Revolution v. Nashville: Keys to the Match
Revolution v. Nashville: Keys to the Match
The Revs need to avoid costly mistakes, figure out their build-up play, and take shots.
The New England Revolution will host Nashville SC today at 7:30 pm. The Revs are hoping for a bounce-back game after losing 4-0 to LAFC last weekend but Nashville will be a tough opponent as they are 2-0-1. They’ve scored four goals and allowed none.
Here are three things the Revs need to do to collect three points:
Avoid Costly Mistakes
Last Sunday, the Revs conceded an early penalty, which you never want to do on the road. Despite going down 1-0, the visitors held their own until they conceded a second goal in the 67th minute because the backline wasn’t in sync. In the 69th minute, LAFC looked dangerous on a throw-in because the Revs weren’t tracking runners.
Nashville plays a disciplined and defensive style. They will take advantage of any missteps and look to transition quickly. The Revs have to be smart with possession and need to be organized when they lose the ball.
Figure Out Their Build-Up Play
As I mentioned on Twitter, the Revs were frequently utilizing the same build-up play versus LAFC. Basically, they used their center mids as an outlet while DeJuan Jones and Brandon Bye got up the field.
LAFC recognized the pattern and adjusted by putting pressure on Matt Polster, Latif Blessing, and Noel Buck. LAFC’s third goal was a byproduct of Timothy Tillman’s press.
On Thursday, head coach Bruce Arena said, “[Gil is] definitely going to be ready to play next week. I don’t expect him to play this week.” As first reported by The Blazing Musket, Gil is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Gil is so essential to how the Revs play. He’s constantly finding new spaces to pick up the ball, which is helpful as the team builds from the back. Without him, the Revolution will have to come up with other ways to hold possession and breakdown Nashville.
Get The Strikers Involved
Last week, Arena used the returning Gustavo Bou as a No. 10, but he didn’t look comfortable there. On Thursday, Arena said, “We don't have a like-for-like for Carles. We don't have a player that can play his role or his position. So, we have to adjust things.”
It’s hard to know exactly what those adjustments will look like. They could stay with the diamond and simply play Dylan Borrero in the midfield and Bou as a striker. They could switch to a 4-5-1, but there isn’t really a natural right winger. A 5-3-2 could work, but is Andrew Farrell ready for game minutes? A 4-3-3 is interesting, but do the Revs need more bodies in the midfield?
Regardless of the formation the Revs play, they need to get a good performance from their front line. Bou, Borrero, Bobby Wood, and Giacomo Vrioni have to be dangerous. They need to be active with their movements and tenacious when fighting for the ball.
They also need to take shots. According to WhoScored, the Revs are currently 23rd in shots per game with 10. Interestingly, Nashville is one of the six teams below them with 8.7 shots per game.
For the Revs, Borrero has taken the most shots with six (three on target) then it’s Brandon Bye with five (one on target), Henry Kessler with three (one on target), and Damien Rivera with three (zero on target).
Wood has taken two shots with both being on target and one being a goal. Vrioni has one shot and it was on target while Bou registered one off-target shot last week.
With Gil being out, the play of the strikers will be even more important.
The questions near the end about positioning are the key for me. If it doesn’t work in attack, defense, and the transition between those then it doesn’t work.