Ange Postecoglou

We already fall back into a mid-block once our press is broken. We did that in every UCL match.

We played long balls against Real Madrid for a short spell and didn't touch the ball again for 5 minutes. That's exactly what good sides like Madrid and even Leipzig want you to do, for the same reasons we consistently force weaker teams to do it at domestic level.

As for your 2 choices, they aren't our only options, which will be evidenced by us doing neither. What we should and will do is continue to play a style of football which, through the numerous chances we created home and away, put us in a position to win games at this level. We'll also tweak the system/press based on take-aways from those matches and work with the players on capitalising on the experience and learnings they've gained.

 

I meant dropping the default high press for a mid block from the get-go, in Europe. Our non-competitive league/cups hide the fact that our high press isn't well coordinated. Some Twitter account that deals in match analysis covered this. We end up thinking it's good enough for Europe, when it's not.

Good sides want to score, like any side does. But if you give then the ball and deny critical spaces for long enough, then they have issues (endless recycling of possession doesn't score goals). I'd rather take a point and have 25% of the ball, than have close to 50% and lose. *, we have more chances of winning by playing on the counter. Let me explain why.

Everyone speaks of creating good chances. Our chances weren't sitters. There's a reason why we had long shots or headers from Kyogo as our typical chances*. The defending teams opted to allow those over far worse options (for them). Imagine us breaking into a counter against Real or Leipzig. One of our fast forwards alone, 1 on 1. No pressure from any defender, the attacker can pick his spot. Abada and Jota score those all day long. Kyogo might, too. But, we opted to play on an equal footing, and got merely decent chances against set-up defenses (bar the Taylor one after a corner vs. Leipzig).

*Yes, he scored one today, but it's not his forte, unlike GG. He had no headers allowed in CL, AFAIK. Again, defensive preparation.

 

I can't help wondering whether Ange has some health problems. Whenever you see him doing even a brief interview, he is constantly coughing, struggling to complete a sentence before the next cough comes.

 

Smokers cough

 

We created more chances than everyone in the group bar Madrid and also conceded less. Nothing to do with the style of play not working. We didn't take our chances. The question is it down to luck or ability up top.

Ange won't change his philosophy and nor should he.

 

We also never once had our main CB pairing that we spent an entire season building up. Wind blows a different way and we was first. Gotta ride our luck and this style of play and improvements could easily get us further than the last 16.

 

Unfortunately the metrics don't bear this out. We had the better expected goals (xG) in 3 of our 6 group matches (twice against Shakhtar, once against Leipzig) suggesting that our style of football was creating more and/or better opportunities to score than our opponents in half the games. Take Real Madrid out of the equation, who are obviously stratospheres above us in quality, and it's 75% of games.

Like many have said, the biggest issue was that we didn't take those chances and the stats support this.

 

I agree with your post, however one thing about a side like Ajax winning the UCL... it could happen. A few years back they were on the verge of a final and it took the last kick off the semi to deny them. Get to that final and anything can happen. It's obviously very difficult but surely magnitudes more likely than a team like Leicester ever winning the Premier League again.

 

xG (as far as I understand) takes into account how many shots from a given position, under certain circumstances end up in the net. It doesn't take into account the subjective variables (shooter, defenders and GK). I think these play a big role. Any defender will try to prevent a chance from occurring, but if that fails, he will look to make the chance harder to score from. Closing down the angle, forcing a weaker footed shot or giving a header to a player not used to scoring them, etc. Better defenders and goalkeepers will prevent goals. We had injuries hampering our play, but we never tried to play sensibly, further degrading our defensive ability.

This is why xG doesn't really tell the whole picture. We gift our opposition chances of better quality than we're creating at the other end, especially by compounding our individual inferiority in 1 v 1 situations in defense with an extremely open play, negating the possibility of teamwork making up for individual mistakes.

Shakhtar knew their limits, and took the third spot. Could have done more, but here, luck actually went against them.
Compared to our chances, they had a proper sitter against us, and against Real as well (Traore was 1 on 1 with Lunin IIRC). Also, conceding a goal in the 95th minute- that's rotten luck.

 

You can actually feel the pride they have over there for ange with that, cracking painting

 

I know this is not the Premier League, but Union Berlin are fighting to win the Bundesliga with defensive tactics. Second, with a game in hand.

 

Could be this! It's very common a d a * of a thing to have!

 

As a millionaire, Ange will have the very best of healthcare. Why are people still obsessing over this cough?

Do folk genuinely think he’s sitting at 8am trying to get an appointment at his local GP to wait months for it to be seen to?

If it is anything serious - which it probably isn’t - it’ll be being seen to.

 

Not sure I've given Ange personally enough credit for the late wins and turnarounds. Comparing it to the mob across the way, it's mental how many points we've won in the last 5 minutes of games. I'd guess it was the points difference between us last year, and this year we've won 6 already in the last kick.

Amazing the difference that never say die attitude can make over a season.

 

What if folk start calling him Richard Cough.

 

or Ange Postecoughlou

 

Big man went to Tynecastle and Livingston, our two toughest away games, and won, whilst they dropped points in two pish easy games.

The Don