Atlanta United Vs Columbus Crew: 5 key players to watch – The cornerstone center-back
By Josh Bouland
3. Hector Villaba
With Pity Martinez most likely missing this weekend’s match, it seems that Hector Villalba will get the start.
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Villalba saw very limited action with the Paraguayan national team over the break, so he should be relatively fresh. The only downside to starting Villalba is his lack of cohesion with de Boer’s system.
Most fans will argue that de Boer needs to play Villalba because of the electricity he brings to the pitch. However, most fans are relying on a sense of blind loyalty to such a fan favorite. Villalba is fast and has a tendency to score outrageously awesome goals. Unfortunately, the other parts of his game don’t fit very well under de Boer.
In this new system possession is the name of the game. If an individual payer cannot retain the ball and constantly loses possession, he does not fit in de Boer’s system. If the an individual player cannot move the ball efficiency to teammates, that player does not fit in the system. The returns are early, but so far it seems that Villalba doesn’t quite fit what de Boer is looking for. Villalba just doesn’t link up as well as Pity or Josef or Barco.