Great analysis!! It's literally what I was searching of, thanks

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

That's awesome to hear, thanks for sharing.

Love this!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽 As a non footballer I’m learning so much!!

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

So great to hear! I learned a lot with this one too.

Bridie!! Great! Super fascinating! Emma Hayes has great potential here! First off, her style reminds me a lot of how the USWNT used to play; the press coupled with great defense in the back third, long balls, strong individual effort... Do you think the style of play from Chelsea is what the USWNT is traditionally more known for? Do you think we will see that over more possession based play when Emma comes to the U.S.? Secondly, I loved to hear that Chelsea had two different formations; a defensive and offensive one. As we've talked about, strategic on field adaptability is key and being able to use various formations to different effect is an extremely useful and functional tactic. Thirdly, the longball approach. This is a method that Chelsea had used to create scoring opportunities. I was wondering if there are any other good attacking strategies to get through a more possession based team and a team which had a somewhat defensive formation throughout the game; I remember seeing a 5-4-1 for Barca at one point. What do you think? What's the best way to break down a 5-4-1? Is it a temporary overloading scenario, i.e., using a 1-4-5 attacking formation? Cheers!

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

ZB! I love these questions, really got me thinking. Possession based play is a big question mark for me. From reading it seems like Hayes typically has Chelsea play more possession focused, but has the team sit back when facing strong possession based teams like Barcelona. I wouldn't be shocked to see that flip based on the strengths of a US team that are less familiar with possession based play. Default to a transitional (but still very organized) game plan, adjusting to control possession more against teams that demand it. On breaking down those defensive formations, I think something you can pair with the long ball is an overload to a specific side of the pitch. It's not just useful for switching the ball into a crossing situation, often it'll open some space centrally that can be used to dribble or pass through. Outside of that I think creativity and fast movement is a great way to get yourself in a position to shoot. That's way less coachable but having players who feel confident taking risks allows you to at least see what you can make happen. Here's a Barcelona example from the second game with a little bit of both. Passing from wide right to wide left gets Barcelona out of a 3v4 scenario into a 2v2, then 4v4. No overload but they at least found balance. Quick movement and a little back pass almost has #12 completely clear on goal! Only downside to this is you have to do it frequently for it to finally work. kzread.info1lK58-XZWlQ?si=sR_JrFqmyIbJtgM2&t=5987

@zippityb

Ай бұрын

​@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer 1) I'm excited for what Emma and the Team decide to do. 2) The overloading concept is an awesome idea and can totally disrupt a more traditional formation. I'm thinking back to the game against China last December (the 3rd?) where the U.S. never tried an overloading tactic and kind of just let the Chinese Defense overcome them; fight back in force and overwhelm the defense! (I feel like we are generals discussing war tactics and strategies! :D) 3) I think this is a good example of how to beat the defense and I think the U.S. is capable of this style of play. We definitely have the creativity and dribbling skills for it, I think. Additionally, ball movement, especially to the wings, could be useful for the USWNT. I feel like USWNT wing play has been under utilized in recent history. Also, it's a shame Barca didn't try and reset after the missed shot from #12. I often find that after an initial failed chance on goal, too often players try and rip the ball at the net without trying to reset and create a new scoring chance. Just a habit I've noticed. It's not always the best option, I think. It's like panic sets in and patience flies out the window. I hope the U.S. can master that sort of patience and discipline in the attacking third. Cheers!

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

@@zippityb I was lucky enough to be at that game vs China and remember thinking around 30 minutes in that they were looking beatable. There was no general for the team in the first half! A totally different team came out in the second thankfully. I'm really excited to see if Emma Hayes has the USWNT cross from the wings more and "reverse" into the wings. The US has been good at occupying the wing and driving in from there, but it's been bit one dimensional.

Jaedyn Shaw, still 19 until November. Left footed or right footed, I don't think it matters. In last night's game (May 8, 2024, SD Wave - Utah Royals) that left footed pass to Doniak was "chef's kiss". The right footed PK was unstoppable even if Mandy Haught had guessed correctly. Where is Shaw's peak?

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

So fantastic watching her ball out yesterday, hopefully her confidence is through the roof now. If I think about the ceiling for a 29 year old Shaw I see her become a better version of Horan. Captain, never a question about starting, but more quantifiable production. I get the sense she's an entertainer at heart because she feeds off the crowd so well. Really excited for her to play to packed stadiums at the Olympics, I think it'll give her a big boost.

Thanks 🙂

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

Thank you! 🙂

I don't watch much/any European football* but as a USWNT & a Spirit fan I'm very interested in the coaching matchup here! Thanks for this breakdown. * Not because I dislike it! The time difference just makes it harder for me to follow.

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

Same! It’s a shame because it’s great football. The second match was really impressive from the Barcleona coach, Spirit is getting a great one.

so what i'm hearing is that sam staab should NOT be playing center back vs spain? 😅 (just from that video on uswnt newcomers..."not great in the box" does not sound like a great characteristic for a CB to have during this type of game 😮‍💨) and i haven't watched the video on the second leg yet so apologize if you mention this there / someone else said but these tactics are VERY different from pretty much every other chelsea game. i think the 4-0 in the champions league final traumatized emma so much that she will never play less than three CBs against barcelona again 😭 she did the same exact formation last year, only with completely different players due to injury and turnover--i.e. guro reiten and sam kerr instead of lj and mayra, maren mjelde being the center back having the game of her life instead of jess carter, and so forth. she even did the same exact thing in that she brought a winger into the fullback position and moved her left fullback into the LCB role, only that last year it was LB jess becoming LCB jess and winger niamh charles becoming LB wing, while this year LB niamh became LCB niamh, and it was the RB that was the winger-turned-into-fullback because she learned her lesson of putting a winger on defensive duty for graham hansen lmao. so ashley lawrence, normally RB, played LB, and JRK, normally right wing, played RB, which worked well because JRK's speed is so insane she's pretty good at defending (as you showed a clip of!) and because caldentey is no where near the level of CGH. ok that was way too long and unnecessary, but...the main thing is that chelsea usually does not play with as defined tactics as in the games vs barca and DEFINITELY does not play without the ball this often. i guess the best way to explain that is that a ton of people say that emma's chelsea have no "style of play" which is...true, honestly. pretty much every game is set up in a 4-3-3 as normal and usually the biggest formation change is whether there's a single or double pivot. and outside of the barca games, the only times players play out of position is injury--i.e. many non CBs played CB this season because of injuries, not because that's emma ball; same with non-strikers playing striker. but setting up basic and simply just doing it right is honestly what seems most compatible with the USWNT because it's not like we have a collection of players with either enough holes or enough unique strengths to do anything special rather than just being good.

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

29 күн бұрын

Sam Staab will look great in a game where she spends most of her time hanging at the halfway line, so dear god please no against Spain! But thank you, thank you for this great write up. This was just the context I was hoping someone could fill in because I don't like pulling info from stats without film to back it up. I'm going to watch the 2021 final and 2023 semi-final, really curious to see the differences between them and the changes to the back line being implemented the same as this year. The winger to fullback move was really smart (especially only doing that on one side for defensive balance) and JRK played that role fanatically. Beyond impressed by her as a player. It's interesting to think of Chelsea as a team with "no style of play" because I feel that's often where fans start getting antsy about not seeing a plan and the pressure to change the product on the pitch steps in. But to me that's the genius of Hayes, put together a team that's well coached, flexible, fluid, and use a specific gameplan when it's called for. It's significantly more demanding for the players but in my anecdotal experience the very best players are usually looking for more direction and specific instructions, not less. Totally agree with your read on the USWNT, start with doing the basics really well and make some modifications on top as needed. The key is deciding where they're needed, there's some killer group stage match ups!

Is there a possibility that any of the hopefuls for the Olympic USWNT find themselves on NWSL teams for any amount of time? I'm especially thinking about Macario who has yet to play 90 minutes in a single match recently, to the best of my knowledge. In my imagination I see Korbin Albert in San Diego🤞.

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

Thanks for the interesting question, got me to do some good research. Outside of being drafted from college or joining through the U18 entry mechanism players can either join NWSL teams as free agents or through a trade/transfer. Macario, Fishel, Albert, Gaetino, Yohannes all look to be signed through 25/26 so it would need to be a transfer, the window reopens 8/1. There's a chance if these players don't fit into their club's plans for next year they may be shopped around, but all three clubs also have the money to hoard players. I think it would take one of them being unhappy at their club and pushing their agent to seek out an interested NWSL side. Albert to San Diego would be massive. A lot of the Wave midfield and wingers seem to not understand how to execute Casey Stoney's gameplan, I suspect because they've mostly played in a 4-3-3 previously. Albert strikes me as a lot more cerebral and flexible, she'd be a great fit!

The USWNT has a friendly in about 3 weeks and 1 healthy center back from the SheBelieves roster. Worst-case scenario, what do you do?

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

Ай бұрын

I think this will be addressed by bringing in some players already familiar with the team (Cook, maybe Sauerbrunn) and moving some players out of their usual position (Krueger to CB, Sonnett to CB). I really don't want to see that though. I get that it's close to the Olympics and cohesion is important but I feel it's time to start thinking about the future. Kennedy Wesley, Kate Weisner, and Gabby Robinson are all young Americans playing the CB position well in the NWSL right now. If the team had addressed this problem at the World Cup and let a future starter get reps instead of playing Ertz in a position she hadn't played in a while this situation could've been avoided. You'd have data on someone like Cook to know if you can start her in competitive play or if you need to move on for the backup role. Use this time to gather data on the players you're interested in and build up their experience. I'd rather one veteran backup and one young backup, the solution can't always be look to the player with the most caps.

@erobinsonii

Ай бұрын

@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer Insightful. 🙂

@MitchAxelson

Ай бұрын

I’ve been worried about this too… ideally we get Girma and Davidson back but even still I think that pairing lacks a bit of bite and physicality that we could really use at the international level. Would love to see Sam Staab or even Tara McKeown get a look after seeing how she handled Barbara Banda. I think both look more fit and less mistake-prone than Cook and Sauerbrunn.

Beat Barça? JAJAJAJA, good luck with that.

@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer

12 күн бұрын

Hey it's all in Bompastor's hands now, who knows if it'll ever happen again!

@eboniaco

12 күн бұрын

​@@BusyWatchingWomensSoccer In that semifinal you analized, in the first leg, Chelsea was extremely lucky. In the second leg. Bonmatí show Chelsea what their true level really is. Also in the final against OL and Bompastor. Spain is simply the best by a long shot. Sorry, the USWNT is finished, don't matter who you brought to coach you. Is a talent issue. You americans simply don't have it. Stick to your sports.