Sydney FC 2019/20 Aleague Season Report

Introduction

This report will look at the 2019/20 title-winning Aleague season by Sydney FC. The squad as a whole will be assessed, as well as, the individual players who played around 1000 or more minutes during the season. Actions when in possession and without will be judged against the league standard. Also, the work rate or WR will be looked at to to see how many actions a player was involved in per minute.

2019/20 Season

Sydney FC finished as comfortable winners of the 2019/20 season. They were a team built on consistency and efficiency. There was definitely a philosophy of “no wasted actions” instilled in the playing group. Unlike many top of the table teams, Sydney didn’t overwhelm their opposition by dominance of possession and actions but more from being calculated and choosing the right moments.

They ended up 6 points clear of 2nd, although this flatters second-placed Melbourne City. They had double the goal difference of the next best side, which was also Melbourne City.

Not only was their style of play consistent, but they’re formation and selections also. Around 90% of the time, the Sky Blues adopted a 4-4-2 formation. They were also able to call upon their core group of players the majority of the time, with only 12 players playing near to or more than 1000 minutes for the season.

An impressive feat for the 3rd oldest squad (29.7).

Keypoints

Goals & Shooting - Sydney FC led the league in goals per game (1.73) and shot accuracy (43.4%) but were 10th in shots per game (10.5). This speaks to the aforementioned “no wasted actions” mentality and a playing the odds style of football. They may have been the top scorers overall but they were 11th in goals outside the penalty area (2) and had the 5th fewest headed goals (6). This indicates that they didn’t settle for anything less than good looks.

Possession - The Sky Blues were equal 4th with Melbourne City in possession (50.6%) which is quite low for most top of the table teams. The top two possession teams were Brisbane Roar and the Newcastle Jets, both with 51.5%, so it seems that stylistically the Aleague teams try and play the same way, with no side dominating possession consistently or to an overpowering extent.

For Sydney FC, their possession was a lot more efficient and effective than the likes of the Roar and the Jets. Despite having an edge in possession, Brisbane and Newcastle could only muster 1 and 1.15 goals per game, respectively.

Sydney were also 11th in ball losses, to further show how they valued their possession and use of the ball. A team that appears to have been heavily influenced by analytics and good decision making.

Passing - As mentioned before, Sydney didn’t overplay nor rush their attacks. They were 5th in overall passes per game and per minute but 3rd in accuracy (85.4%). This is a common theme for their passing.

In the key attacking passes, Sydney showed more activity without giving up too much in the success rate. For final 3rd passing, they were 5th in per game and 4th in accuracy (74%). With their through passes they were 2nd in per game while being 4th in accuracy (34.5%). Progressive passes continued the trend, 5th in attempts and 3rd in accuracy (77.8%).

For the traditionally less efficient passing, they further showed their philosophy. They were 9th in long passes and crossing per game but 2nd (57.6%) and 4th (34%), respectively. They were 5th in deep completions but as we’ve seen earlier, it was about quality, not quantity with this side.

Dribbling/One v Ones - Moving the ball at feet, was not the preferred option for Sydney. They were 10th in dribbling attempts (21.98) and 11th in progressive runs (11.89) but were 1st in dribbling success (56.1%). Even though they had the ability, they chose passing as a more efficient and effective way to move the ball.

Defending - It’s hard to say that a team that conceded a league low 0.82 goals per game were defensively vulnerable, but they were. They gave up the 5th most shots against (12.27), around 2 shots more than they attempted. Maybe it was a combination of the quality of the opposition attacks and the defense not allowing great looks, which aided the Sky Blues defensively.

If we look at the challenge intensity of Sydney, they were 9th and this also led to them being 8th in interceptions per game. This could indicate that they weren’t putting the opposition attack under suffocating pressure, but let the opposition beat themselves.

In overall defensive challenges, they were 9th per game (59.05) and only 8th in success rate (58.2%). Aerially, very similar results. Only 8th in aerial duels per game but a surprisingly low success rate of 43.6% which was 10th in the league.

This somewhat conservative defensive approach did result in Sydney giving away the fewest fouls per game (9.78).

VPM - Sydney FC had the best ATT & DEF balance. Their ATT (2nd highest) was significantly higher than their DEF while still having the 3rd best DEF value in the league. Their OVRL, which takes into account discipline, was also the best in the league. When a team is so consistent in their statistical values across the board, it goes a long way to translating on to the pitch.

Squad

Defenders - We can see from the defenders that they weren’t involved heavily in the play, other than with Rhyan Grant. However, McGowan and Wilkinson showed that when called in defensively they had good success and were disciplined. Grant, may have been the least disciplined but he clearly gave the most from the defenders when the team was in possession.

Midfielders - The midfielders were clearly the most active, especially with Luke Brattan. He had a great balance between ATT & DEF.

Miloš Ninković and Anthony Cáceres were the most valuable statistically when in possession for the Sky Blues.

Forwards - Adam Le Fondre was the main goal scorer for Sydney. As we can see from his ATT VPM, he gave the most value to his side up front. The forwards like the defence, were not as active as the midfield but they were there to finish the plays. In fact, Le Fondre had 6 more goals than the entire non-Forward playing squad.

This is a key element to Sydney FC’s play. They didn’t need players to do anything extra outside of their position. It sounds simple, but the defenders defended, the midfield built the play up, and the forwards finished. Most of the players’ VPMs reflect this in their totals and balance.

Summary

Sydney FC have shown over the course of the 2019/20 Aleague season, that they were the most consistent team. They had an experienced squad that were tactically consistent, and they played a high percentage game.

Going forward, they will need to refreshen some key positions, given the age of the squad and the departure of key players, such as Le Fondre.

A foreign striker is most likely going to come in and it’s expected that there will be a lot of Australian players available in the off-season. Sydney FC being one of the biggest team and in the biggest market, should have their pick.