MONTREAL — If there was one moment that revealed why the Montreal Impact needed to sign Alessandro Nesta, it came when Sporting Kansas City faced the Impact last week at Saputo Stadium.
An agreement between Nesta and the Impact had already been reached, and the Italian defender sat in a private box, with sporting director Nick De Santis, looking intently at his new team play. Following a corner kick that the Impact would only just manage to clear, the former AC Milan stalwart, looking slightly confused, turned to De Santis and asked: “What do you play, zone?”
While the Impact may be an expansion side, and have had a slew of defensive injuries to cope with, conceding a league-worst 36 goals so far this season has been, in large part, due to a general lack of clarity as to how the team needs to be organized defensively in different situations.
Nesta’s willingness and eagerness to really want to help the team out, whether it’s marshaling the back line, being a guide to youngsters or speaking candidly with the coaching stuff about different defensive ideas or solutions, was the decisive factor in his signing.
What impressed De Santis and club president Joey Saputo the most about Nesta when they sat down for dinner the day after losing to Toronto FC 3-0 was the defender’s almost childlike simplicity and humility. Introduced at a press conference for the first time last week, Nesta’s excitement wasn’t at all indicative of someone who had already played at the highest level and under the spotlight for twenty years. It almost felt like he was suiting up for the very first time.
He may not be as quick as he used to be, but Nesta remains a world class defender and, as De Santis told TVA Sports on Sunday, the Italian’s reading of the game is practically unrivaled. From dealing with crosses and marking up in the box, to closing down on the counter and limiting through balls, the Impact’s defensive problems are predominantly in the run of play, where they have already conceded 20 goals. Having Nesta in the lineup will make a significant difference in this respect and will make everyone better around him.
Defending set plays, though by no means perfect, isn’t a problem area for Montreal. The Impact have given up 86 corners so far this season and have only conceded twice. Seven goals have come off free kicks, three of which went in directly and four that the defence wasn’t able to deal with.
Seven goals from free kicks might seem a little much, but it has to do with giving away far too many free kicks to the opposition and not with an inability to defend them. Irrespective of how good a defence you have, when you lead the league with an overwhelming 271 fouls committed, you’re only asking for trouble.
Patience is also a virtue when it comes to defending. Closing down an opponent doesn’t always mean having to get stuck in. Sometimes, you need to stay calm and hold your ground. When it comes to the Impact having to defend, there always seems to be a sort of needless anxiety.
The poise and assurance of a veteran such as Nesta makes him just the right remedy.
Nick Sabetti is a Montreal-based writer who covers the Montreal Impact for Goal.com. Follow Nick on Twitter.