patjennings
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He is a smart footballer. He would definitely be in my squad
Match stats/analysis for recent Socceroo games
- Thread starter Decentric
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Very versatile too. Metcalfe is a very handy player.
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- #263
ATM I'm procrastinating on doing all the calculations for the stats I've compiled, but I have done enough on Metcalfe to provide some interesting info/data to support you, Encomium and Quicky's positive perceptions of Metcalfe.
Credit to Grazor who was pointing out Metcalfe's quality to me off forum - a long time before anybody else. Connor M has been a scapegoat for Roo fans. I was unimpressed with Metcalfe, but now I've started accruing stats and data again, I've completely changed my opinion. Grazor was correct!
Also, Grazor sang Miller's praises well before others, who I've come to appreciate more as I've compiled match performance data and been able to analyse dispassionately.
Some players do things that are easy to appraise as being good - Bos's spectacular runs, Iran's spectacular shooting, Circati's rugged 1v1 ball winning. Nice and easy for the media to adulate them too, devoid of much football research.
Metcalfe has some real strengths.
*Against the Kiwis in Canberra
Metcalfe made 5 exceptional first touches/or receive and subsequent turns. This is a very high number, and is hard to observe live, as he was often just a few centimetres in front of his opponent. He was under considerable time and space pressure.
He also made 1 Turnover.
I haven't recorded his 1v1 ledger, which would take me about 20 minutes to get the info, but I'll get round to it.
*Against the Kiwis in Auckland
He had 2 atrocious first touches/loss of ball - early in the game.
He made 5 superb first touches/turns. (Again a very high figure for 90 mins).
He caused 1 Turnover.
He created 2 assists, even though Toure did a lot of work to convert both Metcalfe assists.
His 1v1 ledger was minus 1, winning 4 and losing 5.
The final 1v1 ledger looks poor for Metcalfe, but usually defenders dominate attackers in 1v1s, because the attackers are disadvantaged numerically, and have less ideal body shape, plus they have little time and space. And they compete against the opposition's best ball winners.
At the other end of the pitch, all of these 4 Socceroos, had bad 1v1 games by their own standards.
Miller won 4, lost 5.
Circati won 8 lost 4, ( 67% win percentage, is appalling by his own lofty standards, usually only being dribbled around wide once or twice per game and winning everything else in tackling, heading and strength 1v1s).
Degenek, won 6 lost 4.
and,
Burgess won 5 lost 3.
Conversely, Rowles dominated in 1v1s - winning 14 and losing 3 ( circa 80% win ledger).
Add O'Neill - who won 7 and lost 1 ( circa 87% win ledger).
Balard won 4 and lost 2 ( 67% win ledger).
Aus still dominated 1v1s, winning 60% in Auckland.
This makes Metcalfe a real handful for the opposition in the Aus attacking half/third. I think in other games, he has won more 1v1s than he lost.
In one action in the 2 Ashes games, where I watched a replay slowly, Metcalfe played a ball wide right to a Socceroo in space. He sprinted a ridiculously big distance, like 20-30 metres, to receive a follow up pass in space, which I think resulted in a subsequent assist, shot at goal or a disallowed goal. A massive physical effort and receiving the ball whilst running flat out.
Whereas Boyle is steamrolled a lot and wins few 1v1s - headers, tackles, body on body - but dribbles around players and tracks back well, causing turnovers, Metcalfe is competitive in tackling, heading, strength duels, plus causing Turnovers and tracks back well. And Metcalfe beats players.
Hrustic rarely wins bard balls, doesn't track back at speed either. His strength is breaking down Deep Defensive Blocks.
Toure, Duke, Yengi and Borrello, as target strikers, are all a competitive in hard ball 1v1 contests too. So is McGree playing wider, like Metcalfe.
So whereas I saw a fair bit of Metclafe, live, and wasn't observing the little things he did, he has a terrific all round skill set.
Metcalfe can also play Left Wing, Right Wing, Left Wing Back and Right Wing Back. Metcalfe is an adaptable player.
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- Thread Author
- #264
- Thread Author
- #265
Another point I didn't make. You are bang on the money, PJ.
Metcalfe knows before he receives the ball, what he is going to do with it - and - where players are in more advanced positions to play forwards and advance the Roo build up.
Metcalfe has a very good football brain. He thinks quickly and makes good decisions - like Behich, Irvine, Goodwin, O'Neill and Duke.
LFC
Local Hero
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Good work D, alot of time spent you must have done the week or 2 ironing so as your ahead of your boss.
Now may I say - we played NZ, they sure are no SK Jap or middle eastern hard case of actors they are ranked around 83.
Now that doesn't mean they are ordinary nor brilliant - we also have the rivalry that comes into the adrenalin media hype and both NT's are trialing players alot.
My point comes to Miller, look forward when we play better opponents ahead and see how he reacts/plays and use's his head.
Another point is stats may picture his work sufficient ie 1v1's for eg but its what he does with the ball next that matters more than beating the man in front of him.
"Miller won 4, lost 5." <<< from your post - against NZ he lost 5 eh - christ I had to see when he's up against a real good player/winger and who's supported that that player would be - the term is he's being ripped.
He's got 15 caps now he is no newbie.
I won't comment on others for many were looking to make the most of the opportunity over the ashtray.
Now may I say - we played NZ, they sure are no SK Jap or middle eastern hard case of actors they are ranked around 83.
Now that doesn't mean they are ordinary nor brilliant - we also have the rivalry that comes into the adrenalin media hype and both NT's are trialing players alot.
My point comes to Miller, look forward when we play better opponents ahead and see how he reacts/plays and use's his head.
Another point is stats may picture his work sufficient ie 1v1's for eg but its what he does with the ball next that matters more than beating the man in front of him.
"Miller won 4, lost 5." <<< from your post - against NZ he lost 5 eh - christ I had to see when he's up against a real good player/winger and who's supported that that player would be - the term is he's being ripped.
He's got 15 caps now he is no newbie.
I won't comment on others for many were looking to make the most of the opportunity over the ashtray.
- Thread Author
- #267
I haven’t been doing enough ironing and gardening, LFC!
I did get a listen to the G and G Podcast on Capital Football on the ironing board yesterday though!
Yes. I have done a lot of work recording stats and data, but it is worth it when one finds out subtle football phenomena.
Re Miller. He might have been a bit better in 1v1s in the first Ashes game in Canberra. Apart from Geria playing Right Wing Back andBos’s cameo in the second game against the Kiwis, Miller has done better than Silvera at Right Wing Back in 1v1s.
De Vries bullied Hrustic, Silvera, Boyle and possibly even Bos, on the right flank for Aus. Conversely, over the two games, Miller held his own.
Even though he looks a bit clumsy at times, Miller plays a few effective crosses into our pen box going forward.
However, the Bos Right Wing Back and Rowles Left Wing Back combo could work more effectively than Bos on the left and Miller on the right flank?
Also, I rate this Kiwi side. Not sure we’ve ever seen the calibre of Wood, Paulsen, Singh, De Vries, Payne and Old all in a Kiwi team at the same time?
The Kiwis beat Ivory Coast ( or an African team of similar standing) and only lost 1-2 to Ukraine in recent games.
Re Kiwi quality, Old skinned not only Miller, but Circati a few times too.
Cunningstunt
First Team Contender
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On paper it looks like all generational nz side.
Their ranking would be higher if they played in Asia to get competitive matches against higher ranked opposition.
They would also be even stronger if they went through an Asian campaign.
- Thread Author
- #269
Good points made, CS.
I’d like a few hard core Kiwi fans to comment.
IMO I’ve never seen a Kiwi team knock the ball around like this one. Or Squeeze as intensively for sustained periods either.
- Thread Author
- #270
I'll post what I've found on Irankunda.
Unlike some players it is easy for most to see Irankunda's overt outstanding shooting from range, and when he beat 2 Kiwis and scored that superb goal in Auckland.
I thought he was a bit weak defensively from watching live - closing down space causing Turnovers, jockeying, tackling, heading, shielding, etc, from watching live. When I revisited, Iran was better defensively than I thought - by some margin!
In the cameo on the pitch against the Kiwis in Canberra he had a 1v1 ledger of plus 3. This is excellent playing at left wing!
He won 1 Tackle and dribbled around Kiwis on 2 occasions. 1 unique 1v1 strength duel had no victor.
In Auckland Iran had a 1v1 ledger of Plus 1 .
He contested 13 unique, 1v1 duels, winning 7 and losing 6.
How did they break down?
Iran dribbled around Kiwis on 5 occasions - outstanding!
He won 1 strength duel.
He won 1 heading duel.
Losses
Iran lost 2 tackling duels.
He lost 2 heading duels.
He was dribbled around on 1 occasion.
He was outmuscled on 1 occasion.
Other stats
Iran made 1 superb first touch.
He made 1 block.
He scored 1 goal, beating 2 Kiwis to score.
He hit the crossbar with a stunning free kick from range.
Iran played a few balls into the pen box, but I have no idea how many?
The fact he had a plus 1 ledger for 1v1s in such an advanced position, in one of his first few Roo games, was very good and augurs well for the future!
Beating players on 5 occasions, including 2 for the goal he scored, shows he is a real handful for defences. I think Payne was his direct opponent too, who is a decent RB.
My general thoughts were with Iran's lower centre of gravity, first touch and tight ball control, plus his nimbleness, facing the Kiwis with the ball at his feet, or even with his back to them whilst shielding the ball, they found him difficult to defend against.
I thought he passed and moved well in tight spaces too.
Iran also had a good understanding with Toure.
Unlike some players it is easy for most to see Irankunda's overt outstanding shooting from range, and when he beat 2 Kiwis and scored that superb goal in Auckland.
I thought he was a bit weak defensively from watching live - closing down space causing Turnovers, jockeying, tackling, heading, shielding, etc, from watching live. When I revisited, Iran was better defensively than I thought - by some margin!
In the cameo on the pitch against the Kiwis in Canberra he had a 1v1 ledger of plus 3. This is excellent playing at left wing!
He won 1 Tackle and dribbled around Kiwis on 2 occasions. 1 unique 1v1 strength duel had no victor.
In Auckland Iran had a 1v1 ledger of Plus 1 .
He contested 13 unique, 1v1 duels, winning 7 and losing 6.
How did they break down?
Iran dribbled around Kiwis on 5 occasions - outstanding!
He won 1 strength duel.
He won 1 heading duel.
Losses
Iran lost 2 tackling duels.
He lost 2 heading duels.
He was dribbled around on 1 occasion.
He was outmuscled on 1 occasion.
Other stats
Iran made 1 superb first touch.
He made 1 block.
He scored 1 goal, beating 2 Kiwis to score.
He hit the crossbar with a stunning free kick from range.
Iran played a few balls into the pen box, but I have no idea how many?
The fact he had a plus 1 ledger for 1v1s in such an advanced position, in one of his first few Roo games, was very good and augurs well for the future!
Beating players on 5 occasions, including 2 for the goal he scored, shows he is a real handful for defences. I think Payne was his direct opponent too, who is a decent RB.
My general thoughts were with Iran's lower centre of gravity, first touch and tight ball control, plus his nimbleness, facing the Kiwis with the ball at his feet, or even with his back to them whilst shielding the ball, they found him difficult to defend against.
I thought he passed and moved well in tight spaces too.
Iran also had a good understanding with Toure.
patjennings
Vice Captain
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I think a lot of credit needs to go to Veart and senior Adelaide players like Goodwin and Mauk who made it clear to him that you can't be a one trick pony.
When he play CCM directly against Farrell or forgot about that and often ended up fouling Farrell and generally getting outplayed by him. After that experience in the 2022/2023 season. The senior players and Veart impressed on him that sometimes you can't do it all on your own and need to work with your team. They ended up playing each other 6 times with Irankunda have 0 goals and 0 assists. Farrell scored once in the same period. CCM won 5 of the 6 games. The only win for ADL and Irankunda was in the first round of 2023/2024 as CCM started with 4 losses.
In spite of that Irankunda improved his team play going from 0 assists to 2 assists and finally 6 assists in his final season with Adelaide to go along with his 8 goals.
- Thread Author
- #272
Toure
Like Irankunda, I now have all Toure's stats for both Ashes games.
In the cameo against Kiwis in Canberra
Ledger of neutral or Zero for 1v1s.
He contested 6 unique 1v1 duels.
He won 2.
Lost 2
2 had no outcome.
Break down
Wins
He won 1 strength duel.
He dribbled around a Kiwi on 1 occasion.
Losses
Toure lost 1 tackle
He was dribbled around on 1 occasion.
Neutral
There was no outcome in 2 strength duels.
Haven't got Boyle's yet for the first 73 mins, but I'm pretty sure they are much worse, because the Hibernian star is usually steamrolled in headers, tackles and strength duels.
This coincided with Aus getting on top at the circa 70 min mark. Toure was a real physical presence.
Auckland
Toure had 12 unique 1v1 duels that had outcomes.
He had a ledger of Plus 2, winning 7 and losing 5.
This is very good for a central striker. They usually have the best opposition ball winners as direct opponents, sometimes 2 at once. Also, they have little time and space - most of the time.
Break down
Wins
Toure dribbled around a Kiwi on 4 occasions.
He won 2 heading duels.
He won 1 strength duel.
Losses
Toure lost 3 heading duels.
He was dribbled around on 1 occasion.
He was beaten for speed on 1 occasion.
Neutral
2 strength duels had no outcome.
This is at least equal to Borrello, Yengi and Duke.
What is better, is that unlike Duke and Yengi, he can first touch a ball dead at his feet, whilst being pushed by a defender. This enables him to hold the ball up and shield it while teammates quyickly open passing lanes to progress the build up forwards.
Maybe Borrello can do it too? However, he is a bit smaller than Toure in height and defenders seem to push him out of position more than Toure.
Toure also beats players dribbling 1v1. Yengi can do it in wider spaces like a winger, but he doesn't have the requisite close ball control to dribble past opponents when tightly marked.
Plus the 2 goals Toure scored against the Kiwis, he still had work to do when he received. He outmuscled, outpaced, or/and dribbled past defenders to score. When he scored the marginally offside disallowed goal, Miller put it on a plate for him.
Toure's finishing looks good, with likely improvement to come. ATM he doesn't seem to be able to find vacant space, away from defenders like Cahill used to do in the pen box, but he is a target like Kennedy. Unless the Kiwi CBs are bit lower calibre than most of their teammates and made Toure look better than he is?
Also, Toure against Kiwis in Auckland did:
Made 2 superb first touches.
Made 1 poor first touch.
Had 1 unique 15 metre ball carry.
Like Irankunda, I now have all Toure's stats for both Ashes games.
In the cameo against Kiwis in Canberra
Ledger of neutral or Zero for 1v1s.
He contested 6 unique 1v1 duels.
He won 2.
Lost 2
2 had no outcome.
Break down
Wins
He won 1 strength duel.
He dribbled around a Kiwi on 1 occasion.
Losses
Toure lost 1 tackle
He was dribbled around on 1 occasion.
Neutral
There was no outcome in 2 strength duels.
Haven't got Boyle's yet for the first 73 mins, but I'm pretty sure they are much worse, because the Hibernian star is usually steamrolled in headers, tackles and strength duels.
This coincided with Aus getting on top at the circa 70 min mark. Toure was a real physical presence.
Auckland
Toure had 12 unique 1v1 duels that had outcomes.
He had a ledger of Plus 2, winning 7 and losing 5.
This is very good for a central striker. They usually have the best opposition ball winners as direct opponents, sometimes 2 at once. Also, they have little time and space - most of the time.
Break down
Wins
Toure dribbled around a Kiwi on 4 occasions.
He won 2 heading duels.
He won 1 strength duel.
Losses
Toure lost 3 heading duels.
He was dribbled around on 1 occasion.
He was beaten for speed on 1 occasion.
Neutral
2 strength duels had no outcome.
This is at least equal to Borrello, Yengi and Duke.
What is better, is that unlike Duke and Yengi, he can first touch a ball dead at his feet, whilst being pushed by a defender. This enables him to hold the ball up and shield it while teammates quyickly open passing lanes to progress the build up forwards.
Maybe Borrello can do it too? However, he is a bit smaller than Toure in height and defenders seem to push him out of position more than Toure.
Toure also beats players dribbling 1v1. Yengi can do it in wider spaces like a winger, but he doesn't have the requisite close ball control to dribble past opponents when tightly marked.
Plus the 2 goals Toure scored against the Kiwis, he still had work to do when he received. He outmuscled, outpaced, or/and dribbled past defenders to score. When he scored the marginally offside disallowed goal, Miller put it on a plate for him.
Toure's finishing looks good, with likely improvement to come. ATM he doesn't seem to be able to find vacant space, away from defenders like Cahill used to do in the pen box, but he is a target like Kennedy. Unless the Kiwi CBs are bit lower calibre than most of their teammates and made Toure look better than he is?
Also, Toure against Kiwis in Auckland did:
Made 2 superb first touches.
Made 1 poor first touch.
Had 1 unique 15 metre ball carry.
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patjennings
Vice Captain
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TBH - judging by ALM level I have seen Duke do this more than Borello and I don't see Borello as a viable CS for the national team.
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Irankunda was a former cb and has good defensive instincts. This year for watford he looks a lot better off the ball out of possession but he still needs to improve a bit off the ball in possession. He struggles to make passing lanes or dangerous runs into the box, or even behind his player.
If he levels up that aspect of his game he will probably go up a league
- Thread Author
- #275
Fair comments, PJ.
Farrell is immensely talented, and if he can overcome injury and he stays fit, Faz has to make the Socceroos soon. That is based on what I've seen to date in the AL. For the Young Socceroos I think he was slightly injured. Farrell could also play Left CB instead of Burgess.
Farrell could also play Left Wing Back and move Bos to Right Wing Back for the Roos.
Fair play to Veart and Goodwin! Aus football thanks them for mentoring Iran.
- Thread Author
- #276
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ashtongate
Rotation Player
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Where and when did he play CB?
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Not sure, i imagine quite young. Its appeared in a few places including here
How a move 'out of nowhere' made Irankunda the player he is today: 'I was pretty upset when they told me'
Nestory Irankunda spoke about his journey from growing up as a defender, his family sacrifices and career goals.
aleagues.com.au
- Thread Author
- #280
I wonder if Iran has the engine to keep tracking back and forwards?
If he has then Iran is another Right WB option.