2506
« on: March 31, 2005, 11:55:39 AM »
First time posting in this format so I'll piggy back on a thread. Here is how I saw the game.
Ince: was solid for the most part. Made some good saves and except for the dropped cross seemed confident and in control.
Atiba Charles: my first time seeing him play. Started off a little bit slow in terms of ball possession, but tackled well from the get go and didn't allow the CR forwards any time or space. The odd occassion he came forward in attack he looked good. He was the most complete defender on the field.
Lawrence: suprised me with his performance. I am not a fan of him and was against him being on the team, but I'm happy to write that at least yesterday he proved me wrong. He tackled well, he made his presence felt and positioned himself well for most of the game. I still think he can be a liability since he doesn't anticipate or pass the ball well.
Anton Pierre: was solid throughout. People keep saying he's slow, but he was never out paced by any attacker and was always in position to tackle or intercept longer balls. Doesn't seem like a lack of speed is his problem. His passing can be more consistent, but all in all another good performance from him.
Rojas: not spectacular nor skillful, but he is consistent. He harasses attacking wingers and tackles hard. If he was more skillful he'd actually be a good attacking threat, but with some hard work he can earn a regular spot on the left.
Edwards: was usually in position to receive the ball, but didn't make as much use of it as he should have. The CR left side was always comfortable knowing that he was not going to make them run hard to defend him. He did tackle well and hustled for most of the first half, but to be an effective winger he needed to take on the defense more often. He'd also have been better served to have more support from the inner midfielders as he was occassionally left on the flank by himself with no easy passes to make.
Spann: my player of the first half. He set the tone early for T&T with two hard tackles on CR midfielders. CR never had time to play the ball around in the middle of the park. Besides his strong defensive play he also made good passes coming forward. It's a wonder we've not seen much of him before.
Eve: another player I do not like who suprised me. Worked hard defensively for a change... a welcome one. His freekicks weren't as good as I've seen them and that could have put more pressure on CR. I'd still prefer to see him in the last 30 minutes of the match where I think he can have more impact.
Yorke: he is earning his keep on the team. He's another player putting pressure on the opposition's midfield to good effect. He works well with Spann, makes good passes and anticipates well.
Glenn: didn't use his speed to good effect. Can be a dangerous player running at the defence, but he didn't try to take on the CR at all. With better service from the wings he could have given CR more problems.
John: his ball control is still spot on and he played well in spurts. He seems short of goal scoring touch at the moment though, but if he's the quality striker I think he is he'll come out of that.
Subs -
Sam: brought some energy to the field at a time when we were starting to slow down. Perhaps needed to come on 10 minutes earlier to have a better effect.
Fitzpatrick: seemed to work harder than the U.S. game. Perhaps a bit slow to play out on the wing.
Nigel Pierre: looked dangerous. Should have gotten a bit more power on his header, but he did well to get there. He was willing to do what Glenn was not and that was take on CR defenders.
Overall it was the best game we've played in the qualifiers that I've seen. We gave up some chances to CR, but generally we played them hard and made them work for what they got. Considering the possession we had we should have done more in attack. We kept the ball for longer periods and strung more passes together, but with the more skillful winger, Edwards, collecting the ball square instead of running behind the defenders to receive it we were seldom menacing. The crossing was not good and that could have been the difference between 1-0 in our favour and the point we did get.
If we continue to play the way we did while tightening up on the few mistakes we can actually press for third instead of hoping for forth. Our problem today was not defensive which is a welcome change from the norm. We need to have the confidence to attack as a team and when we get that we'll be a very dangerous team, in particular at home.
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