Tactics Under Maresca

[ALC Fox]

On 18/10/2023 at 15:50, StriderHiryu said:

^ That's a great article.

 

This was taken from it, and is pretty unusual:

 

 

If I had to guess, I would suggest that because Ricardo inverts from RB, we are a bit more cautious attacking down that side in case we face a turnover. However, it is also possible that it's not intentional and it's something we want our right forwards to work on. 

 

I guess we will find out in this next set of games! 

It's an interesting one, that. Could the following have also had an impact?

 

McAteer has started on the right for a good chunk of the season and he's less of a possession player driving at full-backs and more of a guy who arrives on the end of things.

 

The point about Ricardo inverting also makes perfect sense.

[Aleksz]

Hadn’t realised how integral Ricardo has been to some of our best moves this season. Man is slicing teams open like prime Xavi.

[Lambert09]

33 minutes ago, Aleksz said:

Hadn’t realised how integral Ricardo has been to some of our best moves this season. Man is slicing teams open like prime Xavi.

definitely a bit of an unsung hero in this position. Doesn’t get as involved as we are used to from him and consequently goes a little under the radar. 

 

He’s very good at this role, but he is also one of the best conventional rb’s when fit so hard to say it fits him like a glove. 

[StriderHiryu]

12 hours ago, Aleksz said:

Hadn’t realised how integral Ricardo has been to some of our best moves this season. Man is slicing teams open like prime Xavi.

I went on a massive rant in another thread where someone was claiming that he wasn't being used properly. Too many fans just don't watch our games properly! He's been consistently great throughout the season.

 

Players like Xavi, Iniesta and Kroos rarely get more than 5 G+A over the course of an entire season, yet are some of the best players to ever play the game. There are many battles all over the pitch in football, but the football war in every game is won or lost in midfield.

[ALC Fox]

Ricky is just a supreme footballer.

 

It's hard to tell whether playing out wide would increase his risk of aggravating his previous big injuries (ACL and Achilles tendon). Changes of speed and running full tilt often happens out wide, but inside there are more changes of direction and quite possibly more risk of being the victim of a bad challenge.

 

What's clear is that at the moment he's coming through back-to-back games and, as one of our most important players, is being rested when the chance arises. He can clearly play this role, and has taken to it like a duck to water, which probably underlines him as one of our most talented players over the last five years or so. And he's getting up from crunching tackles (e.g. against Preston), which is just brilliant to see.

 

With Maresca in charge, I don't think it's likely that we'll see him as a rampaging full-back again, which may suit him as he enters his 30s.

 

We're just lucky to have him, in whatever role he plays, in my opinion.

[Happy Fox]

Peak Ricardo at full back was one of the best RB in the world , and wouldn’t look out of place at a Top 4 club in the premier league, and other European leagues.

He’s far too good at this level and the same goes for a lot of our players. 

[Dan LCFC]

He's the sort of player that just makes a mockery of the fact we're in this division. He should be playing in Europe.

[honeybradger]

6 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

I went on a massive rant in another thread where someone was claiming that he wasn't being used properly. Too many fans just don't watch our games properly! He's been consistently great throughout the season.

 

Players like Xavi, Iniesta and Kroos rarely get more than 5 G+A over the course of an entire season, yet are some of the best players to ever play the game. There are many battles all over the pitch in football, but the football war in every game is won or lost in midfield.

Not sure where you got that from. Xavi and Iniesta usually got 20 G+A in a season, with Xavi even getting a 30 g+a season in 2008/2009. Both Xavi and Iniesta were creative players who would get at least 10 assists in the league most seasons.

[Col city fan]

Enzo knows what he’s doing…

👍

[Tommy Fresh]

Love how even if we go behind or are being held, you know we'll have chances. Compared to the past couple of seasons where it was obvious how a game was going to go in the opening 5 minutes and having no faith in us looking remotely threatening.

[ithuriel]

Were like a pepper shaker, just grind until it comes.

[MadsEmil]

31 minutes ago, ithuriel said:

Were like a pepper shaker, just grind until it comes.

That's what I tell the wife all the time

[LinekersLugs]

HOW DO WE HOLD ON TO HIM IF THIS CONTINUES NEXT SEASON 

 

what a man …. 
 

he has Nacho looking like a seriously improved player 

[Mike Oxlong]

It’s amazing what he has put in place in such a short period of time. He should be awarded an OBE (Order of the Braunstone Estate) 🏅 

[lee7]

The improvement in the squad in such a short space of time is incredible. 

I can only imagine how good we could potentially be in 6 months time. 

[Number 6]

One issue under Brendan, even when we were finishing 5th, was our ability to break down a low block. We don't seem to have had that issue under Enzo. And if teams come on to us then we beat the press and enjoy it. We seem to have all the tools to beat any set up in this league. To beat us, it would need a level and quality of pressing that just isn't there. We'll have off days but we're a cut above.

[VinceNoir]

Did I imagine this or did he say in his pre-match presser that he’d worked specifically with our wingers during the international break? Today, Mavididi and Fatawu were probably our two most threatening players. Mavididi in particular seemed to find his Southampton form, Abdul obviously bagged a goal but apart from that he was also very involved and keen.
 

Great to see if the extra work with our wingers is paying off already! God I love Enzo.

[MGLCFC]

1 hour ago, Mike Oxlong said:

It’s amazing what he has put in place in such a short period of time. He should be awarded an OBE (Order of the Braunstone Estate) 🏅 

Hope that's not Out Before Easter if he continues at this rate

[Lillehamring]

On 12/10/2023 at 08:00, Arriba Los Zorros said:

I think it will suit Ipswich if teams sit back against them. It takes pressure off their defence which is a weak area, and they are good from set pieces. I think they are quite multi dimensional so can imagine they are well suited to breaking down sides. They were doing it all last year in league 1. Will be interesting to see it. 

QPR should have beat them by 3 or 4, they had so many good chances.

[Lillehamring]

On 18/10/2023 at 16:50, StriderHiryu said:

^ That's a great article.

 

This was taken from it, and is pretty unusual:

 

 

If I had to guess, I would suggest that because Ricardo inverts from RB, we are a bit more cautious attacking down that side in case we face a turnover. However, it is also possible that it's not intentional and it's something we want our right forwards to work on. 

 

I guess we will find out in this next set of games! 

Possibly also due to the following: that Mavididi has had much more regular football than any one player on the right, that KDH is far more attacking than Ndidi and that Doyle started the season playing quite an advanced supporting role?

[Lillehamring]

On 20/10/2023 at 10:29, StriderHiryu said:

I went on a massive rant in another thread where someone was claiming that he wasn't being used properly. Too many fans just don't watch our games properly! He's been consistently great throughout the season.

 

Players like Xavi, Iniesta and Kroos rarely get more than 5 G+A over the course of an entire season, yet are some of the best players to ever play the game. There are many battles all over the pitch in football, but the football war in every game is won or lost in midfield.

I noticed in the 2nd half today (swansea) that he was making loads of great runs from the middle into the #8 channel - annoyingly vestergaard didn't react to any of them.

[Lillehamring]

3 hours ago, LinekersLugs said:

HOW DO WE HOLD ON TO HIM IF THIS CONTINUES NEXT SEASON 

 

what a man …. 
 

he has Nacho looking like a seriously improved player 

He said in an interview that he would prefer to work on a project for three years - hopefully he'll want to see it out with us.  If we go up, there aren't very many jobs that are likely to tease him into starting over rather than seeing what he can do with his 'project' at the top level.

[Lillehamring]

1 hour ago, VinceNoir said:

Did I imagine this or did he say in his pre-match presser that he’d worked specifically with our wingers during the international break? Today, Mavididi and Fatawu were probably our two most threatening players. Mavididi in particular seemed to find his Southampton form, Abdul obviously bagged a goal but apart from that he was also very involved and keen.
 

Great to see if the extra work with our wingers is paying off already! God I love Enzo.

yes he did, and i was so pleased to hear it as i'd noticed that both of them were prone to letting the ball go under their feet, but today they were like mahrez-control.

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, VinceNoir said:

Did I imagine this or did he say in his pre-match presser that he’d worked specifically with our wingers during the international break? Today, Mavididi and Fatawu were probably our two most threatening players. Mavididi in particular seemed to find his Southampton form, Abdul obviously bagged a goal but apart from that he was also very involved and keen.
 

Great to see if the extra work with our wingers is paying off already! God I love Enzo.

...Swansea packed the midfield which then meant we had to go wide in order to attack them!!!

Both wingers had their man on toast, but struggled to create the opening and assists that they should. Fatawu scored, it seemed as if he had blown the chance, he always wanted to hold on to the ball longer than he should, and the fact that he was going to ground was probably the reason why the ball stayed below the crossbar.

  Irrespective of his age he (Fatawu) has a problem with supplying an end product and is very much prone to send the ball high, wide and nowhere in the vicinity of the goal.

[dmayne7]

34 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...Swansea packed the midfield which then meant we had to go wide in order to attack them!!!

Both wingers had their man on toast, but struggled to create the opening and assists that they should. Fatawu scored, it seemed as if he had blown the chance, he always wanted to hold on to the ball longer than he should, and the fact that he was going to ground was probably the reason why the ball stayed below the crossbar.

  Irrespective of his age he (Fatawu) has a problem with supplying an end product and is very much prone to send the ball high, wide and nowhere in the vicinity of the goal.

I see it completely differently. The goals and assists might not have come but I think that's because he's too conservative and not taking risks. However, his quality in terms of deliver is generally excellent. He's got quite a unique technique and able to dig out a 15 yard cross with some dip and bend