Atlanta United: Ezequiel Barco must be the speedy foil

Pity Martinez does not have the same blistering speed as Miguel Almiron. As such, for the Atlanta United attack to remain potent, Ezequiel Barco must now become the speedy foil on the outside.

Miguel Almiron was the heart of Atlanta United. While it was Josef Martinez that won the MLS MVP award last season, if you were to highlight one individual who defined the style of the team, it would certainly be Almiron.

Creative and dynamic, with and without the ball, deceptively dogged and determined, Almiron is the trendsetter for the Five Stripes.

Such was the shared pace of him and Martinez, Tata Martino could adapt the Atlanta tactics to play with just two out-and-out attackers. A deep defensive line allowed the opposition the ball but opened up space for Almiron and Martinez to burst into on the counter-attack. It worked with devastating effect.

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But now Almiron is gone, sold for $27 million to Newcastle United in January. Although that was always the plan and it was completely expected, there will still be a toll on the Atlanta team that the Paraguayan has left behind. Such was his defining presence, his absence will have a rippled impact throughout the team.

That impact is accentuated by the style of his replacement, South American Player of the Year, Pity Martinez. Another attacking midfielder with an eye for goal, Martinez may play similar positions to Almiron, but he does so differently. It is more about finesse and craft and nous and ingenuity, not the raw, untamed, unpredictable, off-the-cuff nature of Almiron’s game. Martinez still has elements of quickness and a goalscoring touch, but he is not quite as ruthless as his predecessor. There is a more nuanced edge to his approach.

In more physical terms, it is speed that Atlanta must replace. Martinez is shifty, but he lacks the terrifying long speed that Almiron boasts. So as Frank de Boer seeks a speedy foil to both partner Josef and complement Pity, he will have to look deeper into his squad. And there is one player who stands head and shoulders above the rest as an ideal candidate: Ezequiel Barco.

Barco really can move. He has the skill to dribble quickly with the ball, he flies past defenders with an elegant but explosive ease, but he also possesses the intelligence to dart behind defences without the ball, looking to be fed by through balls instead of always having to beat a defender himself.

He has the athletic qualities that Almiron had, only lacking the finishing ability, creativity on the ball and consistency. Barco will also play from out wide, rather than centrally, where Almiron and Pity do their best work. But his presence alongside Josef as another flyer could truly unlock this Atlanta attack.

Facing the two Martinez’s is a terrifying prospect on its own. Throw in a rejuvenated Barco and MLS defenders will have nightmares about trying to contain the Five Stripes. De Boer has all the tools at his disposal. He just needs to fit them all together. And Barco and his speed could well be that smoothing piece to puzzle.