Way to fight back! I'd go with what got them back in the game.
It's clear Antony likes the right side, and he's such a threat. And Rodriguez on the other side is slicing and dicing - he's so good. Mora will work up top, especially with threats on the wing like Antony and Rodriguez. I've been wanting good wing play for so long, and now it is upon us. So, I hope Phil keeps that going.
I'm perfectly fine with Miller as RB, and the rest of the back line that finished the game. Bravo - that guy won a lot of balls and was really good whipping in crosses. So great to see his aggressiveness. Kind of a weak penalty on him, imo, and even weaker than the one not called for Rodriguez last week.
I'm a little torn about paredes. He didn't have a very good first half (two gaffes led to the goals, imo), but his header led to a goal and he had a nice cross to Rodriguez who nearly scored on the header, and I just trust him out there to snuff stuff out and he has a heart and the mentality that Phil wants. Ayala had a nice game - he's going to be a good piece moving forward. Having Chara, though, to step in and keep the pressure on was nice to see and that is some good depth. So, there are some decisions to make for Phil.
I feel for Santi - and I will say this for the last time - he's really not a wing. You need a guy like Antony to stretch the field and beat a guy down the line. I'd work Santi in as an 8. He'd be dynamite there.
I'll save the best for the last - Evander. That guy is a beast. He took the captain armband and repped it well: aside from his stellar ball control and saucy delivery, he tracked back a lot and worked on defense. He was great.
I think there is a lot to like about this game, and obviously a lot to learn from.
I don't know what to do with Moreno, so I'll go with your idea. It doesn't seem like he's produced very much for a while. The article we're responding to made virtually no mention of Bravo's contributions. Same goes for the people who called the game on Apple TV. I'm just amazed, and not in a good way; Speaking of Mora, I wonder if he shouldn't be starting. The team definitely looks better when he's out there.
Yes, Santi seems to be the odd man out. If put JR out wide, where he is fantastic with Antony on other side that leaves Evander, Williamson, Chara, Paredes, Ayala and Moreno for three middle spots. AT the 10 Evander is way better. At the 8 I would put Williamson, Paredes ahead of him (maybe even with Paredes). Either way not a starter at this point, is that ok for a young DP player? Not for him, for the organization?
I think Mora's still working his way back to 90 minute fitness, and I would have to assume he'll be getting more minutes, if not more starts, as he gets closer to that level. He's too good to be a bench piece.
My main man Bravo was the MOTM in my opinion. Yes, I'm biased bc he's been my favorite player for a long time. However, it would be hard to argue that he wasn't a difference maker after he came in. Yes, he likes to push forward which can present problems sometimes. Yes, know he nearly got called for taking a guy down in the box. BUT, he was very solid on D and his passing is usually spot on. I think Bravo's partnership with Rodriguez might cause Neville to keep Rodriguez on the left as well so he can benefit from Bravo's passing chops. I could also point out that Bravo's often a secondary keeper bc he knows how to defend the line behind the keeper.
Bravo did get called for the PK. We were lucky SKC missed. But he is great and I agree with you about the rest. I don’t think we have enough quality center forward depth to make the most of starting Mora and Rodriguez together but Jonathan should start on the left wing opposite Antony or Moreno. Antony can rotate starting either side. I’m up for Moreno getting the occasional look at 10 too. I’d be inclined to play Antony on the right with Mosquera because he stays wider to overlap and seems to defend better. I think he and Asprilla are also serviceable wingback subs though.
I don’t know about Araujo yet but we probably need more speed and technical ability from a CB than we can get from McGraw. However, with so many players having mental lapses and being unprepared defensively, I’m inclined to chalk the poor defense up as much if not more to strategy and tactics than lack of talent or individual errors. It’s not just one guy continually fucking up, it’s a group failure. We should be trying to counter press the way our opponents have. We aren’t good building from the back right now. We need to win possession higher up by forcing turnovers, then getting numbers forward to capitalize on mistakes. Rodriguez tucks in so Antony and Bravo complement him by helping create width.
I like the Ayala experiment. It would be interesting to see him with Chara in place of Paredes/Williamson too, especially if Bravo and Mosquera both start. I like the idea of a dual pivot of Evander and Williamson too but worry about defense. If they both play more as 8s and have Moreno and/or Rodriguez inverted to fill the de facto 10 role, that might help with balance. Not sure which of Ayala, Paredes, or Chara would be best as the 6 in that case.
We should have a first choice lineup next week. Assuming McGraw is back and we’re only short Loría, starting off so poorly again isn’t going to be just on the players.
Bravo for sure should always start as long as he's healthy. Re: defense-loved Ridgy as a player but not so much much as the guy who is responsible for coaching defense. I'm afraid he needs to go.
I'd go with Chara or Paredes as an enforcer out there at all times, both if you need more defense at the end of a game. Ayala could work as a 6 if Chara is out, but I don't trust him on defense so much, especially if Paredes is the 8 and is caught upfield. You can always count on Chara - mostly - to slow things down. I'm not sure if Ayala has that in him.I hope he does, actually, because he can really move the ball well. It'd be interesting to see if Paredes could play more of a 6. Generally, it's hard for me to take Paredes off the field because he has that fight in him. I wouldn't mind seeing Paredes as a 6 with an Evander and Moreno combo 8/10.
I've been on the Paredes to 6 train for a long time but it doesn't look like that's his trajectory. I'd prefer he and Ayala rotate as Chara replacements if they're up to the task when the time comes, if only for continuity's sake. But we might just need to go shopping, which is what I've assumed in the past. Paredes has improved and, while I don't think I've ever been really sour on him, he's definitely grown on me. I see him as a 6/8 to Wiliamson's 8/10, so I'm fine with rotating them depending on the situation. Ayala seems like a 6/8 too. Evander an 8/10. I don't have the confidence in Paredes as a 6 yet to risk your idea of pairing him with Evander and Moreno but, if Chara's out, it's either him or Ayala, and I definitely don't feel like I've seen enough of Ayala at all. Mostly, I continue to be very annoyed that we can't just put players in the positions they've been successful at in the past and where they've stated they wanted to play. Moreno is falling off again. We're apparently expecting something more from Mosquera than he's inclined to do or has done in the past. I'd like to think they can learn but it seems like it would be easier to play to the strengths of the team you have than try to force square pegs into round holes? Neville has a lot of talent on his hands but keeps trying to get them to play against type for the first half of every match. Doubling down on Rodriguez as a center forward long-term is nonsensical too. Stubborn.
Ayala is great defensively, he’s more hard-nosed than Paredes. Paredes is good at pressing but he’s not someone to body another player. Ayala is, he’s physical and aggressive, he’s a great destroyer and distributor, the two main aspects you want in your 6
I think Ayala's deficiency is positioning, and nobody has faster feet than Paredes and winning balls, and he's bigger and more athletic. But, I'm definitely on the Ayala train - would love to see him win the job.
Such a weird game since both teams are walking away pretty unhappy. Yeah we did great to fight back but going three down in the first half sucks. Who came out the happiest? Me, for having both Evander and Agada in my fantasy team!
Jokes aside, while I’m not happy with Phil’s coaching, I can’t help but also agree with his post match press conference where he says the team isn’t doing the basics correctly, which he names “going and heading the ball, blocking your man, staying with runners.” Countless times the players just have no awareness out there. On the broadcast you can see SKC players making runs from a mile away, and yet no one is tracking them. Phil isn’t telling them to do that. There are moments where players aren’t showing enough fight. There was one play in the second play where a SKC player was surrounded by three of our guys and he was able to pass out of that pretty easily. While I’m quite unhappy with how this team looks right now, the mentality isn’t good enough and players need to pull their share.
Players that did pull their fair share? I thought Kamal Miller had a very solid game, and I know I’m biased but Ayala was our best player before he came off imo. I thought he was great. Really unfortunate that he came off with an injury, I really hope it’s precautionary. He was great defensively and his distribution was very good. His stats show it, he had a 92% passing accuracy and had one more pass into the final third than Paredes despite playing 40 less minutes. Paredes wasn’t great in the first half but had a good second half. I think Williamson and Ayala should start over him, but that’s just me.
Antony is so much better on the right. He’s way too right footed to play on the left, he doesn’t drive to the end line on the left because he doesn’t want to cross with his left foot. He doesn’t take risks over there. He looks much better on the right as it simplifies the game for him. He’s the fastest player on the field, he needs to be able to use his speed, and on the left he doesn’t. He has to cut in every time and play inverted which is not at all what he’s good at. I like Moreno more as a player but I think they should be competing for time on the right wing while Rodriguez mans the left. Antony has not be good in general on the left.
It just kind of feels like we’re beating ourselves at the moment. Paredes not blocking the passing lane on the first goal and an unfortunate deflection. Second goal goes back to the basics Phil was talking about, you have to get a body on that runner. I don’t know who is at fault but you can’t let that guy run free, you have to get in his way somehow. If someone does then Crepeau gets there first and the goal doesn’t happen. Third goal Eric Miller holds the offsides line too long and they have a wide open player. It’s not like SKC broke us down (that did happen on several occasions but we were able to snuff it out), we just beat ourselves.
I see people saying the second half was much better, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t really see that. I didn’t really notice any significant changes besides personnel, and I wouldn’t classify it as “good”. They got a pk and should’ve made it 4-0 and the game would’ve been done. Once we got the pk and scored things were different, but it didn’t feel like the Vancouver game where we had a pretty firm grasp on the game in the second half and we didn’t let Vancouver do much of anything. Our goals felt like they came out of almost nothing. Maybe it was just the way I was watching the game, idk, but to me this was probably our worst overall game, even if we got a tie.
I like that Phil is holding the players accountable in the locker room and in the media. Pulling Moreno and Mosquera off was not what you’d do if you want a goal, but it was clearly sending a message. As I’ve said, I’m not thrilled with his coaching, but I’m willing to give Phil some time to build the culture he wants, because right now his players aren’t playing for the badge enough and are making basic mistakes on the field. It’s not good enough
"I see people saying the second half was much better, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t really see that. I didn’t really notice any significant changes besides personnel, and I wouldn’t classify it as “good”.
It's tough to gauge how well they're doing when they are really going for broke, and the other team maybe has let off the gas. But even so, I think it's clearly a personnel thing and positioning, starting with the wingers. With Rodriguez on the left and Antony on the right, we can just attack. Mora is sneaky good, too, and can win fouls. They're not losing the ball and more, they are putting pressure on the defense, which makes it easier to win the ball back because we are in their third. Everything clicks better. When we start games, I think there is an emphasis on possession, which is good. The problem is JDM is kinda slow on his passing and decision making, and honestly, Moreno is not technical on the outside, and we know Antony isn't all that great on the left, and everything gets discombobulated. Rodriguez can't get service. I feel like we've been playing games with our left hand tied behind our back. We're not getting our behind kicked, but we're not inflicting anything on the other guy. The second half of the last two games showed that it is all about personnel, and it kind of really is all about the offense, in my opinion, which will make the defense's job easier.
Now about those set pieces ... I thought we were bad, but LAFC scored one on LA last weekend that was just a wth moment. A simple, follow your guy. But we aren't the only team that has players switch off because it's not in their contract to defend or clear corner kicks. Interestingly enough, it was their new winger who was to blame, so I wonder how that is dealt with on a coaching standpoint.
Speaking of LAFC ... I wasn't too shocked to see that they are the clear league leaders in committing fouls. Something like 124 fouls. That's 17 fouls a game. I hope we get a ref who calls a good game and we can deliver some set piece trauma on them.
"while I’m not happy with Phil’s coaching, I can’t help but also agree with his post match press conference where he says the team isn’t doing the basics correctly, which he names “going and heading the ball, blocking your man, staying with runners.” "
This is where I get SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER frustrated. Got frustrated with Gio, getting frustrated with Phil. And their staffs. Why?
Because his post match press conference is literally describing...COACHING. Those things are all coachable, and he is the coach. Liam is the coach. Memo is the coach. Etc. Why aren't those things being coached?
"On the broadcast you can see SKC players making runs from a mile away, and yet no one is tracking them. Phil isn’t telling them to do that."
That's coaching! That's video work after the game! That's literally high-school-level coaching! If it's not sticking, bench the guys it isn't sticking with!
"I see people saying the second half was much better, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t really see that."
Same.
"There was one play in the second play where a SKC player was surrounded by three of our guys and he was able to pass out of that pretty easily."
I rarely yell at my TV, I'm too old to get that upset at sports, but both my wife and I were like MY GOD WOULD YOU TRY CLOSING A GUY DOWN AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT when we saw that play. It was so bad.
"right now his players aren’t playing for the badge enough and are making basic mistakes on the field."
I mostly DGAF about "playing for the badge", because players should always play hard no matter what, but those basic mistakes...again, THAT'S COACHING! It's so frustrating watching this team of professional athletes keep making the same basic-ass mistakes over and over and over again.
This could be such a good team but they're so frustrating right now, and it's all down, in my uninformed opinion, to the shortcomings of the coaching staff. We're not getting rid of Phil this soon, but the rest of 'em should definitely be on verrrrrrrrrrry hot seats right now, starting with ol' ridgy roll.
You can coach that stuff as much as you want, but once the players are out there it’s on them. I don’t put it as much on coaching as you do, I think it’s a balance of both. These are professional players, tracking runners and blocking runners in corners is very, very simple stuff that they should all know how to do (not that it also shouldn’t be coached, it almost certainly is, and the players aren’t executing). Defensive disorganization is on coaching; individual defensive mistakes are on the players (that’s a pretty general statement, that’s not always the case, each play has its own nuances). Right now there’s too much of both, but the players share a good deal of the blame.
“If it’s not sticking, bench the guys it isn’t sticking with” that seems like exactly what he’s doing. Twice in a row now he’s made subs on the defensive line at half and is clearing drawing a line in the sand in his press conference that it isn’t good enough. It seems like he’s really laying into his players and holding them responsible, and then benching them. He did the same with Higuain in Miami, his mentality wasn’t right and he took the necessary steps to get him back on track and he came back better than ever… and I hope he can do the same here. It won’t happen overnight though, it will take time. I’m not sure Gio was hard enough on the players (I have literally no idea), he was always talking about the “little details,” whereas Phil said he was questioning whether these players were even Timbers players, literally questioning their commitment to the team. It’s harsh but it’s necessary, and I hope it works.
Yeah I generally don’t like the phrase “playing for the badge,” I don’t know why I said it, I was trying to say the players aren’t playing enough for the team, they aren’t playing with enough unification or intensity, connecting to what Phil was saying about whether or not these players were Timbers players. That being said, I do think it’s a step above the last two years under Gio for the most part, there was absolutely zero cohesion there at all.
I agree that Ridgy’s seat should be hot since he’s the defensive coach *now*, though didn’t we hear that Llamosa was more of the defensive coach under Gio and not Ridgy? Both? I don’t really remember. It is just hard to judge performances of assistant coaches in general, and also remember that Phil Neville wanted to bring in Jason Kreis as his assistant, so who knows if his judgement is good enough for picking out assistants
"I agree that Ridgy’s seat should be hot since he’s the defensive coach *now*, though didn’t we hear that Llamosa was more of the defensive coach under Gio and not Ridgy?"
I am going by the interview posted here the other day, where Ridgewell himself says he handles most of the defensive responsibilities, specifically calling out set piece defending as something he's in charge of. Which means Liam's been in charge since at least Gio's departure, and things haven't gotten better.
And I do agree that overall, players gotta execute, and the players certainly aren't blameless. But when I see the exact same mistakes being made over and over and over again, I tend to think that's a failure of coaching, because that's a lack of effective communication about what's being done wrong and how to do it right, or a lack of effective reps of muscle-memory building things in training.
"It seems like he’s really laying into his players and holding them responsible, and then benching them"
I hope it works, honestly, and I hope that the players who don't play fully mentally focused get the message that they're not going to be part of the team, because this team could be good if it plays switched on for 90 minutes. I'd put the split, right now, at about 70/30 coaching; if Evander can be the playmaking boss he's turning into, and if the players can develop that muscle memory and get rid of the brainfart moments, it can be more 50/50 and the Timbers might be onto something good.
Set pieces and corners: I realize we have a lot of work to do on that front, but it sure seems like there is a trend league wide on an uptick on goals from set pieces and corners. I'm not sure what the data says, but it would be cool if someone looked into it. I think guys are really good now on delivering the ball, and overall, there needs to be some serious study on this. Granted, you just have to plain body up and get after it.
First half D: The two CBs seemed to be averse to stepping and they allowed a lot of room, especially around the 18. Mosquera plays decent d in the open field, but man, he just does not track runners in our end. Like I said in another post, I'd be ok with Miller manning the RB for awhile. The second half the CBs were much better stepping to, and won a lot of headers and balls, and I don't recall anyone getting in behind.
While I know not all of you are statistically inclined, this one may resonate:
Eric Miller's career G/90 now stands at 0.01.
Take a bow, Eric Miller.
Way to fight back! I'd go with what got them back in the game.
It's clear Antony likes the right side, and he's such a threat. And Rodriguez on the other side is slicing and dicing - he's so good. Mora will work up top, especially with threats on the wing like Antony and Rodriguez. I've been wanting good wing play for so long, and now it is upon us. So, I hope Phil keeps that going.
I'm perfectly fine with Miller as RB, and the rest of the back line that finished the game. Bravo - that guy won a lot of balls and was really good whipping in crosses. So great to see his aggressiveness. Kind of a weak penalty on him, imo, and even weaker than the one not called for Rodriguez last week.
I'm a little torn about paredes. He didn't have a very good first half (two gaffes led to the goals, imo), but his header led to a goal and he had a nice cross to Rodriguez who nearly scored on the header, and I just trust him out there to snuff stuff out and he has a heart and the mentality that Phil wants. Ayala had a nice game - he's going to be a good piece moving forward. Having Chara, though, to step in and keep the pressure on was nice to see and that is some good depth. So, there are some decisions to make for Phil.
I feel for Santi - and I will say this for the last time - he's really not a wing. You need a guy like Antony to stretch the field and beat a guy down the line. I'd work Santi in as an 8. He'd be dynamite there.
I'll save the best for the last - Evander. That guy is a beast. He took the captain armband and repped it well: aside from his stellar ball control and saucy delivery, he tracked back a lot and worked on defense. He was great.
I think there is a lot to like about this game, and obviously a lot to learn from.
I don't know what to do with Moreno, so I'll go with your idea. It doesn't seem like he's produced very much for a while. The article we're responding to made virtually no mention of Bravo's contributions. Same goes for the people who called the game on Apple TV. I'm just amazed, and not in a good way; Speaking of Mora, I wonder if he shouldn't be starting. The team definitely looks better when he's out there.
Yes, Santi seems to be the odd man out. If put JR out wide, where he is fantastic with Antony on other side that leaves Evander, Williamson, Chara, Paredes, Ayala and Moreno for three middle spots. AT the 10 Evander is way better. At the 8 I would put Williamson, Paredes ahead of him (maybe even with Paredes). Either way not a starter at this point, is that ok for a young DP player? Not for him, for the organization?
I think Santi would be my top choice to start at an 8/10 alongside Evander with Chara underneath.
I think Mora's still working his way back to 90 minute fitness, and I would have to assume he'll be getting more minutes, if not more starts, as he gets closer to that level. He's too good to be a bench piece.
My main man Bravo was the MOTM in my opinion. Yes, I'm biased bc he's been my favorite player for a long time. However, it would be hard to argue that he wasn't a difference maker after he came in. Yes, he likes to push forward which can present problems sometimes. Yes, know he nearly got called for taking a guy down in the box. BUT, he was very solid on D and his passing is usually spot on. I think Bravo's partnership with Rodriguez might cause Neville to keep Rodriguez on the left as well so he can benefit from Bravo's passing chops. I could also point out that Bravo's often a secondary keeper bc he knows how to defend the line behind the keeper.
Bravo did get called for the PK. We were lucky SKC missed. But he is great and I agree with you about the rest. I don’t think we have enough quality center forward depth to make the most of starting Mora and Rodriguez together but Jonathan should start on the left wing opposite Antony or Moreno. Antony can rotate starting either side. I’m up for Moreno getting the occasional look at 10 too. I’d be inclined to play Antony on the right with Mosquera because he stays wider to overlap and seems to defend better. I think he and Asprilla are also serviceable wingback subs though.
I don’t know about Araujo yet but we probably need more speed and technical ability from a CB than we can get from McGraw. However, with so many players having mental lapses and being unprepared defensively, I’m inclined to chalk the poor defense up as much if not more to strategy and tactics than lack of talent or individual errors. It’s not just one guy continually fucking up, it’s a group failure. We should be trying to counter press the way our opponents have. We aren’t good building from the back right now. We need to win possession higher up by forcing turnovers, then getting numbers forward to capitalize on mistakes. Rodriguez tucks in so Antony and Bravo complement him by helping create width.
I like the Ayala experiment. It would be interesting to see him with Chara in place of Paredes/Williamson too, especially if Bravo and Mosquera both start. I like the idea of a dual pivot of Evander and Williamson too but worry about defense. If they both play more as 8s and have Moreno and/or Rodriguez inverted to fill the de facto 10 role, that might help with balance. Not sure which of Ayala, Paredes, or Chara would be best as the 6 in that case.
We should have a first choice lineup next week. Assuming McGraw is back and we’re only short Loría, starting off so poorly again isn’t going to be just on the players.
Bravo for sure should always start as long as he's healthy. Re: defense-loved Ridgy as a player but not so much much as the guy who is responsible for coaching defense. I'm afraid he needs to go.
I'd go with Chara or Paredes as an enforcer out there at all times, both if you need more defense at the end of a game. Ayala could work as a 6 if Chara is out, but I don't trust him on defense so much, especially if Paredes is the 8 and is caught upfield. You can always count on Chara - mostly - to slow things down. I'm not sure if Ayala has that in him.I hope he does, actually, because he can really move the ball well. It'd be interesting to see if Paredes could play more of a 6. Generally, it's hard for me to take Paredes off the field because he has that fight in him. I wouldn't mind seeing Paredes as a 6 with an Evander and Moreno combo 8/10.
I've been on the Paredes to 6 train for a long time but it doesn't look like that's his trajectory. I'd prefer he and Ayala rotate as Chara replacements if they're up to the task when the time comes, if only for continuity's sake. But we might just need to go shopping, which is what I've assumed in the past. Paredes has improved and, while I don't think I've ever been really sour on him, he's definitely grown on me. I see him as a 6/8 to Wiliamson's 8/10, so I'm fine with rotating them depending on the situation. Ayala seems like a 6/8 too. Evander an 8/10. I don't have the confidence in Paredes as a 6 yet to risk your idea of pairing him with Evander and Moreno but, if Chara's out, it's either him or Ayala, and I definitely don't feel like I've seen enough of Ayala at all. Mostly, I continue to be very annoyed that we can't just put players in the positions they've been successful at in the past and where they've stated they wanted to play. Moreno is falling off again. We're apparently expecting something more from Mosquera than he's inclined to do or has done in the past. I'd like to think they can learn but it seems like it would be easier to play to the strengths of the team you have than try to force square pegs into round holes? Neville has a lot of talent on his hands but keeps trying to get them to play against type for the first half of every match. Doubling down on Rodriguez as a center forward long-term is nonsensical too. Stubborn.
Ayala is great defensively, he’s more hard-nosed than Paredes. Paredes is good at pressing but he’s not someone to body another player. Ayala is, he’s physical and aggressive, he’s a great destroyer and distributor, the two main aspects you want in your 6
I think Ayala's deficiency is positioning, and nobody has faster feet than Paredes and winning balls, and he's bigger and more athletic. But, I'm definitely on the Ayala train - would love to see him win the job.
Such a weird game since both teams are walking away pretty unhappy. Yeah we did great to fight back but going three down in the first half sucks. Who came out the happiest? Me, for having both Evander and Agada in my fantasy team!
Jokes aside, while I’m not happy with Phil’s coaching, I can’t help but also agree with his post match press conference where he says the team isn’t doing the basics correctly, which he names “going and heading the ball, blocking your man, staying with runners.” Countless times the players just have no awareness out there. On the broadcast you can see SKC players making runs from a mile away, and yet no one is tracking them. Phil isn’t telling them to do that. There are moments where players aren’t showing enough fight. There was one play in the second play where a SKC player was surrounded by three of our guys and he was able to pass out of that pretty easily. While I’m quite unhappy with how this team looks right now, the mentality isn’t good enough and players need to pull their share.
Players that did pull their fair share? I thought Kamal Miller had a very solid game, and I know I’m biased but Ayala was our best player before he came off imo. I thought he was great. Really unfortunate that he came off with an injury, I really hope it’s precautionary. He was great defensively and his distribution was very good. His stats show it, he had a 92% passing accuracy and had one more pass into the final third than Paredes despite playing 40 less minutes. Paredes wasn’t great in the first half but had a good second half. I think Williamson and Ayala should start over him, but that’s just me.
Antony is so much better on the right. He’s way too right footed to play on the left, he doesn’t drive to the end line on the left because he doesn’t want to cross with his left foot. He doesn’t take risks over there. He looks much better on the right as it simplifies the game for him. He’s the fastest player on the field, he needs to be able to use his speed, and on the left he doesn’t. He has to cut in every time and play inverted which is not at all what he’s good at. I like Moreno more as a player but I think they should be competing for time on the right wing while Rodriguez mans the left. Antony has not be good in general on the left.
It just kind of feels like we’re beating ourselves at the moment. Paredes not blocking the passing lane on the first goal and an unfortunate deflection. Second goal goes back to the basics Phil was talking about, you have to get a body on that runner. I don’t know who is at fault but you can’t let that guy run free, you have to get in his way somehow. If someone does then Crepeau gets there first and the goal doesn’t happen. Third goal Eric Miller holds the offsides line too long and they have a wide open player. It’s not like SKC broke us down (that did happen on several occasions but we were able to snuff it out), we just beat ourselves.
I see people saying the second half was much better, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t really see that. I didn’t really notice any significant changes besides personnel, and I wouldn’t classify it as “good”. They got a pk and should’ve made it 4-0 and the game would’ve been done. Once we got the pk and scored things were different, but it didn’t feel like the Vancouver game where we had a pretty firm grasp on the game in the second half and we didn’t let Vancouver do much of anything. Our goals felt like they came out of almost nothing. Maybe it was just the way I was watching the game, idk, but to me this was probably our worst overall game, even if we got a tie.
I like that Phil is holding the players accountable in the locker room and in the media. Pulling Moreno and Mosquera off was not what you’d do if you want a goal, but it was clearly sending a message. As I’ve said, I’m not thrilled with his coaching, but I’m willing to give Phil some time to build the culture he wants, because right now his players aren’t playing for the badge enough and are making basic mistakes on the field. It’s not good enough
"I see people saying the second half was much better, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t really see that. I didn’t really notice any significant changes besides personnel, and I wouldn’t classify it as “good”.
It's tough to gauge how well they're doing when they are really going for broke, and the other team maybe has let off the gas. But even so, I think it's clearly a personnel thing and positioning, starting with the wingers. With Rodriguez on the left and Antony on the right, we can just attack. Mora is sneaky good, too, and can win fouls. They're not losing the ball and more, they are putting pressure on the defense, which makes it easier to win the ball back because we are in their third. Everything clicks better. When we start games, I think there is an emphasis on possession, which is good. The problem is JDM is kinda slow on his passing and decision making, and honestly, Moreno is not technical on the outside, and we know Antony isn't all that great on the left, and everything gets discombobulated. Rodriguez can't get service. I feel like we've been playing games with our left hand tied behind our back. We're not getting our behind kicked, but we're not inflicting anything on the other guy. The second half of the last two games showed that it is all about personnel, and it kind of really is all about the offense, in my opinion, which will make the defense's job easier.
Now about those set pieces ... I thought we were bad, but LAFC scored one on LA last weekend that was just a wth moment. A simple, follow your guy. But we aren't the only team that has players switch off because it's not in their contract to defend or clear corner kicks. Interestingly enough, it was their new winger who was to blame, so I wonder how that is dealt with on a coaching standpoint.
Speaking of LAFC ... I wasn't too shocked to see that they are the clear league leaders in committing fouls. Something like 124 fouls. That's 17 fouls a game. I hope we get a ref who calls a good game and we can deliver some set piece trauma on them.
"while I’m not happy with Phil’s coaching, I can’t help but also agree with his post match press conference where he says the team isn’t doing the basics correctly, which he names “going and heading the ball, blocking your man, staying with runners.” "
This is where I get SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER frustrated. Got frustrated with Gio, getting frustrated with Phil. And their staffs. Why?
Because his post match press conference is literally describing...COACHING. Those things are all coachable, and he is the coach. Liam is the coach. Memo is the coach. Etc. Why aren't those things being coached?
"On the broadcast you can see SKC players making runs from a mile away, and yet no one is tracking them. Phil isn’t telling them to do that."
That's coaching! That's video work after the game! That's literally high-school-level coaching! If it's not sticking, bench the guys it isn't sticking with!
"I see people saying the second half was much better, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t really see that."
Same.
"There was one play in the second play where a SKC player was surrounded by three of our guys and he was able to pass out of that pretty easily."
I rarely yell at my TV, I'm too old to get that upset at sports, but both my wife and I were like MY GOD WOULD YOU TRY CLOSING A GUY DOWN AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT when we saw that play. It was so bad.
"right now his players aren’t playing for the badge enough and are making basic mistakes on the field."
I mostly DGAF about "playing for the badge", because players should always play hard no matter what, but those basic mistakes...again, THAT'S COACHING! It's so frustrating watching this team of professional athletes keep making the same basic-ass mistakes over and over and over again.
This could be such a good team but they're so frustrating right now, and it's all down, in my uninformed opinion, to the shortcomings of the coaching staff. We're not getting rid of Phil this soon, but the rest of 'em should definitely be on verrrrrrrrrrry hot seats right now, starting with ol' ridgy roll.
You can coach that stuff as much as you want, but once the players are out there it’s on them. I don’t put it as much on coaching as you do, I think it’s a balance of both. These are professional players, tracking runners and blocking runners in corners is very, very simple stuff that they should all know how to do (not that it also shouldn’t be coached, it almost certainly is, and the players aren’t executing). Defensive disorganization is on coaching; individual defensive mistakes are on the players (that’s a pretty general statement, that’s not always the case, each play has its own nuances). Right now there’s too much of both, but the players share a good deal of the blame.
“If it’s not sticking, bench the guys it isn’t sticking with” that seems like exactly what he’s doing. Twice in a row now he’s made subs on the defensive line at half and is clearing drawing a line in the sand in his press conference that it isn’t good enough. It seems like he’s really laying into his players and holding them responsible, and then benching them. He did the same with Higuain in Miami, his mentality wasn’t right and he took the necessary steps to get him back on track and he came back better than ever… and I hope he can do the same here. It won’t happen overnight though, it will take time. I’m not sure Gio was hard enough on the players (I have literally no idea), he was always talking about the “little details,” whereas Phil said he was questioning whether these players were even Timbers players, literally questioning their commitment to the team. It’s harsh but it’s necessary, and I hope it works.
Yeah I generally don’t like the phrase “playing for the badge,” I don’t know why I said it, I was trying to say the players aren’t playing enough for the team, they aren’t playing with enough unification or intensity, connecting to what Phil was saying about whether or not these players were Timbers players. That being said, I do think it’s a step above the last two years under Gio for the most part, there was absolutely zero cohesion there at all.
I agree that Ridgy’s seat should be hot since he’s the defensive coach *now*, though didn’t we hear that Llamosa was more of the defensive coach under Gio and not Ridgy? Both? I don’t really remember. It is just hard to judge performances of assistant coaches in general, and also remember that Phil Neville wanted to bring in Jason Kreis as his assistant, so who knows if his judgement is good enough for picking out assistants
"I agree that Ridgy’s seat should be hot since he’s the defensive coach *now*, though didn’t we hear that Llamosa was more of the defensive coach under Gio and not Ridgy?"
I am going by the interview posted here the other day, where Ridgewell himself says he handles most of the defensive responsibilities, specifically calling out set piece defending as something he's in charge of. Which means Liam's been in charge since at least Gio's departure, and things haven't gotten better.
And I do agree that overall, players gotta execute, and the players certainly aren't blameless. But when I see the exact same mistakes being made over and over and over again, I tend to think that's a failure of coaching, because that's a lack of effective communication about what's being done wrong and how to do it right, or a lack of effective reps of muscle-memory building things in training.
"It seems like he’s really laying into his players and holding them responsible, and then benching them"
I hope it works, honestly, and I hope that the players who don't play fully mentally focused get the message that they're not going to be part of the team, because this team could be good if it plays switched on for 90 minutes. I'd put the split, right now, at about 70/30 coaching; if Evander can be the playmaking boss he's turning into, and if the players can develop that muscle memory and get rid of the brainfart moments, it can be more 50/50 and the Timbers might be onto something good.
Set pieces and corners: I realize we have a lot of work to do on that front, but it sure seems like there is a trend league wide on an uptick on goals from set pieces and corners. I'm not sure what the data says, but it would be cool if someone looked into it. I think guys are really good now on delivering the ball, and overall, there needs to be some serious study on this. Granted, you just have to plain body up and get after it.
First half D: The two CBs seemed to be averse to stepping and they allowed a lot of room, especially around the 18. Mosquera plays decent d in the open field, but man, he just does not track runners in our end. Like I said in another post, I'd be ok with Miller manning the RB for awhile. The second half the CBs were much better stepping to, and won a lot of headers and balls, and I don't recall anyone getting in behind.