TeamGeist

GOALLESS STALEMATE IN CLASH OF AFL ADVERSARIES

After 2 cancellations, I finally got the chance to catch the boys in action! The 1st time round there was flooding at Bedok Green Sec, the next time there was another waterlogged pitch at Bukit Timah. This Sunday finally lived up to its name as the “sun” was finally shining high and bright at Hua Yi Sec. A pity though that a few of the regulars weren’t around. Here’s how the team lined up:

              QIHUI IDBG

JEREMY/XIAN ROMEGLS ANGKIMHWA BANHOCK

    LABANG WENJIE ERNIESTA SIJIE/EDDIE

                     ZIQUAN

Because the game was all the way in the west (Jurong West!), there wasn’t much chance for warm-ups. It was already quite impressive that the game kicked off on time! The game started fairly evenly, with both teams having chances on goal. On the occasions that Ziquan was tested, he remained calm and inspired confidence in the defence. It was a makeshift backline but Ernest and Wenjie marshaled them really well. Ernest was seen giving advice to the young rightback Sijie and he learnt fast. Sijie did better by tracking the winger instead of throwing himself into the tackle which the opponent managed to evade rather easily sometimes. Leftback labang had one of his better games and distributed the ball decently, at least for this half. The centre-backs really were colossal in defence. Wenjie picked up loose balls and won many headers. Erniesta seemed to be everywhere. He covered much ground and killed the area behind the midfield to nip the opponents’ foray into our half.

The midfield was less impressive. Despite their best efforts, the need for a “water-carrier” a la makalele type player was obvious. Kim Hwa ran his hearts out, but as Adrian commented, “like a headless chicken”. He had a few good shots on target though. Jerome showed good touches and displayed leadership but should have done more to support the leftback when he was playing leftmid. Xian was composed on the ball but given his potential, more was expected of him. Improvements should come as he gains greater experience playing in that position. On the right, Banhock tried hard but could have done more defensively by helping out the right back Sijie who was occasionally overrun by the left mid and leftback of the opposing team. His attitude was first-class though as he responded positively to advice from his team-mates. As usual, Qihui was unbelieveably hardworking. He hassled and pressured and was the team’s biggest attacking threat. He may have lost a bit of pace with age but his fitness has definitely improved as he lasted the game without cramps. New Zealand is definitely going to be right up the list in our selection of the overseas training camp in 2009. IDBG took on the responsibilities of leading the frontline well. He was also often seen helping out the midfield when he saw them struggling. A constant thorn to the opponents backline with his strong physical presence. He didn’t do as well running at the opponents and was robbed a couple of times. Just before half-time, Eddie came on for Sijie and took the game to the leftback. He proved more than a handful for them and showed great promise with his enterprising forays. With a bit more match fitness and fitness, this natural winger will definitely provide width to the team with his offensive runs. All in, it was a decent first half for the team and the green boys trooped into the dressing room at half-time with their heads held high and a wee bit disappointed that they weren’t taking a lead.

The 2nd half was a different affair. Tusser changed nearly the entire team (they had like 10 subs!), with the only change for DHSFC being Jeremy coming in for Xian. Jeremy was as composed on the ball and worked hard for the team. He was often seen back in defence and made it in time to help out the attack too. Unfortunately, the team was pretty much under siege the entire 2nd half. The best chance for the team landed to BanHock on the right but the keeper stayed calm to parry the ball to safety. The opponents clearly had more chances but a combination of luck (3 times post, 1 time Ernest goalline clearance) and good goalkeeping by Ziquan kept DHSFC in the game. Eddie’s advice to play down the flanks fell on deaf ears and despite the midfield’s best efforts, they couldn’t provide much service for the enthusiastic strikers.

In all honesty, this wasn’t the most impressive performance, but given that this was the 1st time the guys have played together in a while, it’s pretty commendable. Let’s look forward to a more offensive performance starting from next week’s game (last friendly before league kicks off) at Tanjong Katong Sec (old Dunman High)!

Teamgeist’s Men of the match:

Ernest, Qihui, Wenjie

Lessons:

1) Look at the ball at all times! This provides more options for the goalkeeper!

2) Challenge the opponent and make your presence felt! Be a bit more physical. Not rough, but tough!

3) Pass the ball earlier and with more confidence

4) More service for the strikers

5) Clear the ball out when under pressure from many strikers

6) Need to build fitness so work-rate can improve.

7) More clinical finishing

More tactical work by the coach is required

9) Improve on and off-ball positioning

10) Come early for warm ups

Any comments?

This entry was posted on Monday, May 22nd, 2006 at 10:35 am and is filed under Match Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.