Analyzing Inter Miami: Neville making his mark, Higuain's improved state, and more
Three takeaways from Inter Miami's 1-0 victory against the Columbus Crew
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A playoff spot may still be two points away, but Inter Miami’s recent run of good form has already made something abundantly clear.
Phil Neville has righted the ship.
Inter Miami extended its string of consecutive results on Saturday night by blanking the Columbus Crew, 1-0, at Drv Pnk Stadium, and the victory continued to show how well the South Florida side is now responding to Neville and his way of doing things. Whereas in the opening months of the season the team struggled to show any type of cohesion or identity, the Herons have demonstrated since late July that they can play as a unified and committed group that is capable of finding different ways to get the job done on a consistent basis.
That development could be chalked up to the natural process of Neville becoming more familiar with his players and their strengths and weaknesses, but it can also be attributed to their improved understanding of what he wants on and off the field.
“You do not get much time in football as a manager now, but ultimately to make the changes we did it was always going to take six months,” said Neville. “I do not know how long it was from the start of the season to when (we suffered a 5-0 loss to the New England Revolution), but I bet it was about six months, give or take one or two weeks.
“But the change was happening before that. The change and the smell was happening before that, and it took six months to get them to where I wanted to get them to, to get them to understand what I was about, to get them to understand what it takes to become and to have a successful team.”
The work Neville and his staff have done with their players to turn the team into a more defensively-sound and competitive side that functions better on the field and shows more effort has been noteworthy, even if it is not overly sexy nor drawing that much national attention right now. Inter Miami has flipped a switch, transforming from a side that was in total disarray to one that has lost just once in the last 10 matches while conceding only nine times in that stretch.
Put more simply, the Englishman and his coaches have effectively helped turn around what looked like a doomed season with by and large the same squad. The result of that is that a playoff berth is now within touching distance with 12 games to go in the campaign and a favorable remaining schedule.
Yes, there is still work to do, but all signs point to Inter Miami’s ascent continuing. Neville deserves his share of credit for that.
“Ultimately without each other we are not going to win a game of football and that was the most important thing,” said Neville of the drastic change. “If you are not going to run for each other, if you are not going to cover for each other, if you are not going to give the ball and trust each other, if you are not going to push each other in training, if you are just going to come into training and do your job and then go home then go be an electrician.
“In football you need to be a team, and we focused really hard on that. We focused really hard on that.”
Higuain’s improved state helps yield latest goal
Similarly to the team, Gonzalo Higuain looks much improved on the field now than he did at the start of the year. Part of that is due to him being in a better state physically, but also mentally.
Higuain scored his ninth goal of the season on Saturday by delivering the winner in the 16th minute. The star striker pounced on an errant back-pass from Crew defender Josh Williams, and raced forward before hitting a soft chipped shot over the helpless Eloy Room.
What followed was a euphoric and jubilant celebration from Higuain, who made several curious gestures while racing over to the same VIP suite on the west side of Drv Pnk Stadium that he signaled to during the two teams’ entrances to the field prior to the opening whistle. It turns out his loved ones were there watching him play while motivating him at the same time.
“To be able to experience scoring and having my family, my wife, my daughter in front of me is something that I have dreamed about my whole life,” said Higuain in Spanish after the victory. “For me it is more valuable than anything else. You can win, become a champion, whatever you want, but nothing compares to being able to see your daughter and wife’s excitement in front of your eyes, and to be able to experience that was a very big emotional thrill.”
Higuain added that hugging his family prior to kickoff gave him strength to provide that “something extra” and that his goal celebration was him pretending to eat out of a chocolate cup because his daughter likes that sweet. The striker also said having his close ones around has helped give him peace of mind in the wake of the loss of his mother earlier this year.
Combine that with his improved physical condition after going through a personalized training regimen earlier in the campaign that was made to get him fitter, and you can see why Higuain turned in the performance that he did against the Crew. He was sharp with a lot of his dribbling and passing decisions, and also found a winner to boot.
“I need right now to be at peace and with love and my people, and I have that,” said Higuain. “When the planets align and your mind is clear, you are in a better way.”
Attack continues to scrape by
Just look at the two goals Inter Miami has scored in the last three games and it is clear to see that the attack is struggling in spite of what the final results might say:
A 90th-minute strike vs. FC Cincinnati
An opportunistic first-half finish after a self-inflicted wound by the Crew
Inter Miami’s front line once again had issues generating much danger in this latest game. A lack of possession vs. the opponent’s technical midfield played a part in that — the Herons lost that battle by a 58-42 mark — but so too did the South Florida side’s inability to find attackers in more threatening parts of the field.
Robbie Robinson, for example, was largely negated after the Crew adjusted to the darting runs he was making in behind at the start of the game. He finished with the fewest touches of any Inter Miami starter. Rodolfo Pizarro followed him in that regard with an uninspiring performance that should again raise questions as to whether he and Higuain can play together given the Argentine’s penchant for dropping deep.
Resolving this lack of attacking punch will likely be needed if Inter Miami is going to sustain this recent run of good form, and the good news is that the team’s next foe is a Toronto FC side that has leaked a whopping 49 goals this season. What’s more, the Herons posted the first multi-goal victory in franchise history vs. that very outfit last month.
Still, finding more permanent ways to address the reappearing issue that is the lack of punch and inventiveness in the final third is something Neville will surely be working on in the coming days. The attack might be getting by right now, but only barely and that will probably not be maintainable over the longer term.