TWFC

We chose teams this week reasonably randomly by literally drawing a line around a group of players on the booking screen. Coach Hagenius said it could work so we gave it a try.

Players

Mufti

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Ed (11', 28', 33')

Hamse98 (6')

Israel90 (2', 44')

MSGomes (29', 39')

Niyi

Sadulla (13', 14', 17', 25', 37',47')

Orange Bibs

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andyhibbert (4', 30', 38')

BILZ96

ellislewis123 (45')

Hagenius (23')

MarkA (12')

Shain (31')

Steve, who did not play and theoretically may not even have seen the match, identified four minutes before the match video was posted that the TikTok tactic is sweeping European football. This is understood to be something to do with using a four pass tactic to score goals. We have to recognise that sometimes Steve can be quite prescient. From start to finish the Mufti simply switched the ball from player to player, wing to wing. Anyone who knows our pitch will also know that very few teams can cope with the big pitch approach where players float to the left and the right of the pitch making it as big as possible then delivering the ball for pin point accuracy goals. Ed and Hamse98 are masters of this down the right and left. Israel90 has the deft foot work that gives him mastery of small spaces allowing control of the center which left Sadulla free to go where he pleased and MSGomes to pull the strings as he saw fit.

The conundrum for the Orange Bibs was how to defend against a team that used every inch of the pitch? In ten years of writing this blog I have not seen the answer at TWFC. Tonight was no different. When you watch the player on the flank the one in the middle slots the ball into the net. When you watch the player in the middle the the ball goes from one flank to the other and that player slots the ball into the net. Where to look is the great question.

Case in point:

2:40 on the match clock five opposition players all watching Ed . He takes it to his left flank, then when all of the opposition are watching him he gives the ball to Israel90 to score down the middle.

6:27 on the match clock five opposition players watching MSGomes. He has the ball on his right flank. While virtually everyone watches MSGomes, Hamse98 ghosts down his favourite left wing and is free for MSGomes to deliver the ball to him to strike first time into the goal.

11.02 on the match clock every opposition player is watching Sadulla who takes the ball to his right wing. With everyone watching Sadulla, Ed strolls down the middle of the pitch like a man going to pick up a newspaper. Sadulla passes the ball to Ed in space and he scores.

13:29 on the match clock everyone watching MSGomes, Ed jogs from his right flank position to the left flank. Everybody concentrates on where Ed is as MSGomes slots him the ball. Like an accomplished magician Ed lets the audience watch him while he flicks the ball to Sadulla in the middle who scores.

It went on an on like this flank to flank, flank to middle. The Muftis big pitch passing game was the undoing of the Orange Bibs. Where does anyone look when the pitch is made so big?

13:58 on the match clock Sadulla decides to give a lecture in big pitch theory he takes the ball from the middle of the pitch and like some kind of footballing Pied Pipper takes everyone who will follow to the corner for the lesson. Six opponents kept only half an eye on him waiting for the now standard pass. Seeing that enough players were stood off of him Sadulla simply teased everyone with the promise of a pass, then ran back into oceans of space with the ball and scored.

17:30 on the match clock Israel90 in the middle passes the ball to MSGomes on his right flank. While everyone watches MSGomes he pings the ball across pitch to Sadulla who scores from the attacking team's left hand side of the penalty area.

39:30 on the match clock I can't even explain what the Mufti did. It was like they used Ed as a decoy while Sadulla and MSGomes just went on a frolic with the ball and combined to score while Ed strolled back to the midfield to watch the goal.

Match ball awarded to Sadulla for scoring two hat-tricks.

Final score

Orange Bibs 7 - 14 Mufti

Match awarded to the Mufti.

Let's do it all again next match at Tottenham Wednesday FC