The influence of Peterborough’s attacking trio on their flying start to League One
(This article was published in Total Football Analysis’ November magazine, written on November 5th, 2019. I want to repost this article due to Toney’s recent move to Brentford and Maddison’s earlier move to Hull City.)
It is halfway through the first stage of the season and we have seen many surprises among the EFL leagues. From Preston North End’s rise in the Championship to surprise names such as Crewe Alexandra topping the League Two table with Exeter City and Cheltenham Town chasing them, they are all fascinating stories to follow. But in League One, Peterborough United’s story stands out the most with their goal-scoring tally of 36 goals after fifteen matches. That record makes them the highest goal-scoring team across the top four English leagues and earns them the lead to an automatic promotion spot.
Registering most of that amazing record of Peterborough is their attacking trio of Marcus Maddison, Ivan Toney and Mohamed Eisa. They have scored a total of thirty goals, with 22 goals are divided equally among the latter two, which take up more than 80% of the team’s record.
With an attractive, high-tempo style of play that Darren Ferguson is deploying, there are no signs that Peterborough will stop scoring at an impressive rate of 2.4 goals per game. Even better, they could be on track of matching MK Dons’ record of 101 goals which helped them secure a promotion spot back in 2014–15 season.
This tactical analysis will unveil the secrets behind Peterborough’s high scoring record this season. Meanwhile, using statistics and footages, we will analyse Maddison, Toney and Eisa’s influences on the team’s attacking tactics.
Peterborough’s attacking style of play
To understand the influence that the attacking trio is having on Peterborough’s attacking situations, it is worth taking a brief look at their attacking tactics during those scenarios. When in possession, the players usually form a 4–3–1–2 formation as they progress the ball into the opposite half.
One of the key points in Peterborough’s attack is the players’ flexible movements. They tend to roam from their positions more often, especially the central and attacking midfielders. The intention of this strategy is to drag along their markers, which opens space behind their back for other players to move into.
Therefore, at times during the match, it seems like they are lining up in a different formation, not a 4–3–1–2. And indeed, there are several occasions which they played in a variant of the 4–3–1–2. For instance, George Boyd from his position can drift wide and occupy the left-hand side, while Maddison drags back to play in the opposite side to create a 4–4–2. This is also the most common scenario that happens in several of Peterborough’s matches this season, as shown in the average position map below against Lincoln City.
Maddison has the tendency of moving higher inside the right half-space, which he also forms a 4–3–3 along with the strikers. Other variants can be found such as a 4–2–3–1 when Siriki Dembélé replaced one of the strikers as a left-winger while Josh Knight and Louis Reed screened the defence. During the team’s build-up sequence, the players can shift the formation into a 3–4–1–2/3–5–2 depends on how their opponent press.
This formation is created through Reed’s movement to split centre-backs Frankie Kent and Mark Beevers while both full-backs will push high up the pitch. In the role of a half-back, the former Sheffield United midfielder frequently involves in the team’s build-up by dropping deep and creates a passing triangle with the centre-backs. It allows full-backs Frazer Blake-Tracy and Niall Mason to make overlapping runs into the opposite half and attempt to stretch the opposition’s defensive shape.
Reed’s passing and dribbling ability are used to bring the ball out of defence and limit the numbers of time that Boyd and Knight have to drop deep. Instead, Peterborough’s central midfielders can position themselves in pockets of space and still providing Reed two possible passing options.
Bringing the ball out of defence is not just Reed’s responsibility as both Kent and Beevers can also take it on. Since Peterborough is a wing-oriented team in attack, the players will focus on distributing the ball out wide. When playing against teams who defend in a narrow shape, the full-back and winger on the opposite flank become potential passing options.
The centre-backs will find them using long balls that head towards their overlapping runs. This helps the team to change the attacking direction and approach the final third in a more efficient way. Statistically speaking, the centre-backs and Reed play a very important role in the team’s build-up as they register the highest number of passes per match with 48.4 passes for Beevers, who is topping the list, 46.3 passes for Reed and 46.2 for Kent. Reed is also the second-best player in terms of long balls, as he makes 5.2 long passes per game while the centre-backs sit fourth with 3.1 alongside Mason.
Inside the final third, Peterborough players have the tendency of moving the ball quickly and between the lines. This is when their flexible movements and roaming from their respective positions becoming handy. Besides from confusing the opposition’s defenders, it also helps them to capitalise pockets of space that are created when the defenders move out of their positions.
This is the main method which the players use to create chances and even converting them into goals, and we will analyse it more thoroughly later in the article. At the same time, another way which also helps them to score is from their high press. Using a man-oriented press, the attackers aim to disrupt the opposition’s build-up. By suffocating the ball carrier by eliminating possible passing options around him, this force the player to clear the ball out of the area. But in the situation below against Rochdale, Toney was quicker to nick the ball away from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and put it into the net.
Marcus Maddison
As mentioned, Maddison occupies the role of a number ten in Peterborough’s 4–3–1–2 formation. His main responsibility is to dictate the team’s play with penetrative passes while bringing his teammates into the attacking situation. But, he has more to offer than that, as shown on his heatmap below.
Surprisingly, being the only attacking midfielder who plays below the striker, but Maddison usually drifts towards the right-hand side. Again, this creates the scenario of the team’s formation being changed into a 4–4–2. With the option of moving into the wing opposite to his preferred foot, it helps him to control both the half-space and the wide area more efficiently.
Moreover, not only focusing on the right flank, but he also tends to roam from his position to support his teammates. This helps him to pick out the unoccupied pockets of space surround the final third and then drives into it. In such an active state to receive the ball, there is no doubt that he will turn up at the end of through balls. It is a very effective strategy when playing against teams who defend with a low block as he can capitalise the open gap to punish the opponent.
A perfect example of this is a situation which took place in Peterborough’s match against Wimbledon. Starting from a deeper position, he noticed space being created by Knight and Toney’s movement and immediately made a run into it. On his way, Maddison also picked up the ball from the former Newcastle United striker which allowed him to be in a 1v1 situation with Nathan Trott.
Besides from capitalising gaps to create chances for himself, Maddison also makes the most out of it to contribute to the team’s play. Whenever either Mason or Knight carries the ball down the right flank, he will position himself in free space centrally to make himself available. His positional awareness becomes useful in this type of situation as it gives him a huge advantage to pick up the ball while reducing the riskiness of the pass itself.
In the situation below against MK Dons, Maddison had the choice of staying in his position and received the pass out wide. There, he would still be in a free state and without any significant pressure, time was available for him to execute his upcoming move. But the English midfielder went for another option, tucked into the central space to receive a direct pass from Mason. Although the opposition had four players surrounded him, none of them applied pressure on Maddison, which allowed him to bend his shot towards the far corner and gave Lee Nicholls no chance to save it.
When Maddison is on the ball, he is extremely dangerous with his pace and dribbling ability. With his trait of roaming across the pitch to receive the ball, he eliminates the need for making direct passes which have low chance of succeed. Furthermore, beating his markers seems like a minor problem for him using his acceleration and technical abilities. This makes him a vulnerable threat whenever the team is on a counter-attack as he can lure the defenders towards him to create space for his teammates, while still capable of creating chances for both himself and others.
On several occasions, he is forced to work inside tight areas when the opposition’s players close him down more often. But when picking up the pass from his teammate in that area, his first touch and close control make it hard for the defenders to tackle the ball away. Again, with a few technical moves, it is viable for him to escape and enter either the final third or the 16-yard box to continue the team’s attack.
Another standout attribute from him is shooting from long distance. In his shots map below, it is easy to notice that he has more shots from outside the box compared to inside the area although the accuracy of most of those is not too high. But it shows the courage to try something different in order to help the team breaking the deadlock. Several of those long shots went on to become great goals, such as his lob against Rochdale or a curler that we have analysed against MK Dons.
Aside from being dangerous in open play, Maddison is also a threat in direct set-pieces. He is one of the main set-piece takers for Peterborough thanks to the ability to use both feet and the vision to pick out the free teammates. Similar to how he makes the most out of it during open play to score goals, he also drives the ball towards the direction that he wants. With two penalties scored, a rocket free-kick against Sunderland and two assists from free-kicks this season, Maddison will hope to add more to his set-pieces tally over the course of the season.
It is hard to argue that Maddison is a complete number ten. He has the ability to hit the back of the net whenever the team needed the most. At the same time, dictating the play is also one of his traits thanks to his passing ability and the eye to notice teammates who are in an active position. But with just 24.82 passes per game, he is not the type of player who makes many passes. Alongside the tendency to deal with the situation on himself, he also fonds of making more direct passes.
6.13 long passes per game is a very decent stat, which also makes him the second-highest player of this aspect in Peterborough’s squad, just behind Louis Reed with 7.25 long balls per match. Furthermore, he also makes 7.57 forward passes, 6.81 passes to final third and 5.27 crosses per game. This shows how heavily he involves in Peterborough’s attack with the tendency of progressing the ball up the pitch rather than slowing the match’s tempo.
Playing alongside two pacey strikers in Toney and Eisa, he can use long passes to find those players while encouraging them to position themselves on the shoulder of defenders. This strategy reduces the team’s build-up time and allows the strikers to make the most out of their strongest attribute, which is pace, to convert the chance.
In Peterborough’s attack, Maddison plays a very important part as he is not just the player who can score goals, but also providing the decisive pass. His scoring ability is already proven through eight goals this season, both from open play and set-pieces. Meanwhile, passing is also another advantage of his, which is shown through six assists up to now. Although being a more direct and aggressive passer, his passes prove to be crucial as it pushes the attacking tempo higher and hit the opposition during their transitioning process.
Peterborough already have Reed, who is a deep-lying playmaker and like to dictate the tempo. He acts as the link between the defenders and the midfielders while providing the ball up the pitch. But it is Maddison who usually connects those passes and converts it into chances, and even goals. A more dynamic midfielder compared to Reed, he is the director in their attacking situations and knowing what he has to do. Having two excellent playmakers at both ends really benefit Peterborough as they become the main creativity source and the heartbeat of the team.
Ivan Toney and Mohamed Eisa
Maddison is a creative player who makes passes, but if there are no players who turn up at the end of those passes, it will result in fewer goals being scored. And that is when Toney and Eisa come to the rescue. They are two of the players who have started every match up to now and are occasionally replaced by Siriki Dembélé during the game.
Being the two names who lead the line, but the strikers are not expected to just score goals. Involving in the team’s play is one of them as both can drop deep to bring the teammates into play, especially Eisa. The former Bristol City striker does not have a preferred position to spend more time at (besides from that tiny spot in the central circle, of course) compared to Toney. Similar to Maddison, he is willing to join the midfielders to pick up the ball and use his pace to drive forward.
His counterpart, Toney, also performs in a similar way. Roaming from his position more often is his trait and it is clear to see that he spends time playing on both wings and inside the 16-yard box. As mentioned, flexible movement is the key in Peterborough’s attack and it does not come as a surprise to see the strikers, and even Maddison, to move across the pitch on a more constant basis.
For Eisa, though, he tends to move closer to the midfielders as it is possible for him to receive through passes rather than long balls and even reducing the risk of the passes. When picking up the ball, the Sudanese striker makes the most out of his pace to escape his markers and sprints towards the 16-yard box.
One of the noticeable points in Eisa’s off-the-ball movement is he occasionally moves into the space behind the defender’s back. This gives him the advantage to receive the pass in a more active state for his upcoming move. Furthermore, he does not show the hurry in executing it as Eisa rather assess the situation, showing the defender into his weaker side and bypass him with speed. He demonstrated it perfectly in his opening goal against Southend United.
In order to pick out space where he can receive passes, especially behind defenders’ back, you need to have good positional awareness, and it is also one of Eisa’s advantages. Also, being composed in most of Peterborough’s attacking situations, this helps the Sudanese striker to have a wider perspective on the situation itself. Moreover, he can know where he can run into and when is the most perfect time to enter that space.
Even inside the 16-yard box, Eisa can also find for himself a position where he can turn up at the end of crosses, similar to the situation below. He noticed a big gap was created in between Rochdale’s players and positioned himself inside of it without a player attempting to close him down. The opposition had six players involved in this defensive situation, but no one were able to prevent Eisa to head the ball home.
Meanwhile, Toney is more of an advanced forward who is usually found in between the opposition’s defenders. Being on the shoulder of defenders, he encourages the midfielders to make more long passes or through balls towards the space behind the opposition’s defensive line. This is when he uses his pace to beat the offside trap and turn up at the end of the pass for converting it into goals.
He creates another way of attacking when his team is controlling the ball, which is attacking the space behind the defensive line. As predicted, this is extremely efficient when they play against clubs that tend to push their shape high up the pitch. With players who can make penetrative, long passes towards Toney and Eisa, this is one of the attacking methods that Peterborough players make the most out of during the matches.
On several occasions, though, Toney can also turn his back towards Christy Pym’s goal to pick up passes. He does not drop deep very much as he aims to maintain his position inside the opposite half. At the same time, by dragging one of the opposition’s defenders with him, he will be able to open space behind him for his teammates to enter.
Another point to notice about this trio is they occasionally switch positions with each other using diagonal runs. During counter-attacks and several open play situations, it is noticeable that the attacking players can swap place to confuse the defenders while making the most out of each other’s strengths. Being pacey strikers who lead the line, Toney and Eisa all have the tendency to use their pace and dribble with the ball. With 2.04 and 2.33 dribbles respectively, they show that they have the ability to beat their markers on their own.
In terms of goals, Toney and Eisa are sharing the top spot of the league’s top scorer together with eleven goals. Both are all proven names in terms of converting chances into goals. The latter had an explosive season with Cheltenham back in the 2017–18 season with 25 goals, while the former came close with 23 goals for the Posh last season.
As shown in their shots maps below, it is clear to see that Toney registers more shots compared to Eisa. Indeed, as the former Newcastle striker makes 3.29 shots per game while his partner only has 2.5. In contrast, though, it also means that Eisa’s conversion rate is much higher than Toney and the number of shots on target is also higher (53.6% compared to 45.2%). One of the reasons for this, as mentioned, is Eisa’s compose attitude when it comes to converting his chances. He usually waits for his chance to come and finds the perfect spot to strike the ball into and even occasionally have time to turn the ball towards his preferred foot, which is his right foot.
Both all have all of their goals take place inside the box but while Eisa has most of his lean towards the left-hand side, Toney is more focused centrally and inside the 6-yard box. Nonetheless, wherever they score their goals, the strikers still prove their ability to put the ball into the back of the net in a very efficient way. Also, their numbers also back up the fact that Toney has most of his chances inside the box with 5.09 touches in the 16-yard box while Eisa only has 2.96.
Conclusion
Scoring goals is the part of football that most of the fans love to watch. And whenever a team is scoring goals for fun along with an attractive style of play, it makes the joy of watching football matches multiply many times. It does seem like the case for Peterborough and their fans as they are so enjoyable to watch this season.
At one end of the pitch, their young backline is being led by an experienced Mark Beevers providing solidity in front of Christy Pym’s goal. At one end of the pitch, a young and flair attacking trio of Marcus Maddison, Ivan Toney and Mohamed Eisa are bringing the charm for Peterborough. They play with fluidity and always willing to support each other in terms of creating chances and converting them into goals. An outstanding 84% contribution to the team’s record is an impressive number. Still, high confidence is continuously rising among the squad as they are taking on every single match and it is the sign of more to come.
If they can maintain this scoring rate until the end of the season, promotion would be something that they should not worry about. And certainly, their performances will catch the eye of many big names. This is not the first time that Peterborough receive attentions for Maddison and Toney, but they still hope to keep this trio around on their journey of reaching the Championship and playing in the division. Nonetheless, they are playing their best football at current for Peterborough and allowing them to showcase their best attributes on the field is the appropriate thing that we can do right now. So, it is worth sitting back, enjoying their performances and not putting too much pressure on them.
