Part 65: Interlude: Firing on all cylinders.

Interlude: Firing on all cylinders.
January 1, 2018




These are the numbers of a good team. We've got a number of dangerous players, the best of whom comprise our starting midfield. Our attackers are pretty good at getting their shots on target, and between Holland, Simpson, and Bailey our central midfield is good at not giving away possession with poor passes. Our defense could be a bit better, Tench and Smissen are not as good this season as they were last year, and Todd hasn't made the impact he's capable of yet. But Lewis and Poole have been a solid centerback pairing for us, neither have made a mistake leading to a goal thus far.



We are a very young team, we started the season at an average of almost exactly 22 years old. Our lads are big, averaging six feet tall and almost 170 pounds.



We make the fewest mistakes in the league, important for a team that plays a very direct style. Our first touch and passing are pretty bad team-wide, though it's better when you look at our midfield.



Higgs has gotten very good, he's one of the best keepers in the league now.



He's assisted by a quick and strong defense that has pretty good technical ability, the one thing they aren't that good at is heading the ball where they want it to go.



Our midfield is above average, and has stamina to burn that makes them more effective than their counterparts in the late minutes of a game.



Our attack is nothing special when it comes to finishing, but it's blazing fast, has great anticipation, and can get on the end of a cross with no problem. It's best defeated by being kept at long range and taking advantage of their poor off the ball movement.



All of that gives us the best attack in the league. We're scoring over two goals a game, and other than Blackpool no one is close to our proficiency.



It's not just that we're the highest scoring team in the league, it's that we're scoring in every single game. It means we have a fighting chance to take points against any team.



A solid portion of our goals come from set pieces, lead by twelve goals from corners.



Another few come from indirect free kicks.



And Justin Bailey's free kick goal gives us a total of sixteen goals from set pieces, to go with our thirty-six from open play.



Our defense isn't on the same level as our offense. It's still one of the best in the league, though.



We're allowing an above average amount of goals from corners, I still haven't found a way to plug this hole.



We also allow too many goals from indirect free kicks.



Along with the indirect free kick and corner kick goals, we've given up eleven of our twenty-seven goals from set pieces. Only conceding sixteen goals from open play is pretty great, but allowing eleven set piece goals is most definitely not.



We are not a blood and guts squad, I could probably turn up our tackling some without hurting the team.



Our payroll sits almost exactly where it was last season. If we're promoted we'll almost certainly have the lowest payroll in the league.



That low payroll is required by our fairly low average attendance. It's up almost 200% from when we were in the Skrill Premier, but it's still well below the standard for this league, and is tiny compared to the Championship and Premier League average attendance.



We haven't had to sell off any key players, which puts us in better shape than many League One teams. Holding onto our young talent means that we get to watch them blossom for us, and they sure have blossomed.



It would be nice for one of our players to win a golden boot. Given how great our attack has been this year it's entirely possible that Harrison can pull it off.



No surprise here. The record for assists in League One is 18, Bailey is on pace to demolish it. Mujkic has been the difference-maker that I expected him to be, he's got six goals to go with his seven assists.



Bailey and Coulson are tied for eighth with three Man of the Match awards each. Through 24 league games those four players have won the award in 14 matches.



Mark Holland has been great as a midfield destroyer. He's seldom made a bad challenge, and he wins the ball all game long to put us back on the attack.



Mujkic is happy to run down the sideline past opponents.



Simpson is 25th in distance covered. Our game is all about uptempo play, and it's not just this stat that proves it.



We have three midfielders with great work rates. Mujkic is constantly moving at about five and a half miles per hour, or an eleven minute mile pace for the entire game.



Higgs hasn't been spectacular, but he's still tied for second in shutouts. As I've said, I might complain about our defense but it has still been pretty good.



Harrison likes to try and beat the offside's trap, and doesn't always succeed. He's our only player who has been caught offside more than ten times, and given how many breakaways he creates I'm not going to change his style of play.



As you'd expect from the player with the most assists in the league, he's high on the “key passes” leaderboard.



Stuart Lewis is tied for 16th, not tied for 10th as indicated by the screenshot. None of our defenders show up in the “Key Tackles” or “Key Interceptions,” which is probably due to my focus on keeping our form and not letting our defenders get caught out of position.



Well that's just pretty. Four of our players are in the top 25, and it's clear that our midfield is a menace on the pitch.



As for me? I'm the only “untouchable” manager in the entire world.