Thus far, Blerim Dzemaili has proven to be well worth the wait for the Montreal Impact.
When club owner Joey Saputo revealed last December that Dzemaili, 31, would join Montreal on a loan deal the following May, it’s fair to say the reaction among the Impact faithful was mixed. Dzemaili, a Swiss midfielder who at the time was plying his trade with Italian team Bologna, was a relative unknown to Major League Soccer fans, to say nothing of the fact he was going to land in Montreal after playing a full Serie A season.
A lot of players from abroad struggle to adapt to MLS upon their arrival. There’s a lot to overcome, including the travel, the culture shock, language barriers and the high level of physicality in the league. Dzemaili, though, seems to have settled in quite nicely since joining the MLS club last month.
He already has two goals and two assists in four MLS appearances (all starts) for the Impact, scoring one goal and setting up another in Montreal’s 3-3 draw with Orlando City on the weekend. He’s added a touch of class and a cutting edge to Montreal’s midfield, forming an effective midfield partnership with Argentine Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Piatti, the Impact’s chief playmaker.
Montreal coach Mauro Biello said that Dzemaili has fit in “extremely well” so far, and he’ll be looking for the Swiss to continue his solid form on Wednesday night when the Impact host Toronto FC in the first leg of the Canadian Championship final.
“He’s a [midfielder] who can score, and that’s what we wanted – a guy who can keep us in possession, but also put up some numbers. He’s been able to score, he’s been able to combine with Nacho in different moments. They’ve become a good 1-2 tandem,” Biello offered.
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The Impact brought in Dzemaili, in large part, to help them move away from the counter-attacking style they’ve employed over the past few seasons. A vastly experienced midfield schemer who’s earned close to 60 caps for Switzerland and featured at the 2014 World Cup, Dzemaili has helped Montreal to start to make the transition to a team than can control possession a bit more.
Dzemaili’s ability to make runs from deep in midfield and arrive late in the penalty box, much like former Chelsea great Frank Lampard, has given opposing teams something new to worry about when they face the Impact.
“That’s one of his qualities, that Lampard-ish late run into the box, that’s what he does really well. He has tremendous strike, too. You see the goal he scored the other night in Orlando,” Biello said.
Against Orlando last weekend, Piatti setup Dzemaili for the Impact in the 16th minute, and then the Swiss ace returned the favour when Piatti tallied just after halftime. Piatti also played the role of provider when Dzemaili scored his first MLS goal in a 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls earlier this month.
The burgeoning partnership between Piatti and Dzemaili hasn’t escaped the attention of Toronto coach Greg Vanney, who feels the Swiss star gives the Impact more versatility in terms of how they can hurt opponents.
“He’s another guy that Piatti can link up with, [who] sees the game in a good way. You can tell they’re going to develop a relationship in due time. He’s a guy who we have to be aware of [on Wednesday],” Vanney warned.
Toronto goalkeeper Clint Irwin has studied up on Dzemaili by watching the Impact’s last few games in order to piece together a scouting report on the Swiss midfielder.
“He’s a guy who can get shots off from anywhere. Piatti is a guy who beats you one-v-one – he’ll draw defenders to him, which opens shooting and passing lanes for his teammates,” Irwin said.
“You have to be aware of the space that Dzemaili takes up and how he likes to join the play late. If Piatti can’t beat a guy, he’s looking for Dzemaili. He’s proven to be a very good finisher in and around the box.”
Toronto hosts Montreal in the return leg of the two-game aggregate Canadian Championship final next Tuesday at BMO Field.
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