10-20-2019, 12:01 AM
One other comment, or elaboration.
So the midfield is crowded, and your opponent is denying you balls through on the ground as best as they can.
What's another option? Over the top. Route 1. The long ball out of the back.
UCLA was lining up with Madison Haley marked, and two other backs tucked in fairly tight. There was GOBS of room in either corner, and Smith especially has the speed to run onto them.
But Ratcliffe HATES that style of play.
Tonight was a night where it could've worked. Late in the game, our backline started to hit balls over the top into the corner. At that point, they were mostly trying to clear their lines, and hoping to spin down the clock. But Haley, Smith, Malatskey, Greubel, all ran onto those balls at difference points.
90% of the the time, Stanford's touch and talent can overwhelm an overmatched opponent. But, when the opponent either has near-equivalent talent, or is willing to bunker in, maintain a very compact shape, and hope, the Cardinal have issues, because they will still try to pass out of and through it.
Troy's on-air partner, Chris Sullivan, actually called it out a bit obliquely. Midway through the second half, he offered up a mild criticism of Stanford passing back into pressure. That with UCLA pushing up, and 7 Bruins coming forward to press the ball, Stanford continued to try to play their ground balls out of the back, or through the backline. There were some exceptions (Pickett hit a few long crosses to Wesley, for example), but for the most part, UCLA channeled Stanford to the sideline, relied on superior numbers in the midfield, and pushed Stanford to consistently work backwards, which then allowed the Bruins to push even farther forward. Or led to some awkwardness, as when Hiatt tried to pass a ball on the ground from the top of the eighteen to a teammate standing back to goal at the halfline, only to have it intercepted and turned into a Bruin chance.
Girma bringing the ball forward a bit more aggressively is one potential response - forces a forward to drop with her, or other players to converge, opening up other spaces. It nearly worked for UCLA's backs tonight a couple of times - our midfielders were slow to react to forays forward, in one case leading to a defender carrying the ball at our defense inside 30 yards with Malatskey vainly chasing her from behind.
But I would occasionally love to see Madison out wide against some of these defenses looking for a long ball in, instead of playing purely back to goal in the center of the pitch. She did it once tonight off a throw-in, and completely boxed her defender off the ball, leading to the Cardinal's best chance in the second half, as Haley squared the ball to Greubel, who slipped but fortuitously touched the ball through to Malatskey, who blasted a shot that was blocked by a sliding defender.
Again, safely through. On to the mountains.
VG
So the midfield is crowded, and your opponent is denying you balls through on the ground as best as they can.
What's another option? Over the top. Route 1. The long ball out of the back.
UCLA was lining up with Madison Haley marked, and two other backs tucked in fairly tight. There was GOBS of room in either corner, and Smith especially has the speed to run onto them.
But Ratcliffe HATES that style of play.
Tonight was a night where it could've worked. Late in the game, our backline started to hit balls over the top into the corner. At that point, they were mostly trying to clear their lines, and hoping to spin down the clock. But Haley, Smith, Malatskey, Greubel, all ran onto those balls at difference points.
90% of the the time, Stanford's touch and talent can overwhelm an overmatched opponent. But, when the opponent either has near-equivalent talent, or is willing to bunker in, maintain a very compact shape, and hope, the Cardinal have issues, because they will still try to pass out of and through it.
Troy's on-air partner, Chris Sullivan, actually called it out a bit obliquely. Midway through the second half, he offered up a mild criticism of Stanford passing back into pressure. That with UCLA pushing up, and 7 Bruins coming forward to press the ball, Stanford continued to try to play their ground balls out of the back, or through the backline. There were some exceptions (Pickett hit a few long crosses to Wesley, for example), but for the most part, UCLA channeled Stanford to the sideline, relied on superior numbers in the midfield, and pushed Stanford to consistently work backwards, which then allowed the Bruins to push even farther forward. Or led to some awkwardness, as when Hiatt tried to pass a ball on the ground from the top of the eighteen to a teammate standing back to goal at the halfline, only to have it intercepted and turned into a Bruin chance.
Girma bringing the ball forward a bit more aggressively is one potential response - forces a forward to drop with her, or other players to converge, opening up other spaces. It nearly worked for UCLA's backs tonight a couple of times - our midfielders were slow to react to forays forward, in one case leading to a defender carrying the ball at our defense inside 30 yards with Malatskey vainly chasing her from behind.
But I would occasionally love to see Madison out wide against some of these defenses looking for a long ball in, instead of playing purely back to goal in the center of the pitch. She did it once tonight off a throw-in, and completely boxed her defender off the ball, leading to the Cardinal's best chance in the second half, as Haley squared the ball to Greubel, who slipped but fortuitously touched the ball through to Malatskey, who blasted a shot that was blocked by a sliding defender.
Again, safely through. On to the mountains.
VG