Italian Boys - Mamio 4-3 (1-1)

By Johan

We lost 4-3 :(

Line-up (by Ale D.):

GK: Ale M.
Defence: Florian-Daniele,Johan-Tsvetin
Midfield: Rosty (46' Jerome)-Diego,Ale D.-Chen
Attack: Wicky (46' Gio) Rink (46' Kanat)

(In the second half Diego moved to forward and Kanat joined Alessio in the centre.)

Scoreboard:
15' 0-1 Rink
44' 1-1
50' 2-1
55' 3-1
70' 3-2 Alessio D. (penalty)
80' 4-2
90' 4-3 Gio

They were more effective, especially in the first half when we played very decent and were in control. In the second half we hardly created chances anymore. Was it the unfortunate moment of the 1-1, didn't the multiple changes in the team during half time work out or was it something else? At least their confidence was built by the 1-1 and we let this happen too much in my opinion. Every time they scored we were not focussed, so we kind of let it slip. Because of our attacking difficulties it was a tough match to win, but not because of our opponents' strength. We just weren't tough enough. In other words, they were not that strong (except for their right wing number 11, whom Florian managed to stop most of the time, a good job).

Grades:

I'd give Alessio M. a 9 for some really incredible saves.

Actually, most of the regular players played reasonable (i cannot judge the occasional, borrowed players), problems were located at a team level i think: a lack of strong attacking play.
If given the opportunity, such as yesterday, perhaps we should occasionally push more from the wings (back + midfielder) instead of staying behind ALL the time, thereby isolating our forwards and letting the opponent push us back instead of playing on their half while we have the better team. This suggestion is not at all intended as criticism towards the backs and wings of yesterday, they played like that because it was team policy. But a team can also emphasize defense too much, thereby giving up some attacking possibilities? I expect fierce opposition from "the Italians", come on guys, u cannot let me say this unpunished! :)

Mamio - Forward 5 3-2 (1-0)

By Julien

It was a cloudy Sunday afternoon over Mamio’s fortress. All the conditions seemed to be together to have a pleasant afternoon. Indeed half an hour prior to the game more than 14 over motivated people where already sitting in the changing room (even Daniele was on time!), rain seemed to have decided not to annoy us during the game and the Forward 5 team seemed (according to the league table) to be an accessible opponent. Alessio Elmer was in charge of the line-up which was the following:

Goaly: Alessio the Northern
Defense: Roberto - Daniele - Elmer - Johan
Midfield: Dumas - Arnout - Alessio - Chen
Striker: Rink - Julien

Substitutes (from right to left): Rosty - Jose - Diego (actually supporter during the 1st half)
Missing: all the others…

The game started tougher than expected, Forward 5 was playing surprisingly good which was not reflecting their rank in the league table. They immediately took the lead of the game but were fortunately not very dangerous partly due to Mamio’s excellent defense. Everyone was well placed on the field and showed good fighting spirit. Moreover Mamio showed encouraging good moves every now and then initiated by Dumas (very active on his wing), Alessio the southern (when he was not complaining) and Chen (who was running like hell).

Half surprisingly Mamio scored the 1-0 after 15min. Chen initiated the move on the left wing, found Alessio in the middle who ideally served Julien alone close to the box. It didn’t take him two seconds to give the goaly no chance of defending the ideally placed ball. Mamio was exulting! Forward 5 tried to answer back but there was no way. They were playing well with their pretty fit midfielders but Mamio was the dangerous team on the field. They could have scored a second time but this time the goaly made a good save to leave it to 1-0 at half time. Tijd voor lekker Thee! As usual Alessio the southern is adjusting our tactic while Alessio the northern is smoking outside…That was also the time that Diego chose to get dressed and join us for the second half. Everyone seemed to be very happy about that!

The second half started as the first one. Forward 5 was obviously furious about the score and determined to catch up. And actually they did! First, a dangerous free kick shot in the six meters was pushed inside our net which allowed them to bring the score to 1-1. No longer than 5 minutes later the unfortunate Rink hit the ball with his hand in the middle of the box. Toontje almost didn’t hesitate and whistled 5s later a penalty kick. Alessio’s complain didn’t change anything, it was 2-1 for Forward 5! At that point Mamio started to come into the game again and managed to play much better in the midfield giving some hope for a happy ending. Rosty and Diego brought some fresh blood in the team. After 65min a long ball from Johan served ideally Julien who lobed the unfortunate goaly who obviously made the wrong decision of getting out of his cage. 2-2! Nothing could stop the yellows anymore and quite logically Mamio took the lead 15min before the end. The match winner is called Rosty! Perfectly served by Alessio (again), Rosty, alone in the box, controlled nicely the ball and shot immediately between the goaly and the post. Ideal move, there was nothing to do for Forward 5, Mamio was leading 3-2! The last minutes confirmed that Mamio’s defense becomes tighter every week and especially Johan and Daniele made an amazing contribution towards the 3 points by saving a couple of dangerous situations. Well done guys!

Goals: Julien (2x), Rosty.

Mamio - Forward 5 3-2 (1-0)

Mamio got away luckily against a stronger Forward 5, who refused to convert their better skills into goals. After two losses and a narrow escape against one of the lowest teams in this league, Mamio has two feet on the ground again.

1-0 Julien 10"
2-2 Julien 65"
3-2 Rosti 75"

Awaiting match report by match winner Julien...

Groningen 4 - Mamio 8-3 (4-1)

Kanat scores the 1-0.

A handicapped Mamio was beaten up badly this sunday, by the well-playing opponents of Groningen 4.

Circumstances and preparation weren't perfect, as usual. At 10 o'clock, thirty minutes after all thirteen players should have been arrived, we were at only ten. Key players like Julien, Daniele and Daan were missing, other players were too injured to make a difference. Chen, who had an important test on monday and preferred not to play, was called and thankfully he showed up to play an excellent match. Also Florian was called in at the last moment. He wasn't able to make it on time anymore though, so seriously injured Arnout had to play anyway in the first minutes of the game. We had to break up our long-favorited midfield tandem of Arnout and Alessio though. Arnout was replaced by Kanat and Arnout moved to wing.

The starting lineup was like this (from right to left):
Goal: Alessio M.
Defense: Johan - Elmer - Bas - Martin
Midfield: Arnout - Kanat - Alessio - Chen
Forward: Rink - Andrey

Mamio was under pressure immediately by the fancy playing forwards of Groningen. A goal however was prevented by the then still pretty strong defense and of course our trusted goal keeper Alessio Morelli, who made some incredible saves. We were even so lucky to score the 1-0, only because Kanat had an absolute moment of brilliance and scored from thirty meters! (watch the movie above to see it!)

After Florian arrived, Arnout went out and Johan moved up to wing midfield. Things grew for the worse. Florian didn't seem to be fully awake yet and Elmer's injury stopped him from running after he landed his hurted ankle on the ground too hard. Bas was playing below his normal level as well, and though Martin worked like a mad man he isn't the trustable defender yet that he's going to become, as I'm sure.

So our normally tough defense became the cripple part of our team. On top of that, Kanat and Alessio were neglecting their defensive tasks, so the handy nr. 11 forward of Groningen and his midfield companions combined all over the place and scored four times in the first half. The game was all but over.

A good talk and some wise advises during the break seemed to bring some change in the second half. Mamio defense wasn't playing on offsides anymore, since the referee didn't seem to be bothered by offsides of the Groningen forwards at all. Kanat changed his play and started to think about his defensive tasks as well (compliment to that!). Chen and Andrey just did what they did in the first half: fight hard and run like mad men. Arnout substituted Martin and brought some extra strength on the right wing. Johan moved back to right wing defense, where he again proved that he was the only defender of the day to receive a good grade for his play.

It actually felt like we could still come back in the game. Elmer's ankle was turning to normal pain levels again, and he moved up in front of the defense to put more pressure on Groningen's goal. It worked out for a while and Mamio came back to 4-2: Andrey scored. However Groningen played the counters well and brought the score up to 6-3 (Alessio D. scored in the mean time from a beautiful free kick). The game was finished and although we kept trying, the score eventually moved up to 8-3. A black day again for our poor defenders and goalkeeper, who only conceded 8 goals in the first five games and now 15 in two games.

Goals: Kanat, Andrey, Alessio D.

I thought it was a nice moment to revive an old tradition and give grades to all players:

Alessio M.: 8. Although he conceded a goal for each point I give him, he played an excellent game. The first half was absolutely brilliant. In the second half he made one mistake, but it was all very much compensated by his positive inspiring attitude, his learning curve (which is incredible! Improving each game!) and everything else.

Johan: 8. The only defender up to his task, and his forward passes are from another level. Always present, hardly ever drunk, always in good spirits.

Bas: 5,5. Bas has the difficult task this year to become a true central defender. In his heart he really is a wing defender, but circumstances has moved him to the middle. Usually he copes really great, but today the speedy forwards were too fast for him. He had an excuse though: he totally lacked the support of defenders around him.

Elmer: 5,5. Normally the one that should stop fast forwards on the run, Elmer neglected his task more often than he didn't. Of course his ankle injury is an excuse, but today he lacked the vision and understanding of the game to compensate for that.

Martin: 6,5. Although technically not the most talented player in our team, he has a very good fighting spirit. In this game he still made too many small mistakes, especially after he conquered the ball and tried to pass it to someone else. It seems he needs a little more peace in his mind and a little more overview. The best solutions in defense are often the safest and easiest, that's something Martin still has to figure out.But: he is improving each game and will be a valued and trustable defender in no more than three or four games, is my prediction.

Florian: 5. I know what Florian can do when he's fit. Today Florian wasn't, and he played far below his level. I must admit that he improved a lot in the second half, but by then it was too late to make a difference. It's too bad Florian doesn't want to play regularly in our team anymore, because I'm sure his level would be far higher if he had more match rhythm and he would be an important asset of our defense. Important to mention here is that we are very thankful for him to show this morning!

Arnout: 6,5. He didn't play a very good game, that is certain. I don't know if I should compensate him in his grade because he was terribly injured. His fighting skills were still there, but on another level. He tried and he tried, but there was too much pain in his leg. A lost game for Arnout, hope to see him return at full power next week.

Kanat: 7,5. For his brilliant goal in the first half, and the way he changed his play according to requests he received during the break. It is much more difficult than people think to adapt your play that soon. He played excellently considering it was his first time on that position.

Alessio D.: 7. From Alessio everyone always expect the highest in technical skills and goal scoring. He did score a wonderful goal today, from a free kick. The downside of the way Alessio plays is that it's not very effective. He knows how to fool his opponents like no one else in our team or even league. However, he does it at such a slow pace that after that he meets three or four more opponents. If he would think more simply at times and puts a little more pace in his play, he could become the star player of the fifth klasse reserve. Don't expect any changes in his play anytime soon, though! He's too stubborn for it

Chen: 8. Adding up his commitment to the team by showing up while he actually didn't have the time, Chen receives an 8. He kept bothering the defenders of Groningen, kept running, dribbling and passing. A real pain in the ass for his opponents! His final pass could use some improvements. Maybe he should, like Martin, have a little more peace in his mind during his actions. That's a hard thing to achieve though.

Rink: 5. Rink has an excellent technique, a great tactic view of the game, but it just doesn't come out during matches. There's a huge gap in performance between training and match. Maybe it's a mental thing, I don't know. Maybe Rink is just too friendly to have the kind of aggression you need to conquer the ball between those fifth klasse tough guy defenders. Maybe Rink pays too much attention to what his opponents are doing, instead of focusing on the ball alone.

Andrey: 8. Unfortunately our "sailor boy" will be leaving to Russia until Spring. His fighting spirit is uncompared, even tough Slovakians can't meet that! He even starts to moan when he gets really enthousiastic. Wonder what his girlfriend thinks of that The defenders of Groningen were impressed. Andrey had no problem passing three of them, and not with those "technical skills", that's for pussy's! No Andrey just pushes through like a real tough guy!

Dennis: 9. An excellent supporter, showing up all alone. Even prepared to take up the task of photographer/filmer. He managed to record the most beautiful goal of the day (Kanat's) in a super steady shot! Thank you Dennis!

Toontje: 9. Actually Dennis wasn't the only supporter in the end. Toontje was also there for the last fifteen minutes. And, lest not forget: the first minutes. Toontje is always there to open the gate for us at Mamio and pour us a nice cup of coffee to clear our heads! Even when we have to play at nine o'clock sunday morning, Toontje arrives one and a half hour in advance on his moped!! Toontje for President!