Inter Miami is bleeding out, and the fate of its season more and more seems a foregone conclusion.
One major recurring issue is the reason for that, and no, it is not poor refereeing decisions.
Inter Miami’s losing streak was stretched out to five games this past Saturday via a 1-0 road loss to the New York Red Bulls, and all the defeat did was further underline how poor of an attacking team the South Florida side has become under head coach Phil Neville. Not only did the Herons finish without a goal for a whopping 13th time this season, but they managed just one shot on target and that came on the very last play of the affair in the 95th minute.
Neville afterwards lashed out at match officials for their usage — or lack thereof — of VAR, and there is validity to his argument to an extent. Still, poor refereeing decisions are not the reason Inter Miami’s anemic attack has sputtered about from practically the start of the season up until this most recent game against the Red Bulls.
There is no denying there is some good individual talent on this roster, enough to avoid having a league-low 25 goals in 28 games at least, but Neville has not found a way to consistently make things work. Yes it is true that an emphasis has been put on the defensive side of things in order to make the limited group more competitive, a tactic that naturally weakens the ability to get numbers up into the attack.
Still, the team shows very little ideas of what to do when it has the ball. There are no real patterns of play nor an established identity when in possession. Instead, Inter Miami regularly just relies on players trying to figure things out via their individual skills, be it Lewis Morgan bombing forward to whip in crosses from the right wingback spot or Gonzalo Higuain dropping into deeper areas to create.
There is no real semblance of cohesive attacking play that can unlock opposing defenses, something that was on display in the loss to the Red Bulls when Inter Miami defended in a deep block with eight field players while the forward tandem of Higuain and Robbie Robinson stayed isolated and largely disconnected from the team by taking up very advanced spots on the field.
Neville could be doing more to try and find solutions rather than continue to try and force the issue with what has proven not to work, even if it means taking some solidity away from the defense.
He could go with changing the formation. He could go back to using Robinson on the wing and Higuain up top rather than insist on putting the former in a less-favorable position. He could go with giving Federico Higuain, the most natural No. 10 on the roster, longer cameos than the sporadic minutes that the Argentine has been given here and there since August. He could go with starting Julian Carranza in place of Robinson. He could go with making even quicker substitutions when he sees things are not working.
Whatever the case, Neville has to make attacking adjustments for the final six games of 2021 regardless of if they come at the expense of the defense. Inter Miami’s Hail Mary attempt to make the playoffs hinges on scoring goals, and a remedy is needed for that to happen.
Higuain’s body language reads of someone who wants out
Speaking of the attack:
Gonzalo Higuain for the umpteenth time visibly demonstrated his frustrations this past weekend, something the television broadcast focused on. He cut a frustrated figure over and over again vs. the Red Bulls, exploding at times into tantrums that were directed at teammates — most frequently forward partner Robinson — and the referees.
Asking Higuain to take that out of his game would be like asking a dog to meow. It is just not possible. It is who he is and has always been. It is how he lives and feels the game.
That said, that he more often than not looks aggravated and unhappy should raise the question as to whether he wants to stay in Inter Miami beyond this season. Sure, the striker is getting a nice payday at around $5 million per season that he probably will not get anywhere else, but his body language right now reads of someone who is more than fed up after a season’s worth of lackluster play.
One other question his actions should raise is whether the inexperienced Neville, who is in his first head coaching job at the club level, has the respect of the accomplished Argentine. It is understandable that players show frustration at times when things do not work out, but the rate at which Higuain does it is not good for team spirit and might be lower if he feared repercussions or had more esteem for his head coach.
Mabika shows promising signs in MLS debut
A big positive in this narrow defeat was the play of the debuting Aime Mabika, who earned his first MLS start thanks to MLS granting Inter Miami usage of the Extreme Hardship rule.
Mabika showed a lot of promising signs in his shift as the modern-day sweeper in the team’s five-man back line, especially with his 1-on-1 defending. His long legs put out several fires and he used his imposing 6-foot-6 frame well to win several physical tussles. Mabika finished with one tackle, one interception, eight clearances, two blocked shots, two aerials won, and one foul conceded.
Of course, this was just one game and there were some expected mistakes from the first-round draft pick. Mabika failed to cut off the pass that led to the game-winner in the 26th minute despite being close enough to do so, and he hit a very poor ball under no pressure near the end that nearly led to a second Red Bulls’ tally. There were also moments in which he passively waited for a 50-50 to come to him rather than attack it.
Those types of things will naturally be worked on as he gets more experience. The 23-year-old centerback who has played for Fort Lauderdale CF in USL League One this season is still in his first professional campaign, and is continuing to learn how to be a better defender both tactically and physically.
That said, he showed in this game that there are very good starting points there to work with and that is good news for Inter Miami given that the team will likely have to part with one or both of Leandro Gonzalez Pirez and Nicolas Figal next year given the impending financial sanctions.
You don’t have a clue , Gonzalo ,Federico Higuain are done ! Finished ! Too old and slow ! Goanzalo is the worst and most expensive signing in MLS history ! Higuain brothers are the reason Inter miami is in last place #27 in MLS !Carranza and Robinson are not good enough to play in MLS, they are horrible! Miami starting roster is weak and no depth ! Figal and Pirez are the worst center backs in MLS ! Inter Miami doesn’t have one single player good enough to keep for next year! They don’t have quality! Neville is like a cheerleader ! He’s afraid to loose the locker room he’s not experienced or confident ! At this point it doesn’t matter if you change the coach , it’s no hope ! No accountability ! I said last season please sell ,trade ,waive all these players and start from zero ! But NO ! They decided to change coach and now is even worse! The only people happy is the Argentinian players and Matuidi agents $$$$ Inter Miami got DUPED! The worst news is Higuain contract is good for one more year! I can’t believe it ! Nobody is going to support this team !