Friday 30 September 2011

Putting Holger's system in context

Ever since Brett Emerton was suspended in the group stages of the Asian Cup, and Matt McKay justified Holger's faith in the diminutive midfielder by delivering influental match-winning performances, Osieck has favoured deploying Australia in an asymmetric 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid. This system operates with a double pivot in midfield, a winger/wide player on one flank and a midfielder drifting central on the opposite. Width on the 'narrow' flank is provided by an overlapping fullback, while the withdrawn forward/second striker/attacking midfielder drops deep to defend or pulls wide in attack.

With the current proliferation of 4-3-3 variants in club and international football, even Verbeek utilised a conservative 4-2-3-1, there aren't any elite European clubs who use anything like an orthodox 4-4-2 as their default formation. Manchester United come close, but Rooney's movement during the game means he often spends more time closer to the central midfielders or overloading the flanks than waiting for service near the 18-yard box.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Australia vs Malaysia: Preview/Prediticon

The Socceroos will play Malaysia on Oct 7, currently ranked 146 by FIFA, in a friendly in advance of a qualifying match against Oman on Oct 11. A 19-man squad has been called up by Holger.

Given Australia's mixed performance in our last two fixtures; 2-1 Thailand and 3-1 Saudi Arabia - it will be interesting to see how experimental Osieck will be with his line-up. As PM have previously covered, against Thailand, Holger was trying to cram McKay, Holman, Cahill and Wilkshire/Emerton into the same team; when this failed due to a lack of width and mobility, Osieck sent out his preferred 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid with more robust players in defence and midfield against Saudi to ensure points on the table and to preserve our winning momentum.

Monday 26 September 2011

Tragic car crash

Just learned from the Guardian that Theyab Awana, the UAE No 10 who caused Aziz Behich and Australia so much trouble during the Olyroos qualifying match, has just died after a car crash while travelling from club training. This is a tragic end, not just for a young and exciting talent, but for a promising young man.

Awana's enduring claim to fame include his back-heel penalty against Lebanon, which became an internet sensation.

Our condolences and sympathies to his family, friends and team mates.

Australia's Squad Analysis: Central Midfield

Central Midfield:
Holger has demonstrated a preference for a double pivot in midfield. ‘Double pivot’ refers to a pair of midfielders that operate in tandem. Stereotypically, one fulfils the tackler role, by providing an extra layer of defensive security and disrupting opposition attacks, while the other fulfils the passer role, keeping possession in midfield, ensuring he is free to provide a safe outlet and distributing the ball. Together, the double pivot acts as a bulwark in front the back-four and a platform for the attacking four. The five players below are central midfielders at club level, but for the national team, Holger prefers to station McKay at left midfield to drift inside. This may indicate Holger holds reservations about McKay’s ability to operate in midfield without the security of the double pivot behind him, or simply that Holger prefers the ‘safety first’ approach common to international football short on preparation time.  


Thursday 22 September 2011

Olyroos 0-0 UAE: HT Match Impressions

NOTE: This is not a full match report, and is based solely on the 1st half of the Olyroos goal-less qualifier against the United Arab Emirates. It is unlikely a full match report will follow.

The first half was a fairly even affair, between similiar teams. As stated in the preview, this match was unlikely to be a tactical affair. With the UAE set out in an identical formation, the two sides cancelled each other out, and the half became a series of battles between individual players.
Jason Hoffman

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Australia vs UAE: Preview/Prediction

Pass and Move will attempt to provide a Match Analysis for the Olyroos qualifier against the United Arab Emirates to be played in Adelaide, time and circumstances permitting. Apologies in advance.

Overseas clubs have proven recalcitrant in releasing players for the match; Auerlio Vidmar has been forced to select a squad composed entirely of A-League players. I've never been a keen observer of the Olyroos, so PM's estimate of the starting XI is likely to be erroneous. Again, apologies.

The Olyroos have a mixed record in 2011; a 3-1 loss to Japan, 6-0 thrashing of Singapore and a 3-0 win over Yemen. Assuming UAE have similiar quality players to Yemen, a win is likely.

Sunday 18 September 2011

Short Break

Pass and Move will be taking a short break - it's unlikely new material will be published in the next week or so.

PM will return with the rest of our Socceroos Squad Depth Analysis and A-League 2011-2012 Season Previews.

You can find new match analysis of various European leagues in our Recommended Reading on the sidebar.

Thanks

Friday 16 September 2011

Blog Rule

A truly fascinating - and horrifying - financial expose about the Toffees by the Swiss Ramble, a financial/football blog. I'm terrible with numbers, but this makes me want to weep.

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2011/09/everton-no-blue-skies.html

LATER ADDITION:
Excellent and emotionally stirring fan video of Everton. If you're a fan, you will appreciate it.

http://youtu.be/kbGoQHszuKA

Wednesday 14 September 2011

True dawn of the false nine? A Brisbane Roar Preview

Brisbane Roar will undoubtedly be given very short odds to continue their rampant unbeaten streak and repeat their Double triumph. But with the rest of the A-League equipping themselves to combat Brisbane’s dominance and possession football, how will Ange Postecoglou keep the Men in Oranje one step ahead of the chasing pack?

Brisbane has publicly proclaimed their aspiration to become ‘Barcelona on a budget’, by implementing a mobile short-passing game to unlock rigid defences. Last season, Postecoglou was fortunate to be able to call upon the services of two hard-working and predatory central strikers; Reinaldo and then Solorzano. However, their departures present Ange with an intriguing tactical conundrum; the opportunity to implement a false nine.

Sunday 11 September 2011

Australia's Squad Analysis: Goal Keeper and Defence

This is an examination of Australia’s squad depth, which has developed considerably under Osieck. Although Australia remain reliant on an experienced core, a number of players have staked successful claims to berths in the squad and team. This analysis is based on a back-four.
Goal Keeper:
Mark Schwarzer (Fulham) is still the undisputed no. 1 custodian. A superb shot stopper, Mark’s greatest quality is the confidence he instils in the backline, with the knowledge that they have a reliable keeper behind them. One of Mark's deficiencies is his relative weakness with the ball at his feet. Like most keepers of his generation, the distribution out of the back is left to the defenders in front of him.
Mark Schwarzer

Saturday 10 September 2011

Blog Rule

Preview of Everton vs Aston Villa, by the Executioners Bong

http://theexecutionersbong.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/everton-v-aston-villa-tactical-preview/

Here at Pass and Move, we are desperately trying to convince ourselves we have the next Tevez in Denis and the next Silva in Drenthe.

Article on player vs fan loyalty in football. I've been toying on writing something similiar, but Mr Bate has beaten me to the punch.

http://www.lifesapitch.co.uk/opinions/don%e2%80%99t-talk-to-me-about-loyalty-the-fan-is-a-hypocrite/

Survey - It's Your Turn

Pass and Move have now posted a number and variety of articles examining the Socceroos, and would like to hear what our readers have to say. One of the remits we at Pass and Move have set for ourselves was to stimulate debate and prompt discussion. Do you believe PM's analysis has been faulty or overly complicated? Or do you believe PM have overlooked crucial points and ignored central issues? Don't hesitate to comment and say so. We will welcome and endeavour to respect divergences of opinion and respond positively to criticism.

Friday 9 September 2011

Saudi Arabia 1-3 Australia: Final Say

Saudi Arabia 1-3 Australia
This is a summary of the Match Report and the relevant Commentary on the Commentary, and will look to compare the difference in Australia’s two systems against Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Why did the shape against Thailand fail?
1.  Unbalanced – Holman and McKay, at LM and LB respectively drifted centrally and ignored the left flank.
2. Lack of mobility – Kennedy and Cahill were very static, staying high and waiting for service instead of dropping deep or pulling wide.

This resulted in a reliance on the right flank, and a static front line which necessitated crosses from deep.

Commentary on the Commentary

As expected, another round of 'redemption' themed articles, praising the difference between Australia's performances against Thailand and Saudi Arabia, without identifying exactly what the difference was. Lynch and Cockerill come close, talking about Holman being preferred to Cahill, and Kennedy's improvement, without stating what he improved on. PM readers will know Kennedy actually ran around against Saudi, abandoning his attempts to play "the grass is made of lava" by staying on the chalk of the 18-yard line during the match against Thailand. Holger also abandoned his experimentation, restoring the balance to Australia's play; (Holman from LM to second striker, McKay from LB to LM and Zullo to LB)

Cockerill's article can be found here:
http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/09/09/holger-osieck-deserves-some-praise-for-australias-resurgence/
And Lynch's here:
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/holman-safe-bet-as-osieck-keeps-cahill-up-sleeve-20110907-1jxug.html

How would an opposing team dismantle Australia?

As Pass and Move have documented previously, Holger’s preferred system for Australia has been an asymmetric  4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid, with McKay drifting centrally and acting as a central midfielder, with the right midfielder linking up with the two forwards. Width on the left is provided by the left full-back.  A double pivot in midfield provides a platform for attack and a bulwark in front of the defence. The withdrawn forward drops deep.

Jonathan Wilson has examined England’s asymmetric formation, and his conclusion is that being asymmetric, in and of itself, can be a strength by presenting opponents with unusual challenges. Wilson alleges that the custom of referring to players by their position discounts the attributes and abilities they possess – tactics should be more than “drilling 10 round holes into a team sheet and hammering pegs into them whatever their shape”. The most important consideration is to produce a fluent system, which Holger has managed to concoct, as a result of accident and design.
In general, an asymmetric formation can be distinguished from a symmetric formation, in that the method of attacking and defending and the division of these responsibilities differs from the left flank to the right flank.

Thursday 8 September 2011

Commentary on the Commentary

Davidde Corran has provided a succint summary of the selection issue surrounding Cahill and Holman, whose best position for the national team is as the second striker in Holger's 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid, but offer slightly different interpretations of the role.
He also illuminates the possibility of playing Cahill in a midfield pair, but rightfully discounts that option as a restriction of Cahill's goal threat which is a large justification for his inclusion in the team.

It can be found here http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/09/08/holger-osieck-and-the-cahill-conundrum/

Commentary on the Commentary

I'm sorry but...it's time for another Commentary on the Commentary!

Craig Foster and Les Murrary posted a Shootout on TWG, analysing Australia 3-1 Saudi Arabia, which can be found here.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/video/513154/Shootout

Saudi Arabia 1 - 3 Australia: Match Report

This was a much improved and professional performance by the Socceroos. Holger recognised and rectified his selection errors from the match against Thailand, and sent out more robust players. While this line-up did not quite achieve the attacking fluency that was on display against Wales, this was still an encouraging performance. Australia attacked with movement, and defended with numbers, never really coming under sustained pressure by the Saudis.

Australia's system:
Holger reinstated his favoured 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid, shuffling a few players around positions and exchanging a few for the bench.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Saudi Arabia 1 - 3 Australia: HT Impressions

Pass and Move's match analysis was disrupted at half time due to an urgent need to sleep. However, here are some points PM gleamed from the first half, most of which were noted in our twitter coverage of the match. Full Match Report to Follow.

1) Personnel - Holger made some notable changes in his line up.
Jedinak was preferred to Kilkenny, probably to add a more robust presence to midfield. Jedinak's more committed tackling was a feature; he was lucky not to get booked.
Ognenovski was preferred to Spiranovic. Ogenenovski is more of a rugged/physical presence, but perhaps a shade slower and less sure on the ball/and on the flank than Spiranovic. He stayed central instead of covering the flank.
Holman was shifted from his unbalancing left-flank role to a roaming position nominally behind the striker. Cahill was pushed to the bench. The benefits are obvious; Holman offers much more mobility than the Everton man.
In mid-field, Holger used a relatively defensive pivot of Valeri and Jedinak, with Valeri looking to come deep and receive the ball from the CBs and Jedinak looking to impose himself physically higher up the pitch, to disrupt play.
McKay was shifted from LB, where he was defensively exposed, to LM, where he was freer to drift centrally and initiate passing exchanges. In his place, Zullo was started at LB, to provide the width McKay does not, and a surprisingly effective defensive presence.
PM is reaonable pleased that we were able to predict most of the personnel changes, but is somewhat disappointed Williams or Kruse were not started. However, we recognise Holger intended to ensure a good performance and a win, and did not wish to take a risk on blooding players.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Blog Rule

Pass and Move recommend interesting/fascinating/infuriating posts from other football blogs to our Aussie audience.

http://www.holdingmidfield.com/?p=380Holding Midfield - thought provoking/hilarious comparison of Sun Tzu's the Art of War to football

http://theexecutionersbong.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/arteta-the-final-analysis/Executioner's Bong - analysis and farewell of Mikel Arteta. Guess it's time to change my Fifa Arena player...

Monday 5 September 2011

Commentary on the Commentary

Philip Micallef posted this article on TWG, examining what Australia have to improve on.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/philip-micallef/blog/1071647/Chinks-appear-in-Socceroos-armour-
More or less got it spot on, specifically pinpointing McKay's position, lack of width, Valeri and Kilkenny's culpability in the goal conceded and indicated problems with Cahill and Kennedy. Micallef also added low quality of crossing, and also recognised McKay's central role in creating Australia's goals. (He also did it concisely and succintly, without the aid of diagrams poorly made using Microsoft Paint)

Congratulations Philip, you are the only pundit to have got their analysis of Australia's performance against Thailand completely right, and more over, actually suggested concrete and applicable solutions.

As an aside, having only 1 out of 5 pundits able to identify specific problems and suggest specific solutions, is a terrible return.

Commentary on the Commentary

This installment of Commentary on the Commentary will be a short response to Robbie Slater's article which appeared in Fox Sports. In the next few days, Pass and Move will debut a new feature; Player Analysis. The first ever Player Analysis, will feature Tim Cahill, and will be a more complete attempt to refute Slater's article. It can be found here.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/fox-sports-analyst-robbie-slater-says-no-to-tim-cahill-playing-striker-for-socceroos/story-e6frf4l3-1226129118463

Two of Slater's tenuous assertions about the Thailand game is that Australia played poorly because we passed the ball too slow and that Australia's goals were opportunitic, and ultimately the product of luck.

Sunday 4 September 2011

Commentary on the Commentary

I'm sorry, something has to be said. Craig Foster has written an incredibly descriptive article about his holiday to Brazil. Or something like that. A couple of these paragraphs sound like a tour of the departure lounge at Tullamarine Airport, rather than an informative analysis of WHY and HOW Thailand frustrated Australia.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/socceroos-stall-on-the-tarmac-20110903-1jrex.html?rand=1315060213375

Matty McKay - Brisbane Hero

This was a comment I posted on a Rangers Forum back when rumours of his transfer first emerged. It's a very rough look at his career trajectory over the past year, basically since he emerged for the Socceroos at the Asian Cup.

Here's the link to the original, with video imbedded.
http://forum.rangersmedia.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=196134&st=460&gopid=1059292499&#entry1059292499

Warning: Profanity and bad spelling/punctuation/grammar abound - this was written in the very early hours of the morning with bleary eyes and short temper.

Australia 2-1 Thailand: Final Say

This is basically a summary of the rather long 4-part Match Report, and will look to answer a few basic questions.

Why were Australia poor?
1. Unbalanced formation - Holman, nominally on the left flank, drifted centrally and ignored the left. McKay, nominally playing at LB, was defensively exposed as he tried to drift into mid-field and create - therefore the left flank was completely abandoned and this was the flank Thailand exploited for their goal. This unbalanced formation was obviously an attempt by Osieck to fit McKay, Holman, and the fluid partnership of Emerton and Wilkshire into a the same team combined with Cahill's goal threat.

Saturday 3 September 2011

Saudi Arabia vs Australia: Prediction/Preview

Possible starting line-up: (4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid)
This XI is harder to predict, as Holger has called up a 23-man squad, as opposed to the usual 18, in order to cope with the heavier schedule. Holger proclaimed that he would select his strongest side against Thailand, perhaps indicating the side facing Saudi Arabia would feature those players who weren't used in last night's match.
Hopefully, Holger will have recognised the deficiencies in his team selection and will make the appropriate corrections.
While Schwarzer is the undisputed number 1 custodian, it is likely Holger will select Federici. In this way, Federici gains more international experience and match familiarity with his defenders, while Schwarzer can gain some rest. He is after all playing in the Premier League and the Europa League, which entails a heavy schedule.

Australia 2-1 Thailand: Match Report Pt 4

General Observations/Evaluation:
Holger deserves praise for his intelligent handling of the transition in the Socceroos squad, especially in how he has shown faith in new talent and tried to implement a mobile, short-passing game plan. This was demonstrated to aplomb by the performance against Wales, which should be regarded as the benchmark, and the best display of attacking, pro-active football by the Green and Gold in some years.
However, in this particular game, Holger made a few serious tactical errors, which he should, hopefully, recognise and rectify.

Kilkenny and Valeri worked well as a doubly pivot, if there is a creative passer ahead of them. This they demonstrated against Wales, when McKay drifted in from LM, and all constantly made runs and presented passing options.

Australia 2-1 Thailand: Match Report Pt 3

Match Events:

15’ Dangda
Thailand’s goal was the result of sloppy play by Australia, mostly as a result of the flaw’s in Australia’s system.

Kilkenny received the ball from McKay, who simultaneously with Valeri, looked to run into the box. With Wilkshire advanced on the right, the only Aussies behind Kilkenny were Spiranovic and Neill. Kilkenny under-hit a pass, which was easily seized by a Thai CB. McKay, instead of tracking the full-back, drifted centrally near Valeri. Spiranovic was dragged out of position, looking to meet the attack. The Thai full-back overlapped on our left flank, picked out Dangda in the box and unleashed a curling cross, which was put away crisply. By this time, Valeri, Kilkenny and Wilkshire were back in our defensive half BUT were behind the ball, leaving Neill as the only defender in position.

Australia 2-1 Thailand: Match Report Pt 2

Parallels:
There were ironic parallels with Australia's famous 6-0 semi-final thrashing of Uzbekistan; ironic because Australia committed many of the fatal mistakes Uzbekistan did.
Australia and Uzbekistan were similarly defensively naïve – both teams played their most creative individual out of position; Akmehdov at CB, McKay at LB - where they were shackled and exposed by their defensive responsibilities.
Like Uzbekistan, our passing was slow, sloppy and unimaginative; often long passes were played from flank to flank with no real intent to open our opponent's defence.
And in the semi-final, Australia scored by playing deep and looking to counter-attack, just as Thailand intended to last night.

Most ironically of all, Holger was essentially “out-Holgered”. When Osieck resumed managerial responsibility for Australia, he prioritised a rigid defence (by playing with a relatively conservative double pivot) and conceded possession, looking to counter-attack. It's only with time that Holger has sought to implement a positive, possession based approach. Schaffer, having just recently assumed control of Thailand, has returned the favour. The difference between the two cases is the disparity in professionalism and ability. Australia were able to score 6 goals against Uzbekistan because, simply put, they were the better players. Here, Thailand made only one serious foray into our defensive half, and which was handsomely rewarded.

Australia 2-1 Thailand: Match Report Pt. 1

Australian selection errors give chance to Thailand

This was a very disappointing game for the Socceroos. Holger committed serious errors with his team selection and tactics. In many ways, this was a regressive performance which ran contrary to the side's progress under Osieck.
The strategy that Australia relied on for the majority of the game was repetitive, predictable and hopeful crosses, deep from the right flank. It was disheartening, especially as Australia had demonstrated its ability to implement a mobile and incisive short-passing game against a more formidable Wales.

Australia's System:
Holger discarded his 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid for a static and conventional 4-4-2, with notable player selection errors. Cahill and Kennedy waited high up the pitch for service instead of dropping deep or drifting wide. Wilkshire and Emerton looked to inter-change and cross the ball deep from the right flank. Kilkenny and Valeri acted as a double pivot in central mid-field, switching sides and taking it in turns to offer an option to the CBs and surge into the box. Neill and Spiranovic were paired at the back, with Spiranovic more mobile. The biggest mistakes in terms of selection were on the left flank. Holman, being a right-sided central attacker, drifted inwards, and more or less ignored the left side. McKay, a creative passer, was played out of position at left-back, where his tendency to drift inward and play beyond the half-way line to attempt to create exposed the Australian defence.

Friday 2 September 2011

About Pass and Move

Like many Australians of my generation, I was inspired by the unlikely and courageous victories of the Socceroos at Germany 06. Cahill’s late double to vanquish Japan and Kewell’s late volley to gift Australia its debut in the knock-out stage – these were seminal moments in our national psyche, and awakened in me a hitherto undiscovered passion for football.

Pass and Move is a football blog dedicated to tactical analysis, with a special emphasis on the Socceroos and the A-League, the top flight of Australian competition. It is inspired by the work of Michael Cox on Zonal Marking and Jonathon Wilson for the Guardian, and draws influences from Football Further, the Executioner’s Bong and John Duerden’s column for ESPN Soccernet.

Pass and Move is an attempt to elevate the level of tactical discourse and insight about football in Australia; the central tenet of Pass and Move is to move beyond merely reporting ‘what’ occurred during a match and ascertaining ‘why’ and ‘how’ it was won, drawn or lost.

As observers and football fans, we at Pass and Move still have much to learn about the beautiful game, but we hope to encourage others to broaden their own knowledge about football.

Australia 2-1 Thailand: Initial Post-Match Impressions

FULL MATCH REPORT TO FOLLOW
Firstly, Holger played McKay in an unfamiliar left-back position which stifled his ability to create. He also showed his defensive susceptibility, being caught on the break, drifting centrally instead of staying with his immediate opponent, which exposed the Australian defence. It was also notable that some players seemed reluctant to pass to McKay. Time and time again, McKay made attempts to run past his marker, but the ball was not passed to him.
Secondly, Holger made a rare mistake in selecting both Emerton and Holman. Both players are vital to the performance of the Socceroos but playing both unbalanced the team, with McKay being the only left-sided player for Australia and he was shackled by his defensive responsibilities.
Thirdly, Holger preferred Kennedy, a target man, over the considerably more mobile strikers Kruse and Brosque. This made Australia’s attack very static, as Kennedy and Cahill remained high up the pitch, waiting for service in the Thai penalty box. Neither came short and offered options, which restricted Holman and Emerton from making runs behind the defence. It was only after Cahill was substituted for Kruse, and Emerton for Brosque, that the Australian attack really ‘got going’.

Australia vs Thailand: Preview/Prediction

Australia to win 3-0. An assist to a Wilkshire cross and a McKay back-heel.
Predicted starting line-up: