Christine Sinclair has her moment
For 89 minutes it didn’t appear to be Sinclair’s afternoon. It’s been nearly three years since her sensational display at the Olympics, a tournament that propelled the Canadian captain as a legitimate national hero – if she wasn’t already. But the truth of the matter is that Sinclair is no longer the player that won the hearts of many soccer fans nationwide.
Albeit a shadow of her best, Sinclair is still the focal point of a Canadian team eager to make a statement on home soil. Sinclair, along with the midfield trio behind her, was severely underwhelming, Saturday afternoon, as they struggled to convert territorial dominance into chances. It was evidently a concern to many, as she covered ground at a laboured pace throughout.
In the seventh minute, however, she made an intelligent diagonal run into left half-space to receive Melissa Tancredi’s pass, but the Canadian talisman fired her effort wide of the net. It was Sinclair’s sole chance from open play in full-time. For the most part, Sinclair’s activity in the final third was scarce, often forced to drop deeper to help the midfield retain possession, as well as push the team as a whole into advanced positions.
Perhaps a role deeper in the attacking third or midfield would prove beneficial to both Sinclair and the team, as she still maintains the vision and intelligence to strive at the highest level. Yet, even when Sinclair wasn’t at her best, the Canadian still served as the difference maker.
Where the tame effort in the 81st minute was surely the final chance for Canada to secure maximum points, a stoppage time foul on substitute Adriana Leon sent Sinclair to the spot. With a little over 53,000 fans in attendance, Sinclair stepped up and converted the perfect penalty to ensure Canada snuck past a resilient Chinese outfit.
“It was a good start to the tournament for Canada. We had double the amount of possession they did and out shot them by double,” Herdman said.
This wasn’t a memorable Sinclair performance, but she proved her significance to a Canadian side that must play better going forward.
Canada struggles in open play
John Herdman will be pleased with the final result heading into the second game, but the difficulties his side encountered was worrying. Early chances from Kadeisha Buchanan and Sinclair were squandered, which initially displayed the offensive quality at Herdman’s disposal.
Canada hit a roadblock, though. China dropped into two banks of four with the strikers pressing the centre backs, forcing Lauren Sesselmann and Desiree Scott to concede possession cheaply in their third on several occasions. Herdman’s preferred 4-3-3 equally lacked the required cohesion and width to pose a threat in the final third.
Fullbacks Allysha Chapman and Josee Belanger enjoyed positive outings, surging forward into advanced positions to provide width, but their deliveries into the box didn’t meet the front trio. Likewise, the other issue with the system involved the front three: the strikers all adopted narrow positions, making it easy for the Chinese defence to clog pockets of space in the final third. Tancredi occasionally stormed to the left flank to stretch the field when Canada won possession, but similar to the fullbacks, her crosses into the box were poor.
Lastly, the midfield balance was considerably pedestrian. Scott served as the destroyer, Sophie Schmidt attempted to offer penetration, but Ashley Lawrence’s role was a peculiar. Jessie Fleming’s second half introduction saw Canada retain possession and move the ball quicker, whilst enabling Schmidt to join the attack., whereas Kaylyn Kyle took over Scott’s role as the destroyer.
Schmidt was involved in two chances prior to Sinclair’s winner, providing Canada with an improved direct and physical presence upfront. Nevertheless, Canada’s narrow shape, sloppy passing, and inability to break lines proved beneficial to a Chinese side that rarely pushed forward and arguably deserved a draw.
“Overall I was very happy about our team performance and I believe our team will be even better in the next match,” said Chinese coach Wei Hao.
“It is a pity to lose in this way [with a late goal] but within a couple of days we can successfully adjust our mindset, I have no doubt about that.”
Perhaps Canada can play no worse than their opening match, but adjustments regarding width – from the front to back – productivity in midfield, and the movement of the front three, should result in an improved display.
Buchanan is the real deal
She was the star of last summer’s Women’s U-20’s tournament for Canada, and it’s impressive to see Buchanan maintain her exceptional levels for the senior squad. Where Sesselmann made several poor passes in her third throughout the match, Buchanan was often sweeping up the few issues Canada encountered, winning her battle against striker Wang Shanshan.
Blessed with pace, strength, and terrific athleticism, Buchanan covered ground superbly on several occasions to break up hopeless Chinese transitional attacks. Where Sesselmann was conceding possession within 20-30 yards of her box, Buchanan served as the ideal modern day defender with her willingness to make recovery runs to thwart attacks, earn free kicks, and comfortably clear her lines.
Canada’s goal scoring threat is unknown, which in theory applies more pressure on the back four to play the perfect game. More so, at the age of 19, Buchanan appears to be solidifying her role as one of, if not, the most important player in the squad, and her performances will determine whether Canada makes a deep run in this competition.
