ATLANTA — The blueprint to beat Atlanta United in Mercedes-Benz Stadium seemed well-established: pack the center of the field with either three center backs or two defensive midfielders and force the Five Stripes into non-threatening possession that leaves them exposed on the counterattack.
Frank de Boer even said as much after his team’s 3-0 win over Minnesota United Wednesday night — a match that was much closer than the final score indicated.
“They had a philosophy with five in the back, three in midfield and two up front,” said ATLUTD’s head coach in his post-match press conference. “They did that for a reason. They want to drop deep, and then with good passing, they wanted to beat us on the counterattack. I think we solved that problem really well.”
Atlanta solved it in a couple ways, one of which was to sit off the ball more than they have in the past, which Matt Doyle discussed in his Armchair Analyst column.
But de Boer also changed his side when his team was in possession, moving his star attacking midfielder Pity Martinez into a wide role on the right flank, the first time the Argentine has started in that position this season. Julian Gressel, a player Atlanta fans have come to adore for his service from the right wing, slotted inside as a box-to-box/playmaker hybrid.
“I know that Pity is a player that can play like a No. 10, but from the right coming in on his left foot he can make smart passes or shoot on goal,” said de Boer. “He can be very dangerous doing that as well... We didn’t want to give players like [Osvaldo] Alonso much freedom, so Julian and his work rate is great in that position.”
Whether the change persists beyond Wednesday’s matchup remains to be seen. Gressel told media after the match that Minnesota’s shape in midfield, with the 33-year old Alonso playing as a single-pivot defensive midfielder, allowed the German to use his mobility to Atlanta’s advantage.
“I think it kind of freed up Pity,” Gressel said of the tactical shakeup. “He got on the ball in good spots and I thought I got on the ball in good spots in the first half as well. Maybe I do a bit more running in there to shuffle things around, where Pity is more of a stationary guy, so I thought it worked pretty good.”
De Boer told reporters after the match that he anticipated Adrian Heath deploying his side in a 4-2-3-1 system, but the fact that he instead opted for a 5-3-2 perhaps played to the strengths of Atlanta’s setup.
“I figured to be the guy that was able to find the open pockets on the sides of Alonso,” said Gressel. “I know he’s not the youngest anymore, so he might not be able to move side to side. When Eric [Remedi] and Darlington [Nagbe] stayed deep like they did, we were able to create overloads on the side. I think you saw that on the first goal.”
With just one more home match remaining before the June international break, de Boer will likely be heartened that his team seems to have found a solution to what was an obvious weakness during his first couple of months in charge of the defending MLS Cup champions.
