Footy Game vs. British Club

Our friendly game against British Club ended in defeat.

Half our squad had never played together so it was a surprise when we took the lead. Our striker was afforded plenty of space outside the box and he obliged and planted his shot into the keeper’s left hand corner.

Our lead lasted barely lasted five minutes. Their winger skinned ours on our right flank and the resulting cross was nudged past our keeper from close range. Our aerial inferior was exposed time and time again and the British won most of the balls in the air. They had us on the back foot and added a second. Their third came courtesy of our ball watching and their striker rifled the ball in. They had us on the back foot - we were sixes and seven - and could had extended their lead but for some profligate finishing.

We rolled up our socks after the break and slowly inched our way into the game, Their exhaustion was beginning to tell and the British had difficulty with our renewed energy and pace. They had chances to settle the match but could not make the telling touch. Similarly, our cause was not helped by To our wasteful set pieces and foul throws. Towards the end, our keeper misjudged an in-swinger near the half way line, and we duly finished the game with a 4:1 loss.


On reflection we deserved to lose the game, although our fighting spirit after the break was encouraging. Why did we lose?:

Half of us had played with one another for the first time and needed to gel.

Our lack of aerial prowess. As we were not a tall team (average height: 5’7” to 5’8”), we were bound to suffer in the air.

Our back four held the line too far up when defending. A small pitch demanded we dropped deeper to prevent long balls from arcing over our heads.

A lack of proper communication. Nobody bothered to shut “Man On!” to a teammate who was about to be tackled, or ask for the ball. There were too many shouted instructions which were often contradictory, and the resulting confusion exacerbated our already poor organization.

A lack of speed on the flanks to open up space. Our British opponents were more physical than they were speedy and having pacey wingers would have given us more options.

A solid defensive presence in the centre midfield was much needed to protect our back four and harass our opponents into giving the ball away.
We needed to defend deeper and together as a team.

Wasteful throw-ins and free kicks. We hadn’t a decent cross or shot from set pieces and the fact we had close to ten foul throws was testimonial to our lack of footballing basics. Back to the training ground.

A lack of aggression was prevalent in our team. Yesterday only one team got stuck in and it was not us.

Our inability to pass the ball more than three times before losing possession. In addition, if we had to play hoof ball, we should have pumped the ball to the flanks, instead of lumping it to their centre back, who was gobbling every ball five yards around him.

We needed to be physically fitter and stronger. Too many times we were pushed off the ball or failed to play at a good tempo.

Some players were playing out of position or in a position not suited to their ability and tendencies. We needed to get everyone drilled in one fixed position – or two at the most. Utility players are only a stop-gap measure and hardly win you trophies.

We should have sorted out team tactics before kick-off. Everybody should have been aware of his duties.


After the game, British Club graciously invited us to their club house for a shower, some slop and to watch the Manchester derby. Kumar, Lance and I stayed on and enjoyed the British hospitality while the rest of our squad left for home. Our hosts were really nice to offer us seats at their table and some beer and slop. We would be delighted to play them again. We will be aiming to put one over them the next time.