Analyzing Inter Miami: Persistent attacking woes, Pizarro at central midfield, and more
Three takeaways from Inter Miami's narrow 1-0 loss to Atlanta United
ATLANTA — Zero shots on target in this past game, one goal in the last three matches, 25 tallies in 26 meetings this year.
Inter Miami has a severe attacking problem.
Only eight games remain in the MLS season for Inter Miami after Wednesday night’s 1-0 road loss to Atlanta United, and the outlook for a playoff spot is looking more and more bleak given the South Florida side’s continued inability to find the back of the net with any regularity.
The Herons were held without a goal for the 11th time in 26 matches this year in the midweek meeting that gave them their third straight defeat, one that also saw them remain as the team with the lowest scoring output in MLS. Head coach Phil Neville chalked up the latest shutout to a lack of “ruthlessness” and clinical finishing, but there is more to it than that.
First things first, Inter Miami is a poorly-constructed team. The players on the whole are not overly quick, big, technical, dynamic, nor creative. Sure, there are sprinkles of each quality within the roster, but not enough of any of them. It is part of why a true identity has yet to be established and why there was not a clearly-defined one on display against Atlanta United.
The squad is mostly just a hodgepodge of pieces that do not fit together on the field and lack the type of collective automatism that the best teams tend to have. It is also not a minor detail that the side does not have much athleticism, be it pace or power, in a league that is still largely categorized by physical qualities.
Another reason is the tactics. In an attempt to mask the defensive deficiencies that exist given the aforementioned absence of certain attributes, Neville has become very defensive-minded with his team and game plans. Wednesday’s tilt was just the latest example of that, with the Englishman deploying the preferred five-man back line that he has used since late July.
Throwing more numbers into the defense has led to improved results because of the solidity it has provided the team, but the tactic has also naturally reduced the amount of players that get forward. With two central midfielders playing ahead of a back five, Inter Miami is largely left to depend on its front three players to create chances. The wingbacks get involved, too, but not always given their defensive responsibilities.
Of course, it is not impossible for a trio to test opposing defenses, but it is rare to have the moments of numerical superiority that teams so often look for in the sport when you have so few attackers on the field. Defenses will tend to have the upper hand in those situations, which is part of why Inter Miami finished with zero shots on goal vs. Atlanta United.
No wonder then that all of those factors have resulted in the team netting just four times in the last seven games, with one coming off an ill-advised back pass that was intercepted and another off a 95th-minute penalty.
Finding a solution to the attacking woes is Neville’s biggest challenge right now, and whether he does that will likely determine the fate of Inter Miami’s salvageable but slowly-sinking season.
Pizarro showed well as a central midfielder
One good thing to come out of this game for Inter Miami in addition to getting closer to the defensive level that had largely been on display during the recent good run of form was Rodolfo Pizarro being deployed as a No. 8.
Neville used Pizarro as a box-to-box type in a three-man midfield line rather than higher up the field, deploying the Mexican parallel to Blaise Matuidi who had a similar function and ahead of the deep-lying Jay Chapman. Pizarro was tasked with not only picking up the ball and driving it forward with both dribbles and passes to help generate attacking sequences, but also had to hold his position when defending to help keep the team shape.
The 27-year-old Designated Player did a solid job of both, primarily in the first half before fading a bit in the second. Neville described Pizarro’s outing afterwards as “probably his best game of the season,” a comment that could mean that we see more of the usual attacker in a central midfield role during this final stretch run.
That would surely not be a bad thing. It has been written in these spaces dating back to last year that Pizarro’s qualities best suit that of a No. 8 rather than a 10. He does not possess the top-notch vision or creativity that traditional attacking midfielders have, but has the clean touch and technical qualities that can help link the defense to the attack, likes to get on the ball, prefers passes be played to his feet rather than into space, and has enough work rate to fulfill the defensive duties.
Deploying Pizarro deeper may take him away from the opponent’s goal and thus make him less dangerous, but he is not that much of a scoring threat as is. What’s more, he can help improve the midfield play and attacking by generating more good sequences with the ball, something Inter Miami is in sore need of during this playoff push.
Playing it safe is not working, so it is time to take risks
It is no secret that Inter Miami is not a well-balanced team, which has led to Neville’s emphasis on being more defensively organized and tough in order to better compete in games. That formula has worked to get the Herons in the conversation for a playoff berth, but it probably will not be enough to get them into the postseason.
Inter Miami sits seven points shy of the red line in the Eastern Conference with eight matches to go, meaning there is not much time left to close the gap. That is why it is imperative for the South Florida side to start playing for wins with more proactive performances that sees more risks taken and more numbers thrown forward rather than reactive ones in which the team plays not to lose by dropping numbers back at the expense of good attacking play.
“I agree, to be honest” said left wingback Kieran Gibbs. “We are running out of games so we have to change something if time is against us. It is as simple as that."
Sure, there is no guarantee that Inter Miami will be good enough offensively to offset what will be lost defensively if more bodies are deployed in advanced positions. That said, just trying to keep a zero at the back and pluck one at the other end with the very few chances that are regularly generated with the current style of play does not fit the present situation.
Multiple wins are needed to make up the ground that exists, and taking matters more into one’s hands can help get them. It is risky, of course, but better to go for it and live with the results rather than look back and lament over playing it safe.