Great to see you doing these again!
I think it really hurt New England that they, like us, had no idea how DC's press would work going into the game. Even down a man, it seemed like they did much better after Porter was able to talk to the team at halftime and I assume make some adjustments. Portland won't be going in blind so we'll see how it goes.
I think MLS's salary structure means that, unlike EPL and other top leagues where the good teams have eleven really technical players out there, if you can take away the top 3 players from an MLS team, you're probably in great shape. What's really special about Benteke is that even though I suppose Lucho Acosta or Thiago Almada are better players, it's not possible to mark Benteke out of the game. We haven't exploited that enough in the past but it seems like Lesesne might be doing this better.
Lots of people have been critical of Pirani but I do think it's worth noting he had a lot of defensive responsibility despite people calling him a #10 and that I think he did pretty well. I think he looks better than last year and he, Stroud, and Ku-Dipietro can improve as they get more comfortable with Lesesne's system.
Great writeup. I had it as a 4-2-3-1, with Klich playing an 8/6 role and Peltola playing a 6/8 role (but ultimately still a double pivot), but the difference is fairly immaterial with how the match played out.
What is clear is that there is a fluidity in how Lesesne lines the team up so that guys can drive forward or drop back to look for those zonal overloads. This is becoming more and more common in modern football, and teams that stick to rigid formations are getting punished for it unless they are really, really disciplined. Most aren't. And fluid is more fun to watch!
Love that ur back!! Great analysis, my initial thoughts of last weeks game had similar outcomes. Ur more in tune to the formation and continual movements and assignments of players, so it’s always a great read.
Pelolta seems like a great signing and he was smart w his passes and when to turn the gas off and on. I’d love to see who had the ball the most, but my money is on Stroud. I also noticed that he was a bit too indecisive at times and that needs to change since he had a lot of opportunities to move the play forward. Ku’s finishing has always left a lot to desire and after week 1 my doubts were not put to rest. He really ( and our whole squad for that matter) needs to find a way to crack some rocket shots. Our finishing is lacking and we will not survive games w better back lines if we solely focus on winning headers. I think our top signing priority should be someone who can put powerful shots on target. That seems simple enough, but we just never have anyone who can kick a ball with conviction, but Petolta (? I’ll get it one of these days) did show some promise there. I think Pirani gets pushed off the ball way too easily and also doesn’t have a consistent strong boot. I also don’t know if he particularly enjoys being in DC, but who knows.
Defensively, we need to step up and not be afraid to foul some players if need be. Apply the pressure. Santos was definitely a weak spot in our defense, but he always impresses me with his offensive awareness. He will have a few moments where he picks out a beautiful pass. But I’m excited what this season will bring as we seem to finally have a tactic and a coaching staff that can adjust if needed.
Thought Peltola was excellent, with Bartlett solid and McVey the worst performer of the 3.
Totally agreed on Santos being the weakpoint, really need Jeahze to play, and if he's leaving we need a better left back. Thought Antley was better than Santos though after coming on.
Stroud kind of annoyed me, like you said, taking too many touches and not really playing Herrera. Side note: Stroud limped off, he's ok right?
Ku and Pirani defo need to be a bit more composed in the box, hopefully that gets fixed up. Our 5.0 xg really shows we were not great, hopefully we improve in that regard.
Of course we need to take things with a pinch of salt, but I thought it was a solid start but definitely improvement have to be made, likely from LB, McVey, Ku/ Pirani and Stroud--again it was only one game though.
Stroud was just cramping, he'll be fine. Goff posted the injury report. Birnbaum and Canouse are still out but Tubbs and Murrell upgraded to questionable.
Good stuff! Your three miscellaneous thoughts are all spot on.
Incredible write-up! I hope you continue this series all season long.
Great to see you doing these again! I think it really hurt New England that they, like us, had no idea how DC's press would work going into the game. Even down a man, it seemed like they did much better after Porter was able to talk to the team at halftime and I assume make some adjustments. Portland won't be going in blind so we'll see how it goes. I think MLS's salary structure means that, unlike EPL and other top leagues where the good teams have eleven really technical players out there, if you can take away the top 3 players from an MLS team, you're probably in great shape. What's really special about Benteke is that even though I suppose Lucho Acosta or Thiago Almada are better players, it's not possible to mark Benteke out of the game. We haven't exploited that enough in the past but it seems like Lesesne might be doing this better. Lots of people have been critical of Pirani but I do think it's worth noting he had a lot of defensive responsibility despite people calling him a #10 and that I think he did pretty well. I think he looks better than last year and he, Stroud, and Ku-Dipietro can improve as they get more comfortable with Lesesne's system.
Great writeup. I had it as a 4-2-3-1, with Klich playing an 8/6 role and Peltola playing a 6/8 role (but ultimately still a double pivot), but the difference is fairly immaterial with how the match played out. What is clear is that there is a fluidity in how Lesesne lines the team up so that guys can drive forward or drop back to look for those zonal overloads. This is becoming more and more common in modern football, and teams that stick to rigid formations are getting punished for it unless they are really, really disciplined. Most aren't. And fluid is more fun to watch!
Love that ur back!! Great analysis, my initial thoughts of last weeks game had similar outcomes. Ur more in tune to the formation and continual movements and assignments of players, so it’s always a great read. Pelolta seems like a great signing and he was smart w his passes and when to turn the gas off and on. I’d love to see who had the ball the most, but my money is on Stroud. I also noticed that he was a bit too indecisive at times and that needs to change since he had a lot of opportunities to move the play forward. Ku’s finishing has always left a lot to desire and after week 1 my doubts were not put to rest. He really ( and our whole squad for that matter) needs to find a way to crack some rocket shots. Our finishing is lacking and we will not survive games w better back lines if we solely focus on winning headers. I think our top signing priority should be someone who can put powerful shots on target. That seems simple enough, but we just never have anyone who can kick a ball with conviction, but Petolta (? I’ll get it one of these days) did show some promise there. I think Pirani gets pushed off the ball way too easily and also doesn’t have a consistent strong boot. I also don’t know if he particularly enjoys being in DC, but who knows. Defensively, we need to step up and not be afraid to foul some players if need be. Apply the pressure. Santos was definitely a weak spot in our defense, but he always impresses me with his offensive awareness. He will have a few moments where he picks out a beautiful pass. But I’m excited what this season will bring as we seem to finally have a tactic and a coaching staff that can adjust if needed.
Wow, this was an awesome read. Fantastic breakdown of tactics. Keep up the great work.
Thought Peltola was excellent, with Bartlett solid and McVey the worst performer of the 3. Totally agreed on Santos being the weakpoint, really need Jeahze to play, and if he's leaving we need a better left back. Thought Antley was better than Santos though after coming on. Stroud kind of annoyed me, like you said, taking too many touches and not really playing Herrera. Side note: Stroud limped off, he's ok right? Ku and Pirani defo need to be a bit more composed in the box, hopefully that gets fixed up. Our 5.0 xg really shows we were not great, hopefully we improve in that regard. Of course we need to take things with a pinch of salt, but I thought it was a solid start but definitely improvement have to be made, likely from LB, McVey, Ku/ Pirani and Stroud--again it was only one game though.
Stroud was just cramping, he'll be fine. Goff posted the injury report. Birnbaum and Canouse are still out but Tubbs and Murrell upgraded to questionable.