Maestro's should learn from costly mistakes

Maestro FC 1 : 3 The Reds (Chris Tan)
Match Review by Chris Tan

4th striaght losses starts the hunger games of Maestro players. This time round, the lost is not due to the small pitch or over-attendance. The lost may be resulted from inmaturity, individual mistakes, and tactical mistakes on the pitch.

Though Maestro players were all geared up for the game with another good turn out of players, it was the Red's day. Vice-Captain Gerald addressed the team and suggested we should play 4-4-2 formation which Maestro was still lacking confidence to grab. The push of attacks were imminent as Maestro was pouring attacks everywhere. Right from the start, there were obvious Good job to the centre midfielders which distributed good passes, long and short ones. There were mulitple good runs from wide Abi and Augustine. Augustine even hit the post at close range, leaving opposition a neck breather.

However, the half time result was the same as well, with Maestro trailing by 1 goal due to a poor touch by Little Eric during the opposition corner. The lack of match fitness Goalkeeper Randel should have done better in this incident as well when the ball crept into the net.

As the match proceed, the Maestro somehow became tired by the hot weather or disappointed by the goal. All tactical discipline slowly showed signs of crumble. The 4-4-2 formation turned to 4 -2- 4 or 4-3-3 formation. From the tactical point of view, the centre midfielders were running everywhere covering the free space, making Eugene and Joel exhausted and had to be substitued.

Maestro's task became harder when another defence error by Walter made the striker had a chance to finish off at close range. Goalkeeper Randel fell while chasing for the slow creeping ball, making a very unlucky day for Maestro.  Maestro down by 2 -0 in halftime.

As from previous experiences, Maestro typically did not give up easily. With Ole Gunnar Hakim missing from action, Maestro still had the believe to come back from behind. Not soon after the second half, good work seen by Joel from the right as he penetrated into the defense and won him a corner. The corner was subsequently cleared to Eugene which unleashed a shot that hit the bar. Still lurking in the area was the centre-back Chris, which headed into the net at close range.

Maestro still had a mountain to climb despite the goal. Maestro managed several great chances later with still good work from right down. There were few crosses which was not converted as it brushed off Augustine hair in few instances, very close.

With all the attacking, the counter-attacks were rampant as well. Despite few good attempts, not much obvious threats were done to the keeper. However, Maestro defense got another wake-up call when the much weighted through pass was not handled properly by Randel and the clearance hit onto Little Eric. Very unlucky day for Eric, he broke a record of Maestro for scoring 2 own goals (Everyone starts asking for 4D numbers from him afterwards).

The match ended with bad defensive mistakes and poor clinical finishing.

Good points:

- Good short passes, many 1- 2 passing is seen. In fact, the team should be impressed that we are playing well together.

- Good communication between players, everyone is running towards positions that they can get the ball, especially seen in centre midfields today

- Several good runs by Joel. Remarkable! The next Ronaldo in the making.

- Good positive attitude by players after the game. Good communication was disseminated to how they felt the game should be played.

Bad points:

- Where are the strikers in the game? (6 midfielders? 0 shot on target for them? Too much contribution in the control of midfield that we lost possession by passing too much)

- Are we playing a good 4-4-2 formation? (We should know how to play 4-4-2 formation properly since we do not build our formation from day 1. Attached criteria are missing from our tactic)

1. The wingers will usually be very pacy with an eye for a cross and some good dribbling skills. They will be required to add width to our tactic and supply the forwards with chances. They also form a partnership with the full backs, receiving the ball from them, as well as using them as a wide outlet if they find themselves under too much pressure. In attacking tactics, they may even find themselves playing an overlap with them.
2. In the centre, however, we have another partnership – the “holding” midfielder and the more creative midfielder. The ball-winning player will look to stay in the midfield when the team attacks, providing cover for any breaks. He will also put in the majority of the team’s tackles, trying to stop the opponent’s midfield supplying the strikers. For that reason, he will need to be strong, a good tackler, and probably quite fit so that he can keep going all game long.
3. The playmaker, however, will look to receive the ball in the centre of the park and lay it off to the strikers or the wingers. The ball will come to him from all over the pitch, and then he can look to start off more penetrating attacking moves. With a support duty, he won’t stray too far out of the midfield (providing defensive cover), but he will also concentrate more on playing good through balls and incisive passes than arriving late in the area to bang in shots. This provides balance and stability – crucial in any simple tactic like this.
4. The final partnership. The FCr and FCl will be set up as a deep-lying forward with a support duty and an advanced forward with an attack duty. Others may prefer a “big man, little man” combination with a target man (support) and a poacher (attack). But this is down to personal preference. For now, as I’ve stated throughout, I’m looking to keep things simple.
5. The deep-lying forward looks to come back from the forward line into the gap between the midfield and the attack. From here, he can lay the ball off to whoever is in the right space for a pass. This could be the midfield, the wingers or his striker partner. In any case, he is looking more for key passes and assists than he is for shots on goal himself – though, of course, if the need arises he can stick it in the net.
6. The advanced forward, on the other hand, is there to play off the last defender and latch on to through balls from those behind him. He is the main goalscorer, and as such will do less tracking back. The two forwards will therefore have to work well as a partnership in order to create chances for the team. Providing the team get a lot of goals, it doesn’t matter too much if the deep-lying forward only gets a dozen a season.

- Its not entirely Little Eric fault, however, he should have done better in many instances. At late stages, he seems to get back to the usual-self, playing well by moving the ball quickly with his feet.

- Opposition talk alot policy - In fact, are we talking alot more? One positive thing is that the referee is in control.

Maestro wake-up call is now, we shall demolish the next opponent harder than ever.

There is no mercy at goalscoring the next match. There will be bees stinging and make sure opponents walk out of pitch due to disappointment. We'll be together, we'll win together!