Subpage under development, new version coming soon!
Subject: World Cup 4 (Season 12)
Indeed. When we lost Wagenaar, Dehere shifted out of his wide def mid position - which had almost no effect on team play.
The wide def mids weren't positioned great (hard to do!) - and neither Abbas Musa nor Dehere had the quick feet to make up for it. I knew it was a bit of a gamble, and it didn't pay off. Germany's passing made it worse - they really moved the ball well.
The wide def mids weren't positioned great (hard to do!) - and neither Abbas Musa nor Dehere had the quick feet to make up for it. I knew it was a bit of a gamble, and it didn't pay off. Germany's passing made it worse - they really moved the ball well.
Yeap, it isn't easy to play with wide mids. It was easier with the old ME, but now.. it's even tough to play with that at a lower level (like Malta). 'Weak' playmakers can now easy pass the bal to the right/left, so you must change the positioning of the wide defs all the time.
I don't think the new ME has anything to do with it.
I pushed the back 3 back a little thinking that might give a small edge against the Germany forwards. This made for a "longer" field and meant that it was tougher to get the DMs in the proper position.
I think it's still a valid approach situationally. Maybe not in this one. And it could have been better executed. My bad on both counts.
I pushed the back 3 back a little thinking that might give a small edge against the Germany forwards. This made for a "longer" field and meant that it was tougher to get the DMs in the proper position.
I think it's still a valid approach situationally. Maybe not in this one. And it could have been better executed. My bad on both counts.
Apologies. I haven't been around much this week.
[color=#000000 size=5 face=arial]Switzerland[/color]
The Swiss are a medium sized Sokker nation, with around 350 managers. They are currently ranked #22 (1 spot ahead of Canada). They have made steady progress in the rankings, but are reaching a point where many nation's stall.
Their domestic league is the same age as the CPL, and quite comparable. I suspect any of our current CPL teams could be a top 4 team in the Swiss league.
Switzerland qualified for the 1st and 3rd World Cups (finished 5th in their qualifying group for the 2nd). In the 1st World Cup they were grouped with Brazil, Denmark and Norway - they finished 4th, the highlight being a draw against Brazil. In the 3rd World Cup they were group with Brazil, Estonia and Spain. They opened with a shocking win over Spain, but then lost the next two and finished 4th.
[color=#000000 size=5 face=arial]Switzerland[/color]
The Swiss are a medium sized Sokker nation, with around 350 managers. They are currently ranked #22 (1 spot ahead of Canada). They have made steady progress in the rankings, but are reaching a point where many nation's stall.
Their domestic league is the same age as the CPL, and quite comparable. I suspect any of our current CPL teams could be a top 4 team in the Swiss league.
Switzerland qualified for the 1st and 3rd World Cups (finished 5th in their qualifying group for the 2nd). In the 1st World Cup they were grouped with Brazil, Denmark and Norway - they finished 4th, the highlight being a draw against Brazil. In the 3rd World Cup they were group with Brazil, Estonia and Spain. They opened with a shocking win over Spain, but then lost the next two and finished 4th.
The Swiss Team
Up Front
They have a very bright young striker in Vincent Perret. Skills are visible - a well rounded threat (tho limited tackling and midfield skills). Diego Egli appears to be their #2 - he’s SI. Silvio Melunovic may get the call instead. Fabrice Schällibaum could also be in the mix. Perret clearly their most dangerous weapon.
In Midfield
Swiss make occasional use of a winger. Their first choice, Giuseppe Baubonne, is in lousy form. So if a winger is employed, it’s more likely to be Tranquillo Marcotti. They have a pretty solid selection of mids. Camil Morf is impressive, tho slightly off form.
Robert Hermann and Diego Blaesi are other good options. Jean lHofer is a proven and reliable defensive mid, tho with some problems at the back this week, he could end up sucked back.
At the back
They have some pretty nice defenders, Renaud Longhi as an example. They do have some problems at the back this week. Marcel Fritzie is out injured.
René Nuzzolo picked up a card against Finland and is suspended. Phillipe Rey, another key defender, is way out of form. I think these are significant losses. Will be interesting to see how their manager deals with them.
In Goal
They don’t have a keeper of Parker’s stature. Daniel Bettoni is their #1, but he’s a little off form. May mean Pascal Schwalbe gets a look.
This Match
I feel we have an advantage at striker and in goal. Normally they’d have the advantage in defense and midfield, but form and injuries have leveled that. We have a really good chance to get things done today, though again, we’ll need random to be somewhat impartial.
Wagenaar is suspended for us. No significant injuries, tho a number of important players have been ruled out due to form.
Up Front
They have a very bright young striker in Vincent Perret. Skills are visible - a well rounded threat (tho limited tackling and midfield skills). Diego Egli appears to be their #2 - he’s SI. Silvio Melunovic may get the call instead. Fabrice Schällibaum could also be in the mix. Perret clearly their most dangerous weapon.
In Midfield
Swiss make occasional use of a winger. Their first choice, Giuseppe Baubonne, is in lousy form. So if a winger is employed, it’s more likely to be Tranquillo Marcotti. They have a pretty solid selection of mids. Camil Morf is impressive, tho slightly off form.
Robert Hermann and Diego Blaesi are other good options. Jean lHofer is a proven and reliable defensive mid, tho with some problems at the back this week, he could end up sucked back.
At the back
They have some pretty nice defenders, Renaud Longhi as an example. They do have some problems at the back this week. Marcel Fritzie is out injured.
René Nuzzolo picked up a card against Finland and is suspended. Phillipe Rey, another key defender, is way out of form. I think these are significant losses. Will be interesting to see how their manager deals with them.
In Goal
They don’t have a keeper of Parker’s stature. Daniel Bettoni is their #1, but he’s a little off form. May mean Pascal Schwalbe gets a look.
This Match
I feel we have an advantage at striker and in goal. Normally they’d have the advantage in defense and midfield, but form and injuries have leveled that. We have a really good chance to get things done today, though again, we’ll need random to be somewhat impartial.
Wagenaar is suspended for us. No significant injuries, tho a number of important players have been ruled out due to form.
Spoiler
The other group match today went ok for Canada. We were cheering for a big win by either team - a draw would have been the worst result for us. Germany looked very smooth in a dominate 3-1 win. A bigger margin would have been better for us, but we'll take it. :)
The other group match today went ok for Canada. We were cheering for a big win by either team - a draw would have been the worst result for us. Germany looked very smooth in a dominate 3-1 win. A bigger margin would have been better for us, but we'll take it. :)
Underway.
The Swiss manager does change things up regularly. He used his most predictable formation last week, so it’s unlikely we’ll see that again. The state of the Swiss roster makes it more likely they’ll do something different - a 442 is most likely, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some sort of 3-X-X. Perhaps even a X-X-1, tho a draw does neither team any good.
We’re going with a fairly typical 442. Offense is set up similar to last week. No dedicated winger, tho Iginla and Caron both split wide at some ball positions. 4-2 at the back. None of the Swiss winger options is all that technical - Abbas Musa and Dehere should be able to deal with them. The line is fairly aggressive - looking for an improvement in opposition zone possession this week.
The player I’m most worried about is Barrera. With Omar and O Lav languishing in poor form, I feel he’s our best option today. He’s a little shaky defensively - hopefully his offensive upside will make-up for it.
Using mostly line throws today even tho they usually cover the line fairly well. I’m hopeful of some quick return passes to the thrower - especially on Barrera’s side.
Line-Up
Parker
Abbas Musa, Bradshaw, Fichaud, Dehere
Iginla, Barrera, Sebrango, Caron
Amado, Wang
Bench
Clemens
B Laforest
O’Hara
Omar
W Lavrynenko
Wang takes penalties. No dedicated freekick taker. Sebrango replaces any back-line player sent off. No subs planned - some shifts if we trail.
The Swiss manager does change things up regularly. He used his most predictable formation last week, so it’s unlikely we’ll see that again. The state of the Swiss roster makes it more likely they’ll do something different - a 442 is most likely, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some sort of 3-X-X. Perhaps even a X-X-1, tho a draw does neither team any good.
We’re going with a fairly typical 442. Offense is set up similar to last week. No dedicated winger, tho Iginla and Caron both split wide at some ball positions. 4-2 at the back. None of the Swiss winger options is all that technical - Abbas Musa and Dehere should be able to deal with them. The line is fairly aggressive - looking for an improvement in opposition zone possession this week.
The player I’m most worried about is Barrera. With Omar and O Lav languishing in poor form, I feel he’s our best option today. He’s a little shaky defensively - hopefully his offensive upside will make-up for it.
Using mostly line throws today even tho they usually cover the line fairly well. I’m hopeful of some quick return passes to the thrower - especially on Barrera’s side.
Line-Up
Parker
Abbas Musa, Bradshaw, Fichaud, Dehere
Iginla, Barrera, Sebrango, Caron
Amado, Wang
Bench
Clemens
B Laforest
O’Hara
Omar
W Lavrynenko
Wang takes penalties. No dedicated freekick taker. Sebrango replaces any back-line player sent off. No subs planned - some shifts if we trail.
Sorry guys. That was a very winnable game. I let the team down again.
I expected the Swiss to guard the lines on the throw-ins. I still thought that Iginla and Caron, both with huge PM, would be able to get passes away. But they were too slow. All our dangerous throw-ins were instant turn overs.
We are now kaput. Nothing but pride on the line next week.
I expected the Swiss to guard the lines on the throw-ins. I still thought that Iginla and Caron, both with huge PM, would be able to get passes away. But they were too slow. All our dangerous throw-ins were instant turn overs.
We are now kaput. Nothing but pride on the line next week.
Had a chance for a second view.
For the second week in a row, we had trouble getting established in the offensive zone. This week the main reason was the throw-ins. A Swiss defender would tackle the Canadian striker or mid, often kicking the ball out of play. But the throw-ins were so poor, the ball almost always immediately left the zone.
Tactically, the offensive players may have "crashed" the net too soon. I think getting rebounds is the real key to scoring right now - so I wanted the offensive players in position to pounce. But there were times they got clumped up, which didn't leave much but aerial passing options (which Iginla and Caron seemed loath to do).
I was really disappointed with Wang (second week running :( ). No shots - little spark. He was positioned a little more cautiously then Amado in places, but still. Especially in the 85th when he was alone point blank and decided to pass. Not cool.
Iginla and Caron looked great the first 20 minutes, but after that made some questionable decisions. They both had chances to provide the killer through ball, but passed it up for some lesser option.
Barrera's defense didn't hurt us. He had a few moments offensively, but often was a hair off with his passing. Sebrango was a little slow making decisions - his PM is pretty good for a Canada defender, but not quite where you want it for DM. But with Omar and O Lav off form, I thought he was the best option. I like having a real defender in midfield for red card coverage. Would have been nicer if he'd moved the ball a little quicker.
Defense played well. Not much could be done about the first goal - pass found a seam and rocketed through. A little disappointing Bradshaw didn't put a better tackle on an essentially stationary striker just before the second goal. Other then that, defense was fairly solid.
Somewhat disappointed with Parker too. Wasn't expecting a repeat of last week, but I hoped he would outplay his weaker, off form counter part. He didn't.
We had some decent chances. It was a very even game that could have gone either way. For me, it comes down to those poor throw-ins - very costly.
For the second week in a row, we had trouble getting established in the offensive zone. This week the main reason was the throw-ins. A Swiss defender would tackle the Canadian striker or mid, often kicking the ball out of play. But the throw-ins were so poor, the ball almost always immediately left the zone.
Tactically, the offensive players may have "crashed" the net too soon. I think getting rebounds is the real key to scoring right now - so I wanted the offensive players in position to pounce. But there were times they got clumped up, which didn't leave much but aerial passing options (which Iginla and Caron seemed loath to do).
I was really disappointed with Wang (second week running :( ). No shots - little spark. He was positioned a little more cautiously then Amado in places, but still. Especially in the 85th when he was alone point blank and decided to pass. Not cool.
Iginla and Caron looked great the first 20 minutes, but after that made some questionable decisions. They both had chances to provide the killer through ball, but passed it up for some lesser option.
Barrera's defense didn't hurt us. He had a few moments offensively, but often was a hair off with his passing. Sebrango was a little slow making decisions - his PM is pretty good for a Canada defender, but not quite where you want it for DM. But with Omar and O Lav off form, I thought he was the best option. I like having a real defender in midfield for red card coverage. Would have been nicer if he'd moved the ball a little quicker.
Defense played well. Not much could be done about the first goal - pass found a seam and rocketed through. A little disappointing Bradshaw didn't put a better tackle on an essentially stationary striker just before the second goal. Other then that, defense was fairly solid.
Somewhat disappointed with Parker too. Wasn't expecting a repeat of last week, but I hoped he would outplay his weaker, off form counter part. He didn't.
We had some decent chances. It was a very even game that could have gone either way. For me, it comes down to those poor throw-ins - very costly.
We are now kaput. Nothing but pride on the line next week.
This isn't quite right. If Germany beats the Swiss, we could qualify with a win over Finland - would need to be +3 tho.
This isn't quite right. If Germany beats the Swiss, we could qualify with a win over Finland - would need to be +3 tho.
What is the best result for Canada in the World Cup on sokker?
I thought that it was a good close game. My philosophy is that, as a coach your job is to set the lineup so that the team can win. You did that, but on the day the players on the field didnt get the job done.
Their d seemed tight and hard to break down and yet our strikers had a few really good chances, of which only one went in:(
Our d, I thought, could be more dynamic...let the wingbacks push forward a bit more into supporting attack roles. And pick the player with the best pace (and playmaking) in the centreback role - I hate to see the d give up break aways to the other team...today our d wasnt good enough to play the offside trap. You either have the player there that cant be beat or back off and play the d more conservatively.
Their d seemed tight and hard to break down and yet our strikers had a few really good chances, of which only one went in:(
Our d, I thought, could be more dynamic...let the wingbacks push forward a bit more into supporting attack roles. And pick the player with the best pace (and playmaking) in the centreback role - I hate to see the d give up break aways to the other team...today our d wasnt good enough to play the offside trap. You either have the player there that cant be beat or back off and play the d more conservatively.
Some good points.
The aggressive defensive line was intended as much to push play into the Swiss end as it was to get offsides - though I did think we'd get a few more offsides. The Swiss striker did a really nice job staying on-side given his positioning.
We do have our fastest defender (and second fastest player) - Fichaud - playing center back. He's a big part of the reason why Canada can play an aggressive defensive line - he's quick enough he can usually get a touch on striker, and has enough tackling to put a good chip on the ball when he gets there. The pass that lead to the first Swiss goal was absolutely beautiful - hit their striker in full stride. Even Fichaud couldn't catch him, and he had ~ 30-35 yards of distance to do it in. I don't really consider the second Swiss goal a result of the aggressive line - the pass was made from our side of center, and received at the top of the 18 - Bradshaw was right there.
I like the idea of playing the flank defenders in more supporting roles. I was reticent to do that in this match because I thought there was a very good chance the Swiss would use a winger, and neither Abbas Musa or Dehere is quick enough to make up ground if the winger got behind them (both Swiss wingers had transfer announcements - their pace was known). With a little more seasoning, you may see Sebrango and Malhotra slide into those positions - both of whom are much quicker and have offensive up-side on Abbas Musa (tho not Dehere). Dehere would be great in that role with a little more pace.
I appreciate what you said about the putting the players in a position to win. The first 20 minutes we were all over the Swiss with some great pass plays that really broke down their defense, and presented some excellent scoring opportunities. For whatever reason, the decision making from that point on wasn't as good, and we lost that early creativity.
Still, the throw-ins were an easily corrected flaw. The Swiss defenders were exactly where I thought they'd be on the throw-ins. There was NO reason to risk trying the same throw-in play on both sides of the pitch. I could easily have backed one of Iginla or Caron off a few spots to get square throws on one side (the reason I didn't was so we had a chance of flank penetration on both sides - but that didn't really amount to much). Poor judgment on my part.
The aggressive defensive line was intended as much to push play into the Swiss end as it was to get offsides - though I did think we'd get a few more offsides. The Swiss striker did a really nice job staying on-side given his positioning.
We do have our fastest defender (and second fastest player) - Fichaud - playing center back. He's a big part of the reason why Canada can play an aggressive defensive line - he's quick enough he can usually get a touch on striker, and has enough tackling to put a good chip on the ball when he gets there. The pass that lead to the first Swiss goal was absolutely beautiful - hit their striker in full stride. Even Fichaud couldn't catch him, and he had ~ 30-35 yards of distance to do it in. I don't really consider the second Swiss goal a result of the aggressive line - the pass was made from our side of center, and received at the top of the 18 - Bradshaw was right there.
I like the idea of playing the flank defenders in more supporting roles. I was reticent to do that in this match because I thought there was a very good chance the Swiss would use a winger, and neither Abbas Musa or Dehere is quick enough to make up ground if the winger got behind them (both Swiss wingers had transfer announcements - their pace was known). With a little more seasoning, you may see Sebrango and Malhotra slide into those positions - both of whom are much quicker and have offensive up-side on Abbas Musa (tho not Dehere). Dehere would be great in that role with a little more pace.
I appreciate what you said about the putting the players in a position to win. The first 20 minutes we were all over the Swiss with some great pass plays that really broke down their defense, and presented some excellent scoring opportunities. For whatever reason, the decision making from that point on wasn't as good, and we lost that early creativity.
Still, the throw-ins were an easily corrected flaw. The Swiss defenders were exactly where I thought they'd be on the throw-ins. There was NO reason to risk trying the same throw-in play on both sides of the pitch. I could easily have backed one of Iginla or Caron off a few spots to get square throws on one side (the reason I didn't was so we had a chance of flank penetration on both sides - but that didn't really amount to much). Poor judgment on my part.
seems doable to me... :)
It's feasible, but not very likely. Germany dominated the Fins yesterday, and only got a +2. Goals for Canada have been very difficult to come by the past few seasons. The changes to the ME haven't been great for our #1 weapon.
It's feasible, but not very likely. Germany dominated the Fins yesterday, and only got a +2. Goals for Canada have been very difficult to come by the past few seasons. The changes to the ME haven't been great for our #1 weapon.