Toronto gave Atlanta United fits the last time they played by using Alejandro Pozuelo as a “false nine.” It’s a tactic that Toronto also used in dispatching NYCFC in the semifinals of the MLS Eastern Conference playoffs last week. That win set up Wednesday’s conference final between Atlanta United and Toronto at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Pozuelo scored two goals, including one penalty kick, in Toronto's 3-2 win against Atlanta United in June. He scored both, including one penalty kick in Toronto's 2-1 win against NYCFC last week. He scored 12 goals with 12 assists during the regular season and on Monday was named to the MLS Best XI.
Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer is preparing as if Pozeulo is again going to be the striker because he said why change when it’s working well?
“He’s a dangerous player obviously and you don't want him to get into those dangerous spots where he then can pick out a pass or take someone on on the dribble or kinda of beat somebody and take a shot,” Atlanta United’s Julian Gressel said. “It's obviously going to be a big challenge.”
A “false nine” is a tactic first used by Austria, among other national teams, in the 1930s in which a team doesn’t play with a true forward who stays close to a centerback. Instead, as a “false nine,” that player who is supposed to be the forward (known as a No. 9) is given the freedom to roam to try to find spaces between defensive lines. As he floats around, midfielders can make runs at defenders, which can cause chaos because they have to make choices whether to follow the “false nine” or stay and keep the shape of the formation.
The “false nine” has disappeared and then reappeared, most recently with Francesco Totti at Roma and famously with Lionel Messi at Barcelona when Pep Guardiola managed the Spanish giants. There aren’t many teams that used it in MLS this season.
Against Atlanta United, Gressel said Pozuelo would often drift to his left to the side where Michael Parkhurst was playing right fullback and Pity Martinez started the game as the right midfielder. That lineup choice proved unwise because Martinez didn’t frequently help Parkhurst, who was being played out of position, much on defense. With Pozuelo moving over, Toronto created numerical overloads that made for obvious advantages. Toronto could have easily had a 3-0 lead in the first half. Gressel eventually moved to the right and Martinez into the middle.
De Boer said he thought his team played too wide in that game, which gave Pozuelo a lot of space. Sometimes he would move inside and find pockets of space.
De Boer said the key to defending Pozuelo and Toronto better on Wednesday will be to recognize when the defense needs to play compact. De Boer said his team’s defensive decisions were much better in its semifinal win against Philadelphia.
“For me that’s going to be key, those moments recognizing when you can press or first come together and then press from there,” de Boer said.
Toronto could change things by starting Jozy Altidore, who missed the first two playoff games because of an injury. De Boer said they are planning as if Altidore will be a sub. Altidore is not a “false nine.” He is a big, strong body, a true center forward.
“We’re going to have to be ready for both,” Gressel said. “We don’t know Jozy’s status obviously, but Jozy’s a guy who's going to stay up there and hold the ball up, that's going to body our center backs and try to be physical and then get on the end of crosses and things like that. But he also does really well linking up, just kind of holding off [defenders] and laying one touches to the sides. Pozuelo is more of a guy who like to be on the ball, likes to face the game, likes to take some guys on, so it's obviously very very different. Our center backs will prepare for both, and if that switch were to come, that they know how to handle both situations.”
About the Author
