The Overlap Tactics Blog
Massi's Gameplan - Results Might Vary
Three games, and mixed results. Some would like to paint the results against Baggieland and Oberour Ar Moro as a reaction of spirit alone, with all the associated imagery of dressing room screaming matches, rockets put up bums and players drilled on the training ground. There may be an element of truth to this, there was certainly more fizz in attack and players looked steely in their resolve, home and away. But, that might not be the whole story.
The gameplan clearly did not change for the three games, Massi set out to do the same thing each time. Sit in a mid block in defence, leaving room to break into, and then pushing quickly down the wings to get behind the opposition. Against Arjunnagar, this did not pay off. Coming against a 4-3-3 formation, they found themselves denied any space in the middle. This is a natural extension of the game plan, having only the two in midfield means ceding a degree of control. The issue was, Elmyia simply didn't make it work down the wings, Froggatt and Beluigi simply couldn't make it work, finding their touch letting them down or dropping the ball. In defence, and too often the three centre-backs found themselves dragged out of place, following each other about. It was Flewin being dragged out of possession that gave away the goal, fielding three sweepers used to covering a set area was clearly going to take some coaching.
In the next two fixtures, simply put, the game plans paid off. In some ways, the strenght of the opponents aided this. Baggieland and Oberour Ar Moro both had undoubted superiority in the middle, but the more Elmyia held them off, the further they had to push forward. Baggieland had Livermore and Bomber exchanging ceaseless passes, but the opening never came. Eventually, sucked far forward, Benedetti was able to pick up the ball, spray it through to Froggatt and put her clean through to score.
Oberour Ar Moro provided the most entertainment of the fixtures thus far, again the patterns of play were familiar. Elmyia ceded possession, sat back, and scored two excellent counter attacking goals, Benedetti netting twice. Eventually, Elmyia succumbed to gravity. Forced back, two scrappy goals went in from corners, the endless string of clearances falling short of closing the opponents out. Elmyia looked on the ropes, heading towards a second defeat in three as a string of crosses came in, Grosso, Freschi and Flewin struggling manfully to head the ball away. An eventual stroke of luck came, Scoular took a free kick from an unpromising position, and a bobble lead to a scuffed Chapman effort squirmed in for Elmyia's most thrilling victory yet.
So, not quite world beaters yet, but the last two games have shown real evidence of progression, particularly in showing that the players and now willing and able to execute Massi's gameplan to a t. The fact that this game plan seems to be working against stronger teams is also a promising portend for Elmyia's first match up against a team of genuine quality, 5 times World Champions Valanora. Whilst it might not pay off forever, surely teams will eventually start retreating back to guard on the counter, it certainly seems a good plan for now.
12.30pm
'15 Cyn-Penzag
Linde Rostock, Wirr Tsi
