Milot Rashica - Underperformed or failed by the team?

[Terminally Yellow 2,448]

So the Athletic recently published an article showing how each Premier League side played their passes. It's an interesting article, well worth a read. Man City's passing network is unreal. 

Ours is equally interesting for very different reasons. A couple of things in particular really stood out.

Take a look at the left forward. That would mostly have been filled by Rashica wouldn't it? It shows the lack of supply into him from other players - no regular supply from . Look how deep he had to drop as a result too. Barely across the half way line. 

We knew Teemu's service was bad, but this shows just how bad. 

And we can't ignore the central midfield. Who was the right of the three? Gilmour? McLean? Seems to me that him passing down the right was our only regular outlet offensively. Whoever was the deeper defensive midfielder is interesting too - seemed to pass it regularly to the wing backs. 

All goes to show just how one dimensional this side has been this year. 

[repman 634]

I think it goes to show the lack of possession and how we struggled going forward. Also, both Rashica and Pukki were the clear attacking outlets. Pukki is the player with the highest receiving pass value, but the pass map shows that he wasn't all that involved in our possession, so I presume it must mean that whenever the ball came to him it was either lost or ended in a shot, something that would fit similarly with Rashica. 

What I find most notable is that the highest value pass was from the RB position (mostly Aarons). There may be good scores among those midfield passes but it's clear they also struggled to link to our attack.

[king canary 7,578]

It highlights the general lack of penetration from central midfield. Lots of sideways, not much creativity through the middle.

Re Rashica, I have a couple of key takeaways.

1- When he did get the ball he was often keen to put a cross in (he averages more crosses a game than anyone other than Gilmour and I wonder if BG's stat includes set pieces) which, with Pukki as your main target, usually led to a loss of possession.

2- He was often playing with Williams behind him and having a right footed left back isn't ideal when you've also got a right footed left winger. Aarons will usually overlap whoever is on the right, pull defenders with him and create a bit of extra space for his winger. Williams rarely did that and often came inside, rather than going up the line to Rashica. 

I think he's a talented player but we never found balance or a way to use him. 

[Google Bot 3,256]

Service was shocking, without looking at any maps you only have to watch Gilmour who relentlessly laid the ball sideways or backwards.

You're not going to have players with acres of space to aim for at this level.  I think therefore the downfall lays with the original Farke mentality of not taking risks - you just have to at that level.  And also the inability of so many players being able to take possession in a 50/50 situation.

Can't really blame Rashica I guess, tough league, different country. In a team of players afraid of being singled out for mistakes.

But he was also very unconvincing with prime opportunities that he scuffed at, and a few moments where he was just too selfish.

Our movement and desire was as poor as the service at times, too.  Only Pukki consistently delivered in those areas.

Edited June 8, 2022 by Google Bot

[Dean Coneys boots 1,398]

The two aren’t mutually exclusive- interesting thread but just shows how truly awful we were last season 

[Capt. Pants 4,195]

A lot of last season was played without the ball and we lacked a creative player in midfield. It's not surprising about the lack of service to the forward players.

With Milo the issue seems to be the lack of end product when he does get in good positions.

[Branston Pickle 3,637]

I think it’s likely to be both.

[Worthy Nigelton 1,037]

He was poor but the team was also poor. Chicken and egg.

[TheGunnShow 5,932]

He'd look better with Giannoulis overlapping instead of Williams underlapping as Milot looks like one of those who is quite good at dribbling in relatively tight spaces. An overlapping full back would force one of their defenders to look further over, and result in a bit more space.

The problem we have with Pukki up top is that conventional crosses are not likely to be a source of goals. He thrives on balls into channels and behind defenders. So, a low raking cross into the corridor between the opposition goalie and defence could work, but one in the air just won't. That's why we generally played 4-2-3-1 with three playmakers, but with the exception of Hernandez now and again, there wasn't really an old-school winger in there. Pukki was dangerous due to his intelligent movement and willingness to chase any ball sent into the channels, all of which Cantwell, Vrancic, Stiepermann, to a lesser extent Rupp, and to a greater extent Buendia all had as their stock in trade. We didn't need to hit many crosses.

However, crosses are Rashica's thing. He'd be more likely to rack up assists with big men up top. Prime example, that Sargent header against Watford. Rashica beat his man, stood a cross up, and Sargent just climbed all over it.

[Terminally Yellow 2,448]

37 minutes ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

The two aren’t mutually exclusive- interesting thread but just shows how truly awful we were last season 

To be fair, that's a very good point. 

Let's hope we see more of him if he's here next year.

[Petriix 2,834]

7 hours ago, Terminally Yellow said:

So the Athletic recently published an article showing how each Premier League side played their passes. It's an interesting article, well worth a read. Man City's passing network is unreal. 

Ours is equally interesting for very different reasons. A couple of things in particular really stood out.

Take a look at the left forward. That would mostly have been filled by Rashica wouldn't it? It shows the lack of supply into him from other players - no regular supply from . Look how deep he had to drop as a result too. Barely across the half way line. 

We knew Teemu's service was bad, but this shows just how bad. 

And we can't ignore the central midfield. Who was the right of the three? Gilmour? McLean? Seems to me that him passing down the right was our only regular outlet offensively. Whoever was the deeper defensive midfielder is interesting too - seemed to pass it regularly to the wing backs. 

All goes to show just how one dimensional this side has been this year. 

I think this graphic highlights the serious flaws in our tactics last season. The fullbacks are far too high and ultimately given far too little support by the wide attacking midfielders. There's too much emphasis on a single defensive midfielder and there's no central support for the striker. We basically averaged playing a 2-5-3.

[repman 634]

2 hours ago, Petriix said:

I think this graphic highlights the serious flaws in our tactics last season. The fullbacks are far too high and ultimately given far too little support by the wide attacking midfielders. There's too much emphasis on a single defensive midfielder and there's no central support for the striker. We basically averaged playing a 2-5-3.

To be fair pretty much every side who uses a back 4 ends up with that shape in possession, it's just how football is played at the minute. We simply didn't get the ball to our attacking players enough, and when we did they didn't do enough with it.

[Coneys Knee 941]

If could keep hold of him and get on the front foot I expect him to tear the champ up

[Mason 47 1,373]

For me, Rashica is one of those players that is a good, functional attacker- bit of pace, good technically and a general threat on the ball. But he lacks a distinct 'weapon' that often is the X-factor with attacking players, so he will require other more damaging players around him to make any real impact.

A player in the genre of Matej Vydra, a good player to fill a space in your attack but you wouldn't ever think of him as the main threat.

[TheGunnShow 5,932]

25 minutes ago, Mason 47 said:

For me, Rashica is one of those players that is a good, functional attacker- bit of pace, good technically and a general threat on the ball. But he lacks a distinct 'weapon' that often is the X-factor with attacking players, so he will require other more damaging players around him to make any real impact.

A player in the genre of Matej Vydra, a good player to fill a space in your attack but you wouldn't ever think of him as the main threat.

Precisely why I think he needs a big guy or two to aim at.

[Petriix 2,834]

7 hours ago, repman said:

To be fair pretty much every side who uses a back 4 ends up with that shape in possession, it's just how football is played at the minute. We simply didn't get the ball to our attacking players enough, and when we did they didn't do enough with it.

Oh yeah, that puts things into perspective. Look at Southampton's left-back. Maybe it's just that our centre-backs are so deep and our central midfielders are so close together.

It's not too much of a stretch to imagine us looking more like West Ham's shape if we get it right or maybe Palace if we insist on the 4-3-3.

[shefcanary 2,387]

9 hours ago, repman said:

To be fair pretty much every side who uses a back 4 ends up with that shape in possession, it's just how football is played at the minute. We simply didn't get the ball to our attacking players enough, and when we did they didn't do enough with it.

Jesus, that Man City graph couldn't be more perfect if you drew it as part of a technical drawing exam!  Pep really has them drilled!

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

19 hours ago, king canary said:

It highlights the general lack of penetration from central midfield. Lots of sideways, not much creativity through the middle.

Re Rashica, I have a couple of key takeaways.

1- When he did get the ball he was often keen to put a cross in (he averages more crosses a game than anyone other than Gilmour and I wonder if BG's stat includes set pieces) which, with Pukki as your main target, usually led to a loss of possession.

2- He was often playing with Williams behind him and having a right footed left back isn't ideal when you've also got a right footed left winger. Aarons will usually overlap whoever is on the right, pull defenders with him and create a bit of extra space for his winger. Williams rarely did that and often came inside, rather than going up the line to Rashica. 

I think he's a talented player but we never found balance or a way to use him. 

 

Dowell towards the end of the season showed himself to be a lot more capable of providing the through balls that we lost when we sold Buendia, felt like Dowell and Pukki had a much better understanding.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

9 hours ago, repman said:

To be fair pretty much every side who uses a back 4 ends up with that shape in possession, it's just how football is played at the minute. We simply didn't get the ball to our attacking players enough, and when we did they didn't do enough with it.

Ours is almost identical to Leeds

Also interesting to see which clubs don't really use their goalkeeper as an extra man, its more than I'd have guessed.

Edited June 9, 2022 by TeemuVanBasten

[AJ 1,218]

Like Pukki, completely isolated at times. Interesting to see our right side was better utilised however this might also be because Sargent/whoever was often deployed as more of a RM whereas Rashica was often further forward with Pukki or a LW. He certainly got better as the season went on but the stats don't lie, we just didn't have enough service into the final third of the pitch. 

[king canary 7,578]

1 hour ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

 

Dowell towards the end of the season showed himself to be a lot more capable of providing the through balls that we lost when we sold Buendia, felt like Dowell and Pukki had a much better understanding.

Only issue is that Dowell barely breaks into a jog when tracking back. Can get away with that in the Championship, not at the top level though.

[repman 634]

3 hours ago, Petriix said:

Oh yeah, that puts things into perspective. Look at Southampton's left-back. Maybe it's just that our centre-backs are so deep and our central midfielders are so close together.

It's not too much of a stretch to imagine us looking more like West Ham's shape if we get it right or maybe Palace if we insist on the 4-3-3.

Yeah I think it shows that the more possession you have the better the map will look. What is possibly notable about it from our perspective is that we have only 3 players in the oppositions half on there, which to my eye is the least of anyone in the division. Certainly felt like Pukki was isolated and that the wingers weren't helping too much. Rashica was definitely more a threat than whoever played on the right.

[Nuff Said 5,089]

4 minutes ago, repman said:

Yeah I think it shows that the more possession you have the better the map will look. What is possibly notable about it from our perspective is that we have only 3 players in the oppositions half on there, which to my eye is the least of anyone in the division. Certainly felt like Pukki was isolated and that the wingers weren't helping too much. Rashica was definitely more a threat than whoever played on the right.

Definitely, I looked at Burnley and thought it’s a wonder they got as many points as they did. But in retrospect, this type of analysis doesn’t work well for the way they play. Plus they were poor anyway.

[Petriix 2,834]

4 hours ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Ours is almost identical to Leeds

Also interesting to see which clubs don't really use their goalkeeper as an extra man, its more than I'd have guessed.

Except Leeds have a clear double pivot and some meaningful possession in the number 10 area, which is exactly what I was arguing for us to be doing all season. 

[shefcanary 2,387]

If only the BBC reported like this when Milot turned out for us.  MOTM so far.

"Milot Rashica blasts one towards goal but it's well held by Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

He's definitely the danger man for the hosts."

Edited June 9, 2022 by shefcanary

[Google Bot 3,256]

Watching it live and his name constantly being mentioned, Can see what a handful he'd be in the championship for sure.

[Yella Army 57]

Doing himself no harm in finding a new club this summer and helping us raise some cash for new signings