Lineups, Formations, Tactics, Stats, etc.

Yes, good and timely subs are important. Good halftime talks and tactical adjustments need to be on this list also. How many times have we seen our guys turn in a good first half, only to come out for the second looking like whipped puppies?!

But we need to be well organized and focused from the opening whistle.

And our problems go back more than just last season. We looked like crap under Dom and Wat(TF) and Frank. We have been inexcusably bad since 2013.

Go Quakes!!
We don't even know why we suck!!

- Mark

 

It might if Godoy, is indeed, a problem, and that problem is recognized and steps are taken to correct it. After last season, it's easy to fire off blame at pretty much everybody. I obviously feel that my assessments are correct since I offer up my opinions here, but I could very well be wrong as I have been about many players.

It's important to keep in mind that Stahre was most certainly not helping any player play up to their ability. I don't know that Almeyda will be able to get more out of these guys, but I suspect he will, and while I don't expect a 180 degree turn around from 2018 to 2019, I still hope they do.

I haven't been thrilled by the proposed formations and stuff that people have suspected will come from Almeyda, but I haven't yet seen the Quakes play while he's coaching, so I'm going to reserve my judgment for when I do. But so long as I don't see a guy sending the team out for slaughter while doing nothing to prevent it, I'll be willing to keep an open mind.

 

Godoy sure seems to like Almeyda. Maybe that will translate into Godoy’s play and we’ll see more of good Godoy than bad. In the Reno match, I thought Luis Felipe played better, not that that match is what anything should be judged by.

 

I'm not surprised by this. Almeyda seems to be a better motivator than any coach the Quakes have had in their history. Kinnear has a spotty record on this. Earlier in his career he seemed to have a good way with players, but as time has gone on, he's seemed less interested, or only willing to cater to specific types of players.

One would also hope that that playing systems that Almeyda is trying to implement are more compatible with the players on the roster.

 

we have Matias Almeyda now so all of this is irrelevant and doesn't matter anymore.

 

Not to nit pick, but I wonder about the methodology here? Does getting beaten by speed count as a mistake? Or only losing out to guile and poor positioning? Failing to track your assignment? I just wonder how he compiled these numbers?

We all thought that Qwiberg was dreadful, but his numbers are better than many other guys. (Sample Size!! Sample Size!! I hear the spirit of JazzyJ yelling at me.)

Also, this analysis requires that the observer actually know the assignments of each player. Maybe Vako wasn't required to track back all of the time, or even most? That's a Stahre issue, so hopefully we correct most of these mistakes in the coming season.

But we still aren't fast enough to deal with the footspeed of this league. Think back to 2012, we fielded young and speedy versions of Beitashour, Morrow, Salinas, and Chavez all at the same time. Those guys were four of the fastest players in the league. We just ran the enemy into the ground. We don't have the speed to do that this season.

See, I'm back into a negative hole immediately, because I'm just a negative bummerific guy.

Go Quakes!!
More crap on tap!!

- Mark

 

I made this Reddit post and it seems that the person who reposted above didn't include where I briefly described the methodology.

This is what I said- "Note: I included much more than serious errors. Also minor mistakes such as duels lost, missed tackles, poor positioning, failing to track back, etc. Hence why the average amount of mistakes per goal is so high (2.)"

Of course, subjectivity is a problem here. What I consider a "mistake" may not be considered one by you. The method isn't scientific. I spent probably two hours doing this and I'm sure a few mistakes were made. That being said, I tried to be consistent in my ruling the whole time, obviously.

 

Part of your answer is sample size. Qwiberg played I think 5 games all season. Also, this isn't a perfect metric of the skill/performance of players defensively. Not all mistakes made result in goals, even if said mistakes are very serious ones, for example.

 

Thanks a ton!!

I get that any such ranking will be subjective and that sample size will play a part. Even so, your numbers support my "eyeball" evaluation that Ockford is a better CB than either Kashia or Cummings. Sadly, he's also slower, which would be a problem over the long haul.

Really, I just wanted to know what you did and didn't take into consideration. There were a number of times that I saw Qwiberg get caught up field and lack the pace to recover. I'm sure that you counted those now. So thanks a lot. I followed the link to the Reddit page, but didn't look enough to find your explanation. Thanks again!! And please keep this up, it's really useful to have some actual metrics.

Go Quakes!!
So bad we don't know that we're bad!!

- Mark

 

Who could have possibly predicted it?

A source familiar with Kashia from his time at previous club Vitesse describes him as "a great leader, but he makes mistakes." That said, he can't do much worse than what's already there.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/SJEarthqua..._system_a_new_philosophy_what_to_expect_from/

 

Hmmmm.

I'm not at all sure that I buy this.

On the upside, Matias thinks that he should move his creative player to a more central spot. That's an enormous improvement over Yallop/Wat(TF)/Kinnear/Stahre, so I'm on board with that.

Given his lower completion percentage, we'll need for Eriksson to get a lot of chances to make that killer pass. I'm not optimistic about this.

Good thing I have a lot of quality whiskey on hand.

Go Quakes!!
We are weak!

- Mark

 

While one game, Wondo's comments were reflected in what I saw against Seattle. Also, what I forgot to mention, Erikkson looked leaner this year than last. He was much more active in the game. Of course, it could just be his bald pallet as opposed to his awful haircut from last year.

 

The only good thing I saw about Magnus was his ability to send a good left foot cross/shot. Outside of that he was slow to move and decide his next step, could not win in 1v1 and was on the ground a lot.

The middle of the field is a spot where you have to beat someone to clear space and place a ball. All of which require very quick decisions and feet to match. The opponents will simply swam the middle man each time, just as we see done with Vako. I have absolutely zero faith that Magnus can move around people like Vako. I fail to see why we are relying on Magnus to fill this need when we can just place TT there as he has shown great decisions, 1v1 wins and feeds the ball really well. I fear Magnus is out there for free kicks, corner kicks and his salary and then we just try to hid him on the pitch to reduce exposure to his shortcomings.

 

Let me clarify. I would prefer Vako in that role for the reasons that you stated. At the moment, I'm giving the coach some leeway. As far as a backup, I agree that TT is better in tight spaces and is better passer in those spaces. However, I think that he struggles with quick decisions similar to Magnus and doesn't have a good shot.

Also, TT has been subbed in twice in pre-season for Lima. What does that mean? Was he just resting Lima? Is this truely the plan going into the season?

 

I agree 100%, more if possible. Magnus is still crap. Better than last season, but he still makes a lot of bad passes, he's still slow, he still takes too long to make a decision, he still doesn't know what he wants to do with the ball until it's at his feet. And his first touch is gagh! I mean not Harut Karapetyan bad, but still awful.

TT would be a dramatic upgrade at that position.

I disagree with you. Tommy clearly knows what he wants to do with the ball before he gets it, his problem is that his teammates have no idea how to make a dangerous run. You can see Tommy take the ball, look for the runner, and then pull it back to make the pass somewhere else because the guy he thought was going to make the run didn't.

Tommy is one of our best players, no question. The fact that he can't get time from the coaches is baffling. He's better in tight spaces, he makes better decisions with the ball, he has more inclination to attack goal.

He's a bit small and he's not very fast, and I think these are things that our coaches focus on.

Go Quakes!!
Another vomitous season on the way!!

- Mark

 

We most certainly do know why. It’s because we have crap players and a crap owner!

 

I keep thinking the Galaxy are ripe to get hit with injuries and things would get ugly if Zlatan goes down for an extended time.

 

Why do think they are ripe? Age?

 

Age is part of it. Seems like they have young players they will need to rely on if they have any injuries. It’s like they have little depth. Sending Kamara overseas was a necessity, but he was consistent offense.

 

Spoiled?