formalizing things until after the cup matches and form update.
Underway against BiH.
Old matches functional again - got some last minute scouting in. BiH’s manager is a good tactician. Changes things up frequently on offense and defense. Difficult to read. :) Best guess is something similar to what was used against Austria - a 541 with an aggressive defensive line and probably some width to the attack.
We’re using a 442 - 433 - depends how you classify the winger. Essentially a 3 man midfield, which I think will be fine against this opponent. It’s well supported by the defense. Winger to provide some width in case they really pack the middle. Feel 4 at the back is required due to their threat of width. Amado is positioned more aggressively then Wang - not sure where the defense will set up camp, so trying to reduce the risk a little. Will still be offsides if BiH lines up where they did against Austria.
Wang takes penalties. Freekicks are open. Line throws on the left side, squares on the right.
Line-Up
Parker
Abbas Musa, Wagenaar, Fichaud, Dehere
O. Lavrynenko, Bradshaw, Omar (Barrera - 70), O’Hara (Iginla - 60)
Wang (W. Lavrynenko - 80), Amado
Bench
Madden
Mayard
Old matches functional again - got some last minute scouting in. BiH’s manager is a good tactician. Changes things up frequently on offense and defense. Difficult to read. :) Best guess is something similar to what was used against Austria - a 541 with an aggressive defensive line and probably some width to the attack.
We’re using a 442 - 433 - depends how you classify the winger. Essentially a 3 man midfield, which I think will be fine against this opponent. It’s well supported by the defense. Winger to provide some width in case they really pack the middle. Feel 4 at the back is required due to their threat of width. Amado is positioned more aggressively then Wang - not sure where the defense will set up camp, so trying to reduce the risk a little. Will still be offsides if BiH lines up where they did against Austria.
Wang takes penalties. Freekicks are open. Line throws on the left side, squares on the right.
Line-Up
Parker
Abbas Musa, Wagenaar, Fichaud, Dehere
O. Lavrynenko, Bradshaw, Omar (Barrera - 70), O’Hara (Iginla - 60)
Wang (W. Lavrynenko - 80), Amado
Bench
Madden
Mayard
Satisfactory result. The opposing keeper had a pretty good match - a number of quality Canadian opportunities were thwarted.
BiH did play the same tactic as against Austria. Made for a short field with both defenses positioned aggressively. Usually I think that is an advantage for the weaker team (unless the stronger team has pinpoint passing).
Winger didn't provide much, and led to some turnovers trying to get the ball out there. A third striker would have been more effective.
Amado was more dynamic then last week. Not sure why Wang was so quiet (may in part have been his more conservative positioning). Wasn't happy with the central defenders. Felt Fichaud made some very poor decisions with the ball, and had a poor match by his standards. Was happy with the two outside defenders who tackled well and made better decisions.
Lithuania pasted Greece. Our goal differential, both within and outside the group, isn't impressive. I am consciously trying to play offensive, but our group has teams that can play defense and are (quite rightly) sitting back and making things difficult.
BiH did play the same tactic as against Austria. Made for a short field with both defenses positioned aggressively. Usually I think that is an advantage for the weaker team (unless the stronger team has pinpoint passing).
Winger didn't provide much, and led to some turnovers trying to get the ball out there. A third striker would have been more effective.
Amado was more dynamic then last week. Not sure why Wang was so quiet (may in part have been his more conservative positioning). Wasn't happy with the central defenders. Felt Fichaud made some very poor decisions with the ball, and had a poor match by his standards. Was happy with the two outside defenders who tackled well and made better decisions.
Lithuania pasted Greece. Our goal differential, both within and outside the group, isn't impressive. I am consciously trying to play offensive, but our group has teams that can play defense and are (quite rightly) sitting back and making things difficult.
I just watched the game. And you are spot on with all of your comments Seca. Congratulations on the win. It seemed to be a balanced tactic. BiH certainly had a tough d line to break down, but they didnt have many o options.
BiH Game Stats.
Stats reinforce the nice game Dehere had. Also reveal a somewhat quiet game from O. Lavrynenko.
Edit: just realized I entered Barrera's tackling data for Iginla. I've fixed it on my sheet, but don't feel like up-loading again. :) Iginla didn't attempt any tackles that I observed.
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Stats reinforce the nice game Dehere had. Also reveal a somewhat quiet game from O. Lavrynenko.
Edit: just realized I entered Barrera's tackling data for Iginla. I've fixed it on my sheet, but don't feel like up-loading again. :) Iginla didn't attempt any tackles that I observed.
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Nice match Seca :) You where certainly spot on about BiH's keeper, he had a super game. Not so good for us though. Was it just me or did a few of the offsides look like they shouldn't have been called.
Parker was sharp in the ~54 minute. I thought the back end did well & yes Dehere played quite well too :)
Parker was sharp in the ~54 minute. I thought the back end did well & yes Dehere played quite well too :)
It was nice to see Parker hadn't gone to sleep. :) The linesmen didn't bother me any - our offsides tended to be tighter then theirs (when they went offside, they really went offside), but thought the calls were fair.
Calculated the average player ratings by group. Our group is the 3rd strongest (slightly behind Group D - group L the toughest - they have Poland). Doesn't (hopefully) put qualifying in jeopardy, but will impact seeding - the sweet WC seeds will come from the weaker groups.
One chart I saw had Canada as #13 for average player rating to this point in qualifying - very nice! Kudos to our trainers! :D
Calculated the average player ratings by group. Our group is the 3rd strongest (slightly behind Group D - group L the toughest - they have Poland). Doesn't (hopefully) put qualifying in jeopardy, but will impact seeding - the sweet WC seeds will come from the weaker groups.
One chart I saw had Canada as #13 for average player rating to this point in qualifying - very nice! Kudos to our trainers! :D
I should add that the computer's generation of average player rating should be taken with a grain of salt - it doesn't pro-rate minutes, but treats all marks equally (if 13 players play, it adds up all 13 marks and divides by 13).
Ie., Wyn Lavrynenko's 68, even though he only played 6 minutes last game, counts just as much in the calculation as Wagenaar's 53 over 90 minutes. So Canada's average player rating is a little inflated due to my substitutions. Still, the team has some excellent players and is certainly a force to be reckoned with. :D
Ie., Wyn Lavrynenko's 68, even though he only played 6 minutes last game, counts just as much in the calculation as Wagenaar's 53 over 90 minutes. So Canada's average player rating is a little inflated due to my substitutions. Still, the team has some excellent players and is certainly a force to be reckoned with. :D
We are set to go for the BiH rematch.
Their qualifying has gone pretty much as expected. They have played sound defensively. The draw they had against Greece the one disappointing point. That, coupled with Austria's fluke against Canada, has put them in a very difficult position. They need a result this weekend to make the BiH-Austria rematch mean something.
Their qualifying has gone pretty much as expected. They have played sound defensively. The draw they had against Greece the one disappointing point. That, coupled with Austria's fluke against Canada, has put them in a very difficult position. They need a result this weekend to make the BiH-Austria rematch mean something.
Underway against BiH for round 2.
They have used the same tactic against each superior ranked team (Lithuania, Canada, Austria) to some effect. It’s a 541 with fairly aggressive defense positioning. I expect it again today. We are taking a similar approach to the last match - except that the winger has been exchanged for a 3rd striker. A fairly traditional 433.
Even though we’re not expecting much attack, 4 at the back allows me to comfortably bring the line upfield - giving us more play in BiH’s half. 3 in midfield isn’t a real problem, partly because their tactic leaves space laterally, and because it will be a short field (since their line is also up). Midfield won’t be doing a lot of ball recovery. O’Hara and Iginla’s positions have been tweaked some from last time - looking for primarily offense from those positions.
Our strikers are placed aggressively (Wang less so in the middle). Will lead to some offsides if they don’t change their tactic. Necessary evil to put pressure on their strong defense.
Note: all 3 starting strikers are Valiant FC players. I am very conscious of using my own guys, and only do so when I’m convinced they are clearly the best choice. The debatable one is Biron. His role is a net-crasher which for me means pace first, then tech, then strike. This is why I have gone with him over W Lav or Manohar.
Throws are mostly squares. Wang takes penalties. No freekick taker specified. Amado and Biron exchange sides at half-time.
Line-Up
Parker
Abbas Musa, Wagenaar, Fichaud, Dehere
O’Hara (Barrera - 70), Omar, Iginla
Amado, Wang, Biron (W Lav - 80)
Bench
Madden
Malhotra
Ortega Santiago
They have used the same tactic against each superior ranked team (Lithuania, Canada, Austria) to some effect. It’s a 541 with fairly aggressive defense positioning. I expect it again today. We are taking a similar approach to the last match - except that the winger has been exchanged for a 3rd striker. A fairly traditional 433.
Even though we’re not expecting much attack, 4 at the back allows me to comfortably bring the line upfield - giving us more play in BiH’s half. 3 in midfield isn’t a real problem, partly because their tactic leaves space laterally, and because it will be a short field (since their line is also up). Midfield won’t be doing a lot of ball recovery. O’Hara and Iginla’s positions have been tweaked some from last time - looking for primarily offense from those positions.
Our strikers are placed aggressively (Wang less so in the middle). Will lead to some offsides if they don’t change their tactic. Necessary evil to put pressure on their strong defense.
Note: all 3 starting strikers are Valiant FC players. I am very conscious of using my own guys, and only do so when I’m convinced they are clearly the best choice. The debatable one is Biron. His role is a net-crasher which for me means pace first, then tech, then strike. This is why I have gone with him over W Lav or Manohar.
Throws are mostly squares. Wang takes penalties. No freekick taker specified. Amado and Biron exchange sides at half-time.
Line-Up
Parker
Abbas Musa, Wagenaar, Fichaud, Dehere
O’Hara (Barrera - 70), Omar, Iginla
Amado, Wang, Biron (W Lav - 80)
Bench
Madden
Malhotra
Ortega Santiago
What can I say. My apologies everyone.
BiH did change it up. Wasn't that surprised they did - they needed the win. Meant some of our striker placement wasn't optimal - but was still pretty good. Our midfield placement was good. O'Hara and Iginla had clean lines of sight to a striker. Defense placement was good - caught them offside a number of times, no clean breaks surrendered.
Sokker hates me.
BiH did change it up. Wasn't that surprised they did - they needed the win. Meant some of our striker placement wasn't optimal - but was still pretty good. Our midfield placement was good. O'Hara and Iginla had clean lines of sight to a striker. Defense placement was good - caught them offside a number of times, no clean breaks surrendered.
Sokker hates me.
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