What Might the Revolution Look Like Without Carles Gil?
Gil is questionable for Saturday's game. What could the Revs look like if he's not able to play?
The New England Revolution could be without Carles Gil on Saturday as the Designated Player suffered a hamstring injury during last weekend’s game against LAFC. Let’s take a look at some of the lineups the Revs could use if Gil is unavailable.
Sticking with the 4-4-2
The Revs found great success with the 4-4-2 when they beat the Houston Dynamo 3-0 at home on Mar. 4.
Matt Polster, Latif Blessing, and Noel Buck were solid in the middle and provided coverage when DeJuan Jones and Brandon Bye went forward. Gil pulled the strings while Bobby Wood made relentless runs and Dylan Borrero floated wide.
One week later, the Revs didn’t look quite as sharp in the 4-4-2, losing to LAFC 4-0 at BMO Stadium. It was a bit of an odd game as Gustavo Bou filled in as a 10 due to Gil’s injury. The Argentine didn’t look overly comfortable there.
In fact, Bou gave up an early penalty, creating a difficult task for the Revs. While the attack never really got going, the Revs were in the game until they started pushing forward in the second half.
This is all to say that I don’t think the LAFC result means that Bruce Arena needs to stray from the 4-4-2. It could work against a stubborn Nashville side that has yet to concede a goal through three games.
The 4-4-2 I propose has Bou up top with Wood. Borrero slips into the midfield, which allows him to face the goal and run at opponents. Think of this as the wide diamond that Tajon Buchanan thrived in during the 2021 season. The 10 and right shuttler positions would be filled by some combination of Buck, Blessing, and Jack Panayotou, depending on who looks good in training.
I could also see Bou starting up top with Borrero. In this case, I think the midfield is made up of Polster, Blessing, Buck, and Panayotou. This diamond would be narrow, which is what we’ve seen the last two weeks.
Reverting to the 4-2-3-1
The Revs started the season by using a 4-2-3-1 in their 1-0 road win over Charlotte FC. It was a defensive performance by the visitors, who needed a late goal by Henry Kessler to grab three points.
I could see the Revs using this formation again in order to get more bodies in the middle. This would provide coverage for Jones and Bye, who love to get up the field.
That said, there isn’t really a natural fit to play as the right winger. Bou could do it, but it puts him further from the goal and he doesn’t have great pace. Maybe Panayotou, Justin Rennicks, Damien Rivera, or Ema Boateng would get the nod.
I also think that the Revs have too many forwards to play a single-striker formation.
Switching to a 5-3-2
The Revs experimented with a 5-3-2 during preseason and it could make its return now that Andrew Farrell is healthy. That said, the experienced defender recently returned to practice after dealing with a hamstring injury. Farrell noted that he kept reinjuring it because he returned too early. Does Arena really want to risk anything?
I think the 5-man back line really only works with Farrell, but perhaps Omar Gonzalez, Christian Makoun, or even Bye could start in the middle.
I could see Arena going with this formation if he wants the extra center back to provide coverage for Jones and Bye. The central help could also be a benefit in tracking reigning MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar.