The end of the Indian Super League is here and with no doubt, we will know who the champion is by the time the piece reaches you. With most teams already starting to analyse what went wrong this season and trying to come up with a recruitment plan for the next season, I’ve decided to write a tactical analysis piece, focusing entirely on recruitment for the club Goa FC and their tactics.
I’ll be focusing on areas where the team underperformed, with the help of a custom metric to score the performance of the players. Later, upon identifying the areas that need to be strengthened, we shall then use Total Football Analysis’ in-house tool xGold to find players to recruit for these positions.
This piece will be entirely based on numbers and will use data visualisations to help explain the qualities of the recommended player. Let’s begin our recruitment analysis right away!
Areas to improve
The score allotted to all players is a custom-made metric. It’s calculated by taking into account all the key metrics respective to their positions and then adding weightage to each metric, they are calculated to a total of 100. A rating score of 60+ should mean the player is ticking all the right boxes.
Most of you might be surprised by the rating allotted to a few players even though they had significant goal contributions this season, but it’s important to remember the score is also based on several other metrics. I also understand there’s so much more to football than numbers, which is why I also did some video analysis to conclude which positions require recruitment. Trying to replace the player does not mean that the player isn’t good enough for the team but simply means the suggested player would help the team enter the next level and make Goa more competitive.
So the three positions we’ll be scouting for are right-back, right-attacking midfield and left-back. Goa are very well known for their academy and its players, we will try to look at the Indian market and to suggest a perfect fit for each position mentioned above.
Options for right-back
To begin with, let’s analyse the current situation of the right-back position and let me take you through why we decided to find replacements.
Serotonin Fernandes, the 30-year-old first-choice right-back, is coming off the back of a decent season. We can see a below-par performance in terms of the defensive metrics. While his possession metrics look better, it’s important to remember Goa are a highly possession-based team, with more percentiles in passes received, progressive passes and dangerous passes also expected to be high. The player’s attacking metrics could also be better. Let’s take a look at the possible replacement options.
Harmonjot Khabra
Khabra, one of the senior-most right-backs has an expiring contract and will be a free agent this coming May. Lacking in minutes for Kerala Blasters, Goa can easily attract the talented right-back as he doesn’t just bring an elite game, but also adds so much experience to the team.
With just seven appearances this season, we can see Khabra pretty much excelling in most of the metrics. Aerial duels is one important metric that the Goa defenders need to have as they’ve conceded more than 50% of goals from set-pieces. Khabra looks exceptional in terms of progression and is also capable of creating an impact in the final third. When in possession, Khabra could cause significant damage to the opponents. We’ll further analyse his performance over the last two seasons with the help of data.
On looking at his progressive pass map over the last two seasons, we can notice a significant amount of progressive passes down the right flank. We can see quite several passes right into the penalty area just above the halfway line and at the beginning of the final third, indicating that the player is capable of identifying runs and space in the penalty area. There are also several passes inside to the middle indicating the link-up play with the midfielders. Khabra is a complete package in the final third who would elevate Goa’s attacking system.
Now focusing on his primary tasks, we can see his average defensive line is well in front of the penalty area. He’s caused fouls in the attacking third which could have been tactical fouls which only indicates the awareness of the player. He has won 75% of his defensive duels and 59.09% of his aerial duels making him more than just a reliable defender out of possession.
If Goa are trying to recruit a right back, they should definitely look to sign Khabra to increase their performance at the back next season.
Option for right attacking midfielder
Let’s begin this section of our analysis by analysing Goa’s first-choice right-attacking midfielder, Redeem Tlang.
While the player has had a goal contribution per 90 percentile slightly above 50 and his defensive numbers are impressive, the passing and progression metrics are a cause for concern. Goa scored 36 goals this season, the joint-second highest, indicating they’ve no problem at the attacking end. However, a creative player would have generated more chances, which ultimately could have seen them winning games. This is why Goa should recruit for this position in order to take their attacking threat to next level, next season.
Juan Mera
Juan Mera is a 29-year-old right-attacking midfielder, who currently represents the I-League winning side Round Glass Punjab FC and would be a free agent at the end of the season. He played a vital role in the team’s title-winning season with 12 goal contributions from 18 games.
On looking at the player’s pizza chart, one can see that in possession, the Spanish midfielder could cause a lot of danger to the opponents. He also had high percentiles in the attacking metrics. He could come off the bench when necessary to create the impact the final third needs and would be a key player in the squad. He’s someone who is completely capable of creating chances and is also capable of scoring goals.
From his xG map, we can see how he has tried a lot of shots from both inside the box and outside the box, making him unpredictable. His goals also were aimed at corners of the goal, which may help explain his conversion rate. Out of 14 shots on target, he has been able to convert 10 of them, which is really impressive. We can analyse from the shot map that the player loves to cut in and attempt shots on target from the right flank.
Upon looking at the penetrating carries, we can notice how the player loves to drive into the penalty area to the edge of the box. This combined with the above xG map says that the player prefers to drive in and attempt a shot but that’s not the only thing this player can offer. There are other carries deep in the flank and other carries in the middle explaining his creativity. On looking at the dribbles and crosses, we can see that the majority of his dribbles are in the attacking third just in front of the box. The player also prefers to cut in once deep in the flank and has also attempted a lot of crosses into the penalty area.
Mera would be of great influence in the final third purely based on his numbers and would definitely enhance his team’s attacking ability. Given that the player has plied his trade in India for a few years, he won’t have any problem adapting to the playing style and conditions in the country, which is an added advantage.
Options for left-back
Aibanbha Dohling, the 26-year-old first-choice left-back has had a good season but by looking at his profile one can say that he can still do better, especially in the attacking third. This is why Goa need to upgrade the left back too, in order to have a very strong and reliable backline.
Aakash Sangwan
The 27-year-old Chennaiyin FC left-back still has one year left on his contract and it would be pretty hard to convince the player to join Goa. But he has previously played for Churchill Brothers FC and hence could fancy a move back to Goa. He played a vital role in Chennaiyin’s attack this season by contribution five assists in 19 games.
Just by looking at the profile, we can easily see how he performs very well in all aspects of the game. His expected goal contribution is really high while his passing metrics are equally good. He has produced good defensive performances and performed exceptionally well when it comes to aerial duels which Goa’s defence needs. Signing Sangwan would be a wonderful move to upgrade the team, as he’s a player who’ll contribute in each and every phase of the game; his experience is also an attractive factor.
Among his progressive passes, we can see a clear pattern, they mostly come from deep on the left flank. Mostly in terms of crosses. But the end location of all passes are right near the penalty area making these passes very dangerous. He also has progressive passes in the middle third, indicating the link-up play. This clearly explains how the player has managed five assists this season. With a team like Goa, his potential can be used to the maximum and can yield better and more results.
Focusing and moving on to his primary metrics now. From the pizza chart alone, we can say that he’s a very good defender and is exceptionally good in the air. He has won 64.46% of his defensive duels and 68.85% of his aerial duels, making him more than just a reliable defender. If he plays in a possession-heavy team, he will be able to focus more on the attacking and will also be reliable in the limited defending that he needs to do.
His average defence line ends well above the penalty area. The player seems to actively defend in his own third, although there are a few defensive actions in the opponent’s half, though of course, this is within the context of his current team. He has made quite several interceptions in the penalty area and has caused very few fouls.
Signing Sangwan would benefit Goa, as he brings an overall improvement to the left-back position and greatly improves the squad.
Conclusion
This concludes our recruitment analysis piece on Goa for the upcoming season. The team conceded 35 goals and ended up in sixth position in spite of scoring the second-most goals in the league. Improving at full-back could play a vital role in reducing the number of goals they concede next year.
The two full-backs suggested are extremely good in aerial duels making them a very good choice as Goa tend to concede more from set pieces. They also have the potential to offer and influence the play in the final third. Mera too, if signed, could play a very important role in the team’s attack. On a whole, the above recruitment analysis is to improve the squad’s performance for next season. It’ll be interesting to see how Goa approach the upcoming transfer season, needing to make significant changes!
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