TORONTO – Alejandro Pozuelo expects to be in the starting lineup come Saturday against the New England Revolution (7:30 pm ET | TSN1/4 — Full TV & streaming info).
“I hope so,” the Toronto FC midfielder said Tuesday with a smile. “If I’m not, I kill the coach.”
The star attacker was left out of the starting XI on the weekend against the Montreal Impact, coming on at the start of the second half with the game scoreless to help Toronto FC to a 2-1 win.
He knew beforehand that was the plan.
“I don’t like [it], but I speak with the coach before the game,” explained Pozuelo. “This is the best situation for the team because we know Montreal [would] come to close the space, to push [from] the first minute and in the second half we [would] have more space.”
“In this game, we need to do this and, look, we win 2-1,” he continued. “In the second half, we pushed more, play more in the attack. He had a reason. We won the game, this is the most important.”
Toronto head coach Greg Vanney delved into the rationale for his decision.
“I had a conversation with him on some things that I wanted and we needed from him,” began Vanney. “He’s such a talented player, but there is also a team concept that has helped us be successful. He has, at times, tried to do too much with the ball.
“When he first came, played the NYCFC game, he wasn’t trying to be the guy, he was just trying to fit into the team,” continued Vanney. “It was one of our best performances of the year because everybody just got the ball to the next guy, it flowed, and there was a style of play that all the rest of the guys were used to.”
Pozuelo scored a stunning brace in that debut, adding an assist as well, with TFC rolling to a 4-0 win. But in the tumult of an up and down season in 2019, that clarity has strayed.
“We saw Seba [Giovinco] do it in the past too – tries to do more than he needs to do and then the timing of everything gets convoluted for everybody else. While [Pozuelo] can be successful, other guys get imbalanced,” explained Vanney. “So I said for 45 minutes we’re going to stay organized defensively, get our runners running again so we can establish timing, and we’ll bring you on once we get the speed and rhythm of the game going to make the difference.”
“It worked out. When he came on, the ball was moving a lot faster, he wasn’t trying to spin out of pressure all the time and it was getting to the next guy and the next guy and the next guy,” observed Vanney. “It was a valuable step forward.”
While not pleased, Pozuelo understood.
“No, I don’t be happy, but when he explained the reason why I played in the second half, I knew I would before the game,” he said. “I like to play, I came here to play, to start, but if sometimes he thinks I need to come in the second half, to help in a different way. This is the most important.”
Vanney understands why the player would feel that way: “He’s a competitor, wants to win.”
It is also worth recalling just how many games Pozuelo has played the past year.
Asked if he knew exactly, Pozuelo responded: “Yeah, a lot.”
Since July 2018 and the start of the 2018-19 Belgian season, he has appeared in 65 matches with no significant time off.
“This is the other question when I speak with the coach, he tried to find some moments for rest because when I play feel good, but after the game I [need] more time for recovery,” explained Pozuelo. “I need to be calm. I need to get ready for the playoffs.”
