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Subject: [u21 NT] WC Qualifying
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15 groups of 6 makes 90 teams.
32 qualify for the WC, so top two in each group go through, along with the 2 best 3rd placed finishers from the 15 groups.
To get through as one of the best 3rd placed qualifiers would take a bit of luck, so we'll have to aim for a top two finish in our group
Our group consists of the following teams (with users and median mark last season):
Belgium -> 1703 users, 58.32 mark, NEW COACH: Griever
Bosnia -> 649 users, 51.64 mark, SAME COACH: XTRage
South Africa -> 17 users, 46.05, NEW COACH: MarcL
Philippines -> 26 users, n/a, FIRST COACH: Mefju
Armenia -> 84 users, 40.56 mark, SAME COACH: Rafa_Benitez
Macedonia -> 61 users, 42.92 mark, NEW COACH: angele
We are the third seeds, thanks to a decent ranking, and appear to have had the 3rd strongest side last season. However, we know these sides will change a lot each season as the 21 year olds move on, and we have the smallest user base. To our advantage, we are well established and face only two teams with substantially more users.
Our objective will be to take points off either or both of Beligum and Bosnia, score as many as possible against Philippines just in case goal difference becomes a factor, while not underestimating the remaining sides. Based purely on marks, Armenia and Macedonia have about as much chance of taking points off us as we do of taking points off Bosnia. Belgium will prove an especially tough opponent, of that we can be certain.
32 qualify for the WC, so top two in each group go through, along with the 2 best 3rd placed finishers from the 15 groups.
To get through as one of the best 3rd placed qualifiers would take a bit of luck, so we'll have to aim for a top two finish in our group
Our group consists of the following teams (with users and median mark last season):
Belgium -> 1703 users, 58.32 mark, NEW COACH: Griever
Bosnia -> 649 users, 51.64 mark, SAME COACH: XTRage
South Africa -> 17 users, 46.05, NEW COACH: MarcL
Philippines -> 26 users, n/a, FIRST COACH: Mefju
Armenia -> 84 users, 40.56 mark, SAME COACH: Rafa_Benitez
Macedonia -> 61 users, 42.92 mark, NEW COACH: angele
We are the third seeds, thanks to a decent ranking, and appear to have had the 3rd strongest side last season. However, we know these sides will change a lot each season as the 21 year olds move on, and we have the smallest user base. To our advantage, we are well established and face only two teams with substantially more users.
Our objective will be to take points off either or both of Beligum and Bosnia, score as many as possible against Philippines just in case goal difference becomes a factor, while not underestimating the remaining sides. Based purely on marks, Armenia and Macedonia have about as much chance of taking points off us as we do of taking points off Bosnia. Belgium will prove an especially tough opponent, of that we can be certain.
WCQ Match Schedule
Week 1 -> Philippines (WON 8-0)
Week 2 -> Belgium (LOST 5-0)
Week 4 -> Macedonia (WON 1-0)
Week 5 -> Armenia (WON 1-0)
Week 6 -> Bosnia (LOST 0-2)
Week 8 -> Bosnia (LOST 0-2)
Week 9 -> Armenia (WON 1-0)
Week 10 -> Macedonia
Week 12 -> Belgium
Week 13 -> Philippines
(edited)
Week 1 -> Philippines (WON 8-0)
Week 2 -> Belgium (LOST 5-0)
Week 4 -> Macedonia (WON 1-0)
Week 5 -> Armenia (WON 1-0)
Week 6 -> Bosnia (LOST 0-2)
Week 8 -> Bosnia (LOST 0-2)
Week 9 -> Armenia (WON 1-0)
Week 10 -> Macedonia
Week 12 -> Belgium
Week 13 -> Philippines
(edited)
Mission accomplished in match 1. Our winning margin was the 4th largest of the competition in this opening round, so can't hurt our chances if we get down to goal difference for qualification.
I had expected Philippines to go with a 5-4-1 formation and they went with 5-3-2. I decided to go with only 3 at the back and 2 defensive mids, knowing that they would not be strong enough to pose any real danger even if they had 3 up front. Not surprisingly, we were far too strong for them, it being their first season with a NT of any sort.
I was happy with the final tally of 8 goals from 33 shots, and not conceding any shots was pleasing too. All 3 strikers used weighed in with some goals, Ndaguana getting 3 and debutantes Tefera and Mgqamqo getting 3 and 2 respectively. Ramakgopa provided two assists in his debut match from out wide.
I briefly watched some of the other two matches, and I must say that Belgium were very impressive. They're going to pose a real challenge next week.
Average marks for the round:
59.1 België U21
51.8 Bosna i Hercegovina U21
45.8 Makedonija U21
45.2 South Africa U21
38.8 Hayastan U21
29.8 Pilipinas U21
I had expected Philippines to go with a 5-4-1 formation and they went with 5-3-2. I decided to go with only 3 at the back and 2 defensive mids, knowing that they would not be strong enough to pose any real danger even if they had 3 up front. Not surprisingly, we were far too strong for them, it being their first season with a NT of any sort.
I was happy with the final tally of 8 goals from 33 shots, and not conceding any shots was pleasing too. All 3 strikers used weighed in with some goals, Ndaguana getting 3 and debutantes Tefera and Mgqamqo getting 3 and 2 respectively. Ramakgopa provided two assists in his debut match from out wide.
I briefly watched some of the other two matches, and I must say that Belgium were very impressive. They're going to pose a real challenge next week.
Average marks for the round:
59.1 België U21
51.8 Bosna i Hercegovina U21
45.8 Makedonija U21
45.2 South Africa U21
38.8 Hayastan U21
29.8 Pilipinas U21
Bosnia just made our life more difficult by taking Armenia (Hayastan) apart, 11-0.
Our match against Belgium kicks off in an hour or so and, while I don't like being negative, I think we'd do well to match the 0-3 defeat experienced by Bosnia last week. Managers of players in the line-up tonight have already been sent messages to let them know. Good luck all, and let's hope they all come back without injuries.
Our match against Belgium kicks off in an hour or so and, while I don't like being negative, I think we'd do well to match the 0-3 defeat experienced by Bosnia last week. Managers of players in the line-up tonight have already been sent messages to let them know. Good luck all, and let's hope they all come back without injuries.
0-5, not the prettiest scoreline, but it was looking worse when 0-4 at half-time!
The Belgian lineup was much as I expected, and our wingbacks were well positioned to cover their threat from out wide. Unfortunately, their two strikers slotted in almost perfectly between our three centre backs. I should probably have had them closer together.
A big problem with a defensive lineup like this, is being unable to get out of your own half to make any attacking moves of your own. We posed very little threat to the Belgians, until the fresh legs in the second half when Blankenberg on the wing and Tefera's ball winning ability up front gave us a couple of great chances. It's a pity we didn't take one of them to narrow the goal difference.
A side-effect of the formation was also that Shasha kept kicking the ball out into touch when trying to find Bax or Chenene out wide. I need to make sure he has alternatives to pass to in the centre.
Most of the players performed quite well, considering their relative abilities. Bax was disappointing, losing possession with poor passes quite a lot. Bell was alright but wasn't quick enough much of the time. Stober/Augustine did a good enough job at right back.
Some of Belgium's goals were very soft. The second came from a free kick given away by Gatri, and it looked like a pass, not a shot. The fifth was a comedy of errors: Shasha saved the initial shot, knocking the ball into Mudau. It rebounded to Shasha who couldn't hold it, landing at the strikers feet for a simple finish. Shasha did pull off some good saves during the match though.
The Belgian lineup was much as I expected, and our wingbacks were well positioned to cover their threat from out wide. Unfortunately, their two strikers slotted in almost perfectly between our three centre backs. I should probably have had them closer together.
A big problem with a defensive lineup like this, is being unable to get out of your own half to make any attacking moves of your own. We posed very little threat to the Belgians, until the fresh legs in the second half when Blankenberg on the wing and Tefera's ball winning ability up front gave us a couple of great chances. It's a pity we didn't take one of them to narrow the goal difference.
A side-effect of the formation was also that Shasha kept kicking the ball out into touch when trying to find Bax or Chenene out wide. I need to make sure he has alternatives to pass to in the centre.
Most of the players performed quite well, considering their relative abilities. Bax was disappointing, losing possession with poor passes quite a lot. Bell was alright but wasn't quick enough much of the time. Stober/Augustine did a good enough job at right back.
Some of Belgium's goals were very soft. The second came from a free kick given away by Gatri, and it looked like a pass, not a shot. The fifth was a comedy of errors: Shasha saved the initial shot, knocking the ball into Mudau. It rebounded to Shasha who couldn't hold it, landing at the strikers feet for a simple finish. Shasha did pull off some good saves during the match though.
Standings after two rounds:
Team M W D L G Pts
1. Makedonija U21 2 2 0 0 11-0 6
2. België U21 2 2 0 0 8-0 6
3. Bosna i Hercegovina U21 2 1 0 1 11-3 3
4. South Africa U21 2 1 0 1 8-5 3
5. Hayastan U21 2 0 0 2 0-14 0
6. Pilipinas U21 2 0 0 2 0-16 0
Average marks for the first two rounds:
59.9 België U21
49.7 Bosna i Hercegovina U21
46.1 South Africa U21
43.0 Makedonija U21
37.4 Hayastan U21
29.9 Pilipinas U21
We've got a week off from qualifying now and I'll be giving most of the first team a break as we'll be taking on Finland (Suomi) in an u19 friendly. That should give a bunch of the youngsters their first NT cap.
Team M W D L G Pts
1. Makedonija U21 2 2 0 0 11-0 6
2. België U21 2 2 0 0 8-0 6
3. Bosna i Hercegovina U21 2 1 0 1 11-3 3
4. South Africa U21 2 1 0 1 8-5 3
5. Hayastan U21 2 0 0 2 0-14 0
6. Pilipinas U21 2 0 0 2 0-16 0
Average marks for the first two rounds:
59.9 België U21
49.7 Bosna i Hercegovina U21
46.1 South Africa U21
43.0 Makedonija U21
37.4 Hayastan U21
29.9 Pilipinas U21
We've got a week off from qualifying now and I'll be giving most of the first team a break as we'll be taking on Finland (Suomi) in an u19 friendly. That should give a bunch of the youngsters their first NT cap.
Good try. :) This is one of those "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic" matches. I thought the team performed very well considering.
I was a little surprised to see Belgium with 5 at the back - I don't really think it was necessary, even with the width South Africa had. The South African tactic was solid. The defensive positioning was excellent. I really liked some of the subtle things you did with Bax's positioning - like moving him off the line when the ball was on that side. Very clever. :)
First two Belgium goals were bad luck. Second two were sublime passes through tiny seams. Not alot you could do about any of them.
There isn't anything tactically you can do about Shasha's passes. It's simply the price of playing a winger. At some point I hope that will be tweaked in the ME (so the keeper realizes he can't pick out the winger 60 yards downfield standing right on the sideline).
I was a little surprised to see Belgium with 5 at the back - I don't really think it was necessary, even with the width South Africa had. The South African tactic was solid. The defensive positioning was excellent. I really liked some of the subtle things you did with Bax's positioning - like moving him off the line when the ball was on that side. Very clever. :)
First two Belgium goals were bad luck. Second two were sublime passes through tiny seams. Not alot you could do about any of them.
There isn't anything tactically you can do about Shasha's passes. It's simply the price of playing a winger. At some point I hope that will be tweaked in the ME (so the keeper realizes he can't pick out the winger 60 yards downfield standing right on the sideline).
I've got my squad set up for the qualifier tomorrow against Macedonia. This is going to be a very interesting match indeed.
While their ranking is currently much lower than ours (1641.27 vs 1261.98), that doesn't tell the whole story. Macedonia is, like us, a small Sokker nation. They have 73 users while we have 17. Their u21 squad of 35 players averages R3.1m in value while our 40 players average only R2.3m. Their star player is Pavel Daci, their goalkeeper. At R25.7m, he's worth almost double our keeper and most value player, Jaba Shasha. To make things worse, he is in superdivine form and our strikers will have to make sure their shooting boots are on!
Their coach has got off to an impressive start this season with a record of 3-0, 8-0 and 1-0 so far. I suspect that we'll be quite evenly matched in the outfield and it could come down to who creates the better chances and takes them.
Here's hoping the boys put up a good showing.
While their ranking is currently much lower than ours (1641.27 vs 1261.98), that doesn't tell the whole story. Macedonia is, like us, a small Sokker nation. They have 73 users while we have 17. Their u21 squad of 35 players averages R3.1m in value while our 40 players average only R2.3m. Their star player is Pavel Daci, their goalkeeper. At R25.7m, he's worth almost double our keeper and most value player, Jaba Shasha. To make things worse, he is in superdivine form and our strikers will have to make sure their shooting boots are on!
Their coach has got off to an impressive start this season with a record of 3-0, 8-0 and 1-0 so far. I suspect that we'll be quite evenly matched in the outfield and it could come down to who creates the better chances and takes them.
Here's hoping the boys put up a good showing.
Uggh, that was ugly. When I saw their positioning at kick off, I thought we were in serious trouble. I hadn't expected such a change in their formation.
As it was, we did not deserve be to be level 0-0 at half-time. 59% of the play was in our half and only heroics from Jaba Shasha in goal kept us in the game.
Thankfully, the second half was a different picture. Maybe it was the substitutions, and the premium I place on stamina came into play. Whatever the case, we put the pressure on and spent 58% of the second half in their territory, eventually breaking the deadlock with a Tefera penalty. We still looked vulnerable at the back, because of my poor formation selection, but at least were able to get in a few decent chances of our own.
The most impressive part of our performance overall was our domination of possession, 57-43. Average marks ended up 48.9 to their 48.8, nothing in it, and Macedonia must be feeling hard done by not to come away with at least a point.
I was happy with individual performances, even Mkhize despite his tragic form.
In the end, the job was done with a 1-0 scoreline.
Next week we're off to Armenia (Hayastan) where our objective will be to improve our goal difference. They have conceded 22 goals without any reply in their 3 matches to date.
(edited)
As it was, we did not deserve be to be level 0-0 at half-time. 59% of the play was in our half and only heroics from Jaba Shasha in goal kept us in the game.
Thankfully, the second half was a different picture. Maybe it was the substitutions, and the premium I place on stamina came into play. Whatever the case, we put the pressure on and spent 58% of the second half in their territory, eventually breaking the deadlock with a Tefera penalty. We still looked vulnerable at the back, because of my poor formation selection, but at least were able to get in a few decent chances of our own.
The most impressive part of our performance overall was our domination of possession, 57-43. Average marks ended up 48.9 to their 48.8, nothing in it, and Macedonia must be feeling hard done by not to come away with at least a point.
I was happy with individual performances, even Mkhize despite his tragic form.
In the end, the job was done with a 1-0 scoreline.
Next week we're off to Armenia (Hayastan) where our objective will be to improve our goal difference. They have conceded 22 goals without any reply in their 3 matches to date.
(edited)
Congrats on the win.
NOw lets just hope we can start to improve on our goal difference.
NOw lets just hope we can start to improve on our goal difference.
Congrats on the result. :)
I've never been a big fan of 2 winger formations. IMO the second winger brings marginal value on top of the first winger, and 2 wingers can cause some ME quirkiness. That said, it should have worked better today with the narrow Macedonian defense.
South Africa was very flat in the first half, but played much better in the second. Shasha was excellent. I'm not sure which which fullback averted the Macedonia chance in the 48nd minute, but that (for me) was the crucial turning point in the game.
I've never been a big fan of 2 winger formations. IMO the second winger brings marginal value on top of the first winger, and 2 wingers can cause some ME quirkiness. That said, it should have worked better today with the narrow Macedonian defense.
South Africa was very flat in the first half, but played much better in the second. Shasha was excellent. I'm not sure which which fullback averted the Macedonia chance in the 48nd minute, but that (for me) was the crucial turning point in the game.
Standings after 3 rounds:
1. België U21 3 3 0 0 16-0 9
2. Bosna U21 3 2 0 1 15-3 6
3. Makedonija U21 3 2 0 1 11-1 6
4. South Africa 3 2 0 1 9-5 6
5. Pilipinas U21 3 0 0 3 0-20 0
6. Hayastan U21 3 0 0 3 0-22 0
Average marks:
57.6 België U21
47.6 Bosna i Hercegovina U21
47.0 South Africa U21
44.9 Makedonija U21
38.1 Hayastan U21
29.6 Pilipinas U21
South Africa
Rank points: 1659.82
Number of players: 40
Average form: outstanding
Average age: 19.7
Average value: 2 344 950 R
Total value: 93 798 000 R
Hayastan
Rank points: 1254.51
Number of players: 28
Average form: formidable
Average age: 19.8
Average value: 1 810 714 R
Total value: 50 700 000 R
On paper, we *shouldn't* have much trouble with Armenia tomorrow. With a big game against Bosnia next week, the temptation is there to rest some players. At the same time, it's important that we win and win comfortably, so I don't plan to take any chances.
(edited)
1. België U21 3 3 0 0 16-0 9
2. Bosna U21 3 2 0 1 15-3 6
3. Makedonija U21 3 2 0 1 11-1 6
4. South Africa 3 2 0 1 9-5 6
5. Pilipinas U21 3 0 0 3 0-20 0
6. Hayastan U21 3 0 0 3 0-22 0
Average marks:
57.6 België U21
47.6 Bosna i Hercegovina U21
47.0 South Africa U21
44.9 Makedonija U21
38.1 Hayastan U21
29.6 Pilipinas U21
South Africa
Rank points: 1659.82
Number of players: 40
Average form: outstanding
Average age: 19.7
Average value: 2 344 950 R
Total value: 93 798 000 R
Hayastan
Rank points: 1254.51
Number of players: 28
Average form: formidable
Average age: 19.8
Average value: 1 810 714 R
Total value: 50 700 000 R
On paper, we *shouldn't* have much trouble with Armenia tomorrow. With a big game against Bosnia next week, the temptation is there to rest some players. At the same time, it's important that we win and win comfortably, so I don't plan to take any chances.
(edited)
Thanks Rafa, though I'm not so sure we deserved it!
There I was talking about trying to improve our goal difference and we were lucky to come away with the 3 points at all!
We had a ton of possession but didn't convert that into enough good chances and our shooting wasn't exactly up to scratch. I'm not happy with the number of chances your boys got, though that was the risk I took in trying to push more guys forward.
I must admit I was quite relieved to get that goal in the 72nd minute.
(edited)
There I was talking about trying to improve our goal difference and we were lucky to come away with the 3 points at all!
We had a ton of possession but didn't convert that into enough good chances and our shooting wasn't exactly up to scratch. I'm not happy with the number of chances your boys got, though that was the risk I took in trying to push more guys forward.
I must admit I was quite relieved to get that goal in the 72nd minute.
(edited)
It was a nice match, anyway.You played nicely, and the best won today.And as about the goal you've scored, I think I'm going to kill my goalkeeper today.:D