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Subject: World Cup Qualifying
This week's match is not so much about the result as the goal differential. Brasil has set the mark so far with a +10. I'd be quite happy if we matched that. Still making some tweaks to the line-up, but the match is one of the later ones tomorrow.
Final tweaks are done for the match. Not certain I'll be around at match time ... my wife and I are supposed to be going out for dinner. :)
Missing a couple - Roberts is injured, Khomane is suspended. Neither should be crucial. The match should be mostly about finishing the chances we get.
Missing a couple - Roberts is injured, Khomane is suspended. Neither should be crucial. The match should be mostly about finishing the chances we get.
Good luck! I'll be asleep at match time, so looking forward to watching it in the morning.
A disappointing result. Offensive execution just wasn't crisp. Passes always seemed a little off. Lots of little bobbles on first touch that took the momentum out of the attack.
Tactically, got mostly what i expected from Paraguay. Kinda thought they'd go 1 winger 1 striker instead of the two strikers. Otherwise as predicted. Tactically, South Africa's biggest problem was that the strikers at times were not far enough upfield. I either messed up the scouting, or the Paraguay coach set them back a little further then usual. Either way, it made things a little more difficult for the boys up front.
Striker Sait did was he was supposed to. One of the main hopes is that he can get an opposing defender in trouble, and he didn't waste any time doing so. South Africa was able to exploit the extra space on the left side, and Sait had some nice runs. I'm not sure what the deal is with Mapela. He continues to turn down shooting opportunities only to give the ball away. I recognize the service favoured Sait, but it's discouraging having Mapela play 60 against an opponent like Paraguay and register no shots (especially when he is supposed to be the trigger man in this formation).
The midfield was flat. Passes weren't sharp. I didn't get what I hoped from Kubheka. He looked super against Egypt, but seemed slow and clumsy in this match. Probably would have been further ahead to use Khambule in the middle and a purer offensive weapon like Chacko or Mazibuko on the flank. The defense suffered similarly - fairly solid tackling, but some bobbles and poor passes.
Kind of a tough goal to concede. Always sucks when the opponent converts at 100%. :P But Mabizela had no business making that back pass with an open wing ahead of him. Disastrous decision. :D A +2, surprisingly, is better then what New Zealand mustered against them. But it's not New Zealand's goal differential we're trying to hang with. So the upshot of today's match is that we can't qualify by finishing even with Mexico or USA. We'll have to find enough points to finish ahead of one of them cleanly.
Tactically, got mostly what i expected from Paraguay. Kinda thought they'd go 1 winger 1 striker instead of the two strikers. Otherwise as predicted. Tactically, South Africa's biggest problem was that the strikers at times were not far enough upfield. I either messed up the scouting, or the Paraguay coach set them back a little further then usual. Either way, it made things a little more difficult for the boys up front.
Striker Sait did was he was supposed to. One of the main hopes is that he can get an opposing defender in trouble, and he didn't waste any time doing so. South Africa was able to exploit the extra space on the left side, and Sait had some nice runs. I'm not sure what the deal is with Mapela. He continues to turn down shooting opportunities only to give the ball away. I recognize the service favoured Sait, but it's discouraging having Mapela play 60 against an opponent like Paraguay and register no shots (especially when he is supposed to be the trigger man in this formation).
The midfield was flat. Passes weren't sharp. I didn't get what I hoped from Kubheka. He looked super against Egypt, but seemed slow and clumsy in this match. Probably would have been further ahead to use Khambule in the middle and a purer offensive weapon like Chacko or Mazibuko on the flank. The defense suffered similarly - fairly solid tackling, but some bobbles and poor passes.
Kind of a tough goal to concede. Always sucks when the opponent converts at 100%. :P But Mabizela had no business making that back pass with an open wing ahead of him. Disastrous decision. :D A +2, surprisingly, is better then what New Zealand mustered against them. But it's not New Zealand's goal differential we're trying to hang with. So the upshot of today's match is that we can't qualify by finishing even with Mexico or USA. We'll have to find enough points to finish ahead of one of them cleanly.
How on earth did Sait miss that 90th minute shot when Mabotsa went to the trouble of running almost the whole length of the pitch?! I can only imagine the choice phrases uttered on the field after that. ;)
It certainly didn't help that Mabizela (3) had more shots than the Mapela/Permall (2) combination. Oddly enough, he managed to score one of them!
The goal we conceded took mistakes from all three of Mabizela, Sait and Baloyi. It probably didn't help that we didn't have Roberts available in goals either.
We were also playing against 10 men from the 2nd minute, so a 2 goal margin is disappointing. On the plus side, the group is very tight after the first round.
(edited)
It certainly didn't help that Mabizela (3) had more shots than the Mapela/Permall (2) combination. Oddly enough, he managed to score one of them!
The goal we conceded took mistakes from all three of Mabizela, Sait and Baloyi. It probably didn't help that we didn't have Roberts available in goals either.
We were also playing against 10 men from the 2nd minute, so a 2 goal margin is disappointing. On the plus side, the group is very tight after the first round.
(edited)
Was a pretty shocking miss by Sait. :P
It is competitive. Seems the result we wanted in the first week was a win by USA over Brasil. Since we've got little chance at matching Brasil's goal differential, it's going to take a win against both Brasil and New Zealand, as well as a win by USA over Brasil in the return leg. Sounds like alot that has to go right. :D But keeping it interesting. :)
It is competitive. Seems the result we wanted in the first week was a win by USA over Brasil. Since we've got little chance at matching Brasil's goal differential, it's going to take a win against both Brasil and New Zealand, as well as a win by USA over Brasil in the return leg. Sounds like alot that has to go right. :D But keeping it interesting. :)
All set for the Paraguay rematch. :)
Realistically, there is no way to catch Brasil or USA w/r to goal differential. Would still be nice to fill the net, but the 3 points is the important part. There is one potentially regrettable selection (well, non-selection really). :S
Realistically, there is no way to catch Brasil or USA w/r to goal differential. Would still be nice to fill the net, but the 3 points is the important part. There is one potentially regrettable selection (well, non-selection really). :S
Thanks. :) The match went very well. South Africa once again got the benefit of a red card against the opposition, though I didn't think this one influenced the run of play quite as much as the one in the previous match.
Though our tactic had the same name, it was almost completely redone. 3 out of 4 mids were moved. Strikers and defense were placed further upfield, and had some minor lane adjustment. I was happy with the tweaks, but the main reason for the better result was the initial shot from the strikers. Last time, that shot was often a miss or a clean save. This match, there were a number of rebounds spilled which led to easy goals. All in all, I think the number of chances was much the same.
Perhaps the most notable thing about this match was the goal conceded. It was one of the softest goals I've ever seen at the NT level, and almost certainly the worst Robert's has conceded in his NT duty. I've been a little chargrined the past few weeks about conceding 1 goal on 1 shot, or 1 goal on 2 shots. This week ... 1 goal from no shots. :D Perhaps Robert's is still getting his game back after his knock. Or maybe (hopefully) he's saving it for next week.
The striker duo worked much more like I have been envisioning. Ideally, the midfield will move the ball to Sait, who will cause problems for the defense, hopefully resulting in a shot for the trigger man (Mapela). Mapela played much better today. J Sait once again was solid. He's now had more caps since I took over then in the rest of his NT career combined. I'm not sure why he got little play before. He's something of a unique threat amoungst the South African strikers.
The questionable omission from the line-up was Mabizela. With him in, we may have been able to push the goal differential a little more, especially considering his form is on the up-tick. But his two yellow cards scared me off. He and Roberts are really the keys to any chance against Brasil next week. I couldn't risk having him suspended. There was on order to bring him into this one if we were in trouble. Because the game was in hand, Kubheka got the call instead (more of a defensive replacement).
I haven't checked the other group result yet, but next week's match is likely make or break. Given the GD situation, a win against Brasil will almost certainly be needed if South Africa is to qualify.
Though our tactic had the same name, it was almost completely redone. 3 out of 4 mids were moved. Strikers and defense were placed further upfield, and had some minor lane adjustment. I was happy with the tweaks, but the main reason for the better result was the initial shot from the strikers. Last time, that shot was often a miss or a clean save. This match, there were a number of rebounds spilled which led to easy goals. All in all, I think the number of chances was much the same.
Perhaps the most notable thing about this match was the goal conceded. It was one of the softest goals I've ever seen at the NT level, and almost certainly the worst Robert's has conceded in his NT duty. I've been a little chargrined the past few weeks about conceding 1 goal on 1 shot, or 1 goal on 2 shots. This week ... 1 goal from no shots. :D Perhaps Robert's is still getting his game back after his knock. Or maybe (hopefully) he's saving it for next week.
The striker duo worked much more like I have been envisioning. Ideally, the midfield will move the ball to Sait, who will cause problems for the defense, hopefully resulting in a shot for the trigger man (Mapela). Mapela played much better today. J Sait once again was solid. He's now had more caps since I took over then in the rest of his NT career combined. I'm not sure why he got little play before. He's something of a unique threat amoungst the South African strikers.
The questionable omission from the line-up was Mabizela. With him in, we may have been able to push the goal differential a little more, especially considering his form is on the up-tick. But his two yellow cards scared me off. He and Roberts are really the keys to any chance against Brasil next week. I couldn't risk having him suspended. There was on order to bring him into this one if we were in trouble. Because the game was in hand, Kubheka got the call instead (more of a defensive replacement).
I haven't checked the other group result yet, but next week's match is likely make or break. Given the GD situation, a win against Brasil will almost certainly be needed if South Africa is to qualify.
A quick comment about the other group match (don't read if you plan to watch it :D).
New Zealand was without it's most dynamic offensive player (B Gilbert - injury), but held in there pretty well. I felt the game was much more even then the shot ratio suggests. Taylor was once again pretty solid for New Zealand.
I suppose South Africa was rooting for New Zealand. Dropped points by USA might have opened a door should Brasil win the second leg of USA - Brasil. What the result does is confirm that South Africa's best chance of getting in is to unseat Brasil, with the hope of USA taking care of business in their rematch.
New Zealand was without it's most dynamic offensive player (B Gilbert - injury), but held in there pretty well. I felt the game was much more even then the shot ratio suggests. Taylor was once again pretty solid for New Zealand.
I suppose South Africa was rooting for New Zealand. Dropped points by USA might have opened a door should Brasil win the second leg of USA - Brasil. What the result does is confirm that South Africa's best chance of getting in is to unseat Brasil, with the hope of USA taking care of business in their rematch.
Great game today, Seca.
Pity about New Zealand's lack of positioning on attacking throws. One goal by the USA came directly as a result of lost possession from a NZ attacking throw-in. Was an exciting game to watch through. :)
Pity about New Zealand's lack of positioning on attacking throws. One goal by the USA came directly as a result of lost possession from a NZ attacking throw-in. Was an exciting game to watch through. :)
I am sure we have what it takes to beat Brazil. We drew with them last time. Hopefully we can get one of those soft goals to go our way ;-)
So tomorrow is the big day against Brazil. Good luck Seca!!!!
Thanks. :) The preparations are done. I'm away this weekend, so I doubt I'll be able to be on-line for the match.
I figure a win is required. Even if we win, we probably still need a little help. A draw or worse, and we'll need a lot of help to qualify.
No suspensions, only a couple of SIs. Form is also pretty good. Roberts has bounced back nicely, and Mabizela is in his best form in seasons (still mid-range).
I figure a win is required. Even if we win, we probably still need a little help. A draw or worse, and we'll need a lot of help to qualify.
No suspensions, only a couple of SIs. Form is also pretty good. Roberts has bounced back nicely, and Mabizela is in his best form in seasons (still mid-range).