Jake showed brilliant combination play with others and high intensity of the press slowed the opposition down and forced them to play long, which we then capitalised from. The first goal was a great highlight of the game which was a well taken strike from Strahinja from distance. Additionally, Kyri meeting an unbelievable cross from Strahinja to win the game was a great moment. The boys worked incredibly hard to win the free kick high in the oppositions area. An unbelievable cross met with good movement from Kyri made it possible for him to centrally smash it home. Positional rotations in the build-up phase increased the options when trying to build the attack and play through the thirds. We also counter attacked at a great speed! The return of key players to our starting 11 will give us more options from the bench to freshen the side as we tired from the relentless pressing. We could also manage the game better by not dribbling or playing across dangerous areas.
Beau was this week’s player of the match for his fantastic application of skills and movement that we have been practicing in training over the past few weeks, alongside some excellent decision-making and passing, that very frequently led to goals. One of the highlights of the game was when Bloomsbury were defending a corner, and Nathan listened to instructions, stayed higher up the pitch and subsequently was in a fantastic position to receive the pass off Labren, and finished off the play with a wonderful finish. Imraan drove with precision down the wings, causing the defence trouble at all times in the game, and looking to get the ball to his teammates in good space.
All 7 players on the Bloomsbury team grabbed a goal, and the desire from the team was fantastic to see. Beau won the ball back with a firm tackle, before playing it off to Imraan who attacked the space on the right side of the pitch, threw in a couple of fake shots and body feints to confuse the defenders before delivering a wonderful ball into the box, which was calmly finished off by Elias on the volley after an intelligent run into space. We have been working on pressing in training, and the boys applied this very well, never giving the opposition time to make good decisions and closing them down immediately after receiving the ball. A fierce intensity from the whole team today! We need to keep the momentum and intensity at a high level. With a little bit of work on decision-making, we can continue to get the results the boys deserve!
The whole team deserved player of the match for this game, which was something agreed on by all players, parents, and coaches. The character and fight shown by the team against an older, more technical team was incredibly admirable! The desire of the team to work hard for each other, and to support each other led to many great moments of defensive covering, brilliant tackles, and fearless pressing. Idris, Zack and Ahmed kept the heat on the entire game, preventing many goals, and putting in a series of last-ditch challenges. Labren, Beau, Nathan and Castro also kept a very high intensity the whole way through the match, often looking to see what they could create going forward. The players never gave up the whole way through, the subs that came off were always smiling, and players didn’t let their heads drop despite conceding the occasional goal! They knew how hard they worked and deserve all the praise that can be given for the character shown today! We have been working on pressing in training recently, and the boys applied this very well in the game, with huge improvements in the energy and effort given by all involved, very well done! Next week we will need to keep the same intensity and fight, approach the upcoming games with our heads held high, and be ready to give it our all again.
Player of the match goes to Ayman for the variety of positions played and quality of finishes in the final third. Ayman’s second goal was a team goal with lots of passes which was great to see! The teamwork that Bloomsbury showed when out of possession was amazing but equally the joy every player got when we scored a goal was wonderful. A key focus of training was ball mastery which was clear to see in the game.
Charlie showed great commitment and determination to work hard for the team and scored some deserved goals.The camaraderie on show from the whole team when their teammate was on the receiving end of a poor challenge was admirable. Ball mastery that was worked on in training was on show for all to see and led to some great manipulation out of some difficult situations. In future, the team will be prepared at all times to come on as a substitute as injuries could happen at any moment.
Player of the match, Henry worked hard for the team to win possession back and linked up with his teammates well. He scored goals of a high quality too! The togetherness on show from the whole team from minute 1 to work hard for each was the key to success. The players worked on ball mastery within training and all the boys showed this to great effect. The pre-game warm up needs to be conducted to a better quality to ensure players are ready for the game ahead.
When the starting 7 was announced, the importance of everyone there was explained. It was 7 players at a time on the pitch, but we were 10 in total, so everyone has importance! The players on the bench were not there because they were less strong or skilled, but because they are game changers! Teo was one of the payers on the bench and as soon as he came on during the 6th minute of the 1st half, he used that energy to help the team to press high. His focus, movement on the pitch with and without the ball and good attitude made him earn player of the match! He even scored a hat-trick!
The cold over the week was so strong that plans were changed slightly and more on time on the ball and keeping the body moving was focused upon. We worked on finishing and pressing from the front, trying to win the ball and decide fast. That brought a lot of goals this game!
We need to work a bit on the psychological side on the team, as we tend to lower our heads when things don’t go as we want. As well understand that we didn’t have a clean sheet because at certain times we were not focused on the tasks.
Kurt was able to run the game with his ability on the ball and key passes to teammates in space. The first goal scored by Christian only moments after coming off the bench was a great moment! As well as the final goal which Kurt scored where Bastian played a brilliant assist. We pressed high up the pitch and never allowed the opposition to play out from defence easily. In future, we will be more clinical in front of the goal!
George achieved player of the match for never giving up and continuing to press the ball even in defeat. In the 2nd half we pressed much better which is something we worked on in training. By starting the game more positively and pressurising the opposition from the first minute, we can start to see improvements.
Player of the match, Amir, had his first goal which was a great finish in the bottom corner. Bloomsbury will be focusing on staying resilient and to not stop playing our football despite how many times we may get pegged back! Keep your heads up boys!
Regardless of the score line and circumstances presented, Yili never gave up and did everything that was asked with aplomb. It was also extremely pleasant to see a smile never leave his face throughout the game. Sammy scoring our only goal, in what was a good performance in various positions from him, was great to see. We worked hard on shape work within training; however the players need to work on applying it to the game. The team will be working on transferring training development into the game as well as arriving on time!
Despite the tough loss, Rabah never stopped trying to push his team forward! He showed a great deal of resilience in a challenging match. After a strong start, we conceded to the opposition’s first shot on goal, and struggled to get back in the game. It wasn’t our strongest week, which clearly had an impact on our match. Reinforcing belief and resilience is key. Going behind in a game of football is inevitable, but we must never give up and never stop playing the style of football we believe in, along with holding our values to the highest standard!
Player of the match is awarded to Jet as she never gave up and never complained. She also encouraged players from the bench even though she had just had an elbow to the face! Exemplary attitude and in keeping of our Bloomsbury values! Like the previous game, we had many players go in goal and do excellently despite the result. It was a very physical game and although we matched them in this respect we found it difficult to stop their fast-attacking play. We had a few great spells in the second half but struggled to get into the game and play through the thirds and build the attack.
A tough game but it was amazing to see everyone’s pure grit and determination to carry on despite the score line and the physical battle we put in against a team that was on average, taller and stronger than us! Communication was a lot better as we have been working on this, but we need to keep talking and being positive even when we are losing. We also need to make sure we are following our players and opening up to see who might be making a run on the other side as they scored a few by switching the play.
Annabel was our player of the match because although we were against a tough side she always tracked back to help the team and is starting to feel comfortable in that midfield position. It was a very tight game in the first half, but we came out strong in the second half and Tara scored a great goal from the left side! We defended well in our defensive third and Esther mad some crucial tackles! A lapse in concentration at a corner meant we conceded. However, we did not let this get us down and O’miya came off the bench to score a great counter attacking goal before doing her shift in goal! Kitty scored from the right in the last second of the game to make it 3-1 at full time.
The impressive goalkeeping from everyone that went in goal was amazing to see, and some of those saves really kept us in the game. We have been working on defending the thirds and we were relatively good at this and put good pressure on but could do with some more work!
Emma has previously been very shy to shoot both in training and in matches, however during the match, she was dribbling in and out of players and taking many shots, as well as scoring the first goal of the match, earned excellently as a solo goal! When Emma scored, the girls ran up to her and celebrated as such a unified team! This week, we were faced with very cold weather! Our main focus was keeping warm but basing the practices around shooting. We got the girls shooting off the ground, and that is exactly what was shown in the game with our attempts on goal! We need to continue building our confidence when shooting. We are making such progress, and having more and more opportunities in every game we play, and it’s only going to get better with more practice!
Saul was the most consistent player throughout the whole match. He did really well defensively and offensively. He was really calm with the ball and with a clear head, made the right decisions. He even scored after a rebound in a really important time in the game!
Players recognized themselves that we didn’t perform and that we were poor as a side that specific day. They left the pitch with their heads down. In future, they will be focusing on leaving the last game behind us and focusing on today. The players will be working hard during the training sessions to gain our confidence back!
Georgia worked tirelessly playing in a central midfield role. Every time there was a transition opportunity for either team she was there to win the ball or stop an opposition counterattack. Alongside this, Georgia looked comfortable on the ball and made very good decisions in the right areas to maintain possession. Theresa had a shot on goal 8 minutes in that just went wide of the right-hand post. Romoya had a shot 3 minutes in which she toed just wide from inside the box. The team built the attack using the right-hand side of the pitch. Specifically, a connection between Carla and Marie which allowed the team to exploit weak areas of the opposition. During the week we worked on defending 1v1 and how we can recover if we are beaten in game’s. The players 1v1 defensively were solid when they were not left extremely isolated. Recovery runs could have been better, and we could have defended as a team when lines get broken. The girls will be working on organisationally understanding how to rotate towards or away from the ball depending on the pressure on the player in possession to help harm the defending team.
Maksym was outstanding in this fixture, making his debut for Bloomsbury in the 7-a-side format. He began the game as a striker, despite his defensive qualities, and scored the opening goal of the game after 3 minutes. He later slotted back into defence and held the team together even when we came under pressure, playing through the thirds and following his pass, displaying composure in possession, and creating attacking opportunities. The best moment of the game had to be the winning goal. It wasn’t Bloomsbury’s strongest performance, but we managed to find a way to win, which is the sign of a team playing for each other and desperate to work towards the league title. Training attendance this week was outstanding, with 22 players at the session, meaning competition for places is the strongest it has been in a long time. This is leading to a higher level of performance, which will be required if we are going to retain our CIYFL title this season! Next week we will be working on small, sided games in training to ensure that our close control, quality in possession, and attacking threat is improved.
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