Sport Everything Soccer

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Tactically, AFL Football has come a long way in the past 25 or so years. Gone are the days of every team just playing the same old way, kicking to contests, players staying in their set positions ect ect.

Now more than ever you can see discernible differences in the way teams play, and often where teams are in their build cycle dictates the style they choose to play. Usually teams will start with a defensive style, maybe build toward a possession based style, then build into a more run and gun style, then when ready to contend will put it all together to try and be a complete package.

It can be fascinating watching two differing styles battling against each other… some may bemoan where footy has gone tactically and yearn for the glory days of contests and free flowing play but realistically, would you really want to go back to that? We have come so far.

We can also learn from other sports, no doubt the ‘quarterback’ role, and using a distributor from the back half was learnt from American football along with set plays at stoppages, the switching of play was no doubt borrowed from soccer and hockey, along with zonal play. Which brings me to the point of this post. I reckon more than any other sport soccer has the most defined differing styles of play, and more to the point these styles of play can be attached to particular countries or cultures but even more so, they can follow particular managers to each job they take.

I want to concentrate on Sarri-ball because I think it’s a style that has real adaptation parallels to our game, in fact its probably a game close to what Richmond play but not miles away from what we might want to aim for.

For any uninitiated, Maurizio Sarri is an Italian football manager who came into the game late, he was a chain smoking banker but had a brain for football which took him all the way to the top. He is considered in some circles a footballing genius because of the footballing style he developed, its high tempo, incisive and great to watch and when perfected not easy to combat or stop. But those who play it need to be very disciplined, physically sharp and mentally aware and crucially very team oriented. Sarri has taken over the Chelsea job this year from Napoli, He believes it will take Chelsea at least 6 months to adapt to his style but they have still started the season well, remaining undefeated in the league while playing a nice brand of football.

So what is Sarri-ball and how does it adapt to our game?

Firstly in team defence, the defenders take a high line and stay compact, minimising space between defenders helps to build pressure on the opposition, you need to put high pressure on the ball carrier while the other defenders zone off to block available passing lanes or escape routes. This relentless high energy press like Richmond’s invariably forces an error and a turnover in a dangerous position. However playing a high line can make it susceptible to balls over the top and easy goals if you lose concentration on the way up the field. If you don’t cut off all avenues of escape or leave an open man, the ball can stream over the top for an easy goal.. which we at Essendon are quite susceptible to.

The team also needs to remain compact, the zonal positions need to shift across the ground as a unit, strangling the opposition. Like Richmond do.

But defence is not what sari-ball is about, its just a way to ensure they retrieve the ball in good positions to do what they do best, sarri-ball is a beautiful offensive juggernaut, a fuild, high tempo attacking style that may look instinctive and ad hoc, but is meticulously planned in its brilliance. To Sarri football is a symphony, a series of notes that when played together make a beautiful sound, but substitute notes for passing and movement.

It’s a possession based play, but its not stagnant possession, its always moving forwards (like Richmond). The first crucial part of sarri ball is the fulcrum plyer, Jorginiho, he is the player to play the safe incisive passes that starts each attacking foray, We have this style when we gain possession at half back and look to play the early corridor ball to quickly open up the ground of options and get the opponents on the back foot.

Once this play is in motion up the field it’s a series of little triangles, of little piggy in the middle one touch passes that have the defenders backpedalling.. crucially if you attack the ball carrier, the space created by that movement leaves the perfect spot for the next pass to go to, in effect, the opposition dictates where the free flowing passing game will go as it makes its way up the ground at high tempo. To an extent we do play this type of game, running and gunning up the middle but we don’t have a move it forward at all costs mantra like Richmond do, like sarri-ball does.. We are quick to stop, retreat and go sideways when an avenue doesn’t present, but you see Richmond don’t worry about that.. they keep forging forward, the avenue will open up by virtue of the style.

The worst thing you can do to sarri is play long ball, that’s going long up the line in AFL.. we resort to it a lot when we don’t back ourselves in to go up the middle. It releases the pressure and ruins the entire concept.

Another crucial element Is that even when in possession, sarri ball still requires pressing, often, if you see a wave of players marauding up the pitch it can cause the opposition teams to panic and get all out of whack, this is another Richmond hallmark.

So in short, the system requires, high intensity defending, and high intensity attacking, along with an opposition silly enough to try and press you rather than sitting off you.

Does anyone not think there are huge comparisons between Sarri-ball and Richmond’s style of play? And ,maybe there is something we can take from it to add to our free wheeling attacking style?
 

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Very sad what has transpired at Leicester overnight.

Vale to those that lost their lives
 
Stopher said:
Thanks Chelsea! I felt dirty celebrating Kante's goal, but needs must and all that.
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I didn’t look at it as a Chelsea win more of a City loss.

It’s about looking at the positives
 

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not gloating - far from it, but I see Jose as a fascinating case study. I wouldn't say im looking from afar either because he has managed my club to success twice.

But the three year jose cycle is intriguing. He almost feels like a serial non committer in a relationship scenario, the guy who gets a new girlfriend, loves the lovey dovey period, is a great boyfriend!..till it gets a bit boring or real or hard, and he runs for the hills - but he wont run, he will be such an a-hole that the girl breaks up with him first...

The thing that's weird to me is, he is not a tactical genius, far from it - infact his football is rather programmed and drab - his great strength is supposedly his ability to lead men. But in the end this seems to be his greatest weakness too, Because his ego is so great he cannot handle having names bigger than his own in his team - so the first thing he does is enter a team, and pick a fight with the biggest player (s) - from here its a steady decline till he loses the rooms. (3 years)

if you look at his record, its great, he has won the title in England, Spain and Italy.. but look deeper, he always picks clubs with huge financial backing - almost cruise control clubs who should always succeed anyway - wafts in, buys the title with big transfer spends, its all bright and shiny - but dig deeper, whats he done?
Freeze out the youth or any promising fringe players, ruin the culture and get the fans off side once they realize that style of play isn't all that fun to watch.

Invariably he leaves the club in worse shape than when he arrived (Ross Lyon)

My guess is he will go back now and manage the national team - a team where he cant transfer spend, this is the true testing material.
 
Ajax vs Juventus
Liverpool vs Porto
Tottenham vs Manchester City
Manchester United vs Barcelona

Who goes through? I was pulling for us to have Ajax or Porto but we'd have to beat Barca eventually anyway.
 
The top 6 battle is interesting, right now it looks like Arsenal is in the box seat for 3rd. Their remaining fixtures are:

Liverpool (32, 79, +53): Southampton (16th, A), Chelsea (6th, H), Cardiff (18th, A), Huddersfield (20th, H), Newcastle (14th, A), Wolves (7th, H)

Man City (31, 77, +60): Cardiff (18th, H), Crystal Palace (13th, A), Tottenham (4th, H), Man Utd (5th, A), Burnley (17th, A), Leicester (8th, H), Brighton (15th, A)

Arsenal (31, 63, +26): Everton (9th, A), Watford (10th, A), Crystal Palace (13th, H), Wolves (7th, A), Leicester (8th, A), Brighton (15th, H), Burnley (17th, A)

Tottenham (31, 61, +24): Crystal Palace (13th, H), Huddersfield (20th, H), Man City (2nd, A), Brighton (15h, H), West Ham (11th, H), Bournemouth (12th, A), Everton (9th, H)

Man Utd (31, 61, +19): Wolves (7th, A), West Ham (11th, H), Everton (9th, A), Man City (2nd, H), Chelsea (6th, H), Huddersfield (20th, A), Cardiff (18th, H)

Chelsea (31, 60, +18): Brighton (15th, H), West Ham (11th, H), Liverpool (1st, A), Burnley (17th, A), Man Utd (5th, A), Watford (10th, A), Leicester (8th, H)


What do you think it ends up looking like? Right now I think:

Manchester City
Liverpool
Arsenal
Manchester United
Tottenham
Chelsea

The three weeks in the middle of that run where we see Liverpool vs Chelsea, Tottenham vs City, United vs City and United vs Chelsea will be the deciding factor for both the title race and the remaining 2 spots.
 
Yoda_ said:
My lot don't deserve to finish in the top 4
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A good result against City (draw) would near guarantee it if Liverpool and City beat the two below though
 
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