With the Red Bulls having a weekend off from with a bye week, Jesse Marsch and his backroom staff have been given ample time to prepare for the New England Revolution.
After a difficult start to the season, the team set things straight with a determined win over Houston, courtesy of Felipe’s brilliance; and now they’re looking to make it two on the bounce to get some momentum.
In this article, I’ll be taking a look at the upcoming opposition and list some key areas which could have a big influence in the outcome of the game.
Drag the Midfielders Out
Although the Red Bulls like to have the central midfielders play a key role on the ball in possession, there is potential for them to have an impact off of the ball on Friday.
In their start to the 2016 MLS season, the Revolution have had the intent to press the opposition and defend from the front as the opponents build up from the back. In doing so they use a lot of man-orientations in their press - where each defender covers a nearby opposition player.
Through this orientation, the Revolution have fairly good defensive access with the ability to press most of the opposition players who are close to the ball. However, there are some consequences. One is that they’re quite susceptible to being dragged out of position. This is perhaps most clearly seen in the two central midfielders, who will both move quite high up the pitch in order to cover the deeper midfielders in the opposition construction of possession.
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As you can see in the above .GIF, the Revolution attempted to press NYCFC’s build-up and left large spaces in the defensive midfield position. If NYCFC had worked the play better, with more suitable positioning, they could’ve exploited this situation and created a dangerous attack.
As a result, they often leave quite large amounts of space open behind and rely on enforcing enough pressure to stop the opposition from passing into this space. However if a team can organize themselves well enough, with good enough pressing, resistance, and ball movement, then they might be able to bypass the press to take advantage of the space left by the Revolution midfielders.
Because of this, it may be up to the Red Bulls’ central midfielders not to actively seek the ball but to act as decoys during build-up. By dragging the Revolution central midfielders out into unnatural spaces, then they can potentially give more room for the attackers, especially Sacha Kljestan, to drop into and receive more direct passes.
Despite pressing quite high up during the opposition’s build-up, the Revolution defensive line remains quite deep; and thus, they’re disconnected from the midfield. This simply emphasizes the large gaps behind the midfield and gives Marsch’s squad even more reason to exploit this space.
Protect the Wide Areas
In possession of the ball, the Revolution have quite a focus on attacking through the wider areas of the pitch. Agudelo would commonly make movements towards the ball-near wing, while they largely played through either Bunbury or Fagundez down either touchline.
The above picture is a good example of their focus, as despite the centre being widely open, they still move the ball down the right for a cross into the box.
In my eyes, this could be considered as a weakness due to the strategical limitations of the touchline. If you have the ball on the wing, you immediately have less space and are more isolated from the other half of the pitch. With that being said, like most things in football, it can rely somewhat on the team in question and the Revolution’s best forwards are suited to a role on the wings.
Because of this, the Red Bulls will have to be ready to support their full-backs who face a perhaps busier night than usual. As a collective, they can organize themselves to best deal with these situations and should maintain a high level compactness in these positions to not only provide better support the full-backs but also to try and isolate the ball in this confined space.
One of my favorite quotes by Pep Guardiola is:
“The touchline is the best defender."
Marsch’s team could certainly emphasize that tomorrow night.
Negate the Long Ball
Another tendency of the Revolution attack is their frequent use of the long ball to make quick and direct attacks through the center.
This poses a particular threat for the Red Bulls’ defense as it can allow New England to bypass the defensive pressure and quickly move the ball into the spaces in behind.
Considering this, it is even more important for New York to maintain defensive access and stop the opposition defenders from making accurate long balls. Direct passes are something which is used as a common antidote to the threat of a strong pressing side so Marsch and his team need to accommodate this into their game-plan.
It’s highly unlikely for the Red Bulls to abandon a defensive strategy which has given them so much success in the last year, but it will be a challenge for them to press high up the pitch and negate the effect of these long balls.
Conclusion
After a hard-fought win a fortnight ago, the Red Bulls will be looking to make the most of their extra rest and preparation time for the New England Revolution tonight. While tactics will surely play a part, if the team show the same spirit they did against Houston then they will always have a shot at taking all three points.
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