[Tactical Analysis] Second-gear Sailors Sweep the Shield (Sailors 2 Albirex Niigata (S) 0)

The following tactical analysis is from Zach Wu, who’s not a Sailors fan, but we just thought it would be good for someone without rose-tinted glasses to analyse the tactics of our games. We hope to make this a regular column so that we can better appreciate what is going on in our games from a tactical perspective.

While Sailors did everything right, it was smooth sailing for the Sailors because Albirex, their perennial bogey team, failed to show up.

First Half

Albirex were in their customary 4-4-2/4-2-3-1, with their simple gameplan of long balls to Shuhei Hoshino for the rest of the team to feed on. They sometimes also tried to put balls over the top for Daniel Goh to chase. Off the ball, they were compact in their shape, often trying to deny Sailors the centre of the pitch.

For Sailors they had a host of new signings (as we all know) but for me the more interesting thing was the implementation of their 3-2-4-1/3-2-5 system.

Tampines used it for large parts of the 2023 season while Sailors first used it when assistant coach Daan van Oudheusden took over as caretaker manager in a 3-0 win against Hougang which was also covered here.

It was rarely seen after that single game but having had a good pre season to prepare for it, Sailors finally used it here.

This was what it looked like at kick-off, but it soon morphed into something else when the Sailors were in possession.

The key was Obren here. Off the ball (and initial buildup from goalkicks), it was a usual standard 4-2-3-1. However, with the ball in more settled phases of possession the energetic Obren would push up as a left winger while Bart would move inside. Lionel would also tuck in from right back.

To escape Albirex’s tough central block, the option was usually to go wide. Here, a ball from Toni finds Obren who then plays the ball first time into the gap between Syed Firdaus and Koki Kawachi which Bart has exploited. This particular move led to LCS entering the final third numerous times resulting in a few dangerous situations.

Given Albirex’s compactness in the centre of the pitch, going wide was the right decision, with Albirex’s defensive line sometimes slow to move across to plug gaps. For Albirex, Hoshino’s hold up play was ineffective with the quality of Bailey and Toni, making it extremely hard for Albirex to construct any dangerous attacks.

Second Half

The second half continued very much the same way as the first half with Albirex sitting in their 442/4231 shape while LCS were trying to make inroads. However, one small change would be the wide centrebacks, Lionel and Toni were instructed to be more brave on the ball and drive forward given that Albirex were still sitting in their passive 442 shape.

The game did not change much, with numerous like-for-like substituties on both sides before Lestienne’s late penalty hammered the nail in the coffin for Albirex.

Conclusion

Overall, the Sailors would be satisfied with some quick silverware and with their new-look players and system they look the side to beat.

Tougher tests like Tampines Rovers (in my opinion) lay ahead for the Sailors. Meanwhile for Albirex, it must be alarming that their new look attack looked toothless when Shuhei was silenced, which meant their runners could not be involved in play. The lack of quality from wide areas was also a noticeable factor. They MUST adapt quickly or risk getting pulled into midtable scrap, with other sides like Geylang or Balestier upgrading their squad in the off season.

Written by Zach Wu

Edited by Eddy Hirono

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