Local football lovers’ thirsts were quenched when clubs came up against opposition in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup with the FKF Premier League also starting over the weekend.In this article, we set to reflect on the emerging tactical themes exhibited so far from most sides.1. Runs in behindThis is the movement of the striker to penetrate the opposition’s backline. Posta Rangers caught the eye with their movement into the space on the shoulder of the centrebacks and their attacking midfielders running behind the fullback.These actions were key for them in destabilizing Bandari FC as the wingers attached then dragged out the fullback, creating vacated space for the diagonal run from the central midfielder.##NAJAVA_MECA_8305174##Sofapaka also exhibited this in their game against Tusker FC with pacy utility player Rodgers Kipkemboi elected to lead the line. Kipkemboi was the focal point with quite a few balls played to him in the inside pockets when he gave the option of making the run in behind.2. Wingers and fullbacks combiningIn football space is usually in the wide areas, as most current coaches have drilled their sides to be resolute defensively, preaching compactness and narrowness in the shape. Thus it was a common occurrence to see the winger and fullback bomb up to create a double team on the opponent’s fullback.This was evident in almost all games. Tusker fullbacks, Ugandan import George Kaddu and Collins Odhiambo looked to join their winger when ballside.Naaman Balecho being left footed would look to come inside and leave the wing for Collins Odhiambo for an early cross. On the right side, it was also applicable to Lawrence Luvanda coming inside and George Kaddu being left with the wingEngin Firat explains Daniel Anyembe’s exclusion from Harambee Stars squad3. The 3-1 Rest defenseA trend we will most likely see a lot of this season is the aforementioned 3-1 rest defense. In this set-up, various teams use various partnerships at the back but the most common one was the asymmetry of the fullbacks, when one fullback bombs forward the other stays back for balance and cover.This was well evident with Posta Rangers, Bandari and Tusker. Mathare United applied the same mode but majorly the central midfielder, Boaz Maeri, was the one who would drop between the central defenders as both wingers pushed up.4. Playing over the press and goal kicks to open formationBall-playing goalkeepers are majorly credited as the ones who can play intricate line break-through passes, and can play well when under pressure. Another aspect majorly overlooked is the goalkeepers’ ability to play long accurate goal kicks.Levis Opiyo exemplified this with an assist in AFC Leopards’ 4-0 win against Mathare United. Kevin Ouru of Posta Rangers, Byrne Omondi of Bandari and Joseph Ochuka also exemplified this well. The key outlets of these balls were in behind (here we see a correlation with the first point of runs in behind).##NAJAVA_MECA_8305166##Bandari either wary of the mistakes in the back and the aggressive Posta press in the wide zones, opted to play straighter passes into where the advanced midfielders and forwards were ready to receive.5. Man for man orientation out of possession An aspect that has been brought forward from last season has to be going man for man when out of possession. Mathare United and Bandari went man for man when out of possession, working to win the ball higher up the pitch.Bandari’s high block worked well for them against the Posta build-up, aiding to win the ball higher up against the Mailmen. Bandari’s counter-press was also very exciting, and was aided well by wing-backs and centre-backs taking risks and going one v one frequently.6. More passes from central defenders For teams that did not go man for man when high, the favoured midblock made its return. An interesting aspect would be teams leaving the opponent’s centre-backs to pass between themselves then look to slide and be compact.Ernest Wendo on why he missed Gor Mahia’s recent CAF Champions League tiesAn interesting statistic provided by Tisini showed that out of the seven players with the most passes attempted in Matchday One, six were central defenders. Backline partnerships of Bandari, Mathare and Kariobangi Sharks all came up against 4-4-1-1/ 4-4-2 midblocks.The above trends exhibit a rough idea of what we should expect tactically this season from teams in what is set to be an exciting season.
