Montreal - Postmatch

[Dnigly13]

I agree with everything, but I would only want to use a DP slot on a winger if he's a striker, too.

Not sure that works in our 451 we call a 433, as a player with striker instincts is going to get Mixed by PV.

If we change formations, by all means, I could be sold on a DP 9.5/winger.

But I don't know if it's the best thing given what we've spent on getting Lewis. I still lean towards a strong all-around mid, in tdhe mold of Dzemaili. I like his game a lot for MLS.

took the words right off my keyboard? yes winger is the most logical pick with the play of Ring-Herrera-Maxi and you wont use one on a back 4 or keeper.

But to waste one on a winger where we have harrison and drafted lewis, plus they are not the biggest difference makers. having someone that can play in a similar role to Villa, striker, hold up play and ability to slide out the the wing would be the biggest need. please we can rest villa on mid week games etc as he is getting up there in age.

 

[hank]

Positives –

• Harrison plays more like a DP when Villa isn't there. He makes those runs, backs himself with the ball, and gets shots on goal.
• Maxi had a lot of space to work in. Stade Saputo must have one of the biggest pitches in the league (confirmed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Soccer_stadiums), and he really pulled the strings in the middle of the park.
• Callens and Brillant were rock solid.
• Johnson was massive again.
• Vieira went with the tried-and-true 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 and we looked a lot happier.
• Struna is just ever so slightly better than RJ or Ethan so far. It drives me crazy that he doesn't know what he wants to do with the ball until he's sure he's got it under control. So many runs go unmet down that right hand side. I will stop writing about this now before I have to move this bullet point into the Negatives.

Negatives –

• Ring, Villa, Herrera and Mata showed a lot of rust and don't have many games to find their form again.
• I really wish Maxi would show his vicious little teeth in and around the box.
• Mata limped off with the toothsome grin of a man who is about to give up on his body and his god.
• I really wanna know why Lewis can't beat Shelton into the line-up. While his hold-up play has improved, his decision-making and mental acuity is just horrible. At the end of the game he tried to take the ball into the corner but forgot that he had to shield it from the defender and sure enough dude gave it up. The expression on his face was priceless.
• Wallace's confidence in front of goal has fallen off a cliff.
• Somehow, with everything to play for, we're playing like we've been eliminated. Just so, so sloppy. Maybe we need El Guaje on the pitch to give our players a proper bollocking when they slip up. We were damper than the weather.

Bonus positive –

• At least we're not Montreal.

I thought Shelton played a really good game and Wallace was poor. Everyone else played a solid game except for Mata. He looks unfit

 

[Gotham Gator]

I thought Shelton played a really good game and Wallace was poor. Everyone else played a solid game except for Mata. He looks unfit

Yep. I know it is fashionable to shit on Shelton, but he was good today. He put several very dangerous balls into the box and was all over the place chasing down players with the ball. More than once I saw him run well back into our half and/or well off the wing to harass someone making a dangerous run. It was a solid shift by any measure.

 

[Gotham Gator]

 

[Christopher Jee]

Yep. I know it is fashionable to shit on Shelton

Even shit becomes fashionable once it touches Shelton. Conversely, every one of his touches turns to shit.

I'm probably unfair on his value to the team overall. I should recognize that he is such an athlete that he often gets into dangerous positions. And once every few games the stars align and he doesn't mess it up. Does Lewis not get into those positions, though? And wouldn't he make vastly more of them, on average? I guess the one thing he has on Lewis is hold-up play. Like I said, that's an aspect of his game that's gotten much, much better.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Even shit becomes fashionable once it touches Shelton. Conversely, every one of his touches turns to shit.

I'm probably unfair on his value to the team overall. I should recognize that he is such an athlete that he often gets into dangerous positions. And once every few games the stars align and he doesn't mess it up. Does Lewis not get into those positions, though? And wouldn't he make vastly more of them, on average? I guess the one thing he has on Lewis is hold-up play. Like I said, that's an aspect of his game that's gotten much, much better.

I am just saying he did well tonight, and people shouldn't just parrot whatever gets said every game.

I've also never seen Lewis put in a defensive shift like Khiry did today or challenge for balls in the air like he does all the time.

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

Even shit becomes fashionable once it touches Shelton. Conversely, every one of his touches turns to shit.

I'm probably unfair on his value to the team overall. I should recognize that he is such an athlete that he often gets into dangerous positions. And once every few games the stars align and he doesn't mess it up. Does Lewis not get into those positions, though? And wouldn't he make vastly more of them, on average? I guess the one thing he has on Lewis is hold-up play. Like I said, that's an aspect of his game that's gotten much, much better.

About all I saw of the match were the last 10 seconds and the counter with him and Villa with Villa 10-15 yards ahead was horrendous. He plays a bad ball forward to villa that he has to slow down and come back for and then runs side by side with him instead of breaking away and taking a defender. If I remember correctly Villa shit the bed anyway but still, that sums up Shelton going forward.

 

[Christopher Jee]

I am just saying he did well tonight, and people shouldn't just parrot whatever gets said every game.

I've also never seen Lewis put in a defensive shift like Khiry did today or challenge for balls in the air like he does all the time.

I don't think it's about following trends or avian hysteria, I just think some people have more tolerance for egregious technical errors than others. I even suggested that I'm aware that I'm blinded by it.

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

I am just saying he did well tonight, and people shouldn't just parrot whatever gets said every game.

I've also never seen Lewis put in a defensive shift like Khiry did today or challenge for balls in the air like he does all the time.

But look st what Lewis gives you as opposed to Shelton. Goals, creativity in the final third, playmaking ability, etc. Its likely gonna be one of those PV moves like he pulled with Saunders, starts him round 1 of playoffs and to little too late.

 

[Christopher Jee]

Well, if he's going to play 80% of the time as second highest man, he's got to be goal dangerous at least. He certainly can't wimp out when defenders dare him to take on a shot.

He's a very good player. I just wish he had more wow factor to his game. He has a world class touch and very high level passing game and surprising defensive work rate.

The question I was asking myself and everyone else is will we get more when we have a better midfield around him? That's what's important to me. No one can look great with all he is forced to do now. I just hope he adds goals once we have a more cohesive and competent pair alongside him.

I don't think he deserves harsh treatment, but he has squandered quite a few big chances this year.

I think he's just a very technical 8, in all honesty, but he's stuck in a jockey body. That can work alright so long as there's another 8 who's marauding forward and/or our wingers are giving us creativity and goals and final balls.

Frankly, I was just making the point that I think he's a good player, but I don't know if he's the right player for the role he's given. Don't know that he isn't, either, though.

I think it's less about the midfield pair as much as it's the wingers. He always manages to look good whether we're playing Ring, Herrera, Tommy or Pirlo there.

Compared to other 4-3-3-ish teams, we don't circulate the ball a lot around the 18, and we have pretty poor utilization once it goes out wide. If he gets maybe 5 or 10 more touches a game in that area, I can imagine him scoring at a fair clip. I'm thinking of the goal he scored when Wallace put him in against (?). Or the one against the Red Bulls at the last Jersey derby. He just doesn't see a lot of the ball on the floor close to goal, it's usually being squeezed through from wide areas, which doesn't favor him for obvious reasons. His header against Houston was a fucking miracle.

 

[hank]

I am just saying he did well tonight, and people shouldn't just parrot whatever gets said every game.

I've also never seen Lewis put in a defensive shift like Khiry did today or challenge for balls in the air like he does all the time.

Lewis is also 5 ft 7 he can't win airballs but I can't agree that he doesn't work defensively he just isn't as smart as a Wallace but he does put in the shift. Against Red Bulls he won a lot of tackles against Tyler Adams and the backline

 

[Christopher Jee]

I agree with everything, but I would only want to use a DP slot on a winger if he's a striker, too.

Not sure that works in our 451 we call a 433, as a player with striker instincts is going to get Mixed by PV.

If we change formations, by all means, I could be sold on a DP 9.5/winger.

But I don't know if it's the best thing given what we've spent on getting Lewis. I still lean towards a strong all-around mid, in tdhe mold of Dzemaili. I like his game a lot for MLS.

I would love a hold-up striker in the Lewandowski mold, so we could play a 3-5-2 with two play-makers.

 

[Christopher Jee]

I think it's less about the midfield pair as much as it's the wingers. He always manages to look good whether we're playing Ring, Herrera, Tommy or Pirlo there.

Compared to other 4-3-3-ish teams, we don't circulate the ball a lot around the 18, and we have pretty poor utilization once it goes out wide. If he gets maybe 5 or 10 more touches a game in that area, I can imagine him scoring at a fair clip. I'm thinking of the goal he scored when Wallace put him in against (?). Or the one against the Red Bulls at the last Jersey derby. He just doesn't see a lot of the ball on the floor close to goal, it's usually being squeezed through from wide areas, which doesn't favor him for obvious reasons. His header against Houston was a fucking miracle.

Now that I'm writing about it, I wonder if this isn't the reason we get so consistently shredded against teams like Toronto. If we could be patient and circulate instead of losing the ball in these situations, we'd see far fewer turnovers and hence counters.

 

[Ulrich]

I am just saying he did well tonight, and people shouldn't just parrot whatever gets said every game.

I've also never seen Lewis put in a defensive shift like Khiry did today or challenge for balls in the air like he does all the time.

Lewis has definitely put in defensive shifts and to say he hasn't is worse than "parroting" what others say about Shelton. I mean seriously, Lewis works his ass off when he's on the field. That's why he's subbed at 60 nearly every game because he's gassed.

 

[dannd23]

Honestly love where we are at right now heading into the homestretch. We hit a bit of a slump and I think this was the match that busted us out of it. That game could easily have been 4-0. Feels like how the Yankees are getting hot going into the playoffs, we might be seeing the same. Moreso, we're healthy going into the playoffs.

Also, T-Mac had ZERO impact last night. I don't even think they called his name once til around the 75th minute when he finally beat his defender.

Shelton was better than usual. Doesn't mean he was good. Tons of giveaways just on simple plays.

Maxi is so good but needs to be more selfish. The time Ciman essentially just waited for him to pass to Villa perfect example. All the dude had to do was take a dribble inside and he has an easy shot on goal from 14 yards out.

Can't wait for our lineup in Chicago to have Herrera, Ring, Maxi, and Villa

 

[Seven]

Honestly love where we are at right now heading into the homestretch. We hit a bit of a slump and I think this was the match that busted us out of it. That game could easily have been 4-0. Feels like how the Yankees are getting hot going into the playoffs, we might be seeing the same. Moreso, we're healthy going into the playoffs.

Also, T-Mac had ZERO impact last night. I don't even think they called his name once til around the 75th minute when he finally beat his defender.

Shelton was better than usual. Doesn't mean he was good. Tons of giveaways just on simple plays.

Maxi is so good but needs to be more selfish. The time Ciman essentially just waited for him to pass to Villa perfect example. All the dude had to do was take a dribble inside and he has an easy shot on goal from 14 yards out.

Can't wait for our lineup in Chicago to have Herrera, Ring, Maxi, and Villa

Was watching on MLS Live so I got the Montreal feed, and they mentioned that McNamara was doing a good job of disrupting Montreal in the middle. Ring was given more credit obviously, but they did mention a bunch how he was well positioned to break up attacks. He was definitely much deeper last night then I think we are used to seeing from him.

 

[Ulrich]

Was watching on MLS Live so I got the Montreal feed, and they mentioned that McNamara was doing a good job of disrupting Montreal in the middle. Ring was given more credit obviously, but they did mention a bunch how he was well positioned to break up attacks. He was definitely much deeper last night then I think we are used to seeing from him.

He was definitely deep but I swear I never saw him disrupt attacks. They usually bypassed him while he was doing his new "directing traffic" pointing of telling which players should position where. It was painful to watch. And compare that to Ring who was always breaking up plays and the announcers would comment on it when it happened; I just don't see how TMac could have been so stealth-fully effective and not get credit for his actions, especially considering he's not even known for playing competent defense.

 

[Vallos]

 

[SoupInNYC]

He actually tried to. He took it off and went to hand it to Villa when he subbed on, but Villa waved him off.

Yeah, in today's episode of my frustrations with announcers and the little things they can say that end up spinning certain narratives (note though I don't think they did this intentionally, just couldn't think of a better word than narrative) Tolleson and Janusz said they were surprised Tommy didn't turn the armband over.

But the telecast completely picked up Villa subbing on, Tommy trying to give him the armband, and Villa waving it off.

Now, anyone who may have just missed that part of the broadcast, and heard Tolleson and Janusz' (is this appropriate apostrophe use?) comments, now think Tommy is a d-bag

 

[Marito]

No terrible performances tonight. Shelton is still Shelton. Wins balls unexpectedly through physicality and speed. Losses them through brain farts and poor first touch. The fact that the team played better with him in the lineup than 4 days ago with Pirlo says all we need to know about Pirlo. TMac looked more comfortable than in recent games because Montreal is slow and doesn't press. Ring superb. Maxi a real engine and very good pulling the strings, but it is true he refuses to take defenders 1-on-1 even when that's the only available option. Still one of our very vital cogs. Callens and Brillant impecable. Struna is a clear improvement at RB, especially in terms of comfort on the ball and decision making going forward. A rusty Mata is much better than Sweat. Wallace cannot score. Jack sure can.

Lol. I'd love for you to be right. He is a bit of a ballwatcher and his brain and feet are made of lumber. I think if Francis scored that header he would be getting skewered right now.

I am in-between Chris and Midas here. I think Struna is not great as a defender. In his two matches yet, he's allowed a few chances he should have cleared easily, like that header. But I do think he's light years ahead of RJ and White offensively. He thinks fast, acts fast, gets involved in passing combinations, and has a good touch. He doesn't look nervous or hesitant or over-aggressive. And let's remember that lost balls by White and, especially, by RJ bumbling to go forward, also have led to scoring opportunities for rival teams. So in that sense the fact that Struna is much cleaner on the ball is both and offensive and a defensive plus.