Lineups, Formations, Tactics, Stats, etc.

I was sad to see Hyka get hurt Saturday. I was hoping to see him get some consistent playing time, contribute to the team, and allow more versatility in the choice of lineups. I wonder if this will give TT more opportunity to play? Although, even if TT is not "ill" , he may not yet be game-fit enough to take up the opportunity afforded by Hyka's injury.

 

Yeah, the timing may not quite work out for TT as he is probably in the process of getting to 100%. But I would guess he could put in some time as a sub at this point, as early as Wednesday. Otherwise, Wehan has been getting his spot in the 18 and may get the first shot if Stahre goes with the same kind of lineup and a like for like sub at Hyka's spot. He could just as easily go back to Wondo as a starter and slide Vako back to left outside mid, or somehow find a way to play someone like Alashe over a more technical player.

 

The masked avenger !!

 

I highly doubt they will miss, based on how well they played in CCL. Give them some time; they'll put in enough wins to make the playoffs and likely win it all again.

 

I don't think so. A third of the season is gone. And TFC was never as good as advertised. Just my subjective opinion.

 

They were awesome in CCL. If they can stay healthy and play at that level, they are amoung the four best in the league.

 

Lot of "ifs." Isn't Giovinco suspended for the next game? They could dig their hole deeper before emerging.

 

https://quakesepicenter.com/2018/05/16/early-season-statistical-observations/

 

". . . I do, however, like to dive into the data, particularly advanced metrics . . ."

I prefer arithmetic: 5 losses against 2 wins. Tells me more than a data-diver who thinks the Quakes are holding onto Simon Dawkins.

 

I'm no expert on tactics, formations, systems of play etc. However, even I can spot the large number of poorly executed passes by many players. I'm not talking about the attempted killer passes which try to thread the needle and get intercepted. I mean the garden variety short and maybe medium passes which are "hospital balls" and end up being lost or intercepted, and the balls which are so slow that by the time the receiving Quakes player gets it the other team has time to adjust or close him down. The short passes which go straight to an opposing player and immediately force the Quakes to retreat. The passes which are looped to friendly players and are difficult to control and play quickly rather than being hit sharply on the floor. The fancy attempted passes which are flipped or popped up off the side of the foot and end up as 50-50 balls or into touch or go to the other side. These guys are pro players whose technical ability should be better than this. Seeing passes like this seem to indicate a lack of confidence, a lack of focus, fear of making an error ... something. They seem like unforced errors to me and it only takes a few of them in a game to kill attacks or lead to opposing counterattack goals. Am I just missing the same errors of the other team, or does this season seem to have more of these Quakes mistakes than there should be? (And don't get me started on all of the lost throw-ins, or blind headers up the field into space where there are only opposing players which end up going to the other side or becoming 50-50 balls).

 

I think we are better than it seemed a week ago, but still probably not higher than a mid-table team, which is what we were before all of these changes, starting with Dom's firing. IOW after all that, the new players, all the euro coaches, etc., we haven't really gained ground.

So you start to look at the long term. Are we doing anything to improve our lot over the longer haul? There were a lot of signings of young players. That's a plus. But I'm not seeing the follow-through to really be pro-active about getting young players minutes. Really no one is getting many minutes except Stahre's preferred starters. I think right now he is in a bit of a panic mode and clinging to his starters like baby to mama.

 

The poor passing has been a recurrent theme for the Quakes since 2008.

 

This is a function of fan base impatience. A takes time to perform an overhaul, especially of a thoroughly dysfunctional operation. It's a lot harder than starting from scratch with an expansion side.

If more fans had more patience, Chris Leitch would have been allowed to continue his good work. I know you admire Leitch, but most commentators on this board and elsewhere wanted to string him up as an inexperienced idiot.

Stahre is under considerable fire right now. He may or may not be competent, but he has not had sufficient time to demonstrate his abilities. It seems clear he was forced by the impending goal-scoring record to start Wondo for several games despite it being obvious that Wondo's presence disrupts the entire formation, and that Stahre has been given a roster without a serviceable left back (who knows if Stahre is partly to blame for that roster). But, again, the mob has been on the prowl with pitchforks for several weeks now. So, of course, Stahre is going to take a short-term, self-preservationist perspective.

I've recommended that everyone relax and enjoy the games without worrying about the results. If we do, maybe Stahre (and Fioranelli) can do the same, without panicking. We're going to get a left back in due course. Wondo is going to break the record in due course. And we'll start playing a distinctive style in due course. Or, we'll fire the lot of them, and start over -- with a new cowering coach who's afraid to make a mistake lest the decade-plus of incompetence that preceded him be held against him.

 

I'm trying to be patient. That's why despite the mediocre results I'm looking for signs that we are doing something to get us out of purgatory - some kind of long-term view. From the same post you quoted from, "So you start to look at the long term. Are we doing anything to improve our lot over the longer haul?"

As I said, I see some signs that is happening, including the signing / promotion of young players from the academy or our USL team. But what I'm concerned about now is that the long-term view is not making its way to the head coach. I think Stahre is probably a perfectly fine X's and O's guy. But he is a hired gun. He doesn't have long-term ties to the organization. This is his 7th team in the last 10 years. He normally doesn't stick around for more than a year or two. And recently he has been having flashbacks to his time in Greece when he went 1-5-1 and was promptly relieved of his duties.

Leitch OTOH has been with the team for several years, and will likely continue in some capacity for several years. Whatever his limitations and lack of experience as a head coach, you could see his commitment to the longer-term view - his willingness to take risks with young players, his willingness to take risks on the field, even when they blow up on him, because he knows there is a longer process at work, etc. That's the main reason I liked him as a coach.

From Stahre's 1 on 1 interview with Jesse, you could see who the alpha was. Stahre isn't going to take direction from Jesse. He's going coach the team the way he wants to coach the team, to maximize success in the short term - his 2 year stint, w/o regard for what happens next, because he'll be looking for another step up after this gig. Maybe he'll surprise and start to change as results start to look up, but my impression is that his style is very pragmatic - do whatever you need to do to win the game at hand w/o regard to the future of the club, medium or long term. This is actually similar to the Dom philosophy - it was all about winning the game at hand.

 

I know, but even though I replied to your post, I was not primarily speaking to you.

 

I did not see the interview from which you determine Stahre is an alpha. However, the evidence of who Stahre plays and in what formation does not suggest to me that he is stubbornly coaching the way he wants; quite the opposite. He is reacting to pressure from someone in making out his lineups, whether that is Jesse, ownership, and/or the fans.

 

I don't see any evidence that he is reacting to pressure from anyone in making out his lineups.

As for the interview, someone else may get a different impression, but I read the body language and the arc of the conversation as Stahre clearly being the alpha, while Jesse was reverent. For example, Jesse asked him something like "What is more difficult - getting an attacking player to defend or a defensive player to attack?" Stahre started to answer then just said it was a stupid question and all Jesse could do was to look kind of embarrassed.

 

As I recall, and someone contemporaneously commented, Stahre's lineup for the Houston match looked as if he had been reading the critiques on BigSoccer.

 

Who was the alpha male in the Fioranelli / Kinnear relationship?