Field Analysis and Why Kurona could have ended the game 3-1
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Hi guys, welcome back to another post. For those who are familiar with my content, I have released a new video analyzing the plays leading up to the Kaiser Impact Magnus goal. You can find the video here.
While doing that video, it struck me how the game could have ended 3-1.
For all my Kurona fans, this isn’t a dig at our boy. I’m a fan of his as well, but I need to keep it a buck. The guy is a bonafide utility player—nothing more, nothing less. A game like this calls for specialists, game changers. Such high-stakes games are decided on some minor details one could easily overlook.
Kurona’s strengths are well-known—his speed and sharp IQ for finding the right spaces, especially when linking up with teammates. His interplay is top-notch, leveraging those skills to great effect. While he’s not a standout passer, he’s reliable and versatile, capable of fitting into multiple roles. He’s built his reputation in the NEL by connecting with Isagi, constantly offering options in the buildup, and even bagging an assist in the Ubers game. However, since Hiori entered the scene, Kurona’s influence has slightly waned. With Hiori on the pitch, Kurona can’t stay as close to Isagi as he used to. I go even deeper into it in this post.
Now, let’s get back to the subject matter at hand. After Kaiser scored his goal, the score is 2-1 and BM gets back possession of the ball. Right after Isagi manages to get past Rin and Nanase thanks to Kurona, Isagi finds himself surrounded in midfield.
This is a tricky spot for Isagi. Dribbling and ball-carrying aren’t his strongest suits, especially with so many PXG players closing in. Both he and Kaiser shine more off the ball. He could go long to Kurona, but with Hiori now on the pitch, orchestrating the play isn’t solely his burden. The smartest move here? Lay it off to Hiori and let the maestro figure out the next step:
Isagi is surrounded down the middle and passes to Hiori
Hiori’s under pressure with Zantetsu’s blistering pace closing in and Charles lurking nearby—a reminder of his earlier interception. With the space in front of goal too crowded and Isagi and Kaiser out of clear scoring positions, the smartest option here is a long ball to Kurona as you can see in the following Bird eye view. The open space( purple area) is the best move in this context.
Hiori does exactly that and passes the ball to Kurona but Rin read the situation perfectly, closing down on Kurona as he dallied on the ball, waiting to see what Isagi would do. That hesitation gave Rin the opportunity to nip in and steal possession.
Rin read the situation and bully Kurona out of possession of the ball
Kurona's lack of vision is the reason the game didn’t finish here. Unlike Isagi, Hiori, or even Reo, he can't read the game instinctively, so he has to wait and react to Isagi's moves before making a decision. While Kurona’s pace is elite when it comes to finding space, he struggles to create chances when the passing options aren’t clear-cut. In chaotic situations, he needs extra time to assess. I’ll say it again – if Kurona had the same game-reading intelligence as the top players, the game would’ve been over right here. And I’ll show you why.
As Kurona receives the ball on the right, you'll notice Isagi and Kaiser haven’t made their runs yet. With a bit of foresight, Kurona should’ve already been thinking ahead, realizing he might need to take on Chapa and look to deliver a cross – either to the near or far post.
Kurona cannot anticipate the next plays
Kurona froze and waited because from where Isagi was, he had too many options and Kurona couldn't anticipate the best one. This is what allowed Rin to catch up and get the ball back.
With his pace and dribbling, Kurona would have no trouble getting past Chapa, leaving Rin with no chance of catching up.
Kurona could have taken on Chapa to aim for a cross
From this position, the next move is simple. Kaiser (red arrow in the bird eye view) is quicker than Isagi, so a cross to the near post is off the cards. The same applies for a cross down the middle. The far post is the target, and with Isagi’s left foot, he could easily curl it into the net. Isagi's run is marked by the purple arrow and the far post area to aim for is the purple ellipsis.
Kurona's option if he wants to set up Isagi for a goal
Had Kurona had the capabilities to read the game at that level, when you pay attention to the positions of the most dangerous players on PXG: Charles, Karasu, Rin, Isagi would have no trouble scoring here and the game would have ended 3-1
The game would have been over if Kurona could read the field at the highest level
As usual I solely focused on the football aspect of things as this is what I enjoy because I believe we can always lose ourselves with the plot allegations and what not.
If you want to see the other plays animated, I'd recommend the video.
Kindly share your thoughts if you read this post.