OK, well if you take out the CONCACAF WWC qualifiers, the average opponents rank goes up to 13.94 since Sermanni, 15.04 all time. Still not higher... If you just want to count number of games against a top 10 team then Sermanni has 10 and Ellis has 10 all time (8 since)... so that's a wash. If you want to count the number of games against a top 5 team, then she has 5 all time (3 since) to Sermanni's 4. So, I guess you could argue for that... Also if you look at her record minus CONCACAF WWC qualifiers (and that still includes matches against Mexico and Argentina) she is 9-5-2 (W-T-L) since taking over. If you take a look only at matches against teams in the top 20, she is 6-5-2... Sermanni was 13-4-2 against teams in the top 20. Ellis is 2-3-2 against the top 10, Sermanni was 5-3-1.
Another thing consistent about Women's Soccer is that fans of a national team usually think the sky is falling.
Questions about France 1. Do they try something different with Thomis or use Klingenberg? 2. Do they stick with the 4-2-2-2? 3. Will Rampone be starting? Johnston? Van Hollebeke? 4. Do they try and go big with Wambach? 5. Does Rapinoe get a start?
1. I am not sure Thomis will start. France used Dali and Lavogez against Japan. 2. One of the obvious weakness in the 4-2-2-2 is that in attacking phases, it morphes into a kind of 3-5-2 with the full back so high on the pitch that there is acres of space to put a diagonal ball on the counter.
Klingenberg Yes Rampone or Johnston won't see RVH again baring injury. Yes Yes Back line will be anchored by Ali and Becky. Question is given no health issues will Johnston start instead of Rampone? Also we will see, assuming Kling starts, how she does when France counters and pressures. She will either win the job tomorrow or throw it open again.
The Ellis pattern on injuries is work them back slowly so Id be surprised if u see Rampone for more than a half.
it didn't help either that Pia brought back those 3 slowpokes, Dahlqvist, Gorsnsson & Thunebro. lol Iceland also has the world's most famous female goalkeeper~~~according to youtube with over 20 million hits, but unfortunately for dubious reasons JanBalk, who is Sweden's #14? she looked quite good against Germany, than didn't play vs Brzil, but back again in the starting lineup vs China, she might just be Sweden's good luck charm you threw a curve, as for a moment I thought your question was really about France! Like your posts, but how about scouting the opponent for once?
OK u lost me completely. What does me throwing 5 questions out for discussion have to do with scouting an opponent. Any lack of knowledge I had about France would be more apparent if I was making statements, no?
Hanna Folkesson, plays in Umeå. Started playing in the WNT about a year ago. Not a remarkably player but seem to do her part without many mistakes (or hardly any).
Thoughts on the tournament overall: -Hope Solo had a shaky start, but got better as the tournament progressed and saved the best for last. If she can keep her head on straight for the next few months, that'll be a major boost for the team's WC hopes. -Julie Johnston may have just solidified her WC spot and bumped Rachel Van Hollebeke out. -Morgan Brian has consistency issues. Good one game, not so good the next. -The debate on whether or not to start Abby Wambach should stop. She's best as a 10-15 minute sub now. -Alex Morgan needs to find her form again and do it quickly. And I'm not sure if NWSL will help her do that. -Carli Lloyd had a strong start to the tournament, but fell off as the tournament progressed. Is she saving herself a bit for June? -Lost in the Johnston show was the consistent performance of Becky Sauerbrunn. She and Ali Krieger will most likely have to play a large amount of minutes come June. -I've been critical of Lauren Holiday's set piece deliveries, but they were spot on in the final. That was the one part of her play that was good. -The only way Crystal Dunn is going to be watching the WC will be on TV. -I hope this ref doesn't do any US games in the WC. She went from letting everything go in the Switzerland game to calling fouls on nothingburger challenges and wasting time talking to players in the final.
quick and dirty performance ratings for the Algarve Cup based on FIFA ratings. (also posted in International Thread) USA 2156 Germany 2102 France 2082 Sweden 2055 Brazil 2046 Norway 1994 Switzerland 1883 Japan 1874 Denmark 1841 China 1784 Iceland 1754 Portugal 1733 (note -edited. Denmark's rating was wrong)
My summery of Algarve...a lot of teams r dealing with injuries and there is no clear cut favorite for WC 2015.
On the topic of Ellis doling out game time based on practice. While Im not ready to anoint JJ Queen of the May based on her solid Algarve showing, it does offer some perspective on practice. What could possibly be the difference in practice between the four CBs that Johnston now has a total of 8 caps since Jan 2013, 3 of them Algarve 2015 starts?
Even though JJ had a great tournament, I'm not so enthusiastic about throwing her on the field as a starter in the first WC game. Yes, she's had success at youth WC and professionally, but a senior WC is a completely different matter. We've seen this story way too many times before. Hell, we saw it in 07- young player has a fantastic Algarve and is brilliant in run up to WC, but falls apart during the actual WC.
I dont think she would fall apart but I dont think Algarve has advanced her in the pecking order either. I dont think she is a defensive upgrade over either Rampone or Engen but she does bring more than the other two on the offensive end and maybe that rates her a start in games where they dont start Wambach and want some help on set pieces.
Some nice quotes from JJ after the match U.S. WNT defender Julie Johnston On how it felt to score her first goal with the WNT: “Happiness for sure. (Assistant coach) Tony (Gustavsson) gave me exactly the role that I needed to play on in set pieces so I was going to make sure that I did what he said I needed to do. They were happy and I was really happy to have my first goal.” On Lauren Holiday’s cross that lead to her goal: “It was a phenomenal ball; driven, perfect for a header. It was a great ball.” On the experience of playing in her first big games for the WNT: “The experience was great. I’m very thankful to even have the opportunity to be on the field and be able to play. I’ve learned a lot watching these players and playing with them every single day, so to be able to play with them in games like these is unbelievable. It’s definitely a dream come true.
Things I took from Algarve 1. Johnston booked her ticket but I still dont see much of a role for her unless there is a formation switch. Generally u dont play much with ur CB combination in a tournament unless u have to. 2. The appearance of Boxx in a super sub role supports the theory she makes the roster. Personally I dont see it. I thought Boxx played well in the role but in a real tournament with three subs can u really use one on the DM position? In this formation and strategy such as it is, the forwards and outside back r getting their legs run off and the subs would be better used there. 3. Dunn - not sure they have given up on her. I still think any practice problems stem from her unwillingness to go forward as opposed to effort. There have also been rumor of practice problems with A-Rod, O'Hara, Brian and Johnston and in each case I see it the same way...not playing the way the coach wants as opposed to not practicing hard. Anyway, I think O'Hara made some points at Algarve with her versatility. As I didnt see Iceland not sure how Chalupny looked at DM. At the end of the day not sure Ellis can carry a player she refuses to put on the field but still think Dunn has a shot. Maybe the 3 or 4 games for the Spirit where they do know how to use her with impact the decision. 4. Offense is just awful. Ellis' stone age strategy of just banging the ball forward is taking her most valuable asset; the forwards, out of the matches. The defense seemed better tho. One goal conceded and that on a lost mark. They did get several favorable PK decisions. I thought Holiday should have earned one, Klingenbergs was absurd (and btw this throwing up ur hands and saying what did I do after a deliberate foul is getting really old). Lloyd got away with one in Brazil and there was one more at Algarve that was missed. 5. I thought it was a bit of deja vu watching that cross from France almost sail into the goal. While it wasnt as tough as the one they scored on in France, the fact that Solo dealt with it was a big plus for her. 6. Found the refereeing generally annoying and have no reason not to expect the same in Canada...Ugh. 7. Ellis still isnt a very good bench coach and the adjustments she makes r generally geared for the next match which doesnt help u in the knock out rounds. 8. While I believe the US tried harder to win this than any of the other teams, no one made a definitive statement that the cup is theirs. The German collapse, Sweden inconsistency, Brazil being up and down, Japan's struggles and the US weakness against pressure/offense woes seem to bode well for a wide open WC.
4 opponents is not a large enough sample size to be statistically significant. Read about the Law of Larger Numbers.