League Match (Away) Report Bradford Town Aztec vs Eagles
16th May 2021
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Great game to finish off a long drawn out season comfortable at the top of the division and clear winners! We looked and played a class above Bradford who have been strong opposition in the past, but today it felt comfortable even when we conceded a penalty to make it 2-1.
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The tactics was to play our fastest team to begin with, on a large albeit poor, muddy and weed-ridden pitch. They really struggled with our wingers and some decent crosses put us 2-0 in the lead quickly - some good running on the back post to knock-in a simple goal. We tended to win the tackles, found space and good passing in the middle to control the game. I noted some good runs towards corner flag and several times down the byline, but rather than cutting it back towards the penalty spot for a good goalscoring opportunity they tried to shoot from an impossible angle.
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2nd part of the first half we score two more, one from a long cross straight in, the other from a lot of pressure, sprinting to get there before the goalkeeper and great feet to take it around and find the gap between the defenders into the net! I think best parts of their game for me was the amount of times we won the ball back, closing as a team and giving no time at all.
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4-1 half time it looked over as a game, we lost some of our discipline in the middle and quite a bit of weak passes lost possession several times - partly due to the mud but also being too close to each other and soft passes. I was pleased with the defence in general, with good clearances, many pass-backs to goalkeeper and headers ... occasionally the wrong direction but I'd rather they tried then let it bounce. I thought Bradfords extraordinary large penalty area was obviously to their advantage for the penalty just in the box, but vastly detrimental with our goalkeeper having a large area to collect the ball from their over hit long balls. We score 2 more after half time with probably goal of season half-volley from the edge of the box rifled straight into the net ... quite spectacular and amazing skills!
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6-1 up in the last quarter I took off all the original defenders and gave the kids a chance in different positions - they played well and had many more chances but failed to score ... although not sure the the offside decision was correct when it was passed forward to score into an open net. Bradford towards the end scored a consolation goal with a great curving shot at the end and the game finished 6-2.
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Game finished 4-1 HT and 6-2 FT win.
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A few things that stood out:
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Fast play down the wings, crosses and players following up on back post.
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Strong defence and much calmer to clear balls, headers and pass-backs.
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Strong tackling and winning the 50-50s.
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Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – Yes, really good, one point our midfield effectively tackled two at once and appeared on the other side with the ball ... nice!
Strong understanding of set pieces – Corners were well hit but we still don't look dangerous and little movement to attack the ball. The wall was on the wrong place for one of the free kicks.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – Intermittent, probably should have score a least two or three more with some really good chances missed - saying that the goals we did get were excellent!
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High team spirit with a non-blame culture –Good spirits all round but felt the energy went out of the game towards the end, especially when Bradford took 5 minutes to find another ball
I noted the following from observations to work on:
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Passing to feet - some of the completion rates felt low at times, sometimes from being too close, our wingbacks need to call for the ball more.
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Movement for corners.
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Timing the run for headers or actually heading rather than the trying to control the ball when being pressured.
MoM to Massi for a Kasper Schmichael left-handed save, many pass-backs and great distributions. Also, hard to ignore Corey's masterful hat trick and an amazing goal. Well done for winning the league Eagles!
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League Match (Home) Report Eagles vs Melksham Harriers
2nd May 2021
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Well, I probably shouldn't start on this subject but a suspicious game. A team that has been lacklustre through the season suddenly beats Bradford 7-1 and gave us our toughest game all season - rumours has it from on the pitch chat that a couple of players were drafted in just for these games. However we held strong and fought all the way, playing the better passing game whilst be subjected to endless long ball from a strong defence and couple of impressive strikers that were strong, skilled and fast.
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We generally stood strong and unfortunately 3 of the 4 goals we let in came from defensive mistakes - in some ways when they defence has been so strong all season it's ok for it to happen occasionally - I did speak to them afterwards, as if a striker/midfielder makes a error it rarely costs the team; it's the tough job of often being the last defender. I would still encourage them to make back passes. Our passing through midfield and down the wings was excellent; we made plenty of early crosses and through balls - just nothing seemed to come off with lots of missed chances to score. The goals we got were all through team work and tenacity so well done to the team.
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Game finished 2-2 HT and 4-4 FT draw.
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A few things that stood out:
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Fast play down the wings and first time crosses.
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Bouts of really clean crisp passing in the middle and switching play
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Effort and determination to pick themselves up from mistakes
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Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – Yes and very tough; we tended to have the high possession.
Strong understanding of set pieces – Corners were hit very well; I didn't see many chances though. Need to have someone on near post and running from the back for the longer ones. One of the free kicks was cleared and we didn't have anyone in the midfield to sweep it up.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – Too many missed chances but great to create the opportunities. A few times the ball could have been side footed into the net but choose power instead.
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High team spirit with a non-blame culture –Very good in a difficult game - clear mistakes with weak back passes, keeper dropping the ball, dribbling when the ball need to just be cleared, foul throws etc. but we didn't resort to blame each other.
I noted the following from observations to work on:
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Heading away from defence for high ball - common from previous games. Felt vulnerable on defending corners too.
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When to play from back or push the team forward for longer kicks.
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Clearing the ball when in danger (last defender) rather than dribbling
MoM to Dylan and Toby for their midfield control, accuracy of passing and communication to ensure in the right positions during the game.
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League Match (Away) Report Melksham Harriers vs Eagles
11th April 2021
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So, I think only one team turned up to play passing football ... us! Melksham had an interesting tactic apparent right from the start of the game with 8 defenders and 3 attackers which were assigned to man-mark our defenders wherever they roamed! Then at every opportunity they hit a long ball up to pitch ... this troubled our defenders to clear with a lot of pressure on them (something to work on), and then created some danger when their striker with red socks was in possession. I must say we rarely headed the ball away and generally tried to kick which led to few miss-kicks heading towards our goal.
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A focus on areas to improve first, noting that the boys are probably quite rusty from months of lockdown: we struggled to hold the ball and players complaining about being outnumbered. I've attached a photo to demonstrate some of the problems. Basically we were very bunched up on one area of the pitch with no obvious formation. This meant trying to thread the ball through the eye of the needle as there was no simple options available.
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The first quarter we just couldn't find our game and from a careless throw-in gifted Melksham a goal with a well paced lob over a stranded goalkeeper. Attitudes took a step up after this and we finished the half with a penalty and tap in goal after many, many, many attempts.
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Second half started much more brightly and saw one passing move consist of over 12 moves; very pleasing. I think unfortunately at this time we realised their defenders were feeling a bit battered and we resorted to many dribbles to beat them which did work but not from team-play.
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The clear positive was attitudes, effort and determination to work hard and fight for the win, which they did!
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Game finished 2-1 HT and 4-1 FT win.
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A few things that stood out:
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Passing from the back for goal kicks.
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Defensive tackling around the pitch was top notch.
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Effort and determination
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Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – Yes, as expected. Defence sat too high for Melksham long kick and CDM was often missing to support.
Strong understanding of set pieces – Corners didn't make it passed the first defender and offered little chance of scoring.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – Not great! I think there must have been more than 20 shots with very little power or accuracy and most of the time straight into the keepers hands. Most crosses were too late and too near keeper.
High team spirit with a non-blame culture –Very good again - even when Melksham scored from a mistake there was no blame and kept their mot.
I noted the following from observations to work on:
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Heading away from defence for high balls.
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Using the wider pitch and communicating this as a
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First time crossing and getting the ball up to the attackers quicker
MoM to Ben and Corey for the amazing athleticism and effort to drag out the win for the team. Well done Eagles.
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League Match (Home) Report Eagles vs Bradford Aztecs
18th October 2020
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So we thought it would a much tougher game and a better test for the Eagles and for the first half it was. We started off with our customary energy and closing down to put pressure on them - looking dangerous with burst of speed down the wings and great crossing causing them trouble and relying on the keeper to save their day; too many of our shots were flying over or they passed the side post. Eventually a cross from the left from a through ball, headed on in the middle of the box and finished beautifully into the back of the net saw us take the lead 1-0. We gave Bradford a few chances who resorted away from their passing game to long balls over the top and taking on our back 4. Very little came from this even if they looked capable of scoring - their real chance came from a corner which went all the way over the top to a player alone on the far right, who did a great volley that flew to the side of the goal.
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First half finished 1-0 and generally a comfortable 35 minutes for us. The next 35 minutes saw us rarely get out of their half and permanently camped, trying to find a way through - several great through balls for the wingers saw some efforts just go wide or saved; I was very impressed by the quality in these moves. In the end the next 3 goals came from individual brilliance with a mazy run through the middle and great shot, a through ball and chip over the diving keeper (cheeky) and one final goal from a run down the left wing and a power-blaster into the roof of of the net.
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Game finished 1-0 HT and 4-0 FT win.
A few things that stood out:
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Confidence in the defence to pass around including keeper with great clearances when under pressure.
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Defensive tackling around the pitch was top notch.
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The wingers provided great crosses and created chances - not too many near the keeper
Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – Yes, as expected. Defence sat too deep for Bradford kickoffs.
Strong understanding of set pieces – Corners were hit well but didn't cause too much danger; one cross went to left wing where there was no one as the winger was taking the corner! Needed someone of the far post.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – All goals were finished well but did miss a few easier chances that needed composure. I feel in the second half should have score a couple more.
High team spirit with a non-blame culture –Very good again - the celebration was the first goal was amazing! Really good encouragement around the pitch and very vocal players.
James has noted the following points form his observations to work on:
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Wingback staying tight to their wingers.
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Not letting the player turn you.
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First time crossing and getting the ball up to the attackers quicker
MoM to Olly for great crossing, laying off when playing the ball back and amazing finish! Second to Toby for controlling the midfield when needing to calm down the play, winning back endles​sly and finding the right pass. Finally well done to the keeper in his first game; great distribution and finding long passes - this forced their play back into their half and give us the space to play from the back when possible.
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League Match (Home) Report Eagles vs Warminster Highbury
4th October 2020
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Game on or not on? Started the day with very poor weather and Amber weather warning finishing just before kick-off. We agreed with the other manager to give the game a go and thankfully the weather improved considerably. I have to say this is the nicest manager I've every played; really courteous and polite with jelly beans for the kids at the end of the game as a thank you!
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So, the first quarter of the game they were on fire! In the warm-up we had the kids practicing 1-2's and first time crossing - this relied on the wingers going wide. Such good passing with through balls and players running at pace to overwhelm the opposition - we really took our chances with a powerful shot from right wing into the bottom left with keeper not standing a chance. Two more goals came from crosses and knock in which just what we were looking for ... then a goalkeeper mistake we finished the quarter a dominant 4-0.
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Second quarter we took a couple of injuries to both our midfield duo which threw the balance of the team, and although we got two more goals the game was losing it's mojo. Second half mistakes started cropping into our game with too many dribbles, turning on the ball without looking and not being stuck way too long down the left hand-side when we need to switch the play. Scrappy in the last quarter we put on the pressure to score from the left wing to player running on far post and then scored from the right wing with player running on to the other far post! Yay great finishes.
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Finally, my favourite part is the strength of our defence to render their attack null. They really had very few chances and our goalkeeper emphatically dived on every over hit pass. Good use of pass-back too - and distribution to the wingbacks to take forward. Well done on their second clean sheet!
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Game finished 6-0 HT and 8-0 FT win.
A few things that stood out:
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Crosses with players running on.
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1-2s in the middle and through balls to run onto.
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Communication between players - we could hear lots positives
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Strong defence with good clearance and headers ; glad I'm not seeing the bouncing ball so much
Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – We won the ball back endlessly especially in midfield - very skilfully done! Long balls we dealt with well with control or headers. As in the last game when we were many goals up the forward 4 players became lazy in tracking back.
Strong understanding of set pieces – Corners were really good and created danger and chances. Not many other set pieces even goal kicks were few but done well.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – Yes, especially in the first half.
High team spirit with a non-blame culture –Very good again - no real incidents in the game and easy for the referee.
The things I would aim to work on would be:
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Forming wall for free kicks (still).
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Passing too soft at the time especially with so many mis-passes by trying to curl using the outside boot. Really not necessary and amazed how many mistakes came from players trying to do this rather than use their left foot.
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Formation and positioning - generally good but as we get more advanced we need to make sure the defender is on the angle between opponent and goal. Often our defenders and too far away from the opposition or even standing in front.
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Staying onside!
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MoM to our centre-backs Callum and Daragh; very solid, stopped the opposition dead and distributed well with ease and ... another clean sheet!
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League Match (Home) Report Eagles vs Westbury Greens
11th October 2020
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Weather looked variable with light rain which cleared into a nice Sunday afternoon. Previous game was 8-0 on a small pitch and the away manager saying a couple of their best players were missing.
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James sent out the expectations for each position on the pitch with an improved formation of 4-1-4-1 (see The Larkhall Way) - the initial team was picked on previous match performance and in training. This also gave me chance to talk to the 3 substitutes whilst they watch they game and set the challenge for when they came on after a few minutes.
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I think this was there most consistent performance which much better and accurate passing around the field especially through the back 4 and cross field down the wings. I felt we need to run through the middle more when our midfielders were in a lot of space rather than tight down the wings. But otherwise I think every goal had a clear assist with high crosses and through balls - excellent play!
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Good overall performance. Switched played well and were easily strongest team so well done on that. Technically good in so many parts of game and switched on for majority of it. Well done on their third clean sheet!
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Game finished 5-0 HT and 10-0 FT win.
A few things that stood out:
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Crosses with players running on - really like the easy knock-ins and even a quality header!
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Passing through the defence and involving the goalkeeper on many occasions.
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Really good high and low cross field passes from midfield to the wingers to run onto.
Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – Strong desire to win the ball but need to be quicker to react when chance was there.
Strong understanding of set pieces – Corners were unproductive and short ones didn't come off - need to adapt quicker and stay onside for return ball.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – Scored most of the goals from good crosses and taps in or drilled low across the keeper. Only one spectacular lob over the keeper form quite a few poor shots going wide or over.
High team spirit with a non-blame culture –Very good again - no real incidents in the game and easy for the referee.
James has noted the following points form his observations to work on:
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Our passing needs to be quicker and with quality
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Need to be aware of what’s around us before we receive it
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Our press needs to be a quicker
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Movement towards the ball when receiving
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Angles we create when team mate in possession
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Looking everywhere when taking free kicks, throws in and corners
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We also need to keep the standard throughout and not drop off when we are 5/6 up as we’ll get into bad habits. Well done to all that ate snacks at half time.
MoM to Zac for his best performance of the season - really good team play and running down the wing with quite a few exists. Second MoM to Dylan for controlling the midfield beautifully and great distribution whether short or long. Well done Eagles and tougher test to come with Bradford and Melksham as the two chasing teams in the league!​
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League Match (Away) Report Westbury Greens vs Eagles
27th September 2020
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First away game of the season against Westbury with some close games in the past and wins and losses for both teams. This was a test to see how far our new squad have developed together. The objective was to ensure no balls bounced for goal kicks, accurate passing, wingers spread the game wide and balls over the top for variety. I choose my starting line-up based on pace, which in hindsight was limited due to very small pitch in length; in fact seemed the same as the 9v9 next to it.
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After a few minutes it became obvious that there was a clear class difference between our teams. We dominated from the outset and passed the ball beautifully to feet and the quality of our crossing was much better than previous game. After numerous good attempts a cross came looping in, over the head of one leaping attacker into the feet of another on the far post and blasted into the net. It seemed inevitable more would come with lots of good saves, blocks ,ricochets - we were crossing in the air and to many players in box, 1-2-1 on the offside line and long shots, yet nothing went in. Westbury's tactic seemed limited with a long kick up the (short) pitch; an innocuous free kick from hands pushing on the back gave a free kick in a dangerous position, given how hard their player could hit it - we didn't set up a convincing wall which left our goalkeeper having to cover the whole goal. Like many more of their shots they went flying over - if they equalised at this point it could have been a different game. I think the substitutions worked a lot better this week and only subbed when a player was struggling or getting tired - we also changed position during the game prior to the substitutes to get them more adjusted when coming on.
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Eventual Westbury broke down after endless attacks and a with a deflected goal and one more we went in half time 3-0 up. Given the chances it could have been at least 8-0. The second half progressed just as well but with more chances being successful - I like the passing to feet in the box and first time shots. On the odd occasion we had unrealistic long shots and square passes missed as players tried to score more for themselves than the team. But overall great team work and very pleased no one reacted to the referee's slightly interesting decisions ... like playing advantage from a penalty or twice our players being completely wiped out with play-on given.
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Game finished 3-0 HT and 8-0 FT win.
A few things that stood out:
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Crosses with more height on or to feet in the box.
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1-2s in the middle and through balls to run onto.
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Communication between players and not winding up the ref ... too much
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Formation was spot on and holding the offside line
Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – We won the ball back endlessly with some great neat tackling using their bodies. Somewhat lazy tracking back in last quarter and relying on defence too much.
Strong understanding of set pieces – Need to work on this … no formation of a wall for free kicks near penalty area.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – Must have been 15 chances in first half with 3 going in. Most were on target but with a crowded box it was difficult. Felt we should have score more.
High team spirit with a non-blame culture –Very good again - need ot be careful with referees that are frustrating and a couple of incidents the ref chatted with our players
The things I would aim to work on would be:
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Forming wall for free kicks
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Defensive line too far forward for their long kicks - danger of circumnavigating the whole team.
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Still struggling on goal kicks and team too static to give real options.
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MoM to Arthur for taking so well to the central midfield and with great control he was finding some beautiful passes. Second MoM to Ben for his superb performance in right back - he judge really well when to intercept balls, headers away, some of the best over the top through balls and general athleticism.
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Finally ... the thing that pleased me the most was a clean sheet! I'd rather win 8-0 than 15-5!
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League Match (Home) Report Eagles vs Staverton Whites
20th September 2020
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I didn’t know what to expect from the opposition - the manager said, at the end of the game, they were undefeated last season and often beat the first team who won the top league - I think there had some key players missing. I’m not sure we saw that team today ... but not to under estimate them when we play the away game.
My focus today was on passing options including back to defence or goalkeeper, heading away from defence, first time crossing … and, you if noticed it, full backs with hand up to signal over the top ball to the winger. In general they did it all; really pleased with the variety of play and dominance they displayed. Of course the execution failed on a number of occasions and some wrong decisions or elementally mistakes - no problem that they try and of course learn from it.
I think this game gave me a much better view of the best positions for the players and where the partnerships are on the pitch - I made a few switches that didn’t work but saw some nice interplay when it did work. They’re looking like one team already and working hard for each other. Considering how verbal the opposition were and aggressive we did well to stay physical but not retaliate … I thought we (almost) deserved two yellow card for mistimed sliding tackles; we need to be careful. Saying that this is the first time I've seen yellow cards and sin - all the opposition!
Game finished 6-1 HT and 11-3 FT win.
A few things that stood out:
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Crossing first half was really good with cut backs in the box, header chances and great running players into the box - this came from quick play and first time crossing. As mentioned below this disappeared in second half almost completely!
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Dominance in the middle to pass around and generally finding the wingers.
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Defence generally did well in dealing with high balls with a don't let it bounce philosophy. We handle goal kicks well and they struggled to mark us all generally giving us option to pass out from the back.
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Strength and discipline in tackling and winning the ball back.
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Strength through the team with everyone on form.
Here’s some feedback relating to the style of play we should aim for:
Strong work ethic to win the ball back – Great commitment and physical effort to get back possession in the first half against a strong pushy team - with a big score some players got lazy and didn’t track back enough in second.
Strong understanding of set pieces – Need to work on this … we had quite a few free kicks and just hoofed it over the goal.
Clinical in final third (1 in 3 shots being scored) – Very good first half with almost everything on target and really pleased with the number of goals we got from rebounds with players following up. The best one was right back over the top to winger, diagonal run into box and crossed in the air toward penalty spot to running in attacker, with touch volley into far corner. Simple play perfectly executed.
High team spirit with a non-blame culture – Good communication, very chatty and good direction throughout the pitch. Also, not to get heated with a verbal opposition giving it some!
The things I would aim to work on would be:
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Some great through balls to the wingers from our own half driving on but didn’t take the opportunity to make first time crosses. Hold on too long made it laboured in the corner of the pitch trying to find a way through.
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Crosses ended too close the keeper or over all their heads in the second half.
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Wingers were too central at times and not giving wide options for the pass when stuck in the middle. If wingers go wider it often also drags the opposition away creating space in the middle.
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They're overcoming their reluctance to pass backwards but still needs improving.
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Staying onside! We were much faster but struggled to follow their line.
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I normally give two MoM but I’m it was a really good level of consistent quality football through the whole team so I’ll give to the team!
Looking at the other results we’re unsurprisingly top with goal difference.
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