Times might indeed be changing for the better in Australasian football. However, the most important things never change.
Matches are still 90 minutes of 11 versus 11. Whoever scores most wins. The beautiful goals continue, just like the defensive mistakes that lead to them: mis-kicks, poorly weighted passes, dangerous tackles, unfortunate first-touches and of course ball watching.
Former Western Sydney Wanderers coach Carl Robinson has said that you can analyse a match any way you want.
In my analysis, I have used Ken Bray’s definition of ball watching from his book, How to Score: Science and the Beautiful Game: “Ball watching is a severe criticism of a defender who fails to pick up a key attacking moment.”
Criticism about defenders conceding goals was coded in different words by the game’s insiders during the last A-League season. Commentators gushed words like switched off, criminal defending, unmarked, punch-drunk, just looking at the ball, the defence asleep, flat-footed and not following runners.
Coaches more kindly used euphemisms to describe their team’s defending.
Arthur Papas said the Newcastle Jets lost one of their matches because they were not disciplined enough.
Melbourne City’s Patrick Kisnorbo stated his team’s two lapses in concentration conceded two goals.
Nick Montgomery from Central Coast Mariners said it was sloppy of them to concede a goal.
After a very narrow loss, Brisbane Roar’s Warren Moon lamented that lack of concentration and a bit of fragility cost them dearly.
Warren Moon. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Players also are aware of the traps of ball watching. Sometimes.
The defenders of Melbourne Victory dealt best with these hurdles over the season, conceding the fewest number of goals where ball watching was evident (8).
In contrast, Wellington Phoenix conceded the most (22). It was no surprise that these two teams also reflected the fewest overall goals conceded (Victory, 25) and the most goals conceded (Phoenix, 49).
Recently Wellington Phoenix vice-captain Oli Sail was named Wellington Sports Personality of the Year. He brought this personality to match days.
Sail clearly understood his team’s vulnerability where ball watching was concerned. In goal and preparing for yet another corner during his team’s match against Melbourne City (9th May), he shouted at his defenders, “Don’t go towards the ball, hold your (expletive deleted) shape.”
Sail was referring to the shape which appeared to consist of some defenders marking one-to-one and others marking space.
Corner kicks therefore sometimes lull players into ball watching. That is also true for crosses, where the attacking team has achieved two of the principles of play, width and penetration. This makes the task of covering or tracking defenders doubly difficult.
Therefore, fullbacks or wingbacks tend to figure most when calculating numbers of ball watching errors by individuals, and strikers least.
For the purposes of clarity and consistency the analysis was limited to studying only the defender, just seconds before the goal was scored, who I think could have prevented the goal.
Across the A-League’s regular season 60 defenders made one ball watching error. Another 26 players made two mistakes. Six players erred thrice, three players four times and one player five times. Repeat offenders undoubtedly possess other attributes which make them invaluable to their teams.
There were also 22 goals scored where the defence collectively ball watched and it was inappropriate to identify an individual.
Actual goals conceded physically on the field of play were counted. Totals therefore vary slightly from the official statistics. The amendment of scores of two matches due to a breach of competition rules by Sydney FC was impossible to include here.
Total goals conceded: 455
Less penalties scored: 45
Less own goals: 21
Less direct free kicks scored: 7
Less inconclusive evidence: 9
This works out to 373 goals remaining.
Focused defending occurred for 204 goals. Focused defending was when, despite the best efforts of speedy and alert defenders, the attacker’s guile, pace and skill prevailed and a goal was scored.
Ball watching was observed for 169 goals conceded, 45 per cent.
Similarly, last season ball watching was observed for 176 goals conceded, 44 per cent.
Overall, the more things change the more they (almost) stay the same.
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