Phoenix 0 : West Sydney 0 and our Misfiring Attack

After another scoreless draw on Sunday it's becoming clear that in order to make an impact in the A-League this season the Phoenix will have to improve in attack.

The Phoenix were not a free scoring side prior to this season - the last in match in which they scored more than twice was back in December 2012; Fenton and Brockie (2) grabbing goals in a 3 - 2 win over the Heart (perhaps not coincidentally this was the last time the Phoenix featured in the top 6).  Since then, in the remaining 14 matches of '12/'13 we scored 13 times and this year just 6 in 7, meaning we're averaging less than a goal a game over roughly the past 12 month period.

In that same period of season '12/'13 we conceded a staggering 32 goals and this year another 9 for a goal difference of minus 22 in that 21 game period.  As discussed in my last piece, Ernie has done a pretty impressive job improving the defence but despite a change in style, this side still looks extremely goal shy.     I've looked at some of the reasons why below.

Steyn Huysegems

The big, bald Belgian was pitched as the best credentialed foreigner to play in New Zealand, but he's been largely disappointing struggling to score goals, or really do very much at all.  Huysegems has a decent touch and he's one of the few players who can receive the ball back to goal and retain possession.  But that's not allied with any sort of attacking instinct.  He's rarely able to manufacture chances, has barely mustered a shot from outside the box and has struggled consistently to get into attacking situations - this is born out by a meagre tally of just 24 attempts on goal in his 24 games.  This compares poorly when you consider Brockie has 78 in the same number of matches and it's no coincidence Brockie has scored 16 times while our Flemish friend has just 6.

While he does recycle the ball and maintain possession, he's just not been been able to bring others into play in attacking situations.  When the focal point of your attack lacks penetration it's difficult to get the side going in an attacking sense.

There's also an issue with his physicality (and this is something I think is a major issue with the side in general). While the league is improving in this sense, A-League defenders get away with a lot and in general the most successful strikers are able to cope with physical demands of the game.  Huysegems is far too easily dominated by strong defenders, he rarely wins balls in the air and he doesn't have the pace to make the most of his close control.  While he's a tidy player who could do a job in a side where he's not relied on to score goals or create chances, it's pretty clear why he's ended up plying his trade in NZ - another classic, underwhelming, Ricki Herbert signing.

Lack of a Physical Presence and Option Taking

One of the most underrated parts of Paul Ifill's game is his strength.  At the top of his game Ifill really was the complete package, he'd beat a man one on one because he was quicker, trickier but also stronger.  You can still see it in his game today - even though his pace is largely gone he still beats defenders by holding them off and when he's going past you players bounce off him.  Allied with Chris Greenacre the Phoenix attack was always tough to play against.  Right now the Phoenix attack looks lightweight and in a league where defenders tend to be big and physical, and where our passing game looks imprecise, that's a major problem. These two charts from the weekend demonstrate some of the problems:

This is a chart of our long passes from the weekend - we completed just 12 out of 44 long passes.  We struggle to retain possession in physical situations.

Here's a chart of our crosses - if you exclude the blue lines which were all from corners - we didn't complete a single cross.  The striking thing is that the crosses are coming from deep positions close to the by - line, i.e. excellent positions, where we should be able to create shooting chances through cut backs.

Part of the problem seems to be that we're not dominant inside the box without Ifill's physicality (although he nearly won the game in the last minute with a great near post run) and Huysegems lack of predatory instinct.   Partly too it's down to poor option taking from the wide player.  Fenton especially, got into some promising positions but didn't take the right options on several occasions.

3 Man Midfield

Another chance goes begging

In the majority of matches this year Merrick has lined up with three predominantly defensive players in central midfield (3 out of Riera, Muscat, Hicks and Lia) and just 3 nominally attacking players (3 of Huysegems, Brockie, Hernandez, Cunningham and Ifill).  This has a knock on affect in an attacking sense as it means more often than not the 3 Phoenix attackers are outnumbered.  This puts pressure on the attacking players to go wide in search of space but leaves too few number inside the box when no-one is breaking from midfield - perhaps another part of the reason for the poor crossing chart above.

When those midfield three do join in the attack their finishing is inevitably not up to scratch - both Hicks and Lia have missed excellent chances this year and can't be relied upon for goals.  Another issue is that none of the midfield players is capable of shooting accurately from distance.  This means opposition defences can sit deep (as they don't need to push up to close down our midfield), crowd the box with defenders and make it more difficult to find space to get shots away.

The best solution within the current set-up will be to get Fenton and Caira more involved in the attack.  The switch to right back seemed harsh on a young player just starting his professional career, but Sunday was the first time it looked like Fenton could make a real go of the position.  If he is involved in the attack that gives us an outlet - but he needs to improve his option taking to turn those opportunities into goals.  Before his week off, Caira had his best attacking game against Sydney and he seems to be finding his feet in the position.

Merrick continues to receive the benefit of the doubt from fans and media but there's no doubt that he needs a win to kick start the season.  Because the longer you play well without winning, questions will be asked as to whether you are in fact playing well.