Sacramento vs. Colorado: Tactical Analysis
Sacramento’s line up, the good, the bad, and what stood out.
The Lineup:
Sacramento’s second game of the season solidified what Quail fans can likely expect to see from Head Coach Neill Collins tactically, despite the number of injuries that Republic has racked up in the backline. Those injuries did force a few minor tactical tweaks, though the essence of Collins' game plan stayed the same. While last game’s formation played out as a 3-3-4 or a 3-4-2-1, this week the Republic utilized more of a 3-1-4-2 with Nick Ross playing as more of a traditional central defensive midfielder (CDM) role, which we didn’t really see utilized in the last match.
The fluid three at the back that we discussed Collins employing during last week's analysis was still used, but with a slight tweak - rather than Gurr or Benítez dropping into the backline when needed, Ross dropped in from the CDM position. You can see here how Ross has dropped back and to the right to fill in the back three. This is right after Chibi makes a run forward:
Ross (CDM) moves from a more central position to the right side of the pitch to cover Chibi, while Kleemann pushes back towards his center position to keep the back three intact.
Additionally, the attack up top was much more even this week compared to the last match. You’ll recall that Republic really forced numbers to the right side of the pitch against New Mexico; not so this week, where Republic really tried to stretch the Colorado defense horizontally. Gurr on the right and Wanner on the left really kept to their side lines, allowing Republic to switch the ball when needed, and Willey, Felipe, Cicerone, and Jamieson stayed more or less central on each of their sides of the pitch.
The Good:
Republic’s attacking build up this match was fantastic, even if the finishing left something to be desired. Look at the build up for Republic’s first shot of the match:
This play really shows the team's ability to switch the field and stretch Colorado’s defense with some great vision by Gurr, and a great overlapping run by Wanner puts him in an excellent position to score. Unfortunately, Wanner puts it wide but the chance creation is there.
You can really see the structure that Collins has Republic playing in the goal that Gurr scores in the 24th minute:
Ross has dropped into the right center back slot to support Chibi’s run up the field, where Ross then switches the ball to the left side. The entire Colorado backline and midfield follow the pass to the left, which leaves Gurr easily able to beat the one man trailing him on a cross that switches the field again.
Republic also continued the counter-pressing style that we saw in the first game, which is helped by just how often the midfield and backline are winning the ball back. While they were roughly even with Colorado on the ground, Sacramento won 60% of all aerial duels, and had a whopping 12 interceptions to Colorado’s 5, which really gave Colorado nowhere to go until the closing stages of the match despite Colorado’s 60% possession.
Overall, the first ~80 minutes of this match were very strongly played by the Republic, and Collins showed an aptitude for tweaking his formula to expose weaknesses in the opponent.
The Bad:
While the first 80 were fantastic, missed chances aside, the last 10+ minutes left a lot to be desired. We can obviously complain about the red card Colorado should have received in the 80th minute and about the two penalty calls (more on those soon), but the performance overall dipped substantially in the final 10.
First, let’s focus on the match as a whole. The only real negative in the first 80 minutes is Republic's continued inability to put clear cut chances away. Republic had *16* shots in this game, 10 in the first half, 6 in the second. Not counting the 2 PK’s, Colorado had 8. Yet, of those 16 SRFC shots, only 4 were on target - despite 12 of the 16 shots being inside the box! Finishing has been a problem for the Quails for a few years now, and those struggles seem to continue.
Now, let’s dive into that last 80. One of the big things we see is Republic switching to a more defensive stance around the 80th minute after all the subs come on the field; Herrera comes on for Jamieson, Parano comes on for Wanner, and new signing Tyler Clegg comes on for Willey.
One of things that happens here is that no one takes over the left side of the pitch when Wanner comes off - Parano and Herrera both end up playing more central, and Clegg slots into a new four at the back formation. But, conversely, Colorado’s subs actually start pushing up that side of the pitch, exploiting the space. Here is how Republic is set up right before the first PK:
Benítez (circled) has to come out to his left to close a player down who is all but wide open in the box. You can also see the switch to a four at the back formation with Clegg slotting into another center back position to try and see the game out.
Now, to be fair, we wouldn’t really discuss that left side of the pitch if the Republic win this game 2-0, and the switch to four at the back is probably the right move. But Benítez being left alone out on the left side leads to the first Colorado penalty:
He’s forced out left, and then makes a rash decision to slide for the ball despite Colorado's player having his back to goal with no outlet. If Benítez stands him up instead, the Switchbacks attacker has nowhere to go with the ball. Diving in is a bad decision and, while some Quail fans may disagree, I think this is actually a solid penalty call by the official. If anything, Benítez is fortunate to not receive a second yellow here - it’s studs up, and while he does get a touch on the ball, he goes through the player to do so. You just can’t make that choice in the corner of the box when the opposition isn’t threatening.
Now let's take a look at that call - the PK at the very end of the match. Here’s a clip of it:
I don’t even know what to say here. This isn’t a foul, at all, and even if you argue it is a foul, the contact is initiated outside of the box; at worst, it’s a Switchbacks free kick on the edge of the box, not a PK. I’ll let Cicerone’s reaction speak for all of us and leave it at that:
What Stood Out:
This Republic team plays a very different style of play than we have seen in previous years under Mark Briggs and through two games, it’s really working for them. Yes, this is a match with two points lost, but the boys can hardly control officiating decisions that take the game out of their hands. The team is still learning Collins’ system, have had a number of injuries, and had one of the hardest starting schedules of any team in USL this season (see our article about that here). Despite all that, the club has four points to start the season, has four goals in the two games, and they pass the eye test - they look good. There is certainly some clean up and refinement, but that will come with time as this season progresses.
Collins’ tactical look and willingness to change formations to see games out is a big positive through the first two games, and something I hope we continue to see throughout the season. Someone in the Republic scouting department is clearly finding vulnerabilities in the opposition, helping exploit New Mexico’s weak right side last match and Colorado’s struggles when the field is switched this match. We should continue to see more of this in future matches.
Also, Republic’s willingness to move pieces around and start players that fans probably wouldn’t have expected is paying dividends. Jack Gurr, a right back, has played predominantly a right wing role in these first two matches. Chibi appears to have been given the freedom to make runs into space with the ball from a center back position. Willey has looked fantastic in the middle of the field, and I don’t think many would have expected him to start both games to lead off the season. We will have to see if this trend continues, but it has been a positive start for the boys in old glory red under Collins’ tutelage.