Nick Marsman: "Inter Miami has to stick together as a team"
The starting goalkeeper stated he believes Inter Miami needs to avoid reverting to individualism when faced with adversity
Nick Marsman just made it clear: He thinks Inter Miami needs to learn to stick together rather than revert to individualism when the going gets tough.
Marsman talked to the media ahead of Wednesday’s home game against the Chicago Fire, and shared his thoughts on how he believes Inter Miami players need to stay united rather than go rogue when faced with adversity.
The experienced goalkeeper used this past weekend’s 2-0 road loss to New York City FC as an example of how the team failed to do that, stating that he thought there was not enough mental fortitude on display after surrendering a goal in a game in which the “vulnerable” South Florida side had started on the front foot.
“We just have to stick together as a team, but I am on the pitch and you see it coming. You feel it coming,” said Marsman. “After we concede the goal, it felt like we were getting more sloppy, we tried to force things, we were running out of our positions, and it got worse and worse. They had a good team, (NYCFC), so they could handle us very well. We were running everywhere and they just outplayed us.”
While Inter Miami had rallied to a draw and two wins in the three games preceding the NYCFC encounter, Marsman further stressed his point by stating that less desperation and more patience is needed when setbacks are suffered as early as they were in that game. The Herons conceded in the 20th minute before doing so again in the first minute of first half stoppage time.
Inter Miami’s No. 1 also emphasized the need to stick to the game plan, something head coach Phil Neville also said in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s defeat.
“You feel like people want it so bad that we do not do it as a team anymore,” said Marsman. “Everybody just wants to give 200 percent and even though it is with the right mindset it is not always the right way. I think we talked about it and it also takes time to get that in the team. It is also about confidence, trusting each other that we will get the result even if we are 1-0 behind, even if we are maybe 2-0 behind.
“Keep our own game, keep playing the way we need to play, do your own task, help each other, and then if you lose okay it happens but you cannot lose the way we did. The second half, I think was not good.”
Marsman and Inter Miami will have a chance to right those wrongs on Wednesday against a Fire team that is on a four-game unbeaten run. The game will likely prove a challenge, but for Inter Miami staying united is one of the things it must do in order to raise its chances of getting back on track with a win.
“We are still very vulnerable as a team,” said Marsman. “We have to stick together because in the second half (vs. NYCFC) we were running everywhere, we did not keep our shape, and that cannot happen. We talked about it and it is just developing the team.”