2023-10-25 16:06:00
What do the two goals conceded in the first half by Standard during the Clasico have in common? The action that brings them comes from the left side, with Thorgan Hazard and Anders Dreyer as dynamiters.
A random ? Absolutely not. From the start of the match, we felt that Brian Riemer had asked his players to use the space left between Nathan Ngoy and Moussa Djenepo to rush into it. The Danish coach was well aware that almost half of the goals conceded by Standard (45%) have come, since the start of the season, from the ruthless defensive left flank.
Goals against Standard ©IPM Graphics
Lined up as a right winger on paper, Thorgan often zoned out to position himself in the same zone as Dreyer. The two men sometimes played with excess numbers, sometimes with permutation. And it hit the mark twice.
If this portion of the field was so exposed on the Liège side, it is also because Mario Stroeykens, whose presence as starter in place of Diawara surprised the Rouches, also used it. Which highlighted one of Liège’s current concerns: a left flank which lacks defensive confidence.
Ngoy on his bad foot, Djenepo outside his qualities
Where does this concern come from? Mainly from the profile of the players used. Excellent offensively and strong defensively for a player who does not play in his position, Nathan Ngoy (who often found himself in a one-on-two position on Sunday) nonetheless remains a right-hander positioned on his left foot, with the problems this can cause. His way of defending is less natural than on the right and he still shows a bit of naivety that is entirely logical for his young age.
As for Djenepo, he does not defend, or very little. The Malian’s qualities are mainly offensive and his positioning as a left piston implies a defensive task that he simply does not know how to take on. But given the system used by Hoefkens, he is the least bad solution for this position, even if Cihan Canak proves through his rises in the game that he can also do good in this position.
A midfield that compensates…. or Laifis?
To secure the left flank, two solutions exist: ask a midfield player (Hayden or Alzate) to do more defensive work on the left, which could disrupt the midfield a little or start Kostas Laifis (back injury) in central defense, in place of Ngoy, to have a left-hander on the left. But the Rouche coach would then come up against a luxury problem given the progress of Nathan Ngoy, who has been one of Liège’s revelations since the start of the season and who scored the first goal of his career against Anderlecht.
If a choice is going to have to be made, it will inevitably be a disappointment. Will the experience and natural qualities of Laifis, who has already evolved in this position, take over the passion and youth of Ngoy? This is a possibility that should not be ruled out in order to gain security.
At Standard, Kawabe is revealing himself: “He gives speed to the game without carrying the ball”
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