How Pixbo Fizzled Out of the Playoffs and What Falun Did Well Against Them

Earlier here on xProgress, we have documented the change of direction in Pixbo's mens team's way of approaching the game without ball. They went from a high-event team with lots of pressing and counter-pressing, to a pretty passive team which plays a lower event type of game.

Part of it is for sure related to roster changes (Weissbach to Switzerland) and here in the end of the season to injuries (no Lindberg, Lindbäck and Schill on the defensive side in the end of the Falun series, for an example).

I thought it was a couple of pretty polarizing viewings, when watching the Falun-Pixbo series. Pixbo's unwillingness to try something more than standing around in a low 2-1-2 for a long time was a bit puzzling to me, since my eyes did not see a lof of good offensive transition coming out of it. But they also tried to inject energy to the team by pulling the goalie already in the second period in this game, which was a great move.

They now have to put theirs hopes to better health next season, internal development of their younger players and that some transfer rumours out there will come true.

Let us have a look at the good and the bad from Pixbo's side in the elimination game against Falun. 👇

I already mentioned the injury bug in Pixbo, but in almost all of my viewings of Pixbo this season, they have played more or less the same way. A passive 2-1-2 when defending entries and defending the own zone. And activating counter-press now and then after having shot the ball themselves.

In this game, Pixbo played the passive 2-1-2 system for the two first periods, before changing into a more steering defense in the third. Let us have a look at the results the 2-1-2 gave them, and try to figure out if that had any potential at all in beating Falun.

Obvioulsy, it is seldomly enough to defend just to stop the opponent from scoring. You will need to create some offense out of offensive transition opportunities as well.

Here we will look at all results from these two game situations – Falun playing zone entries and zone offense (meaning that Pixbo defends zone entries and their own zone, while trying to counter attack).

Will Falun do more damage with the ball? Or will Pixbo's defense give them lots of counter attack opportunities?

From looking at these numbers, it is pretty obvious that this way of defending zone entries and the own d-zone does not look as a sustainable way of staying in games at this level for Pixbo. Even though they are actually equal with Falun in the high danger chances, they are down 24-6 in shots and 8-2 in mid-high chances, for an example.

Let us study game tape to see how Falun did their damage, and why Pixbo could not create any offense from counter attacks. 👇