Who knew a mere 11 games into the 2015 season that one of Columbus Crew SC’s strong points heading into the year would become a bit of a weakness, at least temporarily? Injury and suspension have the club severely depleted in the defensive midfield heading into their rivalry clash with the Chicago Fire on Friday night. Wil Trapp is still trying to get over concussion symptoms and Mohammed Saeid is unavailable due to the sending off he received in the club’s 2-0 defeat to San Jose, leaving a glaring hole in starting lineup.
As the Black and Gold look to bounce back from a disappointing result on the West Coast, how do they go about addressing this situation heading into an important home match-up? Will head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter simply plug and play, or will he tinker with the formation for the first time this season in order to get the most out of his players on-field capabilities?
Columbus Crew SC’s Defensive Midfield Dilemma: How to Solve It?
Crew SC has been the mark of consistency with respect to their formation through the first third of the 2015 season. Through ten games, Berhalter has stuck with his tried and tested 4-2-3-1 and why not? Up to this point in the season, the personnel on the team has been well-suited to take distinct roles in this system and effectively implement it during the game.
That personnel has taken a bit of a hit in recent weeks. Hernan Grana’s sudden departure last week meant the club was losing a key component of its overlap play down the right flank, but the drop off has been minimized, as Hector Jimenez has done well in assuming that role in the lineup the past two contests. Then, of course, there’s the issue at hand in the defensive midfield that has already been elaborated upon.
If a temporary formation switch is necessary, which one makes the most sense? Call me crazy, but I think what the club encountered against San Jose last weekend may be a possible solution to their shortfall of experience in the defensive midfield. Let me explain.
The Quakes ran a 4-1-4-1 against Columbus and admittedly it was quite effective. Where I thought it had the most efficacy against Crew SC was its ability to stymie the Black and Gold’s pass distribution channels at key points on the field. This was especially true when it came to the play of that front four-man phalanx of San Jose midfielders.
Below is a graphical representation of what I’m trying to get at. It marks where those four players (from left to right – 6 Shea Salinas, 8 Chris Wondolowski, 10 Matías Perez Garcia, 17 Sanna Nyassi) either recovered the ball (orange), intercepted a Crew SC pass (blue) or won a tackle (green).
Essentially, the two Crew SC wing backs were continuously getting disrupted upfield, making it exceedingly difficult for them to get the ball downfield. Nyassi did a particularly good job of this against left back Waylon Francis.
When the ball was in the outside attacking third and in line for a cross into the box, there was similar disruption as the four midfielders regularly pulled back to aid in defense. You can see that Salinas was a thorn in the side of the Black and Gold in this respect on the right wing.
It wasn’t just on the outside. As you can see, both Nyassi and Salinas continuously disrupted Crew SC’s fluidity down the middle in those channels Federico Higuaín likes to work in. Salinas would complement his solid defensive work in this game with a 60th minute goal that would put the game out of reach.
Tony Tchani: Should He Go Solo?
But back to the task at hand. My rationale for suggesting such a one-game tactical rearrangement against the Fire is, in effect, directly related to the temporary lack of experienced D-mids. Tony Tchani is the only one remaining with appreciable minutes defending the back line and has been hugely impressive in doing so this season.
Tchani has established himself as among the best ball-winning holding midfielders in the league this season. As the following chart indicates, his usage rate on the team when you add together total recoveries and interceptions is fifth in the league for players who’ve appeared in at least 70 percent of their team’s minutes.
Instead of pairing him up with someone a tad inexperienced or simply unaccustomed to playing the role, why not make him king of the castle so to speak in the defensive midfield. Give him that role of lone enforcer in front of the back four. His work rate this season has demonstrated the ability to take on an expanded role, at least in the unique situation the club finds itself in this week.
If we’re adding another advanced midfielder, who’s it going to be? Though Jimenez has started at right back the last two weeks and has been utilized primarily as an attacking winger throughout his pro career, he could assume a single-game role in the central midfield for Friday. Higuaín would continue in his capacity as central attacking midfielder while Jimenez plays the part of a withdrawn, almost false ten kind of player.
Though having made a few starts this season on the left side of the back line in relief of Waylon Francis, Chris Klute could come in at right back just as effectively. His versatility as a wing defender is one of the reasons he was brought in during the offseason.
Visually speaking, here’s my hypothetical 4-1-4-1 lineup for Crew SC (graphic courtesy of ShareMyTactics.com):
In essence, both the 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 are compartmentalized 4-5-1 formations designed to make the most out of a team’s ball possession qualities. You could just as easily stay as is tactically speaking and insert Jimenez into that second holding midfielder spot. Other players that could be called in to fill these spots, either as a starter or off the bench include Chad Barson (right back), Kevan George (holding midfielder), and Ben Speas (central midfielder).
Whatever formation Berhalter settles on, it will need to be an all-hands-on-deck approach if the club is to continue its winning ways at home. Part of Crew SC’s success has been the strength of its defensive midfield and no matter which way you look at it, they’re going to be somewhat shorthanded on Friday. Different players will need to step up in their own unique ways if the club is to knock off the Fire and notch their fourth consecutive home triumph.
Crew SC News and Notes
– Friday’s game (8 PM, Univision Deportes) marks the Black and Gold’s 53rd all-time meeting with Chicago and 26th at MAPFRE Stadium with Crew SC sporting a 14-24-14 mark in the history of the series and a 9-10-6 record at home.
– The club is one goal away from its 500th regular-season tally at home in team history.
– Forward Kei Kamara is tied with Clint Dempsey of the Seattle Sounders for the league lead in goals with seven. His 43 total shots is tied with Vancouver’s Octavio Rivero for tops in MLS.
– Chicago Fire SC comes into this game with a 3-5-1 record and are just out of a playoff spot at seventh in the Eastern Conference; they are currently 0-3-1 on the road.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
