YeoLaTengo Season Review: 2019-20

Season Summary
Another season comes to a close and few could have predicted this meteor rise!

After last seasons turn around in form, it was a question as to whether that was just down to good form or the team finally coming around to Sascha Krause's instructions. I think we know the answer now!

Our impressive defensive record only doubled down for this season, and that huge improvement is surely a credit to Ousmane Fane, who arrived on a pre-contract in the Summer. The back five remained the same, but a player of his quality was something that was desperately missing and it showed. Over his 58 appearances this season, we kept clean sheets in 35 of them!

Tactically, the team set up a little differently compared to last season. For the majority of this campaign, we played in a 4-3-3 formation, with the emphasis on the wingers being pushed up high and wide. The two centre-midfielders pushed forward at every opportunity while Fane swept up the midfield. If we played at Home, the fullbacks were instructed to get forward often, but play more defensively in Away games. The Striker, often, C. Duffus, played a unique role as a False 9. Which meant that his attacking output was lower than you might expect, it was his role that resulted in all of the players around him flourishing. That really was the depth of our set-up.

Naturally, this probably won't work quite as well next season, so it will need some tinkering to adapt to the teams that how strong & pacey forwards who could exploit our high line and heavy possession style of football, but Krause has shown that he can adapt the team, so things will probably be OK!

It's hard to single out a single player for praise, so we'll save that for our Team of the Season overview. But this year has been exceptional. While it was a long campaign, the players deserve everything that they have won. But perhaps no award is more prestigious than our Team of the Season - so let's get right into it!

Defence of the Year
GK: F. Schram RB: T. James RCB: O. Sowunmi LCB: M. Degerlund LB: D. Ojo
 * Frederick is an interesting case. As the last line of defence, he has often been the one that kept our clean sheet record together when it looked like it might be lost. But thanks to the men in front of him, he isn't often called into making huge saves. But 31 clean sheets in 45 league games is an incredible achievement regardless. Well worth his golden gloves and Team of the Season nomination!
 * Another strong year from Tom who was a staple at RB. While his goal threat diminished, he did pick up more assists this year (3) and owned the right flank defensively. He's going to be a key figure next year in the Championship.
 * He somehow took his performances from last year and doubled it! He had a huge season and only seemed to get better with each week. He managed to get a goal this year, so here's hoping for 2 next year! The club Captain will certainly get the attention of bigger teams so hopefully, we can keep hold of him.
 * After arriving in January and making an immediate improvement to our team, this season saw him take his game to the next level. Next to Sowunmi EFL Team of the Season, there are few better defensive partnerships in the country as the two bossed their way to only conceding 18 goals in 46 games! With his 2 goals (and an assist from that one time he bent in a cross...) and 30 clean sheets, he is another player who will be gaining the attention of teams around us.
 * Daniel had a subdued season but was a consistent figure in the team. No attacking returns, but he was key in holding down the left flank and allowing the LW to flourish. It's a key role that someone needs to play and he did the job admirably.

Midfield of the Year
DM: O. Fane RCM: M. Reuvers LCM: S. D'Almeida
 * What a stellar signing. No one played more matches that Ousmane. Mostly because we didn't have another CDM, but he had the engine to play every game and on some occasions captained the team. 6 goals and 9 assists from his position is a huge record and he will be looking to add to that next season.
 * Summer signing Marwin Reuvers arrived for a hefty £500,000 and was tasked with being a creative force so that we might improve our goal return. Last year we scored 57 goals. This time around we hit 86. His 11 league assists played a huge part in achieving this (joint second with Duffus for League best)! If he wasn't registering the assist, then he was assisting the player that did. At 21, the young Dutchman can only get better!
 * No one is really sure how he scored 12 goals, but he did! He managed to double down on his performances from last year and added a huge threat to the opposition goal while delivering his usual high energy performances from CM. The perfect counterweight to Marwin, allowing him to play a free role while doing more of the dirty work. Unlucky to not receive a Team of the Season nomination.

Forwards of the Year
RW: O. Olomola ST: C. Duffus LW: R. Browne
 * Another summer signing who was signed to bolster our attacking options. Signed as a Striker, who quickly found himself on the RW and flourishing. He doesn't possess the traditional qualities of a winger, though this worked in his favour. His stocky build and pace allowed him to lap most opposition FB's and as a result, earned himself a league-high 15 assists!
 * Robbed of the Player of the Tournament award. Courtney had an amazing season that was packed with goals and assists. It was uncertain whether he could handle a False 9 role, as it does require a particular set of skills, but after a few games, he adapted well. We wouldn't be here now if not for Duffus. A huge season for the Irishman.
 * You know you have bad luck when you miss 2-months for breaking a toe. But to then break the other toe and miss another 2-months in the following season! Despite this, he played a huge role this season. No one in the team offers his sort of pace which resulted directly in a number of late goals on many occasions. L. Price will feel hard done by, but he has plenty of time on his side.

The Cesar Vinicio Pereira Junior MVP Award

 * Courtney Duffus

YeoLaTengo Player of the Year

 * Ousmane Fane

English Football League 1 Awards

 * Goalkeeper of the Tournament: F. Schram


 * Golden Glove: F. Schram


 * Team of the Season: F. Schram, O. Sowunmi, M. Degerlund, O. Fane, C. Duffus

Terry Williams: Rising Star

 * Charles Harrison

Next Season Preview
Ahead of a season in the Championship, the club are going to be certain to avoid the mistakes of their last spell in the league. This will mean spending some money to bring in top quality players across key areas of the pitch and having them as cornerstones for the team.

While the team doesn't really have any weakpoints, there is a tremendous lack of depth. There are a number of academy graduates who will be looking to claim a spot, but some of these will need to be addressed through the market. Krause likes to get his business done early, and with A. Bell already secured, we should have a better idea for the direction of the team by the end of pre-season.

This is assuming that teams don't come and try and pluck our talent. You never know who will come calling, but hopefully, we don't have to replace any major players. Certainly, we will need more cover for our flanks, especially with S. Foley retiring (after contributing to guiding the club to the Championship again).

Who knows what we can achieve in the Championship. It's not unheard of for teams to blitz the league with their style of play, and many will be hopeful of achieving that! But as long as we keep our strong defensive form and can keep scoring goals, we'll be sure to pick up a fair number of wins.

We'll be back in July!

2019-20 World Overview
The Emirates FA Cup Carabao Cup Checkatrade Trophy English Premier League UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League
 * Manchester United (v. Leicester City)
 * Chelsea (v. Southampton)
 * Rochdale (v. Southend United)
 * Manchester City
 * Bayern Munich (v. Manchester City)
 * Liverpool (v. Napoli)