In their loss to Real Salt Lake, Cesar was getting the angle right, making all the right moves, only for him to see the shot blocked by his defenders each time. Although he is used to a heavy work load and a defense-first playing style, whilst playing in Italy (where this the focus is on defending) and at Inter Milan, he can be the "go to guy" as shown at QPR behind a weaker defensive line. And by not actively being decisive, or commanding his area as an offshoot of this, this communication issue is causing scoring chances that needn't happen.
It looks like his main problems are in adjusting to playing at a 'lower level' and different tactical approaches and playing styles in America. With the line so high, he has to play higher off his line; stereotypically preferring a low line around the goal mouth, he is having trouble changing technique. And without a pre-season proper in the sense of getting a full chance to adapt before getting thrown into the deep end, it .
He is also having trouble with decision making. A result of being forced into acting rather than reacting to the defensive line because of a change in structure and play, demands on the goalkeeper and communication issues. Defenceless against a chip after pushing up to challenge, he ended up in 'no man's land' in another game, caught out as he went made the decision to go for the ball. This is the place of goalie nightmares and could lead to more confidence problems as they build up and spiral into self doubt.
On the plus side, he is getting involved in the play and is up to scratch. Showing he is comfortable on the ball, involved in the build up of play more so than in the other leagues he has played in due to the American approach, he has proven he is up to being a play maker and a passing option to push up from the back.
But it is the speed and accuracy of the shots, that he is potentially causing him mind games and judgement issues. Therefore affecting his reactions (based on muscle memory) and 'reading' the game to make the right decisions. With a defence first approach, he has to co-ordinate when to make his body react out of reflex to expect the shot. If the ball does get through and is redirected, he'll look silly, but if it doesn't get through, then he's throwing himself around for no reason. Which is going to cause more confidence issues unfortunately...
As you can see in the following clip, this is majorly affecting his play right now:
So in summary, Cesar is having more trouble stepping things down a gear to match the expectations:
It looks like his main problems are in adjusting to playing at a 'lower level' and different tactical approaches and playing styles in America. With the line so high, he has to play higher off his line; stereotypically preferring a low line around the goal mouth, he is having trouble changing technique. And without a pre-season proper in the sense of getting a full chance to adapt before getting thrown into the deep end, it .
He is also having trouble with decision making. A result of being forced into acting rather than reacting to the defensive line because of a change in structure and play, demands on the goalkeeper and communication issues. Defenceless against a chip after pushing up to challenge, he ended up in 'no man's land' in another game, caught out as he went made the decision to go for the ball. This is the place of goalie nightmares and could lead to more confidence problems as they build up and spiral into self doubt.
On the plus side, he is getting involved in the play and is up to scratch. Showing he is comfortable on the ball, involved in the build up of play more so than in the other leagues he has played in due to the American approach, he has proven he is up to being a play maker and a passing option to push up from the back.
But it is the speed and accuracy of the shots, that he is potentially causing him mind games and judgement issues. Therefore affecting his reactions (based on muscle memory) and 'reading' the game to make the right decisions. With a defence first approach, he has to co-ordinate when to make his body react out of reflex to expect the shot. If the ball does get through and is redirected, he'll look silly, but if it doesn't get through, then he's throwing himself around for no reason. Which is going to cause more confidence issues unfortunately...
As you can see in the following clip, this is majorly affecting his play right now:
And because he is using the MLS season to build up for the World Cup, where he wants to represent his country on home turf, he is adding more pressure on himself. By wanting to react to accurate, fast paced shots all game long, as he will expect of the quality for Rio, it has a major knock on effect on how he is playing.
So in summary, Cesar is having more trouble stepping things down a gear to match the expectations:
- he is expecting goal scoring opportunities for him to save directly, whereas his defenders are coached into shot blocking, meaning he doesn't have to react
- he is unsure of how to reposition with a higher line
- he is expecting more accurate and faster paced shots; expecting to make super saves, he needs to worry more about the basics than anything right now, and the rest should follow!
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