Monthly Archives: November 2011

Premier League Matchday 13 – Chalkboard Analysis

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Here are some thoughts from the weekend’s action based on the chalkboards; note that I haven’t seen all of these games and chalkboards can be misleading, so enjoy and feel free to comment to me on Twitter.

Arsenal v Fulham

Firstly, an apology of sorts. If you follow me on Twitter you will know that I was quite critical of Wenger’s decision to bring Ramsey off and leave Arteta on, based on my opinion that Ramsey looked dangerous whenever he had the ball while Arteta had been quiet and uncreative. Well, here are their chalkboards:

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I still stand by my opinion; Arteta posted better stats than I was expecting, but Ramsey was more of a threat, as evidenced by him generally playing further up the pitch and becoming involved in the penalty area by getting on the end of things and taking shots. If anything it’s a cautionary tale of believing chalkboards unequivocally; they do not always tell the full story.

Bolton Wanderers v Everton

It feels wrong to pick out elements of a team’s play when they faced most of the match with 10 men, but this tends to be Bolton’s approach to most games so I feel it is worthy of note. Look how many times Bolton play long from Jaaskelainen, and how few times those kicks are successful. Also note that these are not just goal kicks; these are passes back to the keeper from open play which are launched upfield.

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The colours indicate what a low probability approach this is: possession is lost more often than not. Even when a Bolton player “wins” the ball from the clearance, as Davies’ chalkboard shows it rarely results in Bolton actually seizing possession of the ball up the field – you can win the header but not find a teammate. This latter point is perhaps exaggerated by the red card, but is valid even when long ball teams are 11 v 11. Wasn’t Coyle brought in to get Bolton playing nice football?

Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Henry has a reputation for being a destroyer, and I thought I’d include this chalkboard to show how much more there is to his game – he was the leading passer on the field from both sides. In actual fact he could have done with being more of a destroyer; Mata had the freedom to roam and produced two assists and a goal. Against stronger opposition Mata has struggled to make an impact, but given time on the ball against lesser opposition he shows what he can do.

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Manchester United v Newcastle United

Manchester United felt aggrieved at only getting a draw out of this game, but blaming the referee only distracts from their profligacy in front of goal. They were frequently wayward, and indeed their goal was due to a fortunate ricochet from a clearance rather than good forward play. Meanwhile Newcastle were exceptional at throwing themselves in front of anything they could, protecting Krul impressively.

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Norwich City v Queens Park Rangers

Faurlin was the stand out player; leading the field in passing, tackles and interceptions. Neil Warnock has QPR playing some good football and Faurlin is integral to that. Norwich on the other hand combated this attempt to play with regular and persistent fouling, particularly high up the field, which should surely have led to more than a single yellow card?

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Sunderland v Wigan Athletic

Good signs for Wigan; an away win and some good performances, with Jones in particular standing out. He must get frustrated at Moses in front of him constantly trying to take players on (the hexagons on the chart) and more often than not losing out (purple). Perhaps retaining possession is more critical when you’re at the bottom of the table?

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Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion

Adebayor was the focal point on the day and racked up impressive shooting stats, but from the highlights it looked like most of these shots were relatively tame; even his two goals were nearly saved by Foster. Bale also racked up a fantastic number of chances created, with three from corners indicating a softness in West Brom at defending set pieces.

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Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers

Stoke racked up an astonishing 60 clearances this weekend, way more than any other team. It is clear that Pulis instructs his team to simply clear the ball whenever it comes into their half, at the expense of maintaining possession. Shawcross was the clear leader here, amassing a huge 21 clearances all by himself; it’s almost as if he’s programmed to put his foot through the ball whenever it comes anywhere near him.

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Liverpool v Manchester City

Liverpool pressed and harried Chelsea last week, Silva is the main creative force at City, and Rodwell had shown how to keep him quiet. So it was odd to see that Liverpool’s midfield didn’t attempt to shut Silva down in particular, and he was often able to get on the ball. Manchester City’s lack of threat going forward was more related to a combination of sloppiness and the inability of Nasri, Aguero and Milner to find space or make runs that Silva could pick out.

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Swansea City v Aston Villa

Swansea play good football, they keep possession well and are very easy on the eye. The problem they have is converting this possession into attempts at goal (as you can see more directly in this site’s efficiency analysis). This chalkboard indicates the problem well; they are fantastic until they reach the final third, but they don’t have someone with the creativity to get in behind a solid defence and generate chances. It’s like a wall they are unable to pass.

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Premier League Matchday 13 – Efficiency Analysis

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Shot Efficiency

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The two most efficient teams this weekend were Manchester United and Arsenal, neither managing to win after Champions League exertions but both generating plenty of shots from their possession. Both sides had significant efficiency premiums over their opponents but both could only manage a draw. Other significant efficiency differentials include Tottenham over West Brom, Everton over Bolton and Chelsea over Wolves, and these stats were reflected in the match outcomes. Blackburn and Sunderland can feel hard done by with their losses despite being more efficient than their opponents, while Liverpool may feel the same after only drawing with Manchester City.

Shots on Target Efficiency

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Little changes when the efficiency is reduced to shots on target. Aston Villa are the main faller, along with falls for Manchester United and Arsenal, reflecting that the shots taken by these teams were less accurate than most this weekend.

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City – Match Analysis

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Manchester City may not be much longer for this season’s Champions League, and they would need to refocus quickly after their midweek disappointment to continue their phenomenal early form in the Premier League. Liverpool’s first half approach against Chelsea denied their opponents time on the ball to create, and a similar approach would surely be required here; moreso as Chelsea don’t possess a creative talent like Silva. This led Liverpool to a more solid lineup of Kuyt, Henderson, Lucas, Adam and Downing across the middle. Manchester City brought in Nasri for some added creativity should Silva be constrained; creativity which wasn’t forthcoming when Silva was effectively silenced by Rodwell earlier in the season.

The game started in quite an open manner, as it was clear Liverpool were surprisingly not going to be as proactive at closing Manchester City down as they were against Chelsea. Silva was often able to adopt his usual position between the lines and receive the ball early on, and Manchester City were able to work the ball around the final third with relative ease, albeit without troubling Reina. Suarez was being his usual awkward self, causing similar troubles for Kompany as he did Ferdinand earlier in the season.

In truth, Manchester City’s lack of goal threat was more to do with their own lack of quality than Liverpool’s defending, with both Nasri and Milner guilty of wasting good crossing opportunities. One player who didn’t waste a good crossing opportunity was Silva, who delivered a corner perfectly for Kompany to score, past Kuyt’s despairing attempt at a fingertip save and a red card.

Almost immediately it was 1-1, as the latest in a long line of pointless Adam shots from distance was inexplicably turned in by Lescott, who got so muddled with his feet that it almost looked as if he had planned to sidefoot it past Hart all along. Adam consistently wastes possession by tamely shooting from distance – often from the halfway line – but at least there was finally some end product from this, even if it did require help along the way.

The equaliser sparked Liverpool and the crowd to life, and they were able to create some great goalscoring opportunities in the following minutes, particularly when the best piece of play of the first half led to Hart saving with his legs from an Adam snapshot. City seemed to lose their way in this phase of the game, almost as if they would be content to just make it to halftime without conceding again and regroup.

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The second half started in a similar vein to most of the first half, with surprisingly few shots given how open the game was, and at stages was getting fractious as tackles began to fly in and the officials began to make mistakes in favour of both teams. Manchester City certainly hadn’t stepped up a gear after the break as they usually do in the Premier League; was this a sign of tiredness after midweek as displayed by Arsenal and Manchester United yesterday? Downing drew a save from Hart as he choked a volley into the ground, but still the keepers were relatively untroubled.

Mancini introduced Balotelli for the ineffective Nasri, shifting their balance further forward, but this had become a game of mistakes rather than tactics. Suarez and Kompany were having a fantastic individual battle, with Kompany repeatedly conceding fouls despite being on a yellow card. The slapstick had begun, with Lucas and Balotelli indulging in some synchronised slipping at one end, and Lescott repeatedly hitting clearances against Kuyt in his own six yard box at the other, in a strange mimicking of Taylor and Hernandez yesterday. Still it remained 1-1, fantastic entertainment but light on quality.

Balotelli added to the insanity (who’d have thought it) by getting himself sent off, leaving Liverpool to play the final ten minutes a man up, although they only fashioned one real opportunity when late sub Carroll drew a fine save from Hart. Just before this, it looked as if Silva was about to steal the three points on the break, but he dithered and dallied for so long that the entire Liverpool team managed to get back on the line before he was able to shoot.

All in all, an entertaining game with a little bit of everything, but very little quality on display. Lucas was perhaps the only exception, being the standout performer on the day. Liverpool will be disappointed with the draw, Manchester City will be glad to escape with their unbeaten start intact, and the press will be delighted that they can drag out the “unbeaten season?” question for at least another week, even though the season has six months yet to play.

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Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City – Goal Analysis

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0-1 Kompany

Kompany and Toure make a run to the near post on this corner, while Johnson (marking Toure) and Kuyt (marking Kompany) track them. Kompany makes a run between Toure and Johnson, cutting Kuyt off.

Kuyt runs into Johnson, knocking him over, then makes a despairing dive to block Kompany’s header with his outstretched arms. Fortunately for him, his desperate attempt at getting a red card fails as Kompany heads it over his hands and in.

1-1 Adam

Adam seems to have stopped shooting constantly from the halfway line; now he prefers to take his wildly inaccurate possession-conceding shots from 35 yards out.

Luckily this time Lescott was on hand to steer it past the wrong-footed Hart into an empty net. It’s a shame, as it will only encourage him to keep taking ridiculous shots.

Arsenal 1-1 Fulham – Goal Analysis

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0-1 Vermaelen (o.g.)

Arteta is dispossessed in his own third, but even so Arsenal don’t appear to be in much danger in the transition, even though Murphy has time on the ball to get his head up. Riise begins a charge forward from left back but Walcott is tracking him.

With Mertesacker marking Dempsey, Djourou is the free man and should be able to make a two-on-one defensive situation against Riise as Murphy lifts the ball over to the far post.

Djourou is so slow to react to either the ball or Riise’s run that he is taken completely out of the play. This allows Riise to receive the ball and shield it from Walcott, who is trying to get goalside.

Vermaelen tries to clear with his wrong foot and shanks it into his own net past Szczesny. You can see how Walcott is still goalside of Riise, as Djourou stands and watches at the far post. Djourou was in a perfect position to see both the ball and the run, yet play went over and around him as if he wasn’t there.

1-1 Vermaelen

Vermaelen wins a header on halfway and decides to follow it up, as van Persie and Walcott combine on the right and only Chamakh is in the centre.

Despite the collection of Fulham players on the left holding off van Persie and Walcott, Murphy decides to move across to the left as well, instead of tracking Vermaelen, who takes the opportunity to sprint into the box untracked.

Walcott’s cross is perfect and Vermaelen is free to head it in from six yards.

Norwich City 2-1 Queens Park Rangers – Goal Analysis

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1-0 Martin

The corner drifts over the group of players at the near post, and it seems easy for Ferdinand to clear. Instead he completely miskicks it and it sits up nicely for Martin to show Ferdinand how defenders should make contact with the ball, as he reacts quickly to volley it home.

1-1 Young

There doesn’t seem to be much danger as Mackie picks up the ball.

However, a great overlapping run from Young distracts Surman, leaving space for Mackie to drive into.

Mackie shoots from range, beating Ruddy and bouncing off the inside of the post, into the path of Young who had continued his run and can slide the ball in on the rebound.

2-1 Holt

An utterly horrible collection of replays from MotD so bear with me. Moments after abandoning Holt at the far post and having to clear his goalbound header off the line, QPR abandon Holt at the far post again. As the ball is returned to the six yard box he makes a run from Gabbidon’s blindside to get in.

Once in, he flicks the ball with the outside of his boot between the legs of Cerny.

Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Everton – Goal Analysis

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0-1 Fellaini

Osman’s run draws Reo-Coker infield, providing space for Baines to overlap. Cahill has also been drawn extremely wide, leaving two-on-one against Knight in the middle. Fellaini is first to react to the potential of the situation and gets ahead of Knight to tap in Baines’ typically excellent cross.

0-2 Vellios

Another great ball from Baines to the far post, where Cahill (T) stretches to keep it alive. Cahill (G) looks favourite to get to the ball but he’s back on his heels, and Vellios is much more alive, gets to the ball first and taps it in.

Chelsea 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers – Goal Analysis

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1-0 Terry

A goal created by lack of movement. As the corner comes in, three Chelsea players and their markers are in a line. Johnson, Terry’s marker, is the only defender with a sizeable gap between himself and his man. The two other Chelsea players make a run for the near post, dragging their markers with them.

Terry simply stands still on the penalty spot, as all of the other players run away from him leaving him in space, and that’s all he needs to get on the end of the cross and score.

2-0 Sturridge

Zubar is matching Mata step for step, all he needs to do is take a leaf out of Ray Wilkins’ book, stay on his feet and shepherd Mata wide. Instead he dives in, which lets Mata get free, with all the time in the world to pick out a cross.

As always seems to be the case, the attacker (in this case Sturridge) reacts to the danger much more quickly than the defender (Elokobi), meaning that all Mata has to do is fire the ball across and Sturridge is a yard ahead of Elokobi to tap in.

3-0 Mata

A quick Chelsea break, and Drogba (who is off the left side of the image) rolls the ball back to Cole, who has not been tracked back by Jarvis. He has plenty of time on the ball, but there is only Mata to aim at in the centre surrounded by Wolves defenders, with Berra checking the position of his man.

As the ball is played, Berra inexplicably runs back towards his own goal, giving Mata the space he needs to receive Cole’s cross and sweep it home.

Manchester United 1-1 Newcastle United – Goal Analysis

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1-0 Hernandez

Newcastle try to get a man back on the post for a freekick; a tactic that I can’t recall ever working as it allows the opponents to crowd the six yard box and distract the keeper, as Hernandez does here. It does make for some silly Sundayleague-esque comedy as the man in question repeatedly runs forward and back in an attempt to play offside and stand on the goalline simultaneously.

The shot is blocked and falls to Rooney to shoot again, and here is where Newcastle’s tactic undoes them; if they hadn’t tried to get a man back on the goalline it would be a comfortable save for Krul, instead in amongst the throng of players on the six yard line, Taylor tries to clear and it ricochets off Hernandez into the goal.

The best part? Newcastle defenders appeal for offside as the ball rolls in…

1-1 Ba (pen.)

It wasn’t a penalty; the only strange thing was Ferdinand’s reaction, not appealing the decision until he saw the customary hounding of the officials by the rest of the Manchester United team. For 30 seconds he just stood behind the goal looking every bit like a man who had just conceded a stonewall penalty. Odd. To be fair to the officials, Ben Arfa played the ball just before Ferdinand, so in realtime it may have looked as if Ben Arfa flicked the ball past Ferdinand’s leg and there was no second touch. Finally, there was no need for Ferdinand to attempt a sliding tackle; Ben Arfa was going wide of the goal so why commit to a tackle which is risky? It’s no defence of the poor decision but why give the officials the chance to get it wrong?

West Bromwich Albion 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur – Goal Analysis

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1-0 Mulumbu

Bale is slow to close down Reid as he receives the ball, and only makes a half-hearted attempt at blocking his cross.

Meanwhile in the middle King and Kaboul are equally lackadaisical, allowing Mulumbu an uncontested header from six yards out.

1-1 Adebayor

Foster saves Adebayor’s poor penalty, and almost saves the rebound too. Very unfortunate.

1-2 Defoe

A knock down from Adebayor allows Defoe to drive at Olsson.

Olsson backs away, then backs away some more, then interrupts his backing away to get in a little bit extra backing away, by which time Defoe is on the edge of the area so he shoots into the bottom corner. I wish he’d kept on running, it looked as if Olsson would have happily backed right into his own net before attempting a tackle.

1-3 Adebayor

Kaboul volleys a long ball back down the pitch and it falls to Bale, who squares for Adebayor to finally finish off the game after Spurs had missed so many chances to make it safe.