Revs Face New Challenges From TFC

Let's talk Toronto's tactics

Photo By ©J. Alexander Dolan

The Revs will play their first MLS home game of the season on Sunday against Toronto FC.

The last time Toronto came to Foxboro on June 24, 2023 the Revs ran out 2-1 winners and Bob Bradley was out of a job as the boss at TFC before their next game. It was an utterly embarrassing and miserable season for Toronto FC as they won just four MLS games in all of 2023 and finished dead last in the Eastern Conference. Toronto had one of MLS’ highest payrolls and still missed the playoffs by 21 points.

Now it’s 2024 and this is MLS, where last year never matters and Toronto has a new coach in John Herdman who continues his quest to coach every team in Canada after stints with the Men’s and Women’s Canadian National teams. Bob and his son — longtime TFC midfielder Michael Bradley — are both gone but the Italians are still there and are adapting to Herdman’s 3-4-2-1 formation. Those Italians — both DPs — Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi will be critical components of any success Toronto will have this season.

Both of them largely failed to deliver in 2023, Insigne played in just 20 MLS games and was on the field for only 1,523 minutes. He delivered just 4 goals and 5 assists in that limited time. He's totaled 32 games for TFC in two seasons with 10 goals and 7 assists, that’s below the minimum of what TFC fans will be expecting from him this season given who he is and what he gets paid.

Bernardeschi came in as a highly rated forward attacking player and somehow managed to score just one more goal than Insigne last season even though he played in 31 games and logged 2,608 minutes. A combination of an unhealthy DP and an underperforming DP would sink most MLS team’s seasons.

Herdman claims he’s not a back three guy, he just coincidentally always coaches teams (from Canada) who’s players suit a back three. That might be true but last week against Cincinnati he deployed Bernardeschi at right wingback. As someone who follows the Italian national team, the thought of Bernardeschi as a wingback is an odd one for sure. But that is where he played last weekend against Cincinnati.

Insigne was in a perfect position, and perhaps an ideal formation overall, last week playing in on the left of the ‘2’ line behind the lone center forward, Prince Owusu. That half space position is where Insigne spends most of his time operating and leaves him well supported with a target player in front of him, two covering center mids behind him and a left wing back creating width to one side.

All of Insigne’s touches and two shots against Cincy last week. Insigne is most at home in the left half space (Graphic courtesy of WhoScored.com)

The concern for the Revs on Sunday will be the four players operating centrally as Insigne plays alongside Jonathan Osorio. Those two have a central midfield pairing of Alonso Coello and Deybi Flores in the central areas with them as well.

The tactical issue here is simply numerical, 4 is more than 3, and could potentially see the Revs midfield struggle to have any control in front of their back line. Matt Polster may be Caleb Porter’s go-to-guy in the middle but he and Noel Buck had plenty of defensive issues last week against D.C. United before and after Vrioni’s early exit.

This issue in the central area will potentially be exasperated by Bernardeschi moving into that central space as well and causing further numerical issues for the Revs. Bernardeschi had most of his touches in the center of the field and took five of TFC’s nine shots. All those shots came from central areas but Cinci did a good job in blocking three three of them, the other two found the target. 

Bernardeschi’s shot chart from last week’s game, all taken from central positions and all either on target or blocked (Graphic courtesy of WhoScored.com)

Porter will need a plan to counter the 4v3 and 5v3 situations in central areas. The defensive work rate and positioning of the Revs’ right midfield player — whether it be Esmir or Nacho — could be the answer to the four midfielders of TFC. If whichever one is out there can take up a narrow position close to Carles Gil, they should be able to help deny access to central areas and the numerical advantage and instead force play wide. That has been a feature of the Revs pressing triggers anyway but it will be of heightened importance on Sunday.

DeJuan Jones will need to have clear instructions on how to deal with Bernardeschi such as how far centrally he is to track him and who should be taking that responsibility off him and when. Another option would be to hold the right back, whether it be Lima or Farrell, in a narrower, deeper position than normal to provide a spare player to step out from the back line into the center and deal with players left open. As Michael Cox, formerly of ZonalMarking.net fame, always said, sometimes the best way to deal with another team’s formation is to match it. Having a lopsided back three at times may be the solution for the Revs.

Heat map for TFC’s four central players and Bernardeschi, their 305 touches represent about half of TFC’s total touches in the game (Graphic courtesy of WhoScored.com)

However, with adversity comes opportunity. The inherent flaw in a 3-4-2-1 is the space that opens up in the wide areas whenever the wingbacks push high into the attacking play. Initial passes from a team’s own half into the space behind the attacking wingback is the classic, textbook approach to exploit. And it’s the textbook approach for good reason, it works.

If Jones can be quicker into that open wide space around the midfield line than Bernardeschi it may force either a center back or center mid to step out into that space and close down Jones. That would open space centrally for Carles or (insert striker name here). Or alternatively, it will give Jones time and space to carry the attack into threatening areas.

All of Bernardeschi’s touches and the highlighted space that the Revs can potentially exploit on Sunday when winning the ball back (Graphic courtesy of WhoScored.com)

There are two further possibilities to exploit on Bernardeschi’s side of the field as well. One is the obvious question of, is Bernardeschi any good at defending 1v1? Tomas Chancalay and Jones should be going into this game with wide eyed enthusiasm in trying to figure this one out.

Chancalay should look to go right at Bernardeschi at every opportunity on the dribble Sunday afternoon and see how much appetite the Italian has for defensive work. Lastly, creating 2v1s out wide against Bernardeschi with Jones and Chancalay or even Carles drifting wide would be opportunities to cause further havoc.

Bernardeschi did move into a more central position later in the game but the Revs need to be ready if he takes up his wing back position again from the start. Insigne also didn’t play the full 90 but TFC has plenty of time to rest this week with no mid-week game. Herdman has said he will be very cautious with Insigne on the road and on turf.

One further aspect of Toronto’s tactical approach was how they fell back into a 5-2-3 when defending and picked their moments to press carefully and sparingly. If they continue that approach against the Revs like they did away to Cincy, the Revs would enjoy the respite from the high pressing thrown at them by D.C. United in the MLS opener. However, if Herdman was watching that game, he may tweak his approach and press a bit more against the Revs. It is something New England will have to deal with better as they season goes on or more teams will crank up their press when facing the Revs.

It has the potential of being an early season tactical battle with the Revs needing to find a way of not being overrun centrally while hitting Toronto’s weak spot out wide. If the Revs want to reestablish Fortress Foxboro in 2024 and do what it says on this season’s season ticket member commemorative plastic cup (Bring the Fight) they need to be prepared for the Italians and Herdman’s 3-4-2-1.