Academy Matchday #3: Recap and ones to watch

[Daleks]

<< Academy Matchday #1: Recap and ones to watch

Welcome to my second edition of Academy Matchday: Recap and ones to watch, where I recap the matches that happen every odd numbered matchday, and point out some individuals and stats you should look out for. Click the link on the upper left to go to the first edition, and the link to the third edition will be edited into this page after it gets posted. Without further ado, let us get to the first match:

PS Jakarta 3-5 Port Royal F.C.

3'       - B. Sinclair (B. Lasso)
9'       - T. Takahashi
21'     - S. Albinson (B. Blackwood V)
51'     - X. Kenderlin (S. Albinson)
66'     - D. Patterson (A. Cain)
80'     - S. Albinson (B. Johnson)
90'+1 - P. Prince (B. Cod)
93'+3 - A. Cain (Barker Dez)

Key takeaways:
Jakarta came into this match looking to finally get a win under their belt, after being so close against the current title favourites Stockholm IK. Port Royal looked to keep the momentum from their last match going. Port Royal immediatly showed their quality early, but Jakarta was mentally strong throughout the match and managed to give Port Royal's defence a real challenge today. However, Jakarta never really took control of the match, and the whole match was 'one step forward, two steps behind' for them. It must be noted that both teams had very high XG, showing perhaps some leaks in both teams defensive solidity.

Player of the match: Sam Albinson
Perhaps the match would have gone the other direction, were it not for Port Royal's Sam Albinson. The right winger has a 9.5 rating, and it is clear why. 2 goals and 1 assists, and all 6 of his shots were on target against an impressive Bus. The winger also managed to get 6 key passes and 3 clear cut chances. His crosses, however, have been very innacurate. Could improve crossing make him into a perfect placer?



A match to forget for: Jonny Foster
Jonny Foster was detrimental for Port Royal today, being the biggest reason for Jakarta's first goal with a poor clear. Alongside that, no succesful crosses and a poor tackling and aerial rate does not help their case.

Player of note: Xavius Kenderlin
Another good rating for who is the perhaps the hottest CAM in the league. His shooting percentage was poor this match. However, it is worth noting the data below.

Xavius Kenderlin is an extreme outlier in scoring abilities as a midfielder. The only other person in that section of the box is Stockholm's Tony Delvecchio.

Victoria Falls 2-1 Adowa Accra

19' - Z. Gibrahimovic (C. Pinkman)

39' - J. Okocha Jr. (pen)
81' - B. Junior-Junior (J. Okocha Jr.)

Key takeaways:
Having conceded 4 goals against Istanbul and Port Royal, Victoria Falls went into this match with some extra defensive preparations, which ultimately paid off in the end. Adowa Accra on the other hand went into this match hoping to return to their winning ways. Adowa Accra had a strong start, with usual suspect in goalscoring department Gibrahimovic scoring a wonderful first touch shot into the bottom left corner of the net. However, that was the last time they had the momentum. Victoria Falls managed to win a penalty, which has caused mild controversy.

Not everyone agreed with the call

After that heartbreaking penalty, Adowa Accra never came back into the match, with Victoria Falls finally scoring the winning goal in 81st minute by the Junior duo.

Player of the match: Bartholomew-James Junior-Junior
First off, thanks for helping me increase the word count for this article. Secondly, Bartholomew-James Junior-Junior was the game winner in the end, managing to convert a low XG goal and being a key point in the team's buildup play today.



A match to forget for: Steven Redgie
The left wingers only contribution to this match is 3 succesful tackles. Being a left winger, that is not exactly high on your priority list. The fact that I don't have much to say is a statement by itself.



Player of note: Outta Mybox
Addow Accra will be happy to not have been too embarassed today, mostly due to the work for Outta Mybox. 12 shots on target and only 2 conceded. Not the greatest passing, but impressive work, all things considered.

Stockholm IK 4-0 Istanbul F.K.

5'   - T. Delvecchio (R. Gibraltar)
13' - T. Delvecchio (N. Slakteris)

51' - N. Jørgensen (J. Jimsted)

88' - N. Jørgensen

Key takeaways:

As an Istanbul player, this hurts. We were excited to make a new tactic where we can fit everyone in. The test run was horrendous. Back to old tactic, horrendous result again. This is where a mild panic set in. Eventually, due to lack of time, I was entrusted to find something that works out of desperation. Managed to make a tactic that gives us a good chance of winning, or atleast go out swinging. Unfortunately, we managed to hit the worst possible form. Thus, hours of madness turned into ultimate dissapointment.

Stockholm and Istanbul both went into the match hoping to come out undefeated. Ultimately, Stockholm's formation and playstyle proved to be extremely difficult for Istanbul to crack. Stockholm's playstyle tends to produce a lot of low quality chances, keeping constant pressure on their opponents. The quality of the chances did not matter today as Jørgensen clinical finishing managed to succeed even in the most unlikely of places. Teams facing Stockholm in the future should take this match as a massive warning. If future opponents of Stockholm do not adapt, then an invincible season might start to look very likely. We will see how the league standings develop as more players continue their development.

Player of the match: Niklas Jørgensen

The Stockholm striker was always waiting at the end of crosses and managed to convert two such chances. He was strong in the air and put up a defensive performance that makes you forget he is a striker.

A match to forget for: Istanbul's tenacity

Being the person who put the tactic forward, even if it was our highest chance of winning, it still does not feel great if I had to single someone out after such a result. 

Second Half Istanbul is an observation that has been noted from spectators in the previous matches. Istanbul tends to start slow in the first half, only to take complete control in the second half. This match saw no sign of life, even after half time. Istanbul players did not believe in themselves today.

Player of note: Tony Delvecchio (and Tyranno Criminal)

It would be weird to talk about one and not the other in this scenario. The right side of Stockholm is brutal, their combined pace together makes for a dangerous form of attack. Their crosses are not the most accurate, but the sheer quantity of attempted crosses makes it so that it does not matter, especially with a striker such as Jørgensen up front. Stockholm has managed to make a direct type of play very successful. Both players here can take pride in their amazing output. Delvecchio in particular was lethal in front of goal today, while Criminal made some great setup plays.

Interesting match facts:

While I talked a lot about the three previously mentioned Stockholm players, Jimmy Jimsted (self proclaimed second coming of Danny DeVito) should not be underestimated. He posseses the most dangerous crossing ability in the league out of all defenders.

Atlético 2-1 Sydney City

8'       - L. Ashworth (K. Minjeong)

45'+1 - A. Ramos

59'     - M. Xavier (pen)

Key takeaways: 

With both being firmly midtable, both teams were hoping to get a win to get their title aspirations alive. Sydney City were looking in control this match, until a heartbreaking equalizer just before half time caused them to be back on even footing. Sydney City continued being the better team, until Rup's sheer charisma made Barr fall inside the penalty area. After the penalty was successfully converted, Sydney City was not able to regain control of the match and they ended the matchday emptyhanded.

Player of the match: Santiago Mitidiero

While he might not have got an assist or a goal, his lethal passing has left the opponents scrambling several times in the game. 5 key chances, a clear cut chance, a key header and some good tackles.

A match to forget for: Killua Zoldyck

What is there to say about Zoldyck this match? Nothing, and there lies the issue. He contributed very little, and his subpar passing does not help his case.

Player of note: Ryan Van Eyndhoven

It is unfortunate that the player sustained a foot injury. The Dutch boy of the south put up a good performance with his accurate passing and domination in the air. One might wonder if the last ten minutes of the match could have turned out differently for Sydney City, had they not lost of their main creators.

And that is it for today's matchday recap. I will return next week with a recap of Academy Matchday #5. In the meanwhile, I am going to a bar to drown my sorrows. See you all next week!