Switzerland

Kevin McCarra of the Guardian sums up the Portugal performance against the Czech Republic yesterday as being edged with ‘a tinge of frustration’ – referring to the lack of total dominance shown by one C. Ronaldo. It’s not enough now for him to have ‘dangerous moments’ – he should impose ‘utter devastation’. That said, the CPI stats for the young man show that he was joint fastest man on the pitch at 29.42 km/h a whole km/h faster than in the first game. His heat maps show that in his ‘ineffectual’ first game he covered a lot more of the pitch, but when he applied himself to covering one area, he scored one and arguably set up both of the other goals.

In the Telegraph, Tim Rich reports that former Croatia coach Miroslav Blazevic has been bemoaning the apparent lack of fitness in his former charges. ‘There look to be clear problems with physique,’ he said. The stats back him up, too – in their opening game, Croatia as a team covered 105,830m, an amount that Castrol Performance Index ambassador Arsene Wenger called ‘disappointing’ when asked for his thoughts on the stats from the first few games. Averaging 9620m per man, this work rate must improve if they are to go further in the competition.

Austrian coach Josef Hickersperger knows that tonight’s game is a ‘must win’ but has promised not to throw caution to the wind and play ‘Hollywood football’, according to Lewis Rutledge from Team Talk. There have been many formations tried during the tournament so far, from the basic 4-4-2, through the 4-5-1 employed by the Czechs, to a successful (so far) Portuguese 4-2-3-1. Hickersperger isn’t going to play ‘two strikers and four attacking midfielders behind them’ in pursuit of a much needed victory. The stats don’t show clearly yet which is the most effective formation, but you can be sure a 4-0-6 isn’t the way forward.

veyDer over at OleOle has posted some thoughts before the Austria vs. Poland game this evening, and it seems he’s happy with what he sees. Comparing the speed and distance charts from the two teams’ first matches, he has noted that the Polish run faster and further in every position, even the goalkeepers!

So the dream is over for the co-hosts, who have never won a game at the Euros, although tonight they did take a lead for the first time in their history in this competition. Both teams fought against ‘incredbible conditions’ (Alan Shearer on the BBC) to serve up a thrilling second half with drama at both ends and a late winner.

Despite the conditions, the teams managed to cover plenty of ground as the half time team heat maps showed, and the final distances were up there with the teams who have played in perfect conditions. Covering 105140m and 107613m respectively, Switzerland and Turkey can hold their heads up high for playing such a good game in those conditions. The Castrol Performance Index has provided the stats that they can be proud of.

It seems the most industrious players from either side in the Switzerland vs Turkey match have both been operating on the same flank. Behrami of Switzerland (7319m)and Balta of the Turkish side (7149m) have been up and down the right and left side respectively (which of course is the same patch of grass). Maybe it’s the driest bit, who knows. Check out the heat maps below, powered by the CPI, of course.

Not much to say here, the heat maps talk for themselves. Not in this tournament so far have two teams covered the pitch so comprehensively. Thanks to the Castrol Performance Index for providing the stats.

Derdiyok becomes the youngest player to start a game at this championship, and still a teenager (only just, he’s 20 tomorrow), and one of 4 Swiss players with Turkish heritage.

Feisty start from both teams, but is this torrential rain going to lead to an abandonment?

Try abandoning now, with Hakan Yakin scoring against the land of his forefathers!

The rain is playing a real part in this game, and the speed and distance figures go to show how testing the conditions are. After 30 minutes, the furthest anyone has run is Tuncay, who has clocked up 3558m. Not really what you’d expect. His heat map shows that he has covered a great deal of the pitch, though.

Stats provided by the Castrol Performance Index

Following the mass brawl that marred the traditional shirt-swapping at the end of the last game between these two countries, UEFA will be hoping today’s game goes off in a rather more gentlemanly fashion. The omens are not good, however, as the teams are already 1^st and 3^rd in the ‘Most Fouls Committed’ table. And with both needing a win (and 3 points), any dodgy tackles might well ignite the tinderbox. The referee is going to have to be very careful how he adjudicates this one. Should be very, very interesting and has a high chance of seeing the first red card of the tournament.

The Swiss will be hoping that Valon Behrami has another all round good game to match the one he had against the Czechs on Saturday. Behrami’s heat map shows just what a coach would like to see from his right-sided midfielder, complete coverage of that flank both in attack and defence. He also provided six crosses and ran nearly 10km during the match, bettered only by the amazingly hard-working Fernanded. Added to this, he has form against Turkey in previous encounters, having scored against them when the Swiss were victorious in the last World Cup qualifying game. So what price Behrami to net one, or at least be the provider, tonight?

Tom thinks this one could be a fractious 1-1

Jack reckons getting money on a ’sending off’ is a must! 0-1

Stats, as ever, courtesy of http://www.castrolindex.com

Having had a good few minutes to digest the result, and before the next match kicks off, just a quick post to say that the final score belied the stats.

The Swiss had 55% of the possession, and out-shot the Czechs 13-8. The Czechs were the dirtiest side, conceding 21 free kicks to the 18 of the Swiss. The busiest team were the Czechs, covering a total of nearly 3km more than the Swiss team together. This difference was mostly covered by the defence, who were 2km busier than the ‘clock-makers’. Interestingly, the Czech attack covered 7km more than the Swiss players, but they didn’t seem to be enjoying the better chances. The Swiss midfield had 4km over their counterparts, though, so dominated the position and the possession.

With some more detailed stats to follow, watch this space.