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Academy Match Reports

WEEK 28 | FOCUSED TILL’ THE FINAL WHISTLE

26th Apr 2022

FEATURED FIXTURE

Bloomsbury U11 Gold 3-1 London Bees U12

After a slow start, with post easter rustiness, the team found their flow in the second quarter onwards. The focus was on maintaining and recycling possession as often as possible, with defenders being extremely confident and brave on the ball to progress the team forward. Still working towards match sharpness, Bloomsbury often lost possession in central areas from poor passing. The captain for the day was Alfie Demetriou, who came off the bench with drive and intensity and got the boys on the scoresheet with a shot from outside the box. However, the opposition levelled after a disappointing attempt of playing out the back, pressed high, and a loss of possession, resulting in the opposition having a 1v1, finishing off easily. The boys started to combine well with some great use of variety of fuses, with Freddie Littner finishing into the top corner after Noah Conway showed some great combination play. The boys showcased great football and a clinical finish which was well deserved. Rupert Robinson finished the game with five minutes to spare with another positive finish, after slick, precise combination play. It was impressive to see the intensity the team started with, and the focus as they didn’t allow their mistakes to hinder their performance for the rest of the game. A great game as the boys come closer to the end of the season.


Bloomsbury U7 Black vs TGFC U7

Cole Oxman was a standout player in this game not just for his outstanding goal but for his work rate on the pitch. He did not give any opponent time to set themselves and won the ball back over 8 times in the second half. Charlie did very well at maintaining possession of the ball by turning away from pressure. When this was done in the right areas a lot of success came from it. Henry’s decision making was elite with a clear understanding of when to release the ball, when to run with the ball and when to dribble. Rokas’ communication on the pitch was really good allowing his teammates to see how they can improve. Very mature when the referee spoke with him about a learning point and took the learning on very well.

Every player showed that they cared for a positive performance in the game, and they delivered that performance. Areas to improve are around positioning in relation to different scenarios such as throw ins. Another area to improve is understanding when to release the ball in dangerous areas to play the context of the game. Overall, the team showed a great performance.


Bloomsbury U7 Gold vs FC Marylebone U8

The Boys sheer grit and determination lead to this result being secured. For long spells of the game the Bloomsbury Goal was under siege by the older opposition but some clever finishes from Ayman and Blaise after some swift, crisp passing left the boys in a great position. A well worked goal from the opposition lead to a nervy final few minutes but ultimately success for this talented group. Rocco Becci, todays man of the match, had a string of fantastic saves and constant well-constructed distribution.


Bloomsbury U8 vs Foxes

Throughout the game every single girl put in their efforts. Diane made some amazing saves as well as Mila having some brilliant goals from where she ran from one end of the pitch to another. Paloma also showed off some of her football skills that have never been seen before!

The girls played really well even with the challenge of a 10-year-old on the other team. They showed whose boss and put in 100% of their effort and never gave up. All girls loved playing today and had fun despite the heat getting to them.


Bloomsbury U9 Gold vs Soccerscool

Bloomsbury played a very good Soccerscool team this weekend. Starting off in a 3-2-1 formation, the U9’s struggled to progress the ball forward effectively. However they were experiencing some good moments in the final third, just failing to put the ball in the net. The boys showed some great application of the weeks learning, using different fuses particularly set and bounce. One in particular, a long ball along the floor from Jaoa (goalkeeper) followed by a first time set by Bastian into Christian who progressed the ball forward with a first-time ball beyond. An excellent phase that was worked on in the week.

Although Bloomsbury conceded goals, they were mainly in transition, with the players failing to mark the back post, keeping their focus when defending. Christian scored a great goal which was much deserved, and it was really impressive to see his distribution and DeNiro’s tenacity when driving forward making attacking opportunities.


Bloomsbury U9 Black vs Katanga FC Young Blues

Amir, today’s man of the match, had a fantastic game, leading the game with his chance creation and influencing his teammates to take more risks with their shooting. He was also defensively solid and dominated the middle of the park when playing there. Lukas provided a wonderful assist for the first goal and a tidy finish for his goal in the second half, demonstrating excellent decision making. Flavio was extremely solid defensively, preventing many attacks and shutting down those that had begun. His hard work meant that the opposition rarely created any chances in the match. Aarez opened the scoring with a brilliant half-volleyed finish, very calmly taken and continued to perform at a high standard, always pressing the opposition and playing the ball forward when possible. Fallon kept the pressure on the opponents at all times, never giving them time on the ball and challenging when required. Andi controlled the defence, stepping up at the right times and closing down the opposition very intelligently, when playing in CM, he held position well and made a strong connection between the defence and attack. Santi’s tricky feet allowed him to retain the ball very well in attacking areas and create a whole host of opportunities for both himself and others, very unlucky not to have scored! Moaz defended well and maintained position excellently, he also used his skills down the wings and proved very difficult for the opposition to dispossess. Lachlan battled hard for the ball at all times, and his fearless pressing very nearly led to him scoring, unfortunate not to have done so. Yasser had a fantastic game, defending well and attacking with extreme precision, grabbing himself two deserved goals, both good finishes, and making great decisions regarding passing and dribbling in all areas of the pitch.

Heading into half-time, the players acknowledged that they needed to be better at taking the chances they were creating, they then proceeded to go back out and score 4 goals. This was great to see! A strong performance from the team, everyone gave it their all and it showed, the desire and passion of the team was crucial in this win. The determination to keep pressing and creating chances right up to the final whistle was brilliant to watch. Well done team!


Bloomsbury U9 Black vs TGFC

The U9 Blacks second game of the day was thoroughly entertaining, both two very evenly matched teams. Bloomsbury conceded about ten minutes in and were slow in possession, either deciding to dribble at the wrong times or releasing the ball for the pass far too late resulting in a tackle or interception. The message in the second half was clear, make decisions before the ball arrives at feet and trust your teammates. They did just that and were much calmer in possession breaking lines and progressing the ball forward much better. Though the boys had multiple opportunities to score, hitting the post a few times, missing the goal or miskicking the ball, they did eventually find the net and the celebration matched the feeling of the team – elated. After pushing hard, Bloomsbury got the goal they deserved eventually late on. Andi was really impressive with his calmness on the ball, he had a superb game to be proud of. A great morning of learning for the U9 Blacks.


Bloomsbury U10 Gold vs The Vale U11

Playing against familiar opposition, the U10 Gold team put in an absolutely fantastic performance against The Vale U11 team today as they looked to get their 1st win over the opposition in their 4th time asking, and on the balance of play they well and truly deserved it. With a full squad of 10 available, each and every one of the boys put in great individual performances, highlighted by Oli Brito’s fantastic solo opener that was richly deserved after a fantastic start to the game. What impressed the most however, was the complete team performance on show with every player putting their bodies on the line, working tirelessly for one another and linking up fantastically throughout the 40 minutes. Rotation was prominent today with players experiencing playing in unfavourable positions, but the support for one another both on and off the ball really was fantastic! The key points of quick, 1,2 or 3 touch passing as well as pressing as a team were highlighted prior to the game, and both were demonstrated brilliantly, ultimately leading to a performance that deserved more than a draw. Slick link up play led to some fantastic openings that would’ve resulted in an emphatic score line if it was not for an unbelievable performance from the opposing goalkeeper, however these combinations weren’t possible if it wasn’t for the comfortable defensive performance from Bloomsbury that began from the front and spread throughout the team. All in all a really pleasing team display!


Bloomsbury U10 Gold vs Lymore Gardens U10

This was the girls most impressive game so far even with a player down! They all showed great teamwork and attitude throughout. The girls also tried different styles of high presses and low blocks. Frankie had a great game, and her 1 vs 1 defending was strong.


Bloomsbury U11 Black 6-1 TGFC Gold

This games man of the match goes to Sami Ayetty who offered a constant balance to the back 2 when in possession and playing out and created chances when successfully building the attack. He completed a man marking role with maximum success leading to a clean sheet when playing in that position.

The game plan was to force the opposition to play long, a plan that was executed to perfection with 4 of the 6 goals coming from a high press. A commanding display from Troy lead to him scoring twice. This partnered with a well taken brace from Leonardo which left the boys in a commanding position. Goals from the returning Ardi and a first goal in a while from Sami Short left the boys 6-0 ahead. A momentary lapse when playing out left the TGFC striker 1v1 and he dispatched to leave the score at 6-1.


Bloomsbury U12 3-1 Priory Park

It was impressive to see the impact Seb and Strahinja had within the midfield. They were dominant, and were good at applying this week’s theme, which was looking to create shapes, in possession. As a whole, the boys showed a dominant performance, with two weeks off, it was expected that there may be occasions of failure, however, they showed great application.


Bloomsbury U14 3-0 Sporting London E Benfica

Tanya was very effective at stepping out of the defence with the ball to combine with the midfielders. She understood when to run with the ball and when to pass based off of where the opposition were. Theresa worked hard up front and was able to create many goal scoring opportunities for herself and was able to score one at the near post. Malaika was really good playing on the left-hand side and understanding where to move to receive. She effectively produced overlaps and knew when to move shallow to receive the ball. Emilia was amazing with her throw in technique and reaching longer distances with her throw ins. She was also really good at recovering in straight lines when the defensive line was beaten.

At times, they struggled out of possession in preventing opponents from exploiting space in behind as well as when to step out of position to engage players. However, the girls performance was great to see especially in possession. Players were able to create fuses to get out of pressure with players able to do the right combination based on the amount of pressure applied.