Fixing Atlanta United with a few simple tweaks

The team has just 9 points from 10 matches. It has a goal difference of minus-8. Despite spending more than $30 million on transfer fees to acquire Emmanuel Latte Lath and Miguel Almiron, it went the month of April without scoring from open play.

“I think we’re all kind of dumbfounded at the start for Atlanta United, considering we expected … we do this thing where we equate money and spend with immediacy of success,” Dunseth said.

For starters, McCarty said that Almiron needs to be moved to attacking midfielder, with Saba Lobjanidze playing on the right. Deila has predominately played Almiron on the right and Lobjanidze on the left, with Alexey Miranchuk as the attacking midfielder.

Credit: Mitch Martin/Atlanta United

Credit: Mitch Martin/Atlanta United

Their stats aren’t great.

Through 10 matches, Almiron has two goals — one on a penalty kick — and two assists. After leading the team in goals (nine) and tying for assists (seven) when he was on the right last season, Lobjanidze has no goals and three assists. Miranchuk, whose skills the team was built around, has one goal and no assists.

“I don’t understand why Deila continues to, in my perception, play players out of position,” McCarty said. “Saba, I think it’s been proven in the past, is far more effective and far more comfortable on the right side.”

Deila has admitted that Lobjanidze is more dangerous on the right after he caused havoc in the second half of the match in a 4-3 win against NYCFC, but he has played mostly on the left in the past four matches.

So, Step 1 would be moving Lobjanidze to the right. Step 2 would be to slide Almiron into the attacking midfielder role and play Miranchuk as a deeper midfielder.

“I think it’s very clear for a lot of us, from the outside looking in, that there’s a structural issue that surrounds Miranchuk and Almiron,” Dunseth said. “And I think that’s the big one that everyone’s kind of like digging their hooks into.”

Almiron played as an attacking midfielder when he was with Atlanta United in 2017 and ’18, helping it to win the MLS Cup. After he was sold to Newcastle for more than $25 million, he played mostly on the right. When he was bought back for $11 million before this season, the idea was that he would play on the right. Instead, Almiron keeps drifting inside into spaces that Miranchuk likes to occupy. Deila said two matches ago that Almiron was moving inside too frequently.

“I sympathize with the fact that Almiron played predominantly on the right wing for Newcastle,” McCarty said. “I understand that logic. I understand that Alexey Miranchuk was brought in to be the number 10, to be the quarterback, but the most dangerous I saw this team was when Almiron was moved to the middle out of desperation, and Alexey Miranchuk deeper, and you just had what amounted to me is a more dangerous attack. Now, a lot of that is game-state related.”

Who would play on the left? The team traded Xande Silva, who started two matches on the left, to St. Louis. McCarty said he would like to see Edwin Mosquera, one of the team’s fastest players, on the left. Luke Brennan could also play as inverted winger. That would be Step 3.

Credit: Mitch Martin/Atlanta United

Credit: Mitch Martin/Atlanta United

And who should start beside Miranchuk? McCarty said teams that want to play a possession-based style need midfielders who can scan the field, receive the ball, turn and play it forward. Bartosz Slisz, normally the starter, isn’t doing much of that. In eight starts, Slisz has six key passes and 74 passes into the opponents’ third.

McCarty would like to see Jay Fortune play beside Miranchuk. McCarty described Fortune as the team’s best midfielder last season. He said Tristan Muyumba, who is injured, could also do the job. That would be Step 4.

“I know he’s (Fortune) not an out-and-out six, but I do think he has qualities that would lend to doing a good job protecting the back line,” McCarty said.

McCarty thinks playing with three centerbacks would help shore up the backline. Deila prefers to play with two centerbacks. A problem is the preferred pairing of Stian Gregersen and Derrick Williams have started just three matches together. Injuries and international call-ups have forced Deila to try other combinations.

Dunseth pointed to New England as an example of what can happen with a few changes. Caleb Porter was on the hot seat until he made a change that enabled Carles Gil to play inside more frequently. After going winless in their first four while scoring just one goal, the Revs have won four of their past five while scoring six. One of those victories was 1-0 at Atlanta United.

A tactical tweak Atlanta United could make would be to play a lower defensive line rather than Deila’s preferred higher line. That would be Step 5.

“I think that they should be an attack that’s playing more so in transition,” McCarty said. “I think you should be sitting a little bit deeper to protect your back line, because defensively, Atlanta hasn’t been good enough. And then I think you should be using a lot of speed in transition.”

Regardless of the personnel or tactics, McCarty said he needs to see more aggressiveness and leadership from those who are playing.

Credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“I don’t see enough energy and willingness to want to win the ball back and want to suffer more,” McCarty said. “I love what I heard from Ronny Deila saying the team doesn’t suffer willingly. And he’s right, whenever the team doesn’t have the ball, whenever they lose the ball, I don’t see enough of a reaction. I don’t see enough of a response to go and win the ball back, to go hunt the ball down and win it back.”

He used as an example the Brooks Lennon turnover that led to Philadelphia’s third goal. Players saw the turnover near midfield but didn’t react quickly enough to shut down the counterattack.

As for leadership, McCarty used as an example the goal conceded by Dominik Chong Qui when his poor touch led to a goal for NYCFC. No Atlanta United players came over to offer Chong Qui support.

“This comes to my other point with this team that frustrates me to no end is that I don’t see enough players take responsibility on the field,” he said.

Deila has tried some of these in-game tweaks. Deila has talked about needing more leadership.

McCarty and Dunseth stressed it’s not yet time to panic. President Garth Lagerwey and soccer director Chris Henderson have proven they know how to build winning teams. Deila won MLS Cup with NYCFC. There is a transfer window opening this summer and the team has money it can spend.

“I think the most important thing right now is that … this staff motivates this group or connects with this group, they’ve got to figure out a way to do it immediately because the longer that it goes, and I’ve been a part of plenty of these teams, you lose and it creates an increasingly toxic environment that everybody doesn’t want to be a part of,” Dunseth said.