Every Thursday, sportsnet.ca will talk to a member of Sportsnet’s soccer broadcast team (Gerry Dobson, Paul Dolan or Lloyd Barker) specifically about one of Major League Soccer’s three Canadian clubs.
This week, sportsnet.ca chats with Lloyd Barker about the Montreal Impact, the club’s re-signing of Marco Di Vaio and its late-season push for a playoff spot.
Even though the Impact are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, how far can they go in the post-season in light of their laboured performances in recent weeks?
Lloyd Barker: That’s a very good question. There are a few things to consider. First, the health of Patrice Bernier and Alessandro Nesta. Two, despite how well Marco Di Vaio is doing, I also have to question his energy level at this stage. Those are three key players who aren’t 100 per cent. Nesta, by all accounts, is done. I don’t know what the medical reports are on his calf, but I’d be surprised if he plays another game for Montreal.
For Bernier, by all accounts he probably shouldn’t be playing. He has a very significant injury with his hip flexor, so he shouldn’t be playing but he is because he’s so important to this team. He’s putting on a brave face and doing what he can, but he’s not the same player with this injury that would sideline nine out of 10 players. With Di Vaio, I think they’ve used him too much in recent weeks, and should have been rested more so that he would be fresher with the playoffs ahead. He is 37 and there are times when you can see he doesn’t track back defensively like he did at the beginning of the season.
The only real optimistic way to look at if you’re a Montreal fan is that once you get into the playoffs anything is possible. We’ve seen teams sneak in and win the MLS Cup before. I think a lot of the teams are in the same situation as Montreal, banged up with injuries.
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You mentioned Di Vaio’s lack of energy, but he has managed to stay healthy this season. How does a 37-year-old striker stay in such great shape and avoid long-term injury problems?
Barker: It starts with taking care of yourself off the field, and I don’t think people appreciate that enough. Young players often don’t realize that what you do at a young age affects what you do later on in your career. You see guys retire at 32 or 33 with a lot of miles on their legs, but they put a lot of miles on their bodies off the field, too. By that I mean they’re not eating well, or staying up late, putting too many toxins into their bodies. It’s worth showing the proper dedication early on because a player’s career is really not that long.
You need to take care of yourself and Di Vaio has clearly done that. It’s why he still has a turn of pace at the age of 37, and still gets past defenders in their 20s. You also have to credit the Impact’s medical team, because they’ve helped him a lot this season by making sure he stays fit, and diagnosing and properly treating any niggling physical problem that comes up for him.
Di Vaio signed a contract extension last week, ending speculation that he would retire at the end of this season. How important was it for Montreal to lock up the Italian veteran for another year?
Barker: In the back of my mind, I never thought he was going anywhere to begin with. I don’t think it was a negotiating ploy on his part. But I just didn’t see any reason for him to leave at this point. If there were family issues, I’m sure he could have overcome them for another year. Then there’s the financial aspect of it. Was he really going to walk away from a big money deal and join [Serie A team] Bologna’s front office and take one-tenth of the money he’s earning now? Was he going to rush to do that? I don’t think so. I think when he looked at it, at the big picture, it was smart for him to re-sign and the bottom line is he’s still enjoying playing, so why would you want to cut that short?
The Impact should be so thankful that they got him to stay another season because the type of player he is and the clinical finisher he is, it’s so hard to find. Andrew Wenger could easily have 20 goals if he had any of Di Vaio’s clinical ability. Wenger works hard to get into scoring position, he does everything else well but he can’t really finish. He doesn’t have the end product, and that’s what D Vaio has over most everyone else in the league. He’s the most clinical finisher in MLS, bar none.
You mentioned Nesta before. If he’s ruled out of Saturday’s game in Toronto and if he’s unavailable for the playoffs, assuming the Impact qualify, how much of a blow would that be to Montreal?
Barker: It would be a big blow because it would mean [coach] Marco Schällibaum having to reshuffle his back line yet again. Jeb Brovsky has been Montreal’s most reliable defender this season, but he’s out with an injury, so already they’re short-handed. Karl Ouimette is not a left fullback, so he can’t really deputize for Brovsky.
Nesta’s injury concerns pose a big problem because Montreal doesn’t have a natural left back with Brovsky out. So if Nesta can’t play, that means they have to shuffle things again in defence, which would mean youngster Wandrille Lefèvre would go in the back line but he’s not Nesta. He has a lot to learn and he’s learning on the job.
It’s a problem because you don’t have your best players out there. At this stage, Montreal needs its best starting 11 out there to really push on for the playoffs.
The Impact need a win on Saturday away to Toronto FC to clinch a playoff spot – although a draw might be good enough if other results go their way. Montreal has never won at BMO Field in any competition. Psychologically, how much will that weigh on players’ minds going into this important contest?
Barker: I don’t think it’ll be much of a factor, to be honest. I remember when I played for Montreal in the old [American Professional Soccer League] in 1994. We played the Colorado Foxes in the championship in Montreal – Colorado was a team that had beaten us every single time prior to that. But in our minds, it didn’t affect us. We looked at it as a one-off, as a big game where anything could happen, and the past didn’t matter. We ended up beating them and at the time it was the biggest win in team history. I don’t think past results play into players’ minds.
If the Impact go into BMO Field and play as though it’s a home match, then that’s the right attitude. That’s the beginning of it. Then you have to execute. I do think Montreal will win because they have more quality than Toronto but it should be a fun contest.
