I'm wondering what people think about the way the team is set up. I've mentioned before that given the number of goals we give up (8 in the past 3 games, if I'm not mistaken), our back line needs more cover, and -- with the risk of jumping on the World Cup bandwagon -- I've suggested adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation. This wouldn't necessarily require two players to play only a defensive/holding midfielder role (the way Holland was set up, say). Rather, one could be a primarily defensive player, and the other could be a deep-lying playmaker (think of Pirlo or Xabi Alonso) who has the freedom to move up a bit further at times. From the limited number of games I've seen (three), I'd say Miyama could fill this role nicely. Ahead of them, you'd have 3 midfielders who can both defend and attack -- Rasmussen on the left, Mami in the middle, and whoever our best right winger is on the right. Then, Aluko up front. What I think is great about the 4-2-3-1 formation is that when you don't have the ball, you have a great defensive set up, with effectively three layers of players, and two covering players in front of the back four. When you do have the ball, you have four attacking players (the three attacking midfielders and the central striker), while still leaving plenty of cover should you give the ball away. Effectively, you have more players defending _and_ more players attacking. Of course, this requires each player to be able to do more, but I don't think this is a problem in our case, because in the women's game, it seems that players shift around in positions more frequently anyway and are ready to defend and press when necessary. I'd like to draw your attention to a great recent article on the topic of formations by Jonathan Wilson, who writes for the Guardian's football site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/jul/14/the-question-what-next-for-442 Perhaps some of you could fill me in on what's been tried this season, and whether you think a set-up like this would work.
Well, it's quite obvious that the back four needs to be shielded by a defensive midfielder (or two). The problem is that I'm not sure this team has a pure hatchet man (err...woman) ala Huffman for the Freedom. Kerr is far too lightweight to fill the role. Miyama is glaringly miscast as a deep lying midfielder, but is good enough to stand-in in the role. I've stated before that Bishop could be intriguing to try in the role. Or draft Ashlee Elliott from Florida in the offseason. 3-5-2 with a trio of central defenders being aided by wing-backs would be interesting if we had a worthy left-back. Larkin just isn't a defender, no matter how many times Gareth tries to shoehorn her into defense. I don't know who I'd feel comfortable with sticking beside Kia and Tina in the center of defense. Part of my reservations with 4-2-3-1 is that much of its success is predicated on the lone forward being able to hold up the ball and draw the attacking midfielders into the final third of the pitch to support in attack. Quite frankly, getting the midfield into attack has been one of the weakest areas of this team so far. Also, is Aluko strong enough to hold the ball up? I think it's going to take something well outside the box to get this team climbing up the table without a change in leadership or roster makeup. Why not go truly avant garde and give the 4-6-0 formation Spalletti first tried with Roma a shot? In theory, it would allow the Beat to dominate possession, something that has been an issue for most of this season. It could line up with Miyama as the deep playmaker, Chalupny and Yamaguchi going forward centrally, Rasmussen and Bachmann on the wings, and Aluko highest up the pitch as the 'false nine'. With the pace of Aluko and Bachmann, such a counterattacking setup work well in breaking down opposing defenses who would have to move the defensive line up to eliminate space or drop attackers back to defend some of the extra midfielders.
4-6-0... Well, that would certainly give the opposition something to think about! My concern with 3-5-2 is that it could actually result in a weaker defense, since the L and R wingbacks have to have a very good understanding of when to get forward and support the attack and when to stay back. I'd also feel more comfortable with such a formation if we kept hold of the ball better -- had better possession. It might be worth a try, but I could see us getting ripped apart pretty frequently if we played that way. I think a 4-2-3-1 set-up would protect us better against counterattacks. 4-2-3-1 doesn't necessarily require two holding midfielders -- in fact, it's quite common for one of the players to be more attack-minded. An exception is, say, the Netherlands in this WC. I agree that Aluko isn't necessarily the best at holding up the ball from what I've seen (although Mami is quite decent at it), but I think it could work nonetheless, as Aluko is fast-paced and doesn't necessarily have to play the lone target-woman up front. If you think Miyama is wasted in that playmaker role, then she could be put out wide, I suppose, with someone else in that CM role. It would have to be someone with good vision and good passing, though, and so far, she's the best I've seen in those departments among our players. I found a better Jonathan Wilson article on the topic: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2008/dec/18/4231-442-tactics-jonathan-wilson
Holy smokes. We won! And I missed it -- figures! Well, this is a great development. Anybody catch the game? How did we play? The stats seem relatively even, which is encouraging. I did notice that despite having about the same # of shots on goal, theirs were almost entirely in our box, whereas ours came from all over the place (and only 1 in the box). Also, the limited commentary I found said that we started 4-3-3 but then quickly shifted to 3-4-3 and played most of the game that way. How did that look for us? I was concerned that would not be a good option, but I'm more than willing to be proved wrong.
I felt that it was a lucky win. Scored early which was nice. Tried to score again in first half, but by the time the second half started, the entire team switched into defense. I thought Mourihno was coachign for a second they way everyone went to defense like they were Inter. Occasionally the Beat would keep possession of the ball long enough to send aluko back up the field, but there wasn't any close scoring chances in the second. I'm surprised that SKFC didn't get the equalizer, they were knocking on the door hard in the second. But having on average 7 people defending in the box does make that a tad difficult. the webcast was going to be reaired somewhere but i can't remember the website he listed.
It seems like a few of the goals we've scored have relied a bit on luck, but it impresses me that we were able to defend for that long and not concede. That's got to be a boost to the confidence of the whole team (along with the win, of course!). The overall performance doesn't seem to indicate that we've turned a corner, but it's a good result and hopefully it will be a good boost to the team's mentality.
Personally I`d go with Chupa as holding mid. If fit & cleared she is such a workhorse that you don`t need necessarily a second holding mid. Mami seems to be the best option for a central, playmaking role while Zerboni and Miyama are capable to take on the heavy workload on the outside lanes. The coach should focus on getting Eni and Ramona clicking together. That wil be the make or break factor of a comeback in the playoff hunt. Chemistry among those two alone would improve the goalscoring potential of Atlanta tremendously. With their pace, technique and scoring talent they could run a (counter based) offense alone. No need to work extensivly on a link between midfield and attack at this point of the season. Chalupny, Miyama and Yamaguchi are capable of sending serviceable through balls. The rest is in the lap of a solid Beat defense which is used to sitting back and keeping the score as it is. That won`t change. Hadn` t for Athletica and won`t for the Beat.
Is Bachmann coming back after all, then? Because she gave interviews during the U20 WWC and said she was have back surgery after the Swiss were eliminated at would be out for the rest of the summer.
Unfortunately, I think Bachmann will be out for quite a while due to her back injury. There is even the possibility of a season-ending surgery. She definitely needs to take care of her back. Nineteen is mighty young to be going through that kind of trouble.
Gotta say I liked Blank as a holding mid. She's still a work in progress, but she has a great deal of potential there.
Yeah, I agree that Bachman and Aluko would make for a nice pairing, but it looks like Ramona is out for the time being, so that's not much of an option right now. After keeping a few clean sheets, our defensive record is looking a lot better than it was. Our offensive problem now seems to be more of an issue. Eniola will score goals, but most of the goals of late have come from mistakes from the other side, rather than good attacking football from the Beat. So, I would still say we have some issues to work out regarding what's going to work best for the players we've got. Regarding Mami as a playmaker -- yes, she can do that, but I think her place is forward up the pitch -- either in the hole behind Eniola as a second striker or as a box-to-box attacking midfielder. Looking forward to the game tomorrow!
Having seen the game yesterday against Gold Pride, I must say that the Beat play football at the back and at midfield, and definitely the midfield can deliver the passes, but the FW line is just a collection of random opportunities. I mean the behavior of Aluko, Bachmann and Ocampo was just criminal yesterday. At various times they have breakaway chances, and all finished the exact same way, which is that "player tries a hopeful shot" and as result, they turned golden opportunities into results that were not remotely like close-to-scoring. Not once, I mean not ONCE did they pass to each other; and its not just a Bachmann problem. I remember clearly that both Aluko and Ocampo had chances, being released from mdifield, and basically they both just run out of gas or space in the end. I feel sorry for the fans who pay to see this; it seems to be a team problem. By the way, I also attended the game in NJ two weeks ago, so I am not basing this on a single game.
First of all, I believe this is Bachmann and Aluko's second game together. Their first game together was sometime back in June. Ocampo has been out for about a month also. I agree that as a unit their passing was sub-par, but you exaggerate when you state that they didn't pass to each other at all. Lastly, don't feel too sorry for Atlanta's fans. The team has shown real improvement over the last few weeks. There are several teams who can't make the same claim.
Well, if you just look at yesterday's game, then yes -- our finishing was horrible. That really stood out. Because in other departments, we were impressive -- good goalkeeping, good defensive work, and decent midfield work, too. But up front we were lacking indeed. The one exception to this all season was our last home game against the Freedom, when we scored 3. That was due to a goal from Rasmussen and a brace from Ocampo, who is the best finisher of the lot. Apart from Aluko and Ocampo, I don't have much confidence in the finishing ability of our forwards. Bachmann is an exciting player to watch, with all her dribbling and moves, but the end product is never there. And yesterday she missed the best chance of the afternoon, when she managed to put wide a shot while only 2 yards or so out. So, I wonder about her composure in front of goal. And the more I see her play there, the more I feel that Mami should not be up top. Of course, that creates the problem of where to play her. I think her best position is just behind the front line, but I don't know who you'd drop to put her there. Rasmussen seems much more composed when going forward than Bachmann. So, wouldn't it be best to play Aluko up front, Ocampo on the right, and Rasmussen on the left? Rasmussen put in some decent balls -- some good through passes when we were going forward. Yesterday because Bachmann was playing on the left, Rasmussen played much further back and couldn't get forward much to help the attack, but when she did, her passes were meaningful. I'd say it's a bit of a waste to play her further back and Bachmann up front. The only advantage I can see of doing this is hoping that Bachmann develops quickly and starts coming good. In terms of our back line, I'm still not sure about playing 3 at the back. The two wide midfielders did better in tracking back to defend when necessary but then that makes it hard for them to get involved in the attack, too. One of these players is Aya, who is our assist leader. She's very helpful in attack, but she leaves a huge gaping hole on our left side if she doesn't track back constantly, which happened against Washington. Yesterday against FCGP she did better tracking back, but then she couldn't get involved much in the attack. So it just seems like asking a lot -- to ask them to be real wingbacks. It still seems more logical to me to play with a back four and not have to have that problem: either 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1. I noticed there was also a huge amount of man-marking in yesterday's game. Not just McNeill (then Robinson) on Marta (which was excellent!) but elsewhere too. It was good when we didn't have the ball, but it might have made it a bit hard to keep our shape and get back into position for attacks when we had the ball. Of course, if we were playing for a draw -- which is a good result against FCGP -- then I can understand that approach.
Obviously you are counting your assessment on 2 games, my what a lot to assess our Team on. Rather than feel sorry for the Fans you should work on developing some positivity in your life. We don't need your so-called pity [ negativity] we know our team is coming together and will continue to support them as TRUE FANS do
I have seen some webcasts too. Even when they score goals the FWs dont even congratulate each other. Its OK that they have zero chemistry but they still have to play as a team, just like Sneider and Van Persie of Holland at the WC. As a TRUE FAN I feel they are wasting the efforts of the rest of the team.
Exactly my point - everything was decent except for the FW line. Sure I saw them, and guess where the passes come from. Yamaguchi may list as a FW but she plays as a MF really. She also runs endlessly, so I was not thinking of her. Same as for Rasmussen. Well its getting old - this is what we were saying months ago. Worse, to have Aluko, Ocampo and Bachmann on the same field was a recipe for futility. I am glad that Aluko was yanked by the coach, as she was the main culprit in the first half. The other two seem to play like me, they keep their heads down watching the ball. Except that I occasionally pass it around. Not good.
Maybe we are not watching the same games as after each goal we have scored the whole team including all on the Bench congratulate the scorer,it's a team thing that the goal scorer runs over to the Bench. Also using the Dutch Team [ World Cup Final ] as an example of team work is not the best example of teamwork. You also should be honest about Van Persie's reputation as a diver
I agree Mami is a midfielder. But she has been consistently played up top in a center forward role, where she is, in my opinion, playing out of position. From what I've seen of her, she's an attacking midfielder and should be played that way. I suppose because she's relatively tall and very good at holding the ball up, that coach feels that she can play up top, but in my opinion she can't, because she simply doesn't score goals. The only players we have who look like out-and-out strikers are Aluko and Bachmann. In terms of the goal celebrations, it certainly seems to me like our players celebrate and congratulate each other when they score goals. Did you see the 3-2 win over the Freedom? I was there and it looked like everyone was going crazy when Ocampo scored... both times! I think the spirit in the team is changing. Things are starting to gel and we're getting the results. The team looks much more solid in most areas of the pitch. Thank goodness, as things were starting to get a bit dire!
There is no bigger diver than Bachmann ! Except she is not looking for a PK, just making excuses. If she is not fit, she would not be out there - this is the WPS right ? I think Ocampo is the worst though, her 2 big runs, both times she takes out Ali Riley and they have superior numbers, but does she pass to the unmarked player ? Nope she just runs it into the dirt.
But its also a FW's job to MAKE goals - Yamaguchi can occasionally do this, but the other 3 are clueless. My remark on goal celebrations relates to all the other games - if you go back to the video highlights you will see how muted they are. Seeing that and all the missed opportunities, and you will put two-and-two together.
Hmmm... Ocampo has three goals, Aluko has two as a Beat forward, Yamaguchi and Bachmann each have one. Not quite sure your argument is sustainable.
I admit that I have not seen all the Beat games, but based on the ones I have watched and attended I would have to say the forwards (regardless of who they happen to be for a given game) are making poor decisions and are not aware of their options going to goal. Great scorers are by nature selfish, but hopeful (hopeless?) blasts in lieu of a simple square ball to an unmarked teammate with an open goal are not productive.
You're crazy. Aluko has 6 goals to her name this season. Ocampo has 3. Bachmann is terrible finishing, no argument there. Yamaguchi has 1. Aluko and Bachmann have had a lot of NT duty this season so I'm not suprised they haven't developed chemistry yet. Ocampo hasn't been fit the entire time the Athletica merged with the Beat has she? I think you are drawing rash conclusions and highlights do not always show the celebrations. most highlights are from single camera recordings.
I agree. It's frustrating to see them taking so many shots from outside the box instead of trying to play each other into the box. I re-watched part of yesterday's FCGP game (I was at the game, but taped it on FSC. Did catch a glimpse of me and my wife on camera, too!) and noticed a few things. First of all, there were precious few times when our forwards linked up, but when they did, it resulted in the most clear-cut chance we had all game. I'm referring to the point towards the end of the game when Mami and Ocampo did some one-two's on the edge of the box which led to Ocampo's low cross to Bachmann, who, after a bit of a scuffle, managed to put her shot wide, despite being about 2 yards from goal. Okay, I'll cut her some slack--she tried to put it far-post past the keeper and didn't miss by much, but it was still a horrid strike. That was the single move that involved all three forward players, and it was pretty decent. Most of our other good chances, I noticed, came from long raking balls forward from Rasmussen who, despite playing so far back, still managed to be our main creative force going forward. She really had an excellent game and is a phenomenal player, IMO. Only reinforces my opinion that she would be more useful to us playing higher up (as would Aya). Apart from that, we saw Ocampo, Aluko and Bachmann at various intervals try and go it alone, never to good effect.