Group stage is finally over, and, while two teams from each group continue their quest for glory, two teams are left behind to wonder where they went wrong. TENT and ArdaCup.com's joint analysis would break down the Group G teams who failed to go further, and look at their bright spots, where they would need to improve, and what they could do to improve.
Anfauglith
What They Got Right:
Conceding two to Nargothrond was not a shame; Gwindor gave trouble to every left back he met, including AC Beleriand’s Fingolfin. And
Barahir’s shot was just, well, too good, and a bit too lucky. But Anfauglith shut Doriath’s dynamic front line out, and conceded just one goal to powerhouse AC Beleriand (although we admit that they would have probably conceded more had the game been for real, but then Anfauglith would probably have scored, too.) So their defence is fine, three goals against in three games against highly-rated offensive teams.
Furthermore, Thuringwethil was a pleasant surprise, scoring two goals and an assist in three games despite the supposed lack of support. She is the perfect lone forward for a counterattacking team; her team was always on the short end of possession, but she has been efficient with her time on the ball.
What They Got Wrong:
Anfauglith’s midfield was a bundle of energy, pressing well and disrupting the opposing midfield’s rhythm. However they were generally clueless on offence—Galdor and Gundor were the only names they had on the score sheet. So their nominal wingers were the only ones in their midfield who had some attacking instincts. If they were to break down teams who sat deeper against them, they would need more from the most populous part of their line-up.
What Can They Do:
Anfauglith lost $33 million this season, and, while Morgoth and Sauron can absorb the losses, the Houses of Edain can ill afford another losing season. Now, Anfauglith really should have advanced to the knockout round due to their head-to-head record against Doriath, but even had they advanced, they would still find it difficult to get past Eriador. Clearly they could no longer return to their 2011 form, which featured big (and expensive) names, but an improvement in their attack, even at the expense of their back line, would help them go a long way.
Quotes:
Thuringwethil: I know many are bitter about how we lost the second seed to Doriath, but it didn’t have to come down to goals scored. We should have beat Nargothrond; their defence was weak, and one more attacker would have made a lot of difference against them. We should have scored more against Doriath; Melian’s a good defender, but she’s only one player, and another brown shirt in their penalty box would have overloaded her. One more offensive-minded player on our side would have brought us out of our group.
Nargothrond
What They Got Right:
Nargothrond forwards had two hat-tricks in the friendlies, Gwindor was a terror of the opposition left flank, and Finrod had three goals and an assist in the group stage. So it’s easy to see that their strong point is their offence.
What They Got Wrong:
But is it, though? Many notice the five goals AC Beleriand put past them, but only a few see that they scored just one in return. And to think they had a better match-up against AC Beleriand’s defence: Glaurung vs Rochallor and Imlach. When one compares that to his markers vs Anfauglith (Balrog #4 and Borlach) and vs Doriath (Melian and Galathil), then one would see that he should have overpowered the two non-Maiar centre backs. But he didn’t even get a single goal against them. Overall, the Father of Dragons had a bad tournament, with only a goal and an assist to his name in three games.
The worst part of Nargothrond, however, was their shambolic defence. They failed to contain Thuringwethil, Fëanor, Beren, and Mablung. Now, very few can fault their performance against the Fiery Boot, but how about Thuringwethil running circles around them? Mablung overpowering and out-finessing them?
Their midfield could have helped them out, sitting deeper and holding a disciplined position in front of them. And it helped—during the first half of their game against AC Beleriand, they allowed only one goal. But when Nargothrond got impatient with breaking down Fingolfin’s defence and ordered their midfield forward, disaster followed.
What Can They Do:
The good news is that Nargothrond is a wealthy realm, able to absorb their loss this year (-$35 million), but their citizens have to be tired of dropping out so early in the tournament, left behind by their neighbours Doriath and Gondolin. They need better defenders, clearly, or at least one who could act as a leader—notice how Melian turned her woeful defenders (in the friendlies) to decent ones (in the group stage). A better goalkeeper, too—Bëor is obviously out of his depth, and he seems to be getting worse and worse the more they field him as shot stopper. 2010 Arda Cup-winning goalie Huor is a free agent, and, while his services would not come cheap, it’s cheaper than having them lose embarrassingly in 2013.
Quotes:
Finrod: We were unlucky to have faced four players on their good day. And we managed to snatch a draw despite Thuringwethil’s double. I have confidence in most of my players, though we would be taking less next year, which is what we deserve for losing. But we’ll have a look at our options, like who can play better at certain positions that we need to address. This team will be better come next year, I promise you that.