Yea, you guys all know it, but Donovan was good on Saturday. New blog post With the Supporter’s Shield within reach, the re-surging LA Galaxy faced potential party-poopers, DC United, at the Home Depot Center, in a back-and-forth contest which saw the home team having to claw its way back in the waning stages of the game. Last week against the Crew, the Galaxy had appeared to regain their early season form, firing on all cylinders to earn the comprehensive 3-1 win. Though they had appeared to toss the monkey off their backs, Los Angeles had a difficult challenge this weekend against last place DC United. While some fans were convinced that the all-white Galaxios would stroll to an easy win, most understood the challenge that faced their team. Though DC is far-away the worst team in MLS this year, there is a good reason why looking past the black and red could be a big mistake; the four stars above their crest. United has a great prestige as the winning-est team in MLS Cup history, and one must respect this pedigree, despite current form. DC will once again be a force to be reckoned with in MLS, and they will turn it around eventually. With stars like the 17 year old Najar and newly acquired designated player Branko Bošković, United’s turn-around could happen any time. The Galaxy were hoping that it wouldn’t begin Saturday night. After last week’s impressive victory, team captain Landon Donovan revealed that he was challenged by coach Bruce Arena to be the best player at his position, every game. Donovan upped the ante by saying that he was challenging himself to be the best player on the pitch, game in and game out. Big words. It is because of this challenge, that we highlight his performance: for a bigger image, click here Donovan’s stats are as follows: 26 completed and 3 incomplete passes for a percentage of 90% 5 incomplete crosses 2 tackles 2 interceptions 1 foul 1 foul drawn 2 goals One could simply look at the two goals that LD scored and give him the man of the match award, but that statistic doesn’t tell the whole story. The Galaxy got off to a slow start, and Donovan was relatively uninvolved for the first 20 minutes of the game. When he did get the ball, LD had trouble linking up with striker Jovan Kirovski, who clearly was not on the same page as the captain. Donovan was seen a few times glaring at Kirovski’s direction, gesturing in frustration at his inability to make the correct run. The ex-Manchester United prospect was incapable throughout the game to make any positive impact offensively, thus limiting The Galaxy’s ability to benefit from Donovan’s quality of play. As Donovan became more active, the team’s possession benefited. Landon kept the ball tidy, completing a very impressive 90% of his passes and had zero giveaways. Because of his ability to quickly trap the ball and find an open teammate, the bulk of the play went through Donovan on the right side of the field. Unlike central midfielder Juninho, who we highlighted last week, Donovan contributes directly to the team’s attack. His passes are more positive and he swings dangerous crosses into the box, hoping to find the head of goal-scorer Edson Buddle. As the half progressed, Donovan was clearly building momentum, urging his team to find the game’s first goal. The Galaxy, however, was unable to net the first goal of the game. 12 minutes into the second half, Arena’s choice to bring on David Beckham for the ineffective Kirovski and slotting Donovan up top would prove to be the difference maker for The Galaxy. While as a forward, Donovan became almost completely uninvolved in the game. It took him 20 minutes into the half to get his first meaningful touch and of his 26 completed passes, only 4 of them came in the second half. The Galaxy struggled in the midfield, as Beckham played deeper and more central than Donovan had been earlier, and the result was little play up the right side of the field. Service to the forwards was scarce, as the recuperating Englishman whipped many reckless crosses up field. Ironically, it was this seemingly poor decision to play Donovan as a striker which paid off in the end for Arena and the Galaxy. In a moment of individual brilliance, the Galaxy captain tackled a defender deep in United’s territory, dispossessed him, and continued to beat the keeper in classic Donovan fashion to tie the game. Minutes later, a pin-perfect cross from the teenager, Tristan Bowen (who made an immediate impact out wide), was played into the box and headed home by Donovan. It was a difficult finish, as the ball skipped off the turf and LD was moving away from the goal. Perfect timing and touch were necessary; it was a goal which only a select few in MLS could have put away. From there, the Galaxy had to grind out the last few minutes of the game, happily leaving the HDC with three points while being carried on Donovan’s back. So what about their comments earlier in the week? It is clear that Donovan is at his best when his role is simplified. When you are America’s best player in history, you tend to put unnecessary pressure on yourself and try to do too much. When Arena challenged him to be the best in his position and simply win his match-up, Donovan excelled. Credit has to be given to the coach on this one. When Juninho is doing his job linking the defense with the offense in the middle of the field, Donovan can focus solely on being a terror on the wing. He can worry about getting the ball into the opponent’s box, setting up goals, and scoring goals while leaving the dirty work in the center of the field to Juninho. To this effect, Donovan answered his coach’s call. Even when asked to pull duty up top and struggling to find the game, Donovan won his match-up for two game-saving goals. He clearly took his own personal challenge to heart, and was hands down the best player on the field. An A+ performance. Coming this week is the much-hyped game against the star-studded New York Red Bulls. Surely, Donovan will be looked to again as the game-changer when the cameras roll and the nation watches.
good write up and analysis but I don't agree when you say Beckham whipped many reckless crosses. Most of his passes were on point.
agreed. as i mentioned in the game thread his first three meaningful passes were definitive goal scoring opportunities flubbed by the recipient. i'm also not sure i agree with the assessment that moving donovan to forward was a mistake. in a game like saturday especially with d.c. defending very deep, you needed a striker like donovan to force mistakes and then capitalize on them. his performance reminded me a bit of vintage fish, quiet for 80 minutes, the defense loses concentration for a split second and he punishes you.
I don't know, I thought Qamle's analysis was pretty much spot on. And I don't think LD was quiet for 80 minutes - as the Whiteboard proves. He was active, trying to make things happen from his position out on the right, but getting very little cooperation from others, Kirovski in particular. In the end, it proved to be a good idea to move him up top - especially once Cazumba came off. He was/is an absolute black hole out there where the attack goes to die. But there for awhile, it did take Donovan's influence/playmaking out of the game. And after his first few passes, which were spot on, I thought Beckham's inclusion out there kind of disrupted things. It just appeared we had no shape, players didn't seem to know what to do or where to be. Beckham was literally all over the place and things looked very helter skelter for a while. I realize this is necessary and the team has to go through this in order to get Beckham back on the field and ready for 90 minutes once the playoffs get here. And I do believe the team will be very, very good once they all gel back together. Right now, though, it's somewhat of a learning process for them and it's going to look kind of wild at times. I'm happy we're able to put enough quality plays together to win our games as we're doing this.
Great analysis Qalme and thanks for doing this. I know it is a LOT of work. Your analysis pinpointed the issue that every coach has had when deciding where to put LD. If you put him in the midfield he gets a lot of touches and helps your team immensely with possession. If you put him up top he gets very few touches but he gets those in much more dangerous positions so he scores more. Arena has finally decided to split the baby in half and play him at mid the first 45 and up top the second 45. Not a bad strategy I guess. I disagree about Becks sending in careless crosses - Becks passes were mostly spot on. But his wandering all over the field does mess up our chemistry as Geneva points out. There is something else your whiteboard illustrates that no one has mentioned - Donovan has only one play (an awesome interception) within 40 yards of his own goal. That shows how little defense he played. He is making the same mistakes defensively that has cost us dearly in recent games and we were lucky DC didn't take advantage. When our opponents have the ball on the other side of the field Donovan loses track of the midfielder on his side of the field, letting him stroll unmarked into the box. Our keeping the ball out of the net at that point depends on whether our opponents see and deliver a pass to the unmarked player. We were lucky that DC didn't see their unmarked teammate Santino Quaranta on several occasions.
this^! while moving LD to forward had its benefits, it also came with its costs and DCU took advantage of our temporary disorganization in midfield. the team needs to learn to find its sea legs with Beckham again, so it's good we can start with several games remaining before the playoffs. Qamle, i'd rep you, but i've done it too recently, so i'll just say thank you!
I think this is going to be where Arena either succeeds or fails this year as the coach - how to get Beckham integrated as he returns from injury, and where to put Donovan, Beckham and Juninho on the field in relation to each other for maximum success, since those 3, along with Buddle, are clearly the strength of our attack. If you put Donovan at forward behind Buddle, you solve the problem of who to partner with Buddle and put Donovan in a position to be very dangerous and near goal, but you reduce his overall touches on the ball and limit his ability to help create plays (but you sure help how we finish 'em!). Play him wide and he has more space to operate and sees the ball more, but lose his deadly finishing ability as he ends up further from goal. If you put Beckham out wide, then you leave a spot in the middle for Juninho, but Beckham doesn't have the pace or endurance for tracking up and down the sides for an entire game and he also tends to slide deep into the middle to find the ball, leaving a large gap on our right side. If you put Beckham in the middle, then he can find the ball more frequently and not get pulled out of position as much, etc., but then there is no space for Juninho in the middle and you either have to play him wide or put him on the bench. And Juninho centrally is great for our passing game as the quick passes and keeping possession in midfield are his strengths, but we can't really play Juninho and Beckham in the middle because I don't think either has enough "bite" to do the job that Kovalenko does in breaking up the other team's possession and closing down space quickly. So, I think this is where Arena earns his paycheck (or doesn't). Figuring out how to get our best players all on the field at the same time, in a way that plays as much as possible to their strengths. As stated in another thread, I personally would like to see something like: ---------------Buddle Donovan-----Juninho------Bowen -------Kovalenko---Beckham I'm putting Bowen in here as the 6th player, as I think he offers more ability as an attacking flank player than Stephens or Birchall, and this formation would be a lot more free-flowing than how it looks here on the page, where Kovalenko and Buddle stay anchored (as the d-mid and target forward, respectively) and the other 4 players have room to move around and find space. In attack, when Beckham, who likes to drift to the right, has the ball, it could shift to look more like a traditional 4-4-2: ----------Buddle-----Bowen Donovan------Juninho-----Beckham ---------------Kovalenko Where Bowen pushes up more like a forward, Beckham takes that space on the right, and Donovan can makes runs from a deeper position on the left and use his speed to get onto some of those awesome Beckham passes. Or, when Donovan gets the ball, he can push more into the middle and Juninho can work behind or overlap onto the left, and make it look more like an attacking 4-3-3: Juninho--------Buddle--------Bowen ---------------Donovan -------Kovalenko------Beckham And the same thing can be done when Juninho has the ball in the middle and Donovan and Bowen push up into the attack. I think the only way something like this would work though, is to start playing it now, so the guys would have time to develop chemistry and get their timing down. But, I'm not the coach and don't get paid the big bucks (and probably for the best since I actually don't know what I'm talking about). So I guess we'll have to see what Arena does.
Yes Beckham had some crosses that met their mark, but many of them were 50/50 balls that were lost. The big problem is that he plays further back and is always looking to cross, not for the positive square pass that Donovan makes. He forced a bunch of balls that didn't need to be hit, and possession up the right of the field suffered as a result.
Well, the point I was trying to make is that had Donovan not been opportunistic on those goals, moving him to forward would have looked like a bad choice. A straw man argument that could be made for any striker, but when he moved up top, the strikers didn't get much quality service. He was fulcrum for attack in the first half, and completely quiet until his brace in the second. The move looks good when he scores and looks bad when he doesn't and the team loses.
nice work, TH. that seems to make sense. I think we can take some comfort in the fact that Franklin plays on the right side, which can help not only in getting pace up and down the right flank, but in supplementing the defensive effort on that side, as well.
I think LD has played a little better defense than what your recent posts have indicated. In the Crew game, he was extremely physical out there and he and Franklin neutralized Eddie Gaven, who has been having quite a good year. And in the DC United game, I definitely remember the play you're mentioning, leaving Quaranta unmarked and I held my breath, but Q proved to be not dangerous. LD is a smart player and reads the game very well. I tend to think he plays his percentages on what he thinks are truly dangerous times and he needs to intervene, because I saw more than just the one time (the intercepted cross) that he turned on the jets and got back in defensive position when it looked like a dangerous attack was brewing. LD's primary function on this team is to (1)generate the attack and (2) score goals. He seems to trust his teammates on defense to do their job maybe more than some people like, but for me, he's using his energy and his intelligence in the optimum way to help the team. And there is one thing that LD does a great job on defense that gets very little credit around here and that's his ability to touch the ball away from the opponent when they're running away with it; he chases them down or reads their run and then touches the ball to a teammate. I mean, yes, his defense isn't awesome, but I think it's adequate and not as much of a problem as you think. And I could be wrong, but I thought DC attacked more down that side when LD got moved up to forward. But with all the subs, things got a little crazy there for awhile anyway.
Qamle, love the analysis! Again this says to me that at Landon isn't producing nearly enough. 90% passing success rate is misleading when you factor in the mishit crosses. If we're going to ding Beckham for missing on long-range lower percentage attempts then we have use the same yardstick with Landon. The numbers that jump out to me are the lack of shots and fouls suffered. Somebody here already said that Landon's role on this team is to create opportunities and score goals. When you are taking players on in the final third and taking shots on goal you can accomplish those objectives. Making the safe 10 yard pass is Juninho's job, not Landon's. Especially when Beckham is on the bench for nearly an hour and Landon is in the MF. Where is the "killer" pass? Where is the audacious attempt from 30 yards? Landon played terrific MVP-like soccer for 10 minutes last Saturday. We need more. Defensively I don't buy the "pick and choose when I will defend" philosophy. Letting Quaranta go should never have been an option Saturday night. Santino is a talented player when left unmarked as are most MLS starters. I expect Landon and Bekham to set the standard for defensive workrate. Both guys have built their reputations on workrate and effort. Neither have the physical presence of a Didier Drogba or Christiano Ronaldo. They have to graft at times and scheme at others. Landon talked about winning the SS and the MVP after the game. I need to see it for 90 minutes each night out down the stretch.
Still Kickin' - I wasn't slagging on Landon's defense in general. He does fight for the ball when the play is around him, and he did get some dispossessions. I'm just worried about one very specific (but important) defensive failing on his part (ball watching and letting his guy go when the ball is on the opposite side of the field.) That means if a cross comes in Sean is often left with the impossible task of covering both a forward and LD's midfielder. In recent games we gave up at least two goals precisely because of this mistake. We were just lucky that one of Najar's skills isn't getting his head up and crossing the ball or it would have happened again last Saturday. LD should see the problem on his own but since he doesn't it is the coach's job to point it out when they break down the game film each week. I'm beginning to doubt Bruce does this. If he does, it sure doesn't show up on the field. Based on our lack of tactical improvement over the season it looks like Bruce "just rolls out the balls" as Geneva said. At least if LD plays right mid against the NYRB's we don't have to worry much about Richards getting his head up and making a good cross. He almost always dribbles with his head down at least until he gets in the box, so maybe we will get away with this defensive flaw yet again. Or not.
Oh, I hear ya. Like I said, I was holding my breath on that Quaranta one. Against New York, I think the player we'll have to look out for making the wicked cross is Lindpere. And he usually crosses from the left side, so LD (if he's playing on the right) should already be all over him (fingers crossed), as he tends to concentrate on the guy with the ball instead of the guy floating in behind him.
Completely right, Jeff. The only reason why I would let it slide in this case is that there are so many other things in that position that he does well. On the other hand, it seems like almost every touch for Beckham is a big cross, so when that isn't going right, the team really suffers. Spot on again, there's room for improvement and I'd like to see him take more runs into dangerous territory. He played a safe game on Saturday. The game was begging for someone with grit to get in there and make something happen. Donovan could offer more in this department when on the wing. Bingo. At this point, Donovan has made himself a reputation of being a streaky player and I'm not convinced that we've seen the last of the LD who fades away in games. We'll find out shortly...
The most obvious point in your analysis was that Kiro was useless. I thought Beckham's passes were effective, and he was mindful to switch the field when it got crowded. Can't wait til he can go the full 90.
Wow, I like this! And would definitely love to see it! And like others said, thank God we got Sean Franklin plays on the right too to solve the interchanging problem in the right wing side. As for Qamle, very good analysis and effort again for this! Keep 'em coming, yeah!
Do you expect defenders to "set the standard" on offensive workrate like you expect attackers to "set the standard" on defensive workrate?
I think he meant that Landon should set the standard for defensive work by midfielders. But I don't think Landon's problem is his workrate which is pretty damn good. His problems are defensive awareness -sometimes he seems oblivious to his marking responsibilities. On two or three occasions LD seemed blissfully unaware that it was a problem to let Quaranta stroll in unmarked toward the box. He was too interested in just watching Dunivant and Najar go at it. Again it is the coaching staffs job to teach him this awareness. He actually made the same mistake a few times at the WC.
On the topic of coaches teaching rather than just saying "we need to play better in the final third" or "get back to playing good defense" and other such unhelpful tripe here is part of a great interview with Peter Nowak where he is lamenting the lack of basic tactical understanding in our homegrown players: ( http://www.socceramerica.com/article/39699/peter-nowak-i-give-them-a-soccer-bible.html ) SA: What elements are you talking about? NOWAK: OK, for an example, you have this young forward, big, strong kid, and everybody says, ‘Oh, he’s great, he’s got the speed, he’s got the shot, he’s got the size.’ But in certain situations, say you’ve got five options or things you can do; how do you train him to pick the right one? I have great diagrams in which I show the players a situation and the four or five options, and I ask them, ‘What is your best option in this certain situation?’ Most of them, I have to say, never pass this test. SA: That’s kind of scary. So what do you do next? NOWAK: You have to direct them by asking another question, and then another question. Then they realize, ‘Yes, that makes sense.’ But my point is you have to give that detailed information instead of just saying, ‘You have to be sharper with the ball.’ You don’t give the overall picture, he already has the overall picture in his head. You need to give him the details to be more successful, but you don’t give them the answers. SA: Isn’t this what most coaches do? NOWAK: No, not in this country. We give them the answers instead of asking them for the answers. You can give them direction, but they need to figure it out with the scenarios before the first whistle. We teach the kids at Bradenton [U.S. Soccer's U-17 residency program] how to talk to the media. We don’t ask them what to do if this situation on the field falls apart. They will find the creativity and the imagination if we show them how to resolve this situation, if we show them what the game is supposed to look like. If we show them how to stop the game, or in this situation where is the ball supposed to go, what will the center back do, what will the forward do, and give them the repetitions in training, this will help their education.
Although I DO expect attacking players to defend all over the field and also expect defenders to be a part of the attack, I have a different set of expectations for guys like Landon and Beckham. If Landon is going to line up at RM and draw a DP salary and wear the captain's armband and call out others for their performances and be the media darling of American soccer then I expect him to play his ass off from 18 to 18 and never take a day off until the season is over. All players are NOT created equal, and only the very best (which Landon wants us to think he is) can be expected to set the standard or be the benchmark by whom all others are measured. When I was a HS coach I had a kid who ended up being named CIF Player of the Year in both their junior and senior year. I had a different expectation for that kid than all the others. I expected that kid to set the standard every minute. Be the first to practice and the last to leave. Win every timed two-mile run and every post-practice sprint. I expected that kid to carry twice the load of every other kid, and when we found ourselves in OT in the CIF championship game that kid ran fifty yards past three defenders and scored a "golden goal" to win the first CIF section title in that school's history. I knew what this kid was capable of and expected them to deliver. That kid scored 36 goals that year with three senior MFs in support. The next year I moved that kid back into the center of midfield and said "Now I want you to do it again." The kid scored 34 goals and dominated from box to box and touchline to touchline, all the while being targeted by every other coach and hatchet defender in Southern California. Straight back to the CIF title game (in the pouring rain) where their shot in regulation hit the crossbar, bounced straight down and out only for us to lose 1-0 in extra time. That kid went on to play college soccer at Yale and graduated with honors. Did I expect too much? I don't think so.
see, THIS is exactly why Klinsmann was correct to ask for control of the entire USA system, case in point. our guys are almost universally tactically naive/retarded. without the ability to control that learning process, they will continue to be that way, our players will continue to be less useful to the rest of the world, and we will not have the tools to improve. and this is exactly why the USA needs a guy like Klinsmann. when are we going to learn this lesson?
I went back and I watched a few games from last year with LD out on the wing at RM for both the National Team and for the Galaxy. He raced up and down the field, from box to box, running the attack and getting all the way back on defense. Very, very rarely did he have a defensive lapse; very, very rarely did he forget the guy ghosting in behind him. Notice I didn't say NEVER did he let it happen - he is human, after all. This convinces me more than anything that his current defensive lapses are due to physical and mental fatigue at having played for 2 years virtually nonstop (about 6 weeks off total), with a very, very dramatic and draining World Cup for the USA. He is trying to manage his energy the best way he can, but is also having these mental lapses, it would seem. I just cannot believe that he generally doesn't know that he needs to be aware of his defensive responsibilities. You can criticize and hold him to all the expectations you want - it's a free country - but it's not going to make him any less tired, and he's still going to make mistakes both going forward in attack and getting back on defense. I guess when he does, Bruce can dock his pay. But as a DP, leading the league in assists, captaining the No. 1 team in the league since Week 1, stepping up in the big moment to get us a win that clinched a playoff birth when pretty much the entire team (except the other Donovan!) stunk up the joint, I think he's doing better than just fine. And I think he is playing his ass off, what little ass he's got left. Edit: And I personally think, viewing these last two games and last two victories, he is getting his (physical) energy back. He was extremely physical in the Crew game and despite the criticism here, he was good in the DC United game and not just for the final 10 minutes. Hopefully his mental energy is gearing up as well - Ginkoba, Landon! (just stay away from that Herbalife stuff!)
I'm not sure if Klinsmann would be the best coach for our NT but I'm sure Bradley isn't. If I were Gulati I would be looking around the world for a coach who may not be the biggest name but is on the rise because of a track record of building teams that win more than they should given their personnel. I'm sure there are some brilliant tactical coaches that would see coaching the US Nats as a career move up, unlike the big name coaches for whom it might be seen as a step down.