The game is simple. Spread the ball around. Create Space. Play the wings. Don't use your hands. Put the ball in the opposing net. Keep it out of your goal. In a perfect world there is no war, everyday at Empire is sunny, the other team is as useless as AC St. Louis. We don't live in a perfect world though.
We certainly have not been fielding a perfect team. Injuries, Suspensions and International duties have made life incredibly difficult for Teitur Thordason and his coaching staff. Everyday issues in the world of soccer and certainly not anything that is unique to the Caps.
The most difficult thing to watch this season has been the Whitecaps play on the wings, and the teams inability to actually build on the foundations that were set in place during previous season. Last years squad flourished on the wings they created space took the ball deep into the corners and crossed the ball into the middle to undersized strikers or out of position defenders. This years squad has has all the tools to play the style they want to play, but the wingers have to play more a more disciplined game.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
It is incredibly difficult to be critical of a first year squad that are playing with several players who have come up through the lower ranks. It is also incredibly frustrating to watch a team that is not playing to its full potential. We saw flashes of brilliance on the wings from players like Wes Knight and Phil Davies last year. This year we have yet to see the things that made those players worthy of their MLS contracts. Wes Knight fan club put your knives away for a minute.
For arguments sake we are going to divide the field vertically into 5 segments. Starting from the wings we will separate the field sideline to the 18 yard box. Then from the edge of the 18 to the 6 yard box. The 6 yard box and then repeat the 6 to the 18, and the 18 to the sideline.
It has been quite apparent that the ball spends a large majority of its time on the left side of the pitch with the 'Caps. Russell Teibert and Nizar Khalfan have both done a reasonable job of maintaining possession of the ball on the left. They have both done a fairly decent job of staying disciplined and keeping between the sideline and the edge of the 6. The left side has clearly been a strength for the Blue and White.
As the ball bounces about on the left our right wingers whether it be Knight or whoever, tend to drift deeper and deeper into the middle of the pitch. Finding their way out of the two outside zones and into the middle and sometimes even into the opposite 2 quadrants. Knight managed to strike the post against Chivas earlier this year and came close on several more occasions during that match, but one is left to wonder how he would have faired being 6 yards deeper on his wing. His post and the following chance where he sliced his own rebound over the net with the outside of his foot were great displays of his pace and ability to cover ground, but there were several opportunities that went unrewarded due to him being caught too deep in the middle of the pitch. Eric Hassli floated the ball from left to right on several occasions that game and the ball drifted over Knights head and the flow of play was suffocated. Comparing Wes to Antonio Valencia does not seem fair but Valencia's display earlier today against Schalke should be noted as a prime example of how a winger should be positioned. Valencia's wide wing play was used to perfection to slice open their German opponents.
It was quite apparent during the pre-season that Thordason's plan of attack relied heavily on having the defenders play the ball to their wingers and the wingers crossing the ball to the strikers. In the most recent string of games the Whitecaps have reverted to a very ineffective style of long ball, kick and chase, with the play being forced down the middle of the pitch. At one point during Vancouver's last game we saw Wes chase a ball deep into the left corner and cross it back to his own side to... well one would have to assume himself but lets be realistic he is not THAT fast. Knight has not been the only player who has been routinely caught out of position but his example is the easiest to point out.
Teitur's 4-4-1-1 works. We've seen it work, as long as everyone plays responsibly it works. We have seen Davide Chiumiento play wherever he wants to play, and Hassli tracking back to his own box.
Last week we saw Marc Dos Santos' Montreal squad play a 4-5-1 in an attempt to to clog the middle and keep Vancouver off of the scoreboard. Tonights game we should see a different formation from the Impact as they are in desperate need of goals. Hopefully tonight we will see a more disciplined 'Caps squad use the width of the pitch to counter.