Sacramento at Phoenix: Tactical Analysis
04/19: Sacramento’s line up, the good, the bad, and what stood out
The Lineup:
It was a tale of two halves for the Republic, who showed us a solid 45 minutes of exactly what this team can be—and then 45 minutes of what we have seen throughout the season. Republic dominated the first half, even if they did give up a late first half goal, but struggled in the second half, especially after the subs came on. To make matters worse, Sacramento has now dropped six points from winning positions—all three of Republic’s draws have come from games where they had been leading in the 75th minute.
Sacramento lined up in the now typical 3-4-3, with a couple lineup changes after a midweek Open Cup match: Herrera started up top, a spot he has certainly earned over the last few matches; Gurr returned to the starting XI after missing the game in Orange County SC, though he was subbed out at half; and Felipe was on the bench, replaced in the midfield by Benítez, his first time not playing defense for the club. In what is also becoming a staple this season, the players who drop into the backline to complete the fluid three at the back formation changed from the previous matches—this match, it was Gurr on the right, and Benítez on the left. Wanner, the player you would probably expect to drop in on the left, stayed in a much higher attacking position.
The Good:
Republic came out firing on all cylinders and really looked good in the opening 35 minutes or so of the match. They played how Collins wants this team to play—a high press up top, a fluid formation in the back, and winning as many duals as possible. It looked good and it worked. Look at that high press in action here in the 45th minute:
Phoenix is in their own third and Republic are heavy pressing, nearly man to man. Phoenix does not have anywhere to go with the ball and they end up just kicking out over the touchline for a Republic throw-in, deep in Phoenix territory.
Republic won 54% of duals, 70% of tackles, and, more importantly, had several key players play to the standard they are capable of. Herrera has had himself quite the week, scoring in all three games (OC, El Farolito, Phoenix), and certainly has earned that starting spot up top. Wanner got himself on the score sheet for the first time as a Quail, while Cicerone and Gurr both had great assists. Parano’s work up top really stuck out to me, and he was really unlucky not to end up on the score sheet:
The other player that stood out to me to watch for the rest of the year was Benítez. While he’s been a rock at left back throughout the start of the season, this match was the first that he stepped up and played in the midfield, taking on the role of a defensive midfielder. Not only does this position allow him to flex his defensive skills, where he won a whopping 80% of his duels, but it also allows him the ability to control some of the passing game, where he boasted an 83% accurate passing rate and was accurate on three of his five long balls. The Republic already has a crowded midfield with Roro, Felipe, Willey, and Portillo, but Benítez has been such an engine in every part of the pitch that it is hard to not add him to the mix. When asked where he saw himself fitting into the team, Benítez replied:
“Central, but I can play multiple positions, put me in and I will always make the maximum effort.”
One of the big things Republic tried to do early in this game was horizontally stretch Phoenix, similar to how they played against New Mexico in the season opener, and it really paid dividends on both Republic goals. Watch the build up to the first goal here:
Gurr switches the entire field with a perfect pass to Wanner, who has an incredible touch to get it to Cicerone, who puts a perfect ball through on a running Herrera. Switching the field pulls all of Phoenix's defenders, and Herrera gets lost in the shuffle and beats his man. And Republic does the same on their second goal:
Wanner actually starts and ends this play. He starts the switch from left side to the right, then Gurr pings a perfect cross back to the right side post where Wanner is basically unmarked because of the switch. Of course, it helps that he puts such a fantastic one time shot on the cross.
The Bad:
While the first 35 minutes or so really showed what this Sacramento team is capable, the leaky defense continues to be a problem. Look at this moment right before Phoenix’s first goal:
There are four players closing down two attacking players, while a Phoenix player is completely free at the top of the box. To make matters worse, the attacking player being closed down on is the one who scores! Now, I have to give credit where it is due, Rising striker Margaritha places this ball perfectly and scores a stunning goal, and it does not help Republic that Chibi loses his footing while dropping back. But someone has to step to this shot to put a foot or body in the way, especially when there are so many white kits in the area. Phoenix’s second goal sees the same thing:
There are three Republic players around the ball and no one can get in the way of the shot. Similar to Phoenix’s first goal though, this is an incredible strike by Rivera—sometimes, you just have to tip your cap to it.
Another thing that caused issues for Republic this game were the subs. Look at Republic’s average positioning both before and after the subs come on:
The Quails go from a very reasonable looking 3-4-3 to a… 3-6-1? 3-3-3-1? It is really hard to tell. It also does not help that the match rating of every sub was either subpar or below the player they replaced; ideally, your subs make your team better, not worse. Collins may have been forced into some of these changes though; the midweek match against El Farolito was a physical one and traveling from Orange County, back to Sacramento, and then out to Phoenix may have put some minute limitations on other substitute options.
Finally, we look at Republic’s finishing, a problem that seems to never go away. Yes, Republic scored two goals in this match. What is frustrating is that the leaky defense does not even need to be a factor late in games if Republic could get the ball on target. Republic had five shots from outside of the box this match—none of them were on target. Further, Sacramento over doubled Phoenix’s shot count (15 to 7), but both clubs matched in shots on target with 4. That gives Phoenix an accuracy of 57%, while Sacramento are at 26%. Even worse, Republic had 20 touches in the box, which led to 10 shots, with only 4 of those on target. Phoenix only had 13 touches in the box, which led to 5 shots, but had the same 4 shots on target. Republic either needs to be choosier with their shots or they need to put all these chances on frame.
What Stood Out:
I walk away from this match feeling similar to the Louisville match. I came in expecting a tough game and would have been happy with a draw, but walked away with a draw leaving a bad taste in my mouth after being up 2-0. Republic are in the middle of a streak of away games against opponents lower in the table—OC, Phoenix, and Oakland. I had previously said that Republic should expect no less than seven points total from these three matches. Well, two matches in and Republic have one point. A win against Oakland in two weeks is a necessity, especially in a NorCal Derby.
The bright side is that it is still early in the season and the Republic are, somewhat surprisingly, only eight points off the top of the Western Conference. There is still plenty of time to turn this around, and the first half of this match gave us a taste of what this team can do. Additionally, the boys get a break from league play this week when they play AV Alta in the USL Jägermeister Cup. Perhaps a change of pace is just what is needed before they dive back into league play against Oakland on May 4th.