With three wins on the bounce, Jesse Marsch’s New York Red Bulls travel West to Ohio where they meet a Columbus Crew unbeaten in their last 3 games.
They set up in a 4-4-1-1 formation which can situationally become a number of different shapes, more commonly a 4-2-3-1 due to the advanced Meram and Finlay.
Narrow Attack
A standout feature of Columbus Crew’s attacking organisation is their narrow setup which possesses an emphasis around the inside movements of the two wide men.
Meram particularly cuts inside on a frequent basis and against Real Salt Lake was often unmarked as the defensive focus was based primarily on the movements of HiguaÃn. On the opposite flank, Finlay is more linear in his orientation and especially in the first half of their 2-2 draw as he stuck to the touchline more than his teammate. For whatever reason, possibly to develop a central overload better as they quickly went 2-1 down, Finlay moved centrally on a more frequent basis for the latter 45.
Both wide players share good relationships with their full-back which the attack profits from greatly. As both Finlay and Meram moved inside, they were always supported by very high positioning from Jiminez and Francis who maintained the width to allow their teammate to influence the game in a central role.
This can cause great issues for the wide players of the opposition as the attacking team benefit from a better spacing as they have threats not only centrally but in the half-space (with the inside-moving winger) and the wings (the advanced full-back). With better spacing, it is more difficult for the defending team to cover the players whilst the passing options and control for the attacking team are at a much higher level.
Through this, Columbus Crew can create an almost impossible situation to defend if the defending winger doesn’t track back. With a 2v1 on the wing with the good spacing for the attackers, the full-back is left with a lose-lose situation as if he comes inside with the winger then the full-back is free and vice versa. Should a situation such as this arise, a central midfielder may come wide to support which would create a temporary lack of defensive stability in the most valuable area on the pitch.
The movements of HiguaÃn are threatening as he possesses a free role as Columbus are in possession. With this he usually drops deep and can sometimes get as deep as the first line during early stages of possession. Through this he helps his team in the progression of the ball upfield and will do so when they have had a sustained period of possession without penetration into the opposition’s block.
His superior passing ability is vital during these stages as he helps key aspects in ball circulation such as tempo and movement of the ball. From a defender’s perspective it is much easier to defend if the ball is being passed slowly and if the spaces it is circulated into are not variable or threatening.
In Defence
Without possession, Columbus Crew sit in a 4-4-2 formation with HiguaÃn up alongside Kamara in the first line of pressure. They defend quite narrowly which can help them gain somewhat of a control of the centre whilst leaving the less valuable flanks for the opposition.
They use a man-marking organisation which results in there not really being a fixed shape as it is very dependent on the shape of the opposition. This scheme can cause issues in the stability and balance of the defensive block as man-marking is easily exploited through movements off of the ball. If they move themselves intelligently, the attacking team would have little issue in disorganising the defensive block by opening and filling spaces across in the Columbus half.
Without the ball they waste little time in getting it back as they pressed quite high against Real Salt Lake, especially after going down in the second half.
Columbus Crew are one of the teams which Grella and Co. have leapfrogged following their wins at Real Salt Lake and New York City as the Red Bulls seem to be returning to their early-season form. They will be looking to continue with the 3-match winning streak although Columbus Crew will serve to be a testing match more than previous opponents such as the Cosmos and New York City.
During stages of their draw with Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew looked susceptible to opposition pressing as they had passes intercepted on a number of occasions within their own half. This will surely be something Marsch will keep in mind as he will undoubtedly set his team up with the intentions he has had all season – to incessantly press the opposition into forced errors and turnovers.
One interesting feature could be the battle for central control between a narrow Columbus attack and an similarly opposing defence from the Red Bulls. Within this it will be vital to track the movements of HiguaÃn who has the ability to take advantage if he is given the space to pick out an incisive pass to pacey forwards such as Kamara ahead of him.
