Analyzing Inter Miami: Efficient but ineffective, formation changes, and more
Three takeaways from Inter Miami's 2-1 midweek loss to Atlanta United
Inter Miami is not dead yet, but the grave has been dug and the tombstone prepared after the team failed to deliver in one of the sport’s most important areas on Wednesday.
A midweek 2-1 loss to Atlanta United has all but killed off Inter Miami’s slim playoff odds, and one of the biggest reasons the South Florida side fell was because it was not clinical enough in front of goal. While Inter Miami was efficient in generating scoring chances with the little possession it had, the team was not effective in turning those chances into goals.
To put into numbers, let’s lay out Inter Miami’s stats on the right and Atlanta United’s on the left:
61……………………………………………………possession…………………………………………………………………………39
13………………………………………………………..shots……………………………………………………………………………….11
8………………………………………………….shots on target……………………………………………………………………….6
2………………………………………………………….goals………………………………………………………………………………….1
Atlanta United had more of the ball, but took longer in translating that into scoring opportunities as evidenced by the relation of 4.69 percent of possession per shot compared to Inter Miami’s 3.55 percent of possession per shot. The home side was thus less efficient than Inter Miami, but was more effective and clinical (0.15 scoring rate) than the Herons (0.08 scoring rate) in putting away the chances that were created.
Of course, the Herons had their opportunities to improve those numbers and tally more than once, but they repeatedly failed to capitalize on them. Gonzalo Higuain could not get enough placement on a great look in the second half that could have pushed Inter Miami’s lead to 2-0, and Robbie Robinson also botched a couple of looks late on to tie proceedings at 2-2 after entering as a substitute.
While the attacking duo was far from clinical, other players like Lewis Morgan and Kelvin Leerdam also failed to put looks away. Morgan had a decent half-chance from in close in the first half that was skied over the bar, and Leerdam could not find the back of the net on an open attempt from the right side of the penalty area.
The team as a whole put forth a solid and competitive game that could have resulted in three points, but the lack of effectiveness from the run of play doomed Inter Miami to a costly defeat.
“Ruthlessness to score goals,” said Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville when asked what the team was missing. “That is what the best players do, that is what the best teams to do. … That is why they won the game. That is why we are where we are in the league. It is as simple as that, not being ruthless enough in front of goal.”
Neville’s initial formation change worked, the second did not
Two of the other biggest talking points from this match circled around one thing: Changes to the formation.
After winning the last two matches by a combined score of 8-1 while returning to the 4-2-3-1 system, Neville altered the tactical look by moving back into the 5-2-3 against Atlanta United. While that decision may have raised some eyebrows when the lineups came out before the game, the reasoning behind it made sense.
Inter Miami’s recent attacking explosion came vs. the two worst defensive teams in the league, and those already-eliminated sides also do not possess the same type of quality in the attack as Atlanta United. Prioritizing the defense by trying to stay tight and organized was a smart game plan, especially if 37-year-old Federico Higuain — a key man in playing the 4-2-3-1 — was not physically able to give you a whole lot of minutes after starting the last two matches.
Neville could also not be blamed for changing the formation back to that more attack-minded posture midway through the second half when the score was 1-1. While it led to an immediate goal via Josef Martinez’s winner due to the extra space that was given up at the back, Inter Miami had to go for it. A draw would not have sufficed for the playoff push, so Neville took a necessary risk in search of a goal that just did not pay off.
The wall failed to do its job on the equalizing goal
Wednesday’s defeat was frustrating all on its own, but what made it all the more bitter was how Atlanta United got back into the game.
Luiz Araujo pulled the home side level in the 59th minute with a free kick that surprised Inter Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman, but the attacker’s low drive should have been prevented from going on frame by the South Florida side’s defensive wall. The job of that block of players is to stop shots from going directly through to goal, with the idea being to make the free-kick takers try the difficult task of putting the shot over them and under the crossbar.
Araujo went low with his take, however, and the ball — lamentably for Inter Miami — found the exact space in between the jumping Leandro Gonzalez Pirez and Jay Chapman. Had that shot been placed anywhere else it likely gets stopped by the wall, but that is the absurdity and charm of the beautiful game.
Inter Miami certainly could have had a player lie down behind the wall to try and prevent a low shot, a defensive trend that we have seen more of in the global game as of late. The team did not opt for that, though, and was unluckily punished as a result by an Atlanta United side that found just what it needed to get back into the game and went on to win it.