ajax, you hit the nail on the head. IRMO did not combine as well as they are capable of doing from the midfield forward last night. The defending was weak and combination play away from pressure as been better. When these guys keep their heads up and move to space away from the ball they are impossible to beat. When they play as individuals, it's anyones game.
I'm not a fan of 1v1 attacks as a majority strategy for the final third as it slows the game down and makes the attack too one dimensional killing supporting opportunities from drops, crosses and overlap runs to name a few. In fact, I thought the IRMO midfielders and forwards spent too much time in a 1v1 attack mode.
They must simplify and combine as a team in order to take Northwestern down on Saturday.
If not, they will have to rely on set pieces as they did last night. They are very good at them, but I agree with you those alone aren't likely to get the job done against NW.
They must combine and support each other with great speed of play. Anything less spells trouble for any team at this level.
