If Atlanta United is able to create more goal-scoring chances Saturday at Columbus, then the work done the past two weeks is a good sign for the MLS champs.
Though the team has had a lot of the ball, it hasn’t done much with the ball. Manager Frank de Boer pointed out the issue Thursday and said it’s something the team has worked on with the available players.
“Do we have to do something different to create more chances? For everybody that’s clear,” he said. “We will see that on Saturday.”
In its three MLS games this season, the Five Stripes (0-1-2) are averaging 64.5 percent of the possession, but have scored only two goals while averaging 2.7 shots on goal.
“There’s no use to have 70 percent possession if the opponent is creating more chances than you are,” de Boer said. “It’s always positive to have more of the ball than the opponent, but you have to do something with it. Right now, we don’t create too much with the ball. That’s one thing we have to improve and what we are working on.”
Part of the team’s problem has been an inability to consistently get Josef Martinez, Pity Martinez, Ezequiel Barco or Hector Villalba the ball in spots that will stress a defense, or to create numerical advantages when attacking. Josef Martinez has been mostly starved of service, but still has one goal from his three shots on goal. Pity Martinez, who won’t play Saturday because a hamstring injury, mostly is taking shots from yards outside of the penalty box. Barco is showing signs of figuring out how to work within the 3-4-3 formation de Boer prefers. He has one goal in league play. Villalba seems to still be working on how to take advantage of the space and with making runs behind defenders.
Though the team was without Josef Martinez, Pity Martinez, Barco, Villalba and Andrew Carleton because they were called up by their respective national teams and didn’t train with Atlanta United for most of the past two weeks, de Boer said Atlanta United was still able to work on getting the ball into dangerous spots.
That work will continue next week when the team, which should have all of its players, will have a bye for the second time in three weeks.
“We are trying to find our way into games, where we can come out and be on top of teams and create chances,” Julian Gressel said.
The rest that came from the international break has been a benefit. De Boer said the players are mentally sharper than they were while slogging through the seven games in 24 days.
“We had a very tough period mentally and physically,” he said. “After that period, everybody has new energy again. this is the second phase we are going to. It looks positive, how I see the reaction from the players. And how fresh they are mentally looking right now.”
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