Defending in and around the Penalty Area - Coursework Example

COACHING FOR FOOTBALL - DEFENDING IN AND AROUND THE PENALTY AREA A case study of Liverpool vs. Real Madrid Introduction UEFA Champions’ league remains to be one of the most coveted soccer tournament of all times, and each team that qualifies to participate in this tournament does anything within their ability to win each game. This paper is aimed at analysing the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid that took place on 22nd October 2014 at Anfield. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of a match is very important since it can help better the performance in subsequent games. The analysis will help in understanding the pattern-forming dynamics that emerged from collective defensive and offensive behaviour in this particular match. Liverpool had a different strategy from the one Real Madrid had, and definitely the team with the best strategy has an upper hand in winning. Real Madrid emerged the winner over Liverpool by a 3-0 victory margin. But how did they outclass Liverpool? This is a question that will be analysed in this paper taking into consideration the tact and technical skill that they applied. Real Madrid were the defending champions of this cup, and it was very critical for them to prove the reason why they are the European Champions. Karim Benzema scored twice while the magnificent Cristiano Ronaldo scored one during the match. Though Real Madrid maintained an outstanding stability throughout the game, the pace of Sterling cause some problems in Real Madrid’s defence. The first goal from James Rodriguez was very spectacle, Cristiano darted forward where he sublime a half volley over the goal keeper (GK). There was little the centre backs Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel could do, since he tactful did it so fast. The other two goals form Karim Benzema were score as a result of the same flaws that the defence had (Zauli, 2002). Real Madrid and Liverpool’s Line-up Real Madrid maintained offensive and defensive dominance throughout the game, which made them acquire an offensive stability as well as defensive stability. the line-up in this game for Real Madrid was as follows; (1) Iker Casillas (C); (2) Raphael Varane; (3) Pepe; (7) Cristiano Ronaldo; (8) Toni Kroos; (9) Karim Benzema; (10) James Rodriguez; (12) Marcelo; (17) Alvaro Abbeloa; (19) Luca Modric;(23) Isco; Coach Carlo Ancelotti. Liverpool lineup was as, (22) Simon Mignolet; (2) Glen Johnson; (6) Dejan Lovren; (8) Steven Gerrard (C); (10) Coutinho; (14) Jordan Henderson; (18 ) Alberto Moreno; (24) Joe Allen; (31) Raheem Sterling; (37) Martin Skrtel; (45) Mario Baloteli; And Coach Brendan Rodgers. Real Madrid had a different strategy with that of Liverpool, the distribution that was adopted by Real Madrid in terms of defensive, midfield and attacking players as indicated is a 4:2:2 system of play (Marziali and Mora, 1997). This means that the defensive part had 4 players, midfield had four players, and they had two attacking players (Cristiano and Benzema). Liverpool adopted a 4:3:3 system of play (Lucchesi, 2005). The capability of individual players can’t be overruled in the outcome of this match but there is much is attributed to the tact employed by Real Madrid in winning this match. The strategy that a team applies will determine whether the results will be successful or unsuccessful, the relationship between the teammates and the opponents are also very critical in determining the outcome. It is very important to note that each player’s behaviour is dependent on the interaction of the teammates and opponents, as well as the locations of the ball and the goal. This is very important as illustrated in this match, all the three goals scored by Cristiano and Benzema. The emergent nature Real Madrid’s performance is showed the importance of the behaviour of multiple players (Hughes and Franks, 2008). The manner in which Real Madrid outclassed Liverpool depended on the dynamics of the pattern they formed, which is the physical relationship that Real Madrid’s established with each other and Liverpool as the opponent (Davids et al., 2006). The first goal The first goal as it be viewed from the screenshot, Rodriguez establishes a clear relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo who is one of the attacker to make the first goal on the 22nd minute. Interpersonal coordination in this goal was very minimal between the attacker (Cristiano Ronaldo) and the defenders. The second goal The second goal was scored by Karim Benzema, as expected he was one of the attacker in the game. The ball was supplied by Kroos who is one of the midfielder. This goal was scored in the 29th minute of the game. This paper will analyse deeply the manner in which in this goal was scored. This goal was scored perfectly the Toni kroos lifted this cross superbly to the far post and Benzema was left unchallenged by Glen Johnson, and he looped the header to the far post scoring a spectacular goal. The third goal The third goal was a manifestation of how the defence of Liverpool was disoriented and it was too shabby. The goalkeeper tried to save the ball but punched the ball, the defence side couldn’t clear the ball due to some element of miscommunication. The defence side of Liverpool showed very poor performance of defending inside the penalty area and this cost them the third goal. This goal resulted from a corner that was taken by Kroos, the ball floated over the head of Mario Balotelli and hit Pepe on the chest, though the Pepe was fast to hit the ball past Mignolet, Benzema was there at the right time to tap the ball and score his second goal of the night. Key factors to consider while defending in and around the penalty area This is a very important aspect in soccer and in the coaching process it is the duty of the defenders to defend deep to protect the penalty area. Liverpool defenders didn’t do that in the second goal when Benzema. In respect to the second goal it was the duty of one of the defender to close down the midfield attackers. The defenders should have slow down the approach Benzema and tackle sideways on. They should have also stayed on feet especially in the penalty area. The defenders allowed too much room for the attacker to have access to the penalty area. Cover and support from other players was very important to avoid this goal from been conceded. Benzema seemed to be unmarked, there is something that could have been done by the defenders and some offensive midfielder by making sure that the Real Madrid’s players were tracked as well as making recovery runs. The team defence and offense is very critical in describing the dynamic stability and instability of team interactions. Repeated offensive and defensive reactions and actions result to no substantial results, as it was in the case of Liverpool. As seen from this much the opportunity of coring rose when offensive players of Real Madrid engaged in actions that destabilized the responsive defensive of Liverpool. The defensive system of Liverpool was destabilized by, offensive players of Real Madrid displaced themselves in a spectacle manner as well as making the ball irregular that promote a cascade of local instabilities in the defence of Liverpool. Real Madrid made sure that they had more advantage than Liverpool in term of quantification, when the team was defending in their third they made sure that they have more players to weaken the attackers of Liverpool. Benzema could have been stopped if the defence of Liverpool could attempt to maintain stability in local subsystems, which could be done by increasing the presence of a defender to be adjacent to the ball. The dynamic of instability and stability is very of the offensive and defensive is very important tin determination of the performance of the game. Tactical evaluation Development of tactics can be analysed at different level in a game of football or other games, the major method used is cross-sectional design. The various tactics used at each level of development in the match is very much dependent upon development, the physical maturation and other variables. Evaluation of a match is very important since the coach can establish a model or norms based on ‘post mortem’ and this can be used to help the needs of the scouts. The evaluation of match should be carried in an objective manner at all means (Franks et al 1983a). The performance that Real Madrid can be said that it was enhanced as a result of maintaining few number of passes in a sequence of three or less. Kroos made two touches and passed the ball to Benzema who only made one header, this is very important since it helps a team possess the ball for a long period of time. The system adopted that day by Coach Ancelotti was specifically to counter Liverpool, therefore, a coach should adopt a pattern according to the opponent. Church and Hughes (1986) were able to establish the fact that more passes are attempted when losing as compared to winning, ball possession is lost in most cases when losing, and greater number of shots are taken when losing than wining. This assertions concur with this game, each time Liverpool lost possession there were more prone to lose since they became vulnerable. The third goal is evident since there was no composure in the defence side and possession was lost in a careless manner enabling Benzema to tap the ball very easily. Real Madrid had 54% possession as compared to Liverpool who had 46%. Hughes, Robertson and Nicholas (1988), deduced that successful teams are very much likely to have more touches of the ball per possession that the team that didn’t win. It was also found that the defeated team was running and dribbled the ball in their defensive area. Liverpool did very poor in defending in and around their penalty area especially in the second and third goal. Liverpool also seemed to lose possession of the ball significantly in the final one sixth of the playing area both in defence and attacking area. From this assertions it is clear that it is very important for a team to maintain possession of the ball more often than the opponent. Technical evaluation The players selected for a particular game is very crucial, coaches are advised to make a prudent choice while selecting the players. It was not wise for Liverpool’s coach to select Baloteli to start as the main attacking stricter considering the fact that he was surround with controversy prior to the match. UEFA Champions League is a tournament that is decided by small margins, and the team with higher physiological and motor abilities have the upper hand (Reilly Carling and Williams, 2005). The individual capabilities of Real Madrid is spectacular in all aspects. All the team members should assume their role in the game, Cristiano and Benzema played their role perfectly as attacker by scoring the three winning goals. Studies have indicated the necessary credentials that should be used when determining the players that will play in particular position in soccer matches (Jones and Kingston, 2007). There are various technical demands that a particular player should deliver to make the team successful (O'Donoghue, P. (2010). The responsibilities of each individual in the team can differ according to whether the team has is possessing the ball (O'Donoghue, 2010). Liverpool failed to realize that when they lost possession they should have re-strategized and try to gain back the possession. A coach should as much as possible try to establish the technical attribute of each player since this can help to influence the result (Bate, 1999). Hughes and Probert (2006) suggested analysis of the exact technical requirement of each position. Each individual has a technical ability that can be advantageous to influence the outcome of a game. Real Madrid’s coach is with no doubt was able to align his players into specific playing positions in accordance to their individual technical attributes. The technical attribute of Cristiano and Benzema can’t be compared to that of Baloteli, the two Real Madrid’s players have a great technical attribute in terms of attacking. The second goal from Benzema is a testimony from this assertions, the header was driven to the far corner making it unstoppable by both the defender and the goalkeeper. Movement analysis Movement analysis is a very important aspect that coaches should capitalize on in order to make crucial decisions in subsequent matches. The work rates of each individual player is very different, Cristiano’s movement was very phenomenon in this match. Distance covered by Real Madrid’s players was more if it was compared with Liverpool’s player. This can be attributed to the fact that the players had more possession of the ball 54% as compared to 46% and this called them to have numerous movement. Real Madrid’s competitive advantage over Liverpool. As stated earlier the two teams adopted a different strategy pattern of play, Real Madrid adopted a 4-4-2 pattern while Liverpool adopted a 4-3-3 pattern. Each coach thought that there is a possibility of their pattern strategy acquiring a competitive advantage, but it seems Real Madrid’s pattern and strategy was more effective in terms of tact and technic. The scoring opportunities of Real Madrid were more as compared to, Real Madrid had 7 on target shots as compared to Liverpool who had only 2. The scoring opportunities that real Madrid had was as a result of their regular dominance in the fundamental offensive areas. The defence stability of real Madrid was more stable and this made the team avoid conceding any goal. Offensive and defensive performance of Real Madrid done in spectacle manner, the team was able to capitalise on opportunity, risk and security to enhance the 3-0 victory. Real Madrid was able to allocate more plated in and around their penalty areas, which made it very difficult for Liverpool to have any space as well as movement. The central mid-fielders of real Madrid were very productive in respect to the sub-areas of play. The midfielders were able to explore adjacent sub-areas and this made them maintain the stability of the defence and enhance offensive instability. Real Madrid were able to create uncertainty in Liverpool’s centre-back as the second goal demonstrated, they maintained a regularity in their defending third and this was key to their victory. References Bate, R. (1999) The Sweeper. Reedswain Davids, K. Button, C. Araújo, D. Renshaw, I. Hristovski, R. (2006). Movement Models from Sports Provide Representative Task Constraints for Studying Adaptive Behavior in Human Movement Systems, Adaptive Behavior 14, 73 Franks, I. (1997). Use of feedback by coaches and players E & FN Spon, London, pp. 267–268. Hughes, M.D. (1986) A review of patterns of play in squash. In Sports Science (edited by J. Watkins, T. Reilly and L. Burwitz), pp. 363-368. London: E&FN Spon. Hughes, M., Robertson, K. and Nicholson, A. (1988). An Analysis of 1984 World Cup of Association Football. In Science and Football (edited by T. Reilly, A. Lees, K. Davids and W. Murphy), pp. 363-367. London: E&FN Spon. Hughes, C. (1994) Soccer tactics and skills. Hughes, M. & Franks, I.M. (2008). The Essentials of Performance Analysis: an introduction, London: Routledge. Jones, R.L., & Kingston, K. (Eds.), (2006) An Introduction to Sports Coaching: from science and theory to practice (2nd Edition), London: Routledge. Lucchesi, M. (2005) Coaching the 4-3-3. Reedswain Marziali, F. & V. Mora, 1997. Coaching the 4-4-2. Reedswain O'Donoghue, P. (2010). Research Methods for Sports Performance Analysis, London, Routledge. Reilly, T., Carling, C. & Williams, A.M. (2005). Handbook of Soccer Match Analysis: a systematic approach to improving performance, London: Routledge. The FA. (2010) The Future Game. The Football Association. Zauli, A.2002. Soccer Modern Tactics. Reedswain Read More