Of all the disappointing aspects of Philadelphia’s loss to Atlanta in early June, perhaps the one that lingers longest is that the Union looked ready and able to go toe-to-toe with the best team in the Eastern Conference until everything went haywire. But still, few would have predicted the Union could hold their own against the weight of Atlanta’s deep pockets on the road in 2018.
The intriguing part about this Philly team, though, is that they continue to believe they can compete with anybody in MLS. And even if they have yet to finish their best chances, they consistently create the first chance against quality opponents.
Gressel in the middle
Since the last time these teams met, Darlington Nagbe has sustained a long-term injury that has resulted in Julian Gressel moving into a central role. Gressel had been playing quite successfully on the right, and as a midfielder he drifts toward the right wing, similar to how Ale Bedoya drifts right in his box-to-box role for the Union.
Whereas Nagbe provided ball retention and the ability for Atlanta to safely move from back to front, Gressel’s standout ability is his service and workrate. Against Dallas on Wednesday, his attacking contributions occurred on the right but his recoveries spanned the width of the pitch.
How does this affect the Union? They will need to be very good when rotating from right to left across the pitch. Atlanta United’s skill players tend to congregate in front of the Union right, and if they find can draw the Union to that area than switch the ball to Gressel, Philly will be vulnerable to his hard crosses to Josef Martinez in the box.
Martinez matters
For all the wonderful work Miguel Almiron and Ezequiel Barco do in midfield, Josef Martinez is Atlanta’s not-so-secret superweapon. Few things can inspire creative players to work ever harder than the knowledge that when they make a chance for a striker, that striker is going to finish it. And few in MLS can finish like Martinez. The The biggest things to pay attention to with Martinez are his commitment to his runs and willingness to make those runs over and over again. As a result, the Five Stripes are always willing to serve in early balls and play passes with conviction because they know Martinez will be making his cut.
In his press conference this week, Jim Curtin pointed out that Martinez’s first goal against FC Dallas came moments after the striker was adjusting his socks. That is, the Venezuelan went from completely turned off to sprinting behind the Dallas defense in mere moments. This, as much as his raw speed, is what makes Martinez so hard to control; the suddenness of his intensity is surprising. Watch how it manifests in the match on Saturday and how the Union’s young center backs respond.
Control the ball, control the game
On this week’s ExtraTime Radio, Bobby Warshaw and Matt Doyle debated whether possession was an attacking or defensive tactic. The truth is that it’s more of a strategy than a tactic. A possession-based strategy can be more attacking-based if your main goal is to draw defenders out of position then attack the gaps left behind. Or perhaps you simply like to keep control of the pace of the match and believe that by slowing it down you favor the skillsets of your players. Alternatively, you may be most concerned about protecting your goal, and in this case you might try to possess the ball as high up the pitch as possible in order to make the opponent travel a great distance to score. The important part is that within any strategy like possession, many tactics can exist, such as making mostly 10-yard passes so you can quickly counterpress, or spreading the field to stretch a defense.
The Union tend to use possession to create gaps in the center during buildup that allow them to get Ale Bedoya and Borek Dockal on the ball. With the defense pulled apart, they can then find gaps for their wingers to explode behind the back line.
Atlanta won’t press Philly high, so on Saturday the Union need to use possession to move the visitors around defensively while maintaining patience. If the Union force passes into Atlanta’s defensive shape early, they risk turnovers that allow for a quick pass out to Barco and Almiron, and as Curtin said on Thursday, even Maldini would struggle against those players in space.
What to watch for
Here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s match that could serve as good indicators for how well each team is executing their gameplan.
Does Atlanta’s first pass after winning the ball back find someone’s feet with room to turn? The Union’s counterpressure was incredibly effective against Vancouver, and this prevented the Whitecaps from executing the first pass that could activate their dangerous front men. Philly must be just as strong counterpressing on Saturday.
Where does Ale Bedoya collect the ball when Philly is attacking? Bedoya can sit deeper and spray passes or push into a defensive shape and move players around. Since Atlanta is likely to sit back and look to counter, the Union captain’s decision-making on when to get forward and when to remain deeper to help move the ball around.
Can Philly create set piece opportunities? Whether it be corners or free kicks, the Union have a clear advantage when challenging Atlanta’s smaller lineup in the box. Creating penetration, then, is not just about getting at Atlanta in open play, but also about making the visitors defend dead balls. The Five Stripes entirely lost Fafa Picault on a set piece last time these teams met, and that’s how the Union cut Atlanta’s lead in half.
