The Midfield Three (and Kal)

[Davefevs]

I thought worked their nuts off today.

Really unusual for Billy Mitchell not to ferret around and influence the game.  He did nothing bar one pass out right.

Their shape meant that Sykes and Bell could tuck in 5 yards and Wallace (LCB3) couldn’t find Bryan, nor Hutchinson find McNamara.  And Whatmore and Flemming never got the ball and faced up our back four either…James’s positioning at times so good.

Just posted a summary on Twitter with some pics and crayons!

https://x.com/fevsfootball/status/1690418934812483584?s=61&t=-S1PU3hcTPKwmOB7P_bFxg

 

[You Do The Dziekanowski]

Very well put and love the analytics on Twitter. 
 

Jason Knight looked good being the more progressive of the 3. Once that pre season rust comes off, he’ll be one hell of a player. 
 

James knows his job and does it very well and then you have the tenacity of Williams/Naismith. Scott will be a huge loss, but the midfield we have is very well balanced. Another creative/box to box type would compliment it further when Williams misses his 3 months of the season 

[mozo]

Don't know the analytics but my eyes said the midfield dis a really good job. Not spectacular (until the winning goal), but hardworking, good retention and intelligent football.

[HOZDA]

Always appreciate your (or any other posters!) analyses. Really helps highlight the intricate details and technicalities in terms of formations, movement, shape, counters, transitions etc. The little things you don't really notice or see when watching live. Thanks for the summary.

Must say, I do find we have often struggled to break down 5atb formations, especially at home. I hope we have found a breakthrough. 

Great performance today. Hoping my first game this season will be at AG vs Birmingham. Can't wait! COYR

 

[Robbored]

Cracking volley from James to nick the points. Lovely long throw from Cornick, I wonder if he gets an assist for that?

Thats two goals created by Cornicks long throws whereas with Kalas long throws I can’t remember a goal from them. 

[steviestevieneville]

2 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Cracking volley from James to nick the points. Lovely long throw from Cornick, I wonder if he gets an assist for that?

Thats two goals created by Cornicks long throws whereas with Kalas long throws I can’t remember a goal from them. 

No he won’t because there was a flick on at the near post . 

[Robbored]

1 minute ago, steviestevieneville said:

No he won’t because there was a flick on at the near post . 

It was the same as the Preston goal last week. Cornick long throw, flick on, Wells hitting the post and Bell tapping in.

Very different trajectory from Kalas. I wonder if they’ve been working on long throws in training?

[BCFCGav]

39 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I thought worked their nuts off today.

Really unusual for Billy Mitchell not to ferret around and influence the game.  He did nothing bar one pass out right.

Their shape meant that Sykes and Bell could tuck in 5 yards and Wallace (LCB3) couldn’t find Bryan, nor Hutchinson find McNamara.  And Whatmore and Flemming never got the ball and faced up our back four either…James’s positioning at times so good.

Just posted a summary on Twitter with some pics and crayons!

https://x.com/fevsfootball/status/1690418934812483584?s=61&t=-S1PU3hcTPKwmOB7P_bFxg

 

My aim is to one day have your eye for this stuff. Makes my ‘analysis’ look like a 3y/o trying to freestyle. 

[steviestevieneville]

7 minutes ago, Robbored said:

It was the same as the Preston goal last week. Cornick long throw, flick on, Wells hitting the post and Bell tapping in.

Very different trajectory from Kalas. I wonder if they’ve been working on long throws in training?

Yes I know , I was there. 

[mozo]

The flick didn't come off our player though did it? Looked on RTV replays like it came off the defender, who was crowded. All good though.

[CodeRed]

18 minutes ago, Robbored said:

 

Very different trajectory from Kalas. I wonder if they’ve been working on long throws in training?

Doubt it - I expect they just chuck the ball in and hope for the best without any thought or practice. 

[Robbored]

9 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Doubt it - I expect they just chuck the ball in and hope for the best without any thought or practice. 

That’s a bit cynical CR. 
Do you suppose that the coaches ad the players just aimlessly run around with a ball at their feet up at Failand?

[RedorDead BCFC]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

Cracking volley from James to nick the points. Lovely long throw from Cornick, I wonder if he gets an assist for that?

Thats two goals created by Cornicks long throws whereas with Kalas long throws I can’t remember a goal from them. 

Apart from the 2 at Reading? 

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, HOZDA said:

Always appreciate your (or any other posters!) analyses. Really helps highlight the intricate details and technicalities in terms of formations, movement, shape, counters, transitions etc. The little things you don't really notice or see when watching live. Thanks for the summary.

Must say, I do find we have often struggled to break down 5atb formations, especially at home. I hope we have found a breakthrough. 

Great performance today. Hoping my first game this season will be at AG vs Birmingham. Can't wait! COYR

 

Ta.

I tend to agree that against a back-3 / WBs system our match-ups haven’t quite worked, both with and without the ball.

Today I thought Sykes and Bell tucking in when they had the ball stopped any progress through the middle and as soon as it went out to WBs, we squeezed pretty well.  Millwall aren’t a side with sophisticated patterns to get them out of congestion.  So today worked a treat.

With the ball, Williams and Knight splitting together with Tanner and Pring pushing on, meant Bryan and McNamara couldn’t congest the middle of the pitch like PNE did that week.  Tanner and Pring’s brave positioning meant the game rarely felt like our midfield got hassled…like Millwall would like to.

Nige 1 Gary 0???

[red colin]

2 hours ago, Robbored said:

That’s a bit cynical CR. 
Do you suppose that the coaches ad the players just aimlessly run around with a ball at their feet up at Failand?

Sorry robbo lobbing a ball in from a throw in is hoping for a lucky knock on not something that has been worked out its a useful tool but it ends up down to luck.and long may we keep getting a lucky knock on .

[Robbored]

14 minutes ago, red colin said:

Sorry robbo lobbing a ball in from a throw in is hoping for a lucky knock on not something that has been worked out its a useful tool but it ends up down to luck.and long may we keep getting a lucky knock on .

As you mention a long throw is a useful weapon in any teams armoury so why not practice it in training even if only for 15mins  or so.

Two similar goals from a long throw, flick on, goal might just be coincidence but if we see another goal created in the same way then that’ll suggest that they have practiced it.

However it won’t take long for opposing teams to work out the best way to deal with it so may as well make the most of it in the next few games.

The obvious difference between Kalas and Cornicks long throws is the flatter trajectory that Cornick gets - much more difficult to defend than a floated trajectory that Kalas managed.

Keep it up until the novelty wears off I say.

[MarcusX]

4 hours ago, Robbored said:

Cracking volley from James to nick the points. Lovely long throw from Cornick, I wonder if he gets an assist for that?

Thats two goals created by Cornicks long throws whereas with Kalas long throws I can’t remember a goal from them. 

Which is wrong because you said this a week or two ago and I replied with links to goals from kalas long throws…

And no assist because it was flicked on.

Edited August 12, 2023 by MarcusX

[Shauntaylor85]

5 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I thought worked their nuts off today.

Really unusual for Billy Mitchell not to ferret around and influence the game.  He did nothing bar one pass out right.

Their shape meant that Sykes and Bell could tuck in 5 yards and Wallace (LCB3) couldn’t find Bryan, nor Hutchinson find McNamara.  And Whatmore and Flemming never got the ball and faced up our back four either…James’s positioning at times so good.

Just posted a summary on Twitter with some pics and crayons!

https://x.com/fevsfootball/status/1690418934812483584?s=61&t=-S1PU3hcTPKwmOB7P_bFxg

 

Naismith is pure class, a level above Joe W, needs to start when fit. 

[Phileas Fogg]

Robbored can’t quite grasp the analysis in Dave’s post - so in retaliation hijacks the entire thread with some basic point about long throws. Great stuff as per. 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

Naismith is pure class, a level above Joe W, needs to start when fit. 

Very different players.  Naismith is much easier on the eye.  But he won’t do the dirty stuff Williams does.  He doesn’t have the legs Williams has.  Williams can’t pass a ball like Naismith can (few can).

Its why you need a team…and more importantly a squad!

 

[Robbored]

6 hours ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Robbored can’t quite grasp the analysis in Dave’s post - so in retaliation hijacks the entire thread with some basic point about long throws.

That’s because I’ve not had the time to read it yet…………

I don’t have Twitter and I just tried the link and it won’t load.

I’ve read DaveFevs analysis many times previously and they’re always excellent.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Robbored

[ExiledAjax]

Here's a piece looking at all 69 of Kalas' long throws prior to Jan 2022 https://jbcfc.home.blog/2022/01/07/kalas-long-throws/

Summary stats as follows:

STATS:

Long throws that lead to goal: 2 (2.90% of the 69 long throws)

Long throws that lead to shot: 14 (20.29%)

City first touch from throws: 19 (27.54%)

Cleared only as far as edge of the box: 16 (23.19%)

Easily cleared/caught: 28 (40.58%)

[Numero Uno]

8 hours ago, red colin said:

Sorry robbo lobbing a ball in from a throw in is hoping for a lucky knock on not something that has been worked out its a useful tool but it ends up down to luck.and long may we keep getting a lucky knock on .

Do you really think a seventeen year old kid making his league debut "just happened" to stop their first player getting a header on the throw with a sneaky foul, allowing us to move the ball on, through "off the cuff luck"? I'm not so sure.

[CodeRed]

12 hours ago, Robbored said:

That’s a bit cynical CR. 
Do you suppose that the coaches ad the players just aimlessly run around with a ball at their feet up at Failand?

Even the piss takes go over your head

[Rocking Red Cyril]

Really liking how Knight, Williams, and James are working as a solid midfield.

But there does not seem to be enough attacking intent from them. As none are forward thinking attack minded players. Just seems to be we are missing a trick with them together.

[Gimme Shelton]

2 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

Here's a piece looking at all 69 of Kalas' long throws prior to Jan 2022 https://jbcfc.home.blog/2022/01/07/kalas-long-throws/

Summary stats as follows:

STATS:

Long throws that lead to goal: 2 (2.90% of the 69 long throws)

Long throws that lead to shot: 14 (20.29%)

City first touch from throws: 19 (27.54%)

Cleared only as far as edge of the box: 16 (23.19%)

Easily cleared/caught: 28 (40.58%)

Similar figures for our corners?

[ExiledAjax]

4 minutes ago, Gimme Shelton said:

Similar figures for our corners?

Yeh I was thinking the same. If I remember correctly then across football over the last decade or so it's roughly 3% of corners that result in goals. In that way I think they're best viewed as extra corners, which makes sense when you look at how we set up for them.

We're not going to score loads of goals using them, but they're an extra tool.

Edited August 13, 2023 by ExiledAjax

[ChrisBW]

13 hours ago, mozo said:

The flick didn't come off our player though did it? Looked on RTV replays like it came off the defender, who was crowded. All good though.

Rob Dickie flicked it

[mozo]

3 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

Here's a piece looking at all 69 of Kalas' long throws prior to Jan 2022 https://jbcfc.home.blog/2022/01/07/kalas-long-throws/

Summary stats as follows:

STATS:

Long throws that lead to goal: 2 (2.90% of the 69 long throws)

Long throws that lead to shot: 14 (20.29%)

City first touch from throws: 19 (27.54%)

Cleared only as far as edge of the box: 16 (23.19%)

Easily cleared/caught: 28 (40.58%)

3% leading to goals doesn't sound great, but if 59% are leading to the ball being in a position of opportunity (ie in or around the box), then I guess it is up to us to maximise that opportunity by having players in the right positions and knowing how to recycle the ball correctly to sustain pressure and create more goalscoring opportunities?

Edited August 13, 2023 by mozo

[Dr Balls]

1 hour ago, Rocking Red Cyril said:

Really liking how Knight, Williams, and James are working as a solid midfield.

But there does not seem to be enough attacking intent from them. As none are forward thinking attack minded players. Just seems to be we are missing a trick with them together.

Solidity vs attacking intent. Considering our problem over recent seasons has been conceding too many goals, tightening up in midfield and at the back is not necessarily a bad thing. One downside is that our attacking play becomes even more dependent on speed and breakaways from the front 3, which links to having previously struggled when we have had more of the possession against teams which are happy to sit back.