Things aren’t going so well at Inter Miami, are they?
They started the season alright, aside from getting 3 red cards in 3 games, but at least they managed not to lose any of those games. That’s more than can be said for their recent run of form. They are so bad, aren’t they?
They were unbeaten in their first 8 league games and won 5 of them, but since the end of April the team have fallen apart. On paper the core of their team should keep rival managers awake at night, but something isn’t lining up.
With just one win from their last 7 matches, even the usually media shy Lionel Messi has voiced his frustrations.
There are calls for Javier Mascherano to be sacked all over social media, and while that’s certainly premature, we do have to ask what on earth is going on at Inter Miami?
Defensive Collapse
Let me give you a horrible stat: in their last seven games, Inter Miami have conceded 20 goals.
That’s almost 3 per match!
It doesn’t matter who you have in attack, they can’t save you if your defence is that bad. They have only recorded a single win in those seven games, too.
Defensive coordination seems to have completely collapsed, with gaps between the lines and fullbacks frequently caught off guard out of position. To be honest they weren’t exactly a brick wall last season, either, but that back line now has more holes than a Swiss cheese at the moment.
Goalkeeper Óscar Ustari has taken his fair share of the blame, too. Yes, he has had a lot to deal with, but he has been directly responsible for several goals, and as a new player to the team he hasn’t earned any good will from the fans yet.
Their 4-1 loss to Minnesota United was almost entirely down to defensive errors, and they even scored an own goal. Inter Miami dominated possession, but couldn’t do anything with it, and on the odd occasion the Loons got the balls they played over or through Inter’s defensive line and scored or won corners and scored from them.
Messi Can’t Do Everything
He might have been the best player in the world for a long time, but at nearly 38 years old, Messi can’t do everything.
Even in his prime he was not a miracle worker, and Miami are playing him hard. Luis Suarez is not the goal machine he used to be either, and also aged 38, he is looking tired.
It’s clear the bad results are getting to Messi, too, because after Miami’s 0-3 loss to Orlando – the first time Messi has ever suffered a 3 goal defeat at home in his entire career, by the way – he spoke out.
This is something Messi rarely does, but he publicly criticised the officiating that day. There was an alleged missed back pass that led to a goal, and Messi claims the referee admitted to him that he didn’t know the rules about it.
When one of football’s coolest characters starts losing his temper, you know things are getting bad.
Is Mascherano to Blame?
It was a bold move for Miami to appoint Javier Mascherano as head coach.
The man is a legend in Argentina. He earned 147 caps for his country, played in a World Cup final, and won 5 La Liga medals and 2 Champions League medals with Barcelona.
But that was as a player.
As a coach, before joining Inter Miami all he had done was manage Argentina’s under 20s and under 23s. He had no senior level experience as a manager what so ever. A bold move, indeed.
He came in at the end of last season and seemed to have a decent start, but this season is his and his alone, and it is going off the tracks and then some.
The team often look disjointed, vulnerable, and when things go wrong they seem unsure of what to do. That all smacks of coaching failures, or to be kinder, a poor understanding of what their coach wants from them.
If Mascherano wants to keep his job he has to do something. A tactical reshuffle, maybe drop Ustari if his poor form continues, and that defence has to tighten up. If the bucket is leaking adding more water is not the answer, first you need to plug the holes.
Right now, it’s not even clear what sort of team he is trying to build. He says their approach is “clear”, but to who? Not to me. Is this a possession based side? A counter attacking team? Are they trying to play with a high press?
This could just be a dip as players adjust and adapt, but if the results don’t come soon it could turn into a downward spiral that only gets worse as the team’s key players inevitably retire.