Analyzing Revs' Shot Creation Against Chicago

The Revs managed to win on the road for the first time this season, let's look at their shot creation to see how...

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution

We can focus our attention from the win against Chicago squarely on the Revs attacking play because Chicago’s shooting was incredibly poor. They had plenty of shots — 15 — but just three were on target. It was painfully obvious to see why they haven’t scored in four straight games now. The Revs’ defensive efforts had very little to do with them coming away with a shutout on the road.

The Revs’ attacking play did the absolute bare minimum required to win a game by scoring a single, solitary goal from a speculative effort from a player who had previously not scored in MLS from outside the penalty area.

But we have to take what we can get in terms of positives from the Revs so far this season. The only sensation felt at the conclusion of last night’s game was relief.

Fun times.

Caleb Porter proclaimed progress this week in their build-up play. He referenced creating a three-player back line, pushing the outside backs high and wide, and overloading the middle of the field to start to open up Chicago. It’s a nice narration of what happened and would sound promising to anyone who didn’t actually watch the game.

A different narration of how the game went is the Revs had 59% possession in the first half and created two shots. It took 32 minutes to take the first of those two.

In the second half the Revs had just 38% possession but took 9 shots. The second half xG was also higher than the first half xG. This would suggest the highly structured positional play Porter thinks will become the envy of the league was much less effective than simply taking what the other team gives you and running with it.

Here’s a rundown of the shots taken and how they came about:

32nd minute, Tomas Chancalay on a cross from Nick Lima, xG: .33 xGOT: .62

The best example, of two, of the type of build-up play Porter is talking about with his positional play model. It was a fourteen-pass move starting in the left corner of the Revs’ half and a cross from the right corner in Chicago’s half. Seth Macomber posted it if you want to check it out. If you do, you’ll notice very light, if any, pressure from Chicago about half way through this move. The Revs have done well this season playing out from the back when the opponent doesn’t try to stop them from doing so.

38th minute, shot assist from Esmir Bajraktarevic to Chancalay, xG: .06 Off target

A shot well off the target from Chancalay from a decent pass from Bajraktarevic in the wide area of the penalty area. This was the result of a long pass attempt from Gil from about 15 yards in his own half that was not completed but the second ball eventually falls to the Revs. You could call this build-up play if you want but Gil and the Revs back line of three was under zero pressure and going nowhere for several passes. Build-up implies going somewhere, they were not.

That’s it for the 1st half!

46th minute, shot by Bajraktarevic after combination play, xG: .02 Blocked

The Revs forced a turnover inside Chicago’s half to open the 2nd half and the resulting combination play led to Bajraktarevic shooting from the right-half space inside the penalty area. Not great shot selection but the beginning sequence of some lively, risk-taking play from Bajraktarevic.

47th minute, Arreaga has two shots on two successive corners, combined xG: .26 combined xGOT: .06

Chicago failed an attempted clearance the Revs won the ball back and on the left touchline and combined to find Bajraktarevic once again inside the area in the right half space. His cross is knocked out for a corner. Arreaga was found on the end of both crosses and wasn’t far away from scoring.

48th minute, shot by Esmir, xG: .03 Blocked

Another attempt from the same space inside the penalty area from Bajraktarevic. This shot was created as a result of another high turnover gifted to the Revs. Vrioni intercepts the pass but then, inexplicably, cuts into a defender to take his own shooting angle away before playing a poor square pass and giving away a great moment to strike against an unorganized back line. The Revs still manage to find Bajraktarevic for a shot.

52nd minute, Bajraktarevic shot from Gil pass, xG: .05 xGOT: .25

The Revs try the novelty of a counter attack and Gil finds Bajraktarevic with a great pass followed up by an even greater effort from the youngster who nearly slots one in at the near post from a shot just inside the area.

Just want to interrupt here for a moment to mention there can no longer be any reason for Bajraktarevic to not start every time he’s available going forward. What reasons existed before, are a mystery. This is what the kid does. Let’s see more of it before Porter programs it out of him.

56th minute, shot from distance from Gil, xG: .02 Off target

Gil tries to raise Bajraktarevic’s near post low line drive from just inside the 18 with a similar shot from even further and it almost comes off. Bajraktarevic going roque on the Revs’ risk aversion strategy seems to have inspired the captain to snap out of protocol as well.

This shot was created from another legitimate build out from the back. Has to be said, again, this was done under medium pressure from Chicago. They were not pressing full on and did not go player for player and left the Revs with an out to complete the build up. Still, they did build up.

62nd minute, GOAL! from Chancalay, xG: .04 xGOT: .54

At long last, Chancalay defies the metrics with a brilliant goal from distance.

This one was route 1 all the way, baby, a full launch downfield from the keeper to the big(ish) man and a flick on to the little(r) man who hits a banger.

The Revs would go on to shoot the ball just two further times in the last 33 minutes, including stoppage time.

78th minute, Borrero shot from Gil pass, xG: .03 Off target

The Revs managed to win the ball back from Chicago, work the ball from the left side of Chicago’s penalty area all the way back to their own goalkeeper in the most incredible example of reverse-build-up play I’ve ever seen to then go full launch route 1, win the second ball and setup Borrero for a shot from wide that almost ended up outside Soldier Field.

So for those of you scoring at home, that’s a route 1 launch from a forced turnover and reverse-build-up play. Quite the sequence.

90+5 minutes, shot from Borrero, xG: .06 Off target

Watch this clip, don’t watch the actual clip, this version fits into May the Fourth Be With You day and might give you a laugh. The actual clip brings only pain.

In total, the Revs’ 11 shots break down as two from build-up play, 2 from Route 1, two from counter attacks, 2 from turnovers in the opponent’s half, two from corners and one from a long ball from the playmaker.

Porter choose to characterize last night as progress with his playing model and the chances it creates. The announcers said that Porter told them during the week he’s moving the team away from being a transition team to a positional team. He had this to say after the game:

“when we got into that structure finally, about midway through the first half, and we opened up, created the three line, pushed the outside backs high, moved our wingers inside to overload the middle, then that allowed us to create numerical superiority and that advantage in the build up to be able to play and then eventually, open them up”

But that doesn’t fit what we just walked through. It would have been great if Porter had come out and said, we attacked with variety tonight, we weren’t one dimensional, we used counters, we used build-up, forced turnovers, a little route one, sure, we mixed it up and found a goal.

That would have been a narrative that was accurate and inspiring to hear that they won’t be overly attached to any way of attacking. Instead they’ll go looking for what’s there for the taking and take it. The Revs showed they can create shots in a multitude of ways last night and that needs to continue.