If I had a clone (one is enough tbf), I’d feed him cheeseburgers and liquorice all sorts to write follow up to my long reads.
Like, this is a player profile. How does he perform the next time he’s called upon.
Ishe Samuels-Smith was covered here :
and he now gets his senior debut for Swansea City after the fake transfer to Strasbourg.
Let’s pretend it didn’t happen, and let’s focus on the players themselves who are the (pieces of flesh) pawns in that sick strategy game. They deserve the focus, not jumped up scouts turned influencers turned executives who can’t even know who’s eligible to play on matchday.
Nevermind, Carlos Vanarama woulndn’t make the matchday squad anyway. “Needs to do things better” said Maresca. Something Sunderland agree with, after cancelling the loan after 3 weeks. Something that took me two minutes to spot.
Hearing on the grapevine he looked out of his depth in training. Sour grapes maybe.
This season’s version of “there’s Misha” - the double entendre sounding more and more like tinnitus. Another raffle winner from the BlueCo lottery. A polar bear in Dubaï
On the menu :
Ishe Samuels-Smith’s senior debut for Strasbourg
José Bosingwa : the relentless ground defender
Jey Mappl Ishe Samuels-Smith
Bomb Squad, Peter and Anatole
If you don’t go forward, therefore you go…
Somewhere between Risk!, Sims, chess, Stranger Things and Notacluedo
And the kind of technical feedback you won’t find anywhere else.
In other semi-related news, relative to fullbacks and whatnot
Winger I turned into fullback in 2019-21 : Ligue 2 player, moving to Lorient (Ligue 1) sold for 1 million in 2024
Winger I turned into fullback in 2019-21 : Ligue 2 player, moving to Lecce (Serie A) sold for 1.5m in 2025
Winger I also used sporadically as wingback in 2019-21 : Ligue 2 player, watch this space
This one isn’t a sequel, it’s an expanded tailored, ISS-shaped “cookie cutter” or lens through which to watch his performance. I won’t mention each bit from the initial piece. How many plays was he involved in, that fit into what he does.
And food for thoughts to continue reinforcing “how we see is as important as what we see”.
What are the relevant takeaways from U21 footy that can scale up to senior football
Ethan Galbraith is excellent, Idah moves well across the front. I liked Malick Yalcouyé who had a few good ideas.
In the other team, Omari Hutchinson but also a (lippy) winger I coached against
The full game is on YouTube ; I’ve left the timecodes on most of the sequences to not overload with embeds.
Here’s a player comp
Ishe Samuels-Smith’s senior debut
Step in to intercept
That’s a regular ISS play,
There’s something “low sock-y” about his game.
Scouting is also “vibes”. Low socks mean :
I’m not wearing socks like a footballer because I ain’t one
I’m not wearing shinpads cause I play a ton of pickup football
I’m not afraid to play like that at professional level
When I think about it, I’ve rarely seen an average player wearing low socks.
They’re either really bad or really good.
Most of the plays ISS is involved in, especially from a technical standpoint makes you question whether he plays loose, or gets it done.
Dominates the ball after rebound, good core strength to make it land towards a team mate.
Usually, you expect fullbacks to put the ball on the floor then pass it.
That’s the idiosyncracy I like in his game. Optics vs output.
And he’s got a solid academy background.
GK kicks long, look at ISS’s change of direction. Strong left leg to push and cut
Fosho, it’s 1 minute in. But he’s already sprinted back to fill the empty space for the second ball.
Fullback’s height to receive
One of the key traits for fullbacks is to find the highest positioning they can, and / or double movement.
Check out to check in (short) and receive
Or sit deep and change pace to come in support when the winger is reached
Or this one : the open touch to create a yard after receiving at an angle, and sucking the winger into thinking he could cut off the pass
Lefty using his right to carry to keep in his stride
Quick glance at Eom, the pass is definitely a bit shanked, but Eom’s movement is unconclusive between “I’ll stay in the pocket” (to let the opponents run by) or I’ll change pace to attack the middle of the pocket
Lucky bounces
This is one of the things ISS has insolent success with. Flukes bouncing his way all the time
Sprint, then decelerate before the first touch. (and not once the player gets a touch)
Applicable strength : stay dynamic, low.
But unlike say a weight lifter who has to create a solid foundation and not move ; if you can go low whilst still able to move one leg to react to rebounds etc… that’s the trick that helps players get what’s called “lucky bounce” or “fukes” who the more you look, don’t have much to do with fortune. Your strength allows you to maintain your balance on one leg for a bit longer
Same a moment later, that right leg trailing means he’s again getting the fluke
Closing down
Sprinting to squeeze in / during the pass
Deceleration / before the first touch
Defensive footwork / set on the first touch
This is the correct matchup timing to intervene 1v1
Then Willy Boly, like Disasi or these French trained CBs with limited academy background (and formatting) will get on the ball where the space is.
Here, double movement to jump into the space not screened by Eom
Cute pass by Bakwa, who can be electric on his day (more on that later) with a nice reverse pass (and deceiving cues : support foot, shoulder all pointing at a square pass)
Defensive pressure from behind
This is a difficult situation : as you want to squeeze in on the winger who should be able to be deceiving enough to
Dummy (between his legs)
Take a first touch inside
Flick first time round the corner
All require different approaches. And moreover deceleration to not clamp the winger and get a yellow card after 8 minutes.
The margins are tight, that’s why players need a library of similar but not identical situations in training to find the right positioning.
ISS’s support leg (left) is a bit far and he tries to reach.
Next time he’s got a situation like that, he’ll have to find a way to sprint for a bit more, and decelerate in a smaller space.
Top level isn’t about speed, it’s about deceleration.
Just like Formula One, everyone can drive fast. But who’ll hit the brakes the latest will gain an edge
This is one of the most spectacular overtakes in F1 history more for it’s significance than it’s technical execution, as Hamilton won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix 2021 from 20th place (due to changes on the car) and famously overtook Verstappen
Using the wonderful Tracing Insights
Hamilton (blue) carrying more speed than Verstappen just before 400 yards
The variety of overtakes are made possible when one driver brakes later than the other.
José Bosingwa -rra player
That’s probably the difference between being able to block the pass and marking tight-ish but leaving a gap when the winger can turn
José Bosingwa was good at these from both sides of the pitch - close down tight yet get away with these blocks
Trip down memory lane, an explosive Chelsea v Manchester United in September 2008 a few months after the Champions League final lost in Moskow.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Premier League and Champions League winners vs Luis Felipe Scolari’s team (in 2025 ; both teams will finish 15th).
Always good to remember that as the world was forcefed the invention of Busquets (July 1988) as “regista” ; it was also John Obi Mikel (April 1987) (who was used as a role player until then) who took the spotlight in the same (more demanding) role in September 2008 due to the end to end nature of the PL.
Bosingwa was signed from FC Porto in the right back position.
These are Chelsea FC signings. 20 million, agent led, recommended by top level scouts, business done in silence ; hardly the face of the franchise but eventually winning the Premier League and the Champions League.
4 League titles with Porto, an Champions League winner in 2004
For being a darn good player, excellent at what he does.
Bosingwa took the spotlight for some outragous top bins finishes with both feet from the corner of the boxes. His Chelsea career was also hampered by two knee injuries.
But he was moreover an excellent ground defender, at the rare intersection between being a “straight line runner” and someone able to move laterally.
Usually you get one or the other.
Caicedo is good at changing direction laterally (from a strength and movement standpoint - just spends his time ball watching and ends wrong side), Makélélé was as well. Muscular bow-legged stance, powerful quads.
They weren’t straight line runners like say prime Ashley Cole who could cut a straight line on toes and end up in the box.
Malo Gusto is extremely quick and dyamic to change direction, start and stop over 5 yards. Very impresive. Much less defensively where he pulls out of challenges and can’t win a header (and the technical inconsistencies, between outrageous touch and casual touches out of bounds). And bad finishing. And decision making on fastbreaks.
I’d say Ishe Samuels-Smith is a straight line runner, with room to become someone who can cover a defensive circular area around him. Can sometimes be beaten when the winger cuts inside.
But his strength and ability to win flukes and not get nutmegged reminds me by flashes of José Bosingwa.
Both Bosingwa and Ishe Samuels-Smith have the same gangly, low sock, false-negative energy that gives the ick to the wannabe scout. But they’re both the real deal
Bosingwa changing direction
Defending is about matching up. Space doesn’t produce actions, players do.
If you can cover ground fast, and change direction, you’re worth the money.
If you’re only fast but can’t change direction, you’re Marc Cucurella and Jorrel Hato. The market also exists so that dumbass clubs end up signing them for their whole TV money.
Bosingwa out of the picture marking Park about do make a diagonal run.
United’s attacking play was functional and effective. 442, wingers going from touchline to far post. Feed wingers early, put crosses in, score goals
Change of direction to keep eyes on the ball but protecting the direct route to goal (still staying across Park’s potential run) - left foot lands, right foot opens the gate
Another chang of direction (see the left foot)
Ricardo Carvalho, the iconic defender who could read the game like he reads the newspapers. Mourinho hinted a couple of times that he was his favourite slacker in training. Signed him for Chelsea from his Porto, then Real Madrid. And yes he had his back/injury issues. Remember when Chelsea fans were siding with their own?
Nowadays we get plasticos blaming Wesley Fofana for a leg breaker and a concussion.
Bosingwa staying tight
GK footed play.
Can your keeper ping a weak foot low driven long ball on his wingers’ feet.
September 2008.
The goalposts don’t move.
There’s just more charlatans selling magic beans
Deceleration :
Change of direction to try to get the left leg in front
Which Park anticipates ; he’s “pressure resistant”
Bosingwa changes direction from the very next step. Lands the right and pushes
The next step is also a change of direction
See how his shoulders (and centre of gravity) always project between his feet)
Bosingwa staying tight despite Park’s drop of the shoulder (only idiots think he was a PR stunt to sell jerseys, he was a brilliant big game footballer - and scored 10 minutes later). The balancing act to the attack, who could press, retain and link up.
Within touching distance to clip Park’s shoulder
Which he does
Park defends again, by stepping his left leg in front
Then retaining possession (good) after losing 20 yards of ground due to Bosingwa’s relentless pressure, tight without making a silly foul.
The day Patrice Evra fell out with a gardener, or was it the year before? When he did his interval running (common practice) after 90’.
One of the typical Bosingwa stepping in interceptions, always coming “out of nowhere” with his white boots. I loved these on FIFA 10
Give-and-Bo(singwa)
Reception with the sole (#baller)
See how the left leg / support spins to change direction
Left leg skip, to land behind the ball, and keep shoulders over the ball
Nod forward to go through the ball now the left leg is removed behind
Pump fake start, stops as Lampard might be tempted to find someone more interesting in the pocket
Lampard sees Joe Cole, Bosingwa starts the half circle decoy run to give to informations to 1. Park, 2. Evra
Joe Cole can cut inside. That ended up with a Lampard deflected shot on target
Bring back fullbacks doing decoy runs to create space for top attackers.
Inverting the pyramid. Yes. Drinking bleach over Ribena Blackcurrant.
Back to our beans (French say, “revenons à nos haricots”) -
exit Chelsea United, back to Swansea v Forest in the Carrabobbins Cup
Also see Bakwa’s little hop to avoid getting his leg kicked.
Winger’s situational intelligence : risk benefit of being fouled (in a nothing area) vs being kicked.
mood :
Recovery pace and blocking crosses
Ishe Samuels Smith is athletic, and looked like a senior player in the U21s.
I’d consider him a relative false negative for the debutant scout, until you pick out what matters. Covering ground, blocking crosses
José Bosingwa is Barclays lore for his top corner goals, and his no-nonsense opinion on Yossi Benayoun’s time wasting antics. But also a fine defender as we saw.
Blocking crosses is an underrated skill. Ashley Cole (or Cambiasso) were expert at this.
Some will say wingers are more tricky, I don’t really agree. We’ve got a lot of brainless pace merchants nowadays, but people don’t remember Luis Figo who could put an elephant on his arse with his shoulder drops. Yet probably wouldn’t win a foot race with one.
Out ball down the line
Fullbacks need to have a range of solutions to connect in front of them, with 50% options being blocked out.
They’re at the bottom of an ice cream cone.
Clip, bend around the corner, shoulder drops.
But the craft also starts with the footwork preparatory to play the pass (punch it, more)
Delay the first touch to let the defender guessing
So he doesn’t know when he needs to start decelerating
Look at Ishe’s support foot ; right
That side hop creates the “drawer” being pulled to create more space
Fluke goal at the far post
“Another average goal, then another average goal, then a fluke goal”
The difference probably between U21 and Senior football is that every attacker is dynamic and changes direction several times
The Forest winger can cut inside and shoot, whch is deflected twice by an outfielder and then the goalkeeper
Yes, ISS could probably “have done more” to get back goalside but that’s still a flukey finish
Applying pressure from behind
Closing down angle : making sure the player stands on the imaginary line between the ball and the goal
Decelerate before the forward gets his first touch
Ready to change direction
It’s key to make contact with the winger, try to nudge him to have access to the ball
First attempt at nicking the ball is unsuccessful
So ISS hops on the right leg to reach closer, then goes to ground and nicks the ball.
Difference between an average fullback, who after the first unsuccessful attempt, would work his feet without “hopping” and would inevitably clip the wingers’ legs
#8 doesn’t press goal side ; which means the ball isn’t covered
Ishe blocks and sprints in the othr direction : open the gate, right foot pointing where he wants to go
That’s a pleasing intervention, anytime a fullback let alone a first team debutant avoids getting split by a simple pass
One if you can, two if you must
Being a good footballer is at the cornerstone of perception / action, agility and decision making to maintain
There’s a wild scope that ranges from “booting the ball” and do everything one touch for a purpose. Leaning toward the latter creates space and time for the receiver that you don’t burn.
Like a payphone ; the time you’ll waste is the one you’ll wish you had when you start hearing the beeps.
Lands on a team mate, and there’s a promising situatuon to play :
Fullback out of position, CB covers and CB far side doesn’t slide across.
Where’s the space
Navigate into space
Recovery, then carry to draw defenders
To flatten the defensive cover
Dump and go away. Some gamemanship to tap Bakwa’s arm who tried to pull his shirt / wrist
Long ball in the channel for Adam Idah
Cutback and cross.
What’s interesting is how Ishe reads the second ball drop point
First ball is cleared, and whilst it’s in the air, Ishe moves into the open space.
Defender will head into the space he sees available.
Winning second balls is about ariving into that open space (between 3-4 opponents)
There’s one word Ishe Samuels Smith wouldn’t have to learn in France, is the thing you use to change gear on a bike. Our dérailleur is a derailleur in English, chopping the accent
That’s what Ishe is ; he will lock up on the winger’s pace, and derail him to take over
The follow up of the play sees Swansea turning it over in the box
If you lose high, then you need to press / foul
The opposition will kick long, therefore you need a backline who can jump and win headers.
Why do you think Pep played Eric Abidal (a LB / CB) by trade at Barcelona? (and Piqué Ferguson played at 19 and Puyol)
Hub inside the pitch
Fullbacks are facilitators, they feed attackers, and create decoy runs.
It’s really unhinged we are entertaining a sect of imitators who want a seat on the presidential stand by making sure their worst outfielders get the ball more than their best attackers.
Nobody gets credit but Lukaku when he scores, but when Cucurella does it’s so idosycratic that the focus is drawn to the genius in the dugout.
Say no to tacticos.
That’s a complementary stray bullet, but you are on the pitch because you score or stop goals. And if you create goals you finish off the striker. Like Gareth Bale ; winless in 30 games for Spurs when he joined, and who finished off the striker with Villas Boas to land a 100 million transfer to Madrid.
Worst outfielder doesn’t mean “can’t kick ball” , but in direct comparison to more skillful attackers upfront.
Squeezing inside the pitch to make sure the team stays compact.
One touch pass wide, around the corner, on the winger’s back foot
Minutes later, attacking the space wth in then out movement
Spin, change of direction
To create a decoy run that was key in Tuchel’s wide rotations
To drag markers out of position
The EFL special :
backline spams every ball first time back into the defensive line’s gaps
Ishe volleying a curve ball
Back on the defensive line
Second attempt
Defensive pressure from behind to keep Dilane Bakwa playing, well, towards his own goal
Check the shoulder
One touch where inexperienced defenders would take two touches, get clattered and the ref caught in two minds before calling a foul in front of the dufout.
Changing the picture
Perception action : the winger is pressing for the sake of it, doesn’t have the right closing down angle and doesn’t look like decelerating.
Take a touch on his heels
And trigger the rotation with the CM
Closing down angle
Fullbacks ball watching then getting level, then catching the winger. Many such cases!
ISS delaying to the moment the pass is played
So his curvilinear run brings him in front of the winger (ball - goal)
Double team is set, the ball will be forced back
Around the corner
EFL football also relies on these speculative channel balls, which is the foolproof option to “generate something”
Bend it around the corner
Defender has to handle the bounce, and it creates a second ball
Another 1v1
The one 1v1 he didn’t quite deal with in the best way.
Why?
Closing down angle is giving a bit too much space on the outside
Basically, stand one leg removed from the ball-goal line (so you can intervene)
He’s two steps away
Defensive posture is okay
Not sure why he goes with the right leg here
Second opportunity to something :
trying to clip the shoulder, (Bakwa would have a chip on the shoulder? He left it on the Gandonnières pitch picking up a L in December 2019 as far as I know)
Ideally ISS gets his arms in front, rubs to prepare getting his leg in front and then draw the foul for himself
Eventually falls because didn’t find room to land his right leg, with Bakwa landing his left to spread into the space around him
Hazard was doing that all the time and defenders just bounced on him
Invert into midfield
A reception, albeit the balance is a little off (shoulders behind the ball)
That triangulation of players is what it is, oten leads to turnovers anyway
But good recovery pace to win the tackle
The old school trait Ishe has, an academy left back who likes a tackle
When the opposition is matching up ; you need outlets upfront.
Drogba if you know how to build a squad
Sterling if you can’t (but the goalie will still kick long if under pressure)
Big Ishe winning the flick on
Forethought
Another example of ISS sorting out his closing down angle and footwork
To clearly invite the pass wide
Sprint when the pass is hit
Deceleration
McAtee with double movement in the pocket, the timing is right :
Two CBs defend the 6yd box, Ishe and Eom do the double team.
McAtee is clever, he’s fast and dynamic. If he was close to them, Swansea would have to give Ishe the runner whilst Eom would track the guy cutting inside
Ishe can’t realistically follow that runner, it’s Galbraith’s role as a CM to pick him in the channel
Going back again, Ishe gets on toes
And forces Dilane Bakwa to play, well, in the direction to his own goal.
The one bit of gamemanship : ISS could nudge Bakwa, which is annoying and disrupt the winger making double movement to dart in behind sometimes
Another good closing down angle (ball and goal)
Forcing Dilane Bakwa to play the ball not forward
Ball comes back again, this time Bakwa cuts inside ;
at which point Castro (?) has to put pressure (square carry means jumping the carrier to counter attack)
One of Postecoglou’s rotations, Savona (37) slipped wide (Savon = soap) to receive the flick from McAtee
A slick goal, Ishe couldn’t do much more
Early cross
Galbraith connecting with Ishe around the corner, with an advanced positioning that won’t be intercepted but still bold enough
For an early cross to find an attacker in the pockets
Pressure from behind
Fullbacks have a credit of one or two fouls per game, and it was a pleasing sight that Ishe didn’t clamp the winger in situations that didn’t require him to
Possibly has a touch on the ball, because he landed his support leg close enough so that his tackling leg is within distance
So good to press the winger, that the pass ends up out of bounds
Double movement
The problem when mainstream talks about a player saying “he’s an athlete” is that their idea is more Ashton Hall ; the muscle mass who can’t play the sport (nor gain a yard in American Football, the internet inspectors found out)
Technically, they’re all “athletes”.
And you can’t play at top level without being able to repeat high intensity sprints and change direction
Attack the space in front (Bakwa didn’t track back)
Drop to stretch the distances again
Layoff
Then ready to underlap again
To stretch the distances again
Fullback are key to creare decoys in possession, they’re not meant to be maximised to receive in prime locations for a PR stunt
Ishe finished with cramps. Which well, would normally intrigue unless you’ve got a bit of context.
Jay Mappl Ishe Samuels-Smith
From the same chancers who
Forgot Essugood played for two clubs already, and couldn’t join in January
Forgot Bakwa couldn’t move to Strasbourg to Chelsea to Frankfurt, unless they want their (overdue) transfer ban for a “bridge transfer”
Forgot Guiu could play two competitions in the League Cup (he’s not good enough to make the matchday squad anyway)
This is Ishe’s timeline since April. That’s Netflix documentary shit.
Taking the mick?
Sometimes a picture paints a thousand words (or AI generated pixels)
The reason Ishe was called back in a hurry.
Some say Chelsea cancelled the transfer, other that they bought him back, others that he failed to adapt. We’re stupid and they aren’t.
BlueCo are a live experiment for the Peter Principle : people keep getting promoted to their level of incompetence, up to the point where they jam the system
Ishe Samuels Smith is either ready and perfect for Racing, or your player evaluation is out of touch (we didn’t need a full season to figure out Shim Mheuka isn’t an auxiliary left back, but I can think of someone who didn’t come close to figuring it out).
💫 🔁 Shim Mheuka vs København
“I feel sorry for Tyrique George and Mheuka, the young lads coming in, they didn’t get fed the ball because the system behind them wasn’t right.
Bomb Squad, Peter and Anatole
Strasbourg didn’t have room for Ben Chilwell - who probably told BlueCo in no uncertain terms : find a solution, or find the PFA and lawyers at your doorstep.
Like Anatole Ngamukol did - bottom picture, guess who’s on the top left.
Anatole Ngamukol played 9 games with Axel Disasi.
Some reading :
FIFPRO echoing French player union UNFP filing criminal charges (January 2024)
Ngamukol went for it and dragged his employer to court. And won.
I asked Copilot to summarise
Disasi was signed twice by the same Sporting Director, from Reims to Monaco, then Monaco to Chelsea. Then sent in the same bomb squad. Netflix documentary shit.
“Don’t give in to despair” posted Axel Disasi.
There’s this evergreen quote that the value of a society is set by the way they treat people they don’t want. Maresca can speak about standards, with an openly racist vice captain and a bomb squad. He’s hardly fooling anyone, nor journalists, en masse to attend Mourinho’s presser after his.
Malacia’s attitude after being bombed out on his place of work is “outstanding”
That was Ben Chilwell last summer :
Reason why, despite not fitting Maresca’s demands in August 2024 , Ben Chilwell captained the team vs Barrow two weeks after.
Pictured here with fellow Bomb Squad soldier Josh Acheampong
Takeaway : they’re a bunch of strawmen with all bark no bite, or Chilwell improved away from Maresca. Pick one or the other
Football is going wrong when players are traded like pigs at the market.
BlueCo would have to find an urgent solution after the 5th window of a 4-window plan for anyone buying their nonsense. Not many people do, nor buy their uwanted players. “Their”. Can’t marry the bride, and sell their family’s silverware on a stall. Doesn’t count for FFP calculations.
No room to play Chilwell for Chelsea, or Strasbourg who didn’t have any spots left
Perea has been shipped out on loan, Sobol told to go somewhere (I can’t be bothered to look up where).
Barco was told to empty the family drawer and look for a genealogy tree.
Buongiorno Valentin! De Zerbi said he’d need to play with two goalkeepers to entertain Mitoma and Barco on the same side.
So BlueCo, process driven, everything is part of a bigger plan you’re just too dumb to understand - called back Ishe in a hurry exactly a month after they organised a transfer.
See. Not a Cluedo, or something like that. Or lots of clues actually.
They found a loan at Josh Tymon’s Swansea
45 starts out of 46 last season at left back.
Who openly said he’d be coming in to sit on the bench
To fall back on our feet :
A follow up on a long read I wrote about Ishe Samuels-Smith
To break down Ishe Samuels Smith’s senior debut, against a player (Dilane Bakwa) I coached against in December 2019-20.
Ishe and my side both ended up on the winning side.
How did we keep a clean sheet :
If you don’t go forward, therefore you go… ?
December 2019 : Bordeaux coming to town (sort of, there’s more cattle than habitants in the county). A game that put a few players on the map, who moved to Lorient, Marseille, FC Rouen…
Playing with a Category 4 academy, against a Ligue 1 ‘Cat 1' pro academy on a winning streak should only have ended up one way, let alone 10v11.
We won 1-0 and rattled their entire contingent (beyond belief)
A few weeks after they tapped up / signed a player due to the absence of contractual protection after the loss of academy status.
I’ve written bits on that game in these player profiles : Bamo, Moussa and Djessy
Bordeaux had two internationals, and three professionals on the pitch. One of them back from the U17 FIFA World Cup 2019 played a month prior
The two wingers were electric
We started in 532 and I had the idea to move to 432 when 10v11 because I didn’t want us to sit too deep after the red card (50th)
Also so we’d have 3 midfielders to screen the width, and shuffle across.
I’d then “micro manage” it by shuffling the positions every 5-8 minutes to keep players out of flash points. Whilst the two wingers (both left footed iirc) were also swapping sides.
Bordeaux failed to have a shot on target against a 15 year old U16 goalkeeper I played between the sticks.
And I remember one of Bordeaux’s wingers sharing unasked feedback towards the bench and myself, to which I obviously didn’t reply to (probably smirked).
Commiting the CM and teasing him to go away.
Couldn’t progress forward, had to revert to a give and go. 2 strikers, made pressing the deep CM difficult whilst keeping two outlets (and a DM / two 8s)
Moussa, at LCM, on toes ; shoulders over his feet. Whilst the left back is picking the runner (which makes him better than Marc Cucurella)
Identical situation
Double team, the left back is ready to track the runner
Bakwa’s trickery in small space was electric, and he progressively took the hump (against everyone). Moussa’s feet a bit large, to handle the change of direction
Reverting to a switch of play (and the same pressure on the other side ; finding the right wing back Dembo on his way.
Dembo three years later : full international and professional.
Centre backs to defend the front and far post, and defensive triangle swarming the other professional winger - Sié Ouattara
Arms crossed, but players fight for every first and second ball. Surprise.
In the final 20 minutes, it was about soaking up pressure
Moussa not quite on the ball-goal line, but Yazid the CB (former France U17 international, and Morroco U19) read it and cut off the pass.
I wanted to play around Swansea’s incredible 3rd kit with Gulf, and the color palette
Working around : the Gulf Stream (reason why the weather is acceptable some months in the year in Swansea, as opposed to say in Canada),
Orbiting because well I will not give up that pun 🛰️ for ISS.
Gulfstream Engineering, building these expensive jets, is also based in Swansea.
And possibly a map.
Flow state because it sounded good, but the whole title was too overkill.
And the visual was going away from my general framework of “make it look like you tried without trying”. Looks like I’m trying too hard to pretend I’m not, here.
So I scrapped it, like Strasbourg with Ishe after a month.
Such a shame we had to send him out on loan and get in Hato who really doesn't seem like a clear better option (No offense as he's still young and will probably improve). This doesn't seem like a FFP transfer as well. Anyways, hope ISS develops further and become a main stay in a UCL calibre team (Hopefully chelsea but we know how it goes)