Defensively, Standard is holding its own. Offensively, they are, statistically, the worst team in the Pro League. The Rouches midfielder does not provide the link necessary for Ivan Leko’s style.
On the pitch at Beerschot, Saturday evening, Standard achieved its eighth clean sheet of the season. In this little game, only Anderlecht and Union (9) do better. On the offensive side, the statistics are reversed. With twelve goals, the Rouches have, by far, the worst attack in the championship. In 18 days, Standard has scored as much as Kasper Dolberg, top scorer in the Pro League.
However, the intrinsic quality of the attackers is far from being Standard’s major problem. Even if he did not score at the Antwerp Olympic Stadium, Andi Zeqiri is in very good form, while Dennis Ayensa, less decisive, makes a lot of effort and often seems lacking in juice in the finishing zone.
Harmless Standard: a midfield problem?
The major problem of Matricule 16 this season is the creation of chances. On the ground of the red lantern, the Rouches scored two shots, one in each half, and were only able to count on 35% of ball possession.
We know that at Standard, Ivan Leko advocates direct play and rapid reconversions. These can be played in two different ways: via a long direct ball behind the defense, or using smaller combinations.
This is therefore the first solution that the Rouches try to put in place… except that it doesn’t pay off at all. Because, often, while Ayensa has stalled to try to bring the surplus into the heart of the game, Zeqiri finds himself far too alone on his island to play a ball against four defenders. Because, in the Pro League, everyone understood the Matricule 16 way of attacking.
The other possibility, by keeping this direct game, would therefore be to use more small combinations on the ground. And this is where we can join Ivan Leko when he considers that he does not have sufficient staff to do so. Because the Standard midfielder is sorely lacking in bonding… and individual quality.
Doing without Alexandropoulos is increasingly incomprehensible
Wearer of the armband, Aiden O’Neill is the profile of a pure recoverer, snatcher of balls. And if his status as captain has long been questioned by supporters, the Australian is struggling and carrying out his task rather well. Same thought for Léandre Kuavita, who runs a lot and closes many spaces. However, neither of these two players seems, at the moment, able to initiate a clean action, without missing the transition and playing fair. A crucial quality.
This task falls to Isaac Price, who definitely cannot reproduce his performances in the national team with Standard. In an attacking midfielder role with a defensive task, the 21-year-old has the same problem as the others. With a very high running volume, Price often seems out of breath when he receives the leather. The bad times keep coming, the lost duels too. Interesting last season, the Northern Irishman is only a shadow of himself.
The fault of too important a task? Maybe. To provide this link between defense and attack, the former Everton player seems alone… and quite incapable of assuming this role. Ayensa tries to help by picking up, but it is often not enough. Clearly, the Standard midfield lacks a player who is a little more gifted with the ball, capable of keeping the ball, bringing up the block, and playing just towards the attackers. And for that, doing without Sotiris Alexandropoulos seems more and more incomprehensible.
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