Ever since I started watching the games of the Asian Champions League last season, one team caught my eye and one player in particular, was so captivating. The team is Daegu FC and the player is Daegu’s talisman, the mercurial Cesinha. Since then, I have started to keep track of Daegu’s scores since it is very difficult for me to watch any K-League games in Singapore or at least, I do not know how to.

However, with the Covid-19 situation and the K-League being one of the first few leagues to restart their season, the K-League has gained lots of attention around the world and Copa90 worked out an agreement to screen selected K-League games of the 2020 season. Luckily, Daegu’s matches were selected various times and the replays of the games are uploaded on their channel. So, I have watched the replay of Daegu vs Suwon Bluewings a few times and have decided to give my thoughts on the game. (It’s kind of like a tactical analysis but I don’t think I’m at that level yet so I won’t be calling it an analysis)

Daegu 3 – Suwon 1

Lineups:

Both teams lined up in a 3 back formation with Daegu lining up in a fluid 343 with the front 3 always rotating whereas the Blue Wings lined up in a rigid 3142 formation.

Difference in build-up phase

Daegu used a diamond at the back to build up with the no.8, Kim, dropping to form the tip of the diamond. The LCB, Kim and RCB, Jo, positioned themselves further wider to allow the wingbacks to push higher whereas No.4, Jeong, is the deepest player in defence, acting as the base of the diamond. This allowed for many passing angles and passing lanes to open up. The ball-near wingback (most of the time, No.20 Hwang) will come deeper to offer himself as a passing option to bypass Suwon’s forward line press while the ball-far wingback will look to position himself higher and wider in order to stretch Daegu’s play.

Suwon mainly pressed in a medium block, with the front 2 mainly covering Kim and the ball-near CB, depending on their proximity. This gave Daegu numerical superiority in the build-up phase and allowed Daegu to bypass Suwon’s press as Suwon’s midfield line was pushed back by the positioning of Daegu’s front 3. 

However, this is in stark contrast to Suwon’s buildup as Daegu (Midfield 4 + 3 FW) outnumber Suwon (Midfield 4 + DM + Wide CB) in Suwon’s buildup phase. When Suwon wants to progress the ball, the wider CBs have to dribble forward to break the first line of pressure or the wingbacks/midfield have to drop deeper to receive and all of which are easily covered by Daegu’s press. Daegu’s front 3 looked to cut out the passing lanes towards the central area while the double pivot held their line with their wingbacks tracking Suwon’s wingbacks. Daegu’s CMs only pressed when the Suwon midfielders receive the ball with their back forcing towards the goal.

Most of the time, Daegu had all of the nearby passing options covered and Suwon ended up having to backpass most of the time. In the end, Suwon resorted to diagonal long balls into 1 of the front 2 strikers with the other striker looking to get to the flick on. However, this was not an effective strategy as Daegu’s centre backs were more physical and taller than Suwon’s forwards and this results in Daegu winning possession back almost immediately.

Defensive Organisation

Daegu’s backline communicated well and this allowed them to cover for each other and space out properly. A compact back 5 is formed whenever Suwon attacked due to Daegu’s hardworking wingbacks and this nullified most of Suwon’s attack. 

This cannot be said of Suwon’s backline as there seems to be poor communication through the backline. The remaining 2 centre backs do not cover the space left by the centre back on the ball that tries to break the first line of pressure or when 1 of the centre backs steps up to press the ball carrier. Whenever Daegu presses and recovers the ball, this results in a dangerous turnover. However, Daegu was not prolific in front of the goal in this game.

2 seconds later, as Daegu’s forward is about to reach the ball, both of the CBs turn their back towards the goal and this allowed him to pass to the supporting player.. Had they communicated properly, one of them could have stepped up and tried to prevent him from getting to the ball while the other CB covers for him.

Attacking Organisation

I mentioned Suwon’s attacking play above so let me go into details of Daegu’s attacking play. Daegu sort to use the quick passing combination between the triangle of CM, wingback and the wide-forward. However, as the number 8 midfielder drops deeper to form the defensive diamond, this means that the triangle combination mostly happens on Daegu’s right hand side. It is no wonder that the tip of the triangle involves Daegu’s most creative spark, Cesinha. Daegu looked to progress the ball from the back to their left wingback, which shifts most of Suwon’s players towards Daegu’s left side, before switching play to the underloaded right side.

When the right wingback, Jung, receives the ball, he would either dribble in field before playing a through ball to one of the forwards or he would pass it to the winger, who drags Suwon’s LCB out wide, which gives him space to make an underlapping run.

There were times where Cesinha came in-field or dropped deep to receive the ball and the space vacated on the right would be filled by No.44, Nishi. Nishi used to be a winger and can play anywhere across the midfield including DM. He knew when to make a run or to drop deep to cover the gaps in the midfield. Nishi is one of the reasons why Daegu’s attacking play is so fluid.

Since most of Daegu’s plays are out wide, many of Daegu’s chances were from crosses or cutbacks. However, the crosses were not accurate which was a pity as Edgar Silva is a target man with superb hold-up play. The cutbacks also had no one attacking it as most of the Daegu attackers were marked by Suwon players.

The introduction of K League legend, No. 27 Dejan Damjanovic (for Nishi) and No. 77 Lee Jin Hyun (for No. 66 Jo) meant a change to a back 4 with a wide diamond and this tilted the game in Daegu’s favour.

Dejan’s a very seasoned pro in the K-League and his impact was immediately felt with the runs that he makes to drag players wide to create space for Daegu attackers. The wide Diamond allowed Daegu to have numerical superiority in the final third as Suwon’s wingbacks do not track back often and this meant that during attacking transition, the recovery speed of Suwon’s wingback is insufficient to close down the additional option on the wings which leads to spaces.

With the newfound space in the center for Cesinha, Cesinha was able to work his magic and score 2 absolute screamers from outside the box. The first was due to his quick feet that took him past the Suwon player looking to tackle him and allowing him to fire past 3 Suwon players into the net.

The second was due to Dejan’s intelligent run that caused the Suwon’s defender to hesitate and this gave him space to fire past the keeper once again.

Suwon struggled to create any sort of dangerous opportunities and they only scored due to a free kick which could have been prevented.

Conclusion

Daegu have combined well during their build-up phase but they have to do better against stronger opponents. The likes of Jeonbuk and Ulsan won’t afford them the same amount of space that Suwon did. 

Suwon tried to defend their lead instead of trying to score another to finish the game and this backfired badly. A switch of formation from 3142 to 3412 would have been better as there were gaps between Daegu midfield and defence that could be taken advantage of. Also, Suwon’s defensive midfielder was marked out of the game and a switch would have been way more beneficial. There are many things that Suwon have to work on to improve their play if not they would not be able to repeat the heights of their previous seasons.

All of the images are taken from Copa90’s youtube channel and you can watch the full game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-6krxEJeGg&t=6382s

AIA Community Shield 2020: Tampines Rovers vs Hougang United

Both Tampines Rovers and Hougang United came into this game off impressive victories in their first AFC Cup game of the season with a scoreline of 2-1 and 3-1 respectively. Tampines Rovers named a relatively unchanged side with the exception of Joel Chew starting in place of Madhu Mohana while Hougang United rested key players such as Fabian Kwok, Stipe Plazibat, Sahil Suhaimi and Nazrul Nazari for their upcoming AFC Cup game.

Tampines Rover’s Lineup

Hougang United’s Lineup

Tampines lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a midfield pivot of Kyoga and Mehmedovic. In possession, either of the midfield pivot will drop between the center backs in order to progress the ball with the full-backs pushing up the field. Irwan Shah is the more advanced fullback with Shah Shahiran positioned slightly deeper to provide balance and symmetry. When out of possession, Tampines will go into a 4-4-2 formation with Yasir Hanapi pushing further up to form a front 2 with Kopitovic to press Hougang’s center backs.

On the other hand, Hougang lined up in a 3-4-3 formation with Vestering and Muhaimin pushing really high up the pitch when in possession, forming a 5-man attack. Without possession, Hougang mainly defended in a 5-2-3 low block and hold their positions.

Hougang’s lack of penetration

Hougang looked to press high from the start with the ball-near forward immediately pressuring the ball receiver with the rest of the players looking to close down on nearby passing options. 

As seen in the picture above, Hougang’s high press resulted in Shawal Anuar winning the ball off Syahrul Sazali. However, Hougang failed to capitalise on the opportunity. 

As the game went on, Hougang decided to go into a medium block, allowing the first pass out from the defence. They looked to cut off the second pass and counter-attack through the wide areas via their wingbacks. However, most of their crosses into the box were not met by Shawal and Farhan as they lost the physical battle against Tampines’s centerbacks due to their bigger statures.

Also, Hougang’s defence lacked a real leader as there seemed to be no sorts of communications whatsoever. Faiz Salleh will look to step out to press the ball carrier but no one will look to cover the space that he left and this led to some decent chances by Tampines as seen below.

This happened a few times throughout the game which gifted Tampines great opportunities.

The matter is made worse with Hougang’s poor spacing which meant that Tampines players were free to make dangerous runs into the open spaces.

As seen in the image above, the Tampines wide player made a smart run to drag out one of Hougang’s centerbacks. However, the defence did not reposition themselves to reduce the space vacated which could have resulted in a dangerous deep run by one of Tampines’s midfielders.

In the midfield, Nikesh pressed the ball carrier aimlessly and the poor positioning of Charlie Machell meant that there were lots of gaps that Tampines gladly exploited. The midfield also did not help the progression of the ball from Hougang’s defensive third as they did not offer themselves as passing options. 

In the second half, Hougang did not make any changes with the exception of Shafiq Ghani being tasked to stay slightly deeper. As time went on, Tampines’s domination of the game increased too and they were finally able to capitalise on Hougang’s weaknesses.

Tampines’s positional game

As seen in the pictures above, Tampines had rather good spacing with the players all occupying a different channel which allowed for the smooth progression of the ball. Each of Tampines’s players had ample space to receive the ball and when Hougang looked to press them, they could easily pass to one of the open options.

In defence, Tampines were disciplined in maintaining a 4-4-2 shape which limited Hougang’s option of progressing the ball.

As seen in the above image, Hanapi pressed the ball carrier (Anders Aplin) with the rest of the players keeping compact and cutting off the nearby pressing options. The only option was for Anders Aplin to play the ball to Muhaimin which he eventually did. This happened in the 38th minute of the game and previously, the same situation happened in the 23rd minute which resulted in Anders Aplin passing the ball into the path of Hanapi. Unfortunately for Tampines, the bounce off Hanapi was too huge and Anders was able to clear the ball.

On the left, Jordan Webb played very wide (almost on the touchline) which allowed for Irwan Shah to make underlapping runs which dragged Hougang players wide. On the right, Kopitovic made diagonal runs towards the right which created space in the centre for passing combinations with Yasir Hanapi. This can be seen in the buildup for Tampines’s first goal.

Tampines’s buildup for the first goal

Hougang did not make any tactical changes which allowed for Tampines to continue playing dangerous vertical through balls via Mehmedovic and Kyoga. Tampines also looked to overload the ball-near area before switching towards the opposite flank. This resulted in Tampines making 14 shots with 7 on target as compared to Hougang’s 7 shots with 1 on target.

Conclusion

Most of Hougang’s chances were initiated from Hougang’s high press but the team’s apparent lack of fitness prevented the team from doing so. The situation is not helped with the evident absence of a Target Man like Plazibat which would have suit Hougang’s gameplan. The team’s failure to replace Faris Ramli meant that they hardly threatened from range too. Instead of bringing on an extra midfielder to secure central channels, Clement Tan brought on a like for like midfield replacement which allowed Tampines to continue dominating. A 3 man midfield could have secured the central channels and given Hougang more of a chance on the counter. Tampines looked brilliant in their first competitive game of the season and were deserved winners for the community shield. With Tampines competing on 4 fronts this season, they will look to build on the momentum and hope to be able to win the Singapore Premier League this season.

*All images were taken from 1PlaySport’s Youtube Channel

In the summer of 2014, Manchester United announced the signing of Luke Shaw from Southampton for a reported fee of £30 Million which was a world record fee then for a teenager. Manchester United fended off interest from Chelsea (whom Shaw supported) to sign the talented LB and expected Shaw to be Evra’s successor for the next decade or so.

So, how has Shaw’s United career panned out so far ? In the 2014/15 season, Shaw made 20 appearances in total as he adjusted to the demands of playing for a club like Manchester United. United signed Memphis Depay in the summer of 2015 and Shaw struck up a formidable partnership with Memphis on and off the field. Shaw was about to hit his best form when he was caught in a horror tackle by Hector Moreno in a Champions League game against PSV in September. Shaw suffered a double leg fracture and was out for at least 6 months. 

Under Mourinho, Shaw was often called out for his ‘weak’ mentality and was not given a consistent run of games. However, things changed in the 2018/19 season as Shaw was determined to impress Mourinho. Shaw was rewarded with a consistent run of games despite United changing their manager midway through the season. At the end of the season, Shaw was voted Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year and Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year.

2018/19 Season	Luke Shaw	Ashley Young	Diogo Dalot
Minutes Played	2592	2569	1015
Goals	1	2	–
Assists	4	2	2
Dribbled Past per game	0.7	0.6	0.3
Interceptions per game	0.7	1.8	0.6
Dispossessed	14	19	4
Aerial battles won	49	23	22
Tackles won	29	32	12
Passing completion	83.3%	77.5%	70.3%
Key passes per game	1.1	1.3	1.1
Dribbles per game	0.9	0.6	0.7
Crosses per game	0.5	1.4	0.9
Through balls per game	0.1	–	–
Distance ran per game (km)	9.98	9.66	7.45

Bearing in mind that Dalot mostly played off the bench, Shaw and Young are pretty similar players with Shaw having a slight advantage in offensive output as compared to Young. Young is also predominantly right-footed and as such, when playing the LB role, he always has to switch the ball from his left foot to his right before passing or sending a cross. This will allow the opposition’s defence to position themselves properly and United would have missed an attacking opportunity.

Dalot is also capable of playing at LB and he seems to be a decent option. With a run of games, his performance might be able to match Shaw’s. Shaw is currently struggling with injury in preseason and I would like to see Ole give Dalot a chance at LB with the RB spot starting to look like it’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s. (AWB has been very impressive so far in preseason and hopefully, he carries it into the normal season)

Shaw likes to make overlapping runs but he definitely has work to do in his crossing department. Most of his crosses hits the first man and if he could make a proper cross, United will have another attacking option from the left. Hence, despite this weakness, Shaw is the best option at LB of the current United options.

However, how does Shaw rank among his peers in the Premier League ? I have selected 3 LBs in the Premier League that plays in a similar system as United do and to ensure a fair comparison, I have chosen one from the Top 4, one from the Top half and one from the bottom half of the Premier League respectively.

2018/19 Season	Luke Shaw	Andrew Robertson	Lucas Digne	Charlie Daniels
Minutes Played	2592	3219	2966	1586
Goals	1	–	4	1
Assists	4	11	4	–
Dribbled Past per game	0.7	0.9	0.5	0.4
Interceptions per game	0.7	0.8	1.7	1
Passing success rate	83.3%	83.2%	76%	78.7%
Key passes per game	1.1	1.4	2	0.5
Dribbles per game	0.9	0.8	0.4	0.6
Dispossessed pergame	0.5	0.6	0.9	0.3
Crosses per game	0.5	0.6	2.4	0.4
Through balls pergame	0.1	–	–	–
Distance ran pergame (km)	9.98	10.42	9.79	8.81

As you can see, Charlie Daniels plays in a much weaker side than Shaw does but his defensive stats are much better than Shaw’s. This shows that Shaw has much to do still in the defensive department. The modern fullback in today’s game has to be able to not only provide defensive cover but they also have to be able to supplement the team’s attacking threat. 

United mainly plays in a 4231/433 system with the left winger acting like an inside forward as both Martial/Rashford love to cut in and hence, United requires a LB to make lung-bursting runs out wide as this will leave the opposition’s fullback/centreback in a dilemma as to who should they mark. Digne would have been perfect for United and he’s starting to look like a bargain with the reported fee of an initial £18 Million. He’s the designated set-piece taker and United could do with his skill set.

Going back to the main question, here are some of the left-backs that are currently on the market.

2018/19 Season	Luke Shaw	Danny Rose	Junior Firpo	Kieran Tierney
Minutes Played	2592	1798	1937	540
Goals	1	–	3	1
Assists	4	3	4	–
Dribbled Past per game	0.7	0.5	0.6	0.2
Interceptions per game	0.7	0.9	1	2.2
Passing success rate	83.3%	73.7%	82.9%	75.7%
Key passes per game	1.1	1	0.8	1.7
Dribbles per game	0.9	1.3	1.3	1.2
Dispossessed per game	0.5	0.7	0.6	1.2
Crosses per game	0.5	0.8	0.3	1
Through balls per game	0.1	–	–	–

United have been linked with Junior Firpo but Firpo looks set to move to Barcelona for a reported of €50 Million. The price may be a little steep but Firpo looks to be the real deal. Firpo plays LWB in an expansive Betis side which means he is used to supporting both the defence and attack. He is also one year younger than Shaw. 

Tierney has superior stats in both the defence and attack as compared to Shaw. The stats in the above table are from his Europa League games which is a higher level when compared to the Scottish Premier League. For a reported price of £25 Million, Tierney is a steal for any club that signs him. He is also the captain of Celtic at the age of 22 and he would do well in the current United side that lacks direction and leadership. United have been linked to him several times in the past and is the type of signing that Sir Alex Ferguson used to make. However, he looks set to move to Arsenal in the current transfer window and he will definitely bolster an aging Arsenal defence. (Another signing that United will regret not making a move for in the future)

Rose has been left behind by Spurs during preseason and rumours are that Spurs are preparing to offload him. Rose could be a very good backup option to Shaw and he could also provide Shaw with some much-needed competition. However, the thought of having to deal with Daniel Levy again puts me off as he is known to be a tough negotiator and will definitely drive a hard bargain.

In conclusion, Shaw has not lived up to his touted potential when at Southampton and he seems to not have improved from when he joined in 2014. He was said to be England’s LB for the next decade but he is not even called up for the England squad in recent times. However, he is still young and he can still always improve. Maybe United need to sign another LB to provide Shaw with competition to spur him on. Or maybe Shaw has to leave United to improve as he might have grown to be comfortable in the current United environment as many United players have become. Mauricio Pochettino has always been interested in signing Shaw, a player that he coached at Southampton, and maybe reuniting with Pochettino might just be the best option for Shaw to put his career back on track. United should cut their losses and move on if Shaw doesn’t kick on in the upcoming season.

All of the stats above are taken from WhoScored and Premier League

Hi, my name is Ngee Yan. I am soon-to-be a first year Sports Science & Management student at Nanyang Technological University. I hope to be able to work in football in the future. Manchester United fan.