ATLANTA – Without even knowing it, Pep Guardiola has an ally in Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney.
In the aftermath of Manchester City’s laboured 2-1 win over Napoli in the UEFA Champions League this past week, the Spanish manager was criticized in some quarters of the English press over his tactics. Namely, Guardiola was questioned as to why he insisted on having Man City build out from the back and continue with its passing game – instead of going to the long ball – even when Napoli’s persistent high press caused his team all sorts of problems.
Guardiola held firm, though, explaining that the solution to beating the press was not less buildup play and passing out from the back. If anything, you have to double down.
“We have to do it more. You play long balls against that team, [and] in two seconds they are attacking. In football, how fast the ball goes out [is] how fast it comes back. You have to play better build up. “[The opponent] runs after the ball. That is the point,” Guardiola explained.
[relatedlinks]
Vanney can relate. Atlanta’s high press was one of the many things TFC had to deal with when the teams played to a 2-2 draw at BMO Field back in April. More than likely, TFC will have to combat Atlanta’s pressing game again when they meet on Sunday evening before an expected crowd of 71,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the regular-season finale for both clubs.
If Atlanta persists in its high press, you can expect Vanney’s TFC side to take a page from Guardiola’s playbook and continue to play through the defensive pressure.
“It makes a lot sense what Pep said. But it also depends on your team. That’s always the asterisk in these type of arguments – it depends on the strengths of your players and the strength of your team. But I understand a thousand per cent what he said and I agree,” Vanney told Sportsnet in a one-on-one interview ahead of Sunday’s match.
“I don’t disagree with Pep’s philosophy, but it really comes down to the makeup of your team and whether you have the guys who are comfortable to pull it off. You need centre backs who are good on the ball, and sometimes in our league you have centre backs who are comfortable on the ball but who are not great defenders.”
Choosing a playing style based on the strengths of your players was a lesson that hit home for Vanney when he met former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini when the Blues came to town two years ago to play the Reds in a friendly at BMO Field.
“We were fortunate enough to have dinner with Pellegrini and [Manchester City’s director of football] Txiki Begiristain, two guys who built that team, and they had just spent 40 to 60 million Euros on [French defender] Eliaquim Mangala. The challenges they were having were that [playing out from the back] wasn’t his strength, but that was the vision of how they wanted to play. He’s a centre back who cost them this incredible amount of money, but his strength was strength was defending, and not necessarily playing with the ball at his feet,” Vanney said.
“So, to find centre backs, especially in a cap league like ours, who have both the capacity to play with the ball at their feet and to be a good defender, it’s rare.”
Fortunately for Toronto, it has three central defenders in veteran Drew Moor, Eriq Zavaleta, and newcomer Chris Mavinga who can do both.
Vanney also argues that sticking with a possession game against a team that uses the press has several benefits.
“When you play together as a group and then move collectively up the field, you can also set yourself up to be a little closer together to deal with them when they hit out in the counter. Plus, the situations you can get your forwards the ball tend to be better if you can organize it through possession versus playing the long ball over the top and forcing them to chase it,” Vanney said.
Both teams have something to play for in Sunday’s game. First-place Toronto (20-5-8) moved up to 68 points with last week’s home win over the Montreal Impact, tying the mark held by the 1998 LA Galaxy side. A win or a draw by TFC in Atlanta will allow them to set the new league benchmark.
Like the Reds, Atlanta (15-9-9) has already clinched a post-season berth, but it’s fighting for playoff positioning. The expansion club currently sits fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 54 points, one point ahead of the Columbus Crew, and just behind the Chicago Fire (55 points) and New York City FC (56 points).
The top two teams receive first-round byes, while the third- and fourth-placed sides receive home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, so Atlanta has plenty of motivation to beat TFC.
Atlanta is not your typical expansion franchise. They were ambitious right from the get-go, spending big to land young South American stars Miguel Almiron and Josef Martinez, signing a marquee coach in former Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino, and adding MLS veterans in Jeff Larentowicz and Michael Parkhurst.
“I think they’ve done a good job of building he team. Hiring Martino, he’s obviously an experienced guy and he knows the types of players that he wants to bring in. He was able to attract some players to this league that maybe wouldn’t have come otherwise, but they came to play for Atlanta. That’s a credit to him,” Vanney offered.
[snippet id= 2943445]
