RATCHABURI FC VS JDT: AN ANALYSIS

This is it! The final Group G game for both of the teams involved, Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) and Ratchaburi Mitr Phol FC (RBMFC). Although this is considered a dead rubber tie, JDT will be hoping to achieve their highest points tally ever in the competition’s group stages, while RBMFC will be pushing hard for their first three points of the campaign. Hopefully the stage is set for both of the teams to give the viewers a great match before they head back to their respective national leagues. 

Third game: Ratchaburi FC vs Johor Darul Ta’zim 

Scorers 

JDT: 

RBMFC: 

Formation: 

JDT: 4-3-3

RBMFC: 3-4-1-2

A formational change for RBMFC while JDT remains the same. Shifting from the 4-2-3-1 they played previously, RBMFC are playing with a back 3 and wingbacks. This will help to congest the middle of the field, a section that JDT thrives in if given space. Additionally, with 3 CBs they can better handle Bergson Da Silva’s movements which caused them so many headaches and resulted in 11 shots*. For the Southern Tigers, almost a whole new lineup comes in after their game against Nagoya Grampus Eight, with only Leandro Velazquez, Mauricio and Ramadhan Saifullah retaining their spots. 

RBMFC playing with 3 at the back really emphasized defending narrow. By playing a low block, their CMs and AM and ST can compact the middle, making it very difficult for JDT CMs to find space and effectively forcing JDT to make quick switches (white arrows) to find space behind the Thai defense. Smart decision by the Dragons’ coach as JDT have previously demonstrated that they find these passes difficult to execute regularly in game.

When defending, RBMFC becomes 3 layers. The WBs drop into the defensive line, making it a back 5 and difficult for JDT to find their attackers in the box. RBMFC’s AM then drops with the 2 CMs and the 2 STs will remain the furthest forward. This made it difficult as they packed the box and also required JDT players to stay on the move to open spaces for the forwards and midfielders. 

Adding on to the previous picture, you can see here that RBMFC is playing with a low block and allowed JDT to hold the majority of possession. JDT played a total of 542 passes, with more than half of those occurring in the opposition’s half. This shows that RBMFC were happy to let play happen in front of them and looked to score from a quick counter attack. 

JDT maximized their width through their wingers and FBs. When JDT build play from their own half, Natxo Insa (white circle) drops back between the CBs, which allow them to move further forward and wide. The FBs will then push up and almost be in line with the wingers (white lines), this forces the WB from RBMFC to make a decision; either take the opposing FB or winger. If they take the FB, one of the CBs will be forced out of position to mark the winger that has taken up the half space and potentially leave space free for Bergson to exploit. 

RBMFC showed that they were not afraid to attack on the counter. Even with only 40% possession during the game, the Thai team managed to get 10 shots, 3 of them being on target. Meanwhile, JDT who held significantly more of the ball for the majority of the game only managed 1 more shot on target. Although the Southern Tigers held possession and territory within the RBMFC half, they also exposed themselves at the back when they committed players forward. Additionally, the pace of the forwards were difficult to deal with for the backline of JDT. 

At many instances, the lack of movement around the player with the ball for JDT stunts any progression. As illustrated by the picture Arif Aiman is surrounded by three defenders, with Safiq Rahim coming short to collect it. However, there are no other options for him close enough for him to pass to. Therefore, he has to try and dribble past the three defenders, instead of taking advantage of having multiple defenders around him and having space open on the outside of the box. 

Another example of the lack of varied attacking movement off the ball. The white arrows show the actual movement off the ball to receive the ball. It is of my belief that Bergson instead should have followed the yellow and come shorter between the lines to receive the ball. This is because Nazmi Faiz is already running behind the line in order to get the ball, if Bergson runs short it pulls the defenders out of position and confuses the defensive line in order to create space. 

Overall: 

It was a poor game from JDT as much as RBMFC did very well to defend their box. The same problems that have plagued them time and again has showed again during this game. Their lack of creativity when it comes to the final third in carving an opportunity for themselves hindered them from scoring. Defensively, they still seem suspect when trying to track runners in between and behind the lines and are unable to adjust efficiently to changing the marking. 3 goals from 6 games are not a good statistic for qualifying out from the group stages, especially when they concede three times the amount at which they score (9 goals conceded). Much work is to be done for the side and hopefully they can come back stronger. 

JDT’s Player of The Match:

Matthew Davies. With his 87% passing success rate, 2 accurate crosses and 2 key passes, Matthew has been a stalwart for the Johorean team and a key player for them. Defensively, his 4 recoveries and 1 interception were key to making sure that the Thais were unable to breach the goal. He was given a 7.4 rating by FotMob, the highest of all the JDT players and he really deserved the rating 

*All statistics are taken from FotMob and SofaScore