Atlanta United: Leandro Gonzalez Pirez might want to shut his gob

Leandro Gonzalez Pirez has publicly stated he and the Atlanta United players do not like Frank de Boer’s side. He might want to shut his gob.

The harmony of the dressing room is invaluable. Having a collection of players that are united, motivated to work for one another, happy, confident, not splintered over meaningless arguments and disagreements is the basis of a champion-winning squad.

One of the key behaviours of individuals that can unsettle this harmony is what one says. The power of the tongue is very real. And specifically, the context in which one speaks is critical. You can say the right thing in the wrong context and it will completely lose its desired impact.

This week, Atlanta United defender Leandro Gonzalez Pirez has been talking. He would have been much better not saying anything at all. Speaking to reporters during MLS All-Star training, Gonzalez Pirez discussed the stylistic changes that have been made at Atlanta United since Frank de Boer took over from Tata Martino in the offseason. He was not complimentary:

"“Things have changed a lot, the way the club has played the game and we don’t like it. We’re working to return to the way it was before and how we characterized through and differentiated us apart from other teams. We’re returning to that a little bit, you’re seeing a new face to the club, now we have to continue working on that to fortify that."

He continued later on, delving into the details of the changes that he and his teammates are no overly pleased with:

"“It seems like the idea to attack our opponents has been put to the side and we usually begin defending first, and for us, we don’t like that. If you notice, we aren’t a team that’s known to play defensively, but we were a team that scored the most goals and it made a difference during games. The games now we approach them playing uphill and it’s very distinct to the way we played last year, and we’re not pleased with that. So, it’s something that we need change to go back to feeling that same sensation when we were a team that was really strong offensively.”"

Now, I understand the point that Gonzalez Pirez is trying to make. Martino was clearly exceptionally in tune with his players and had a very close relationship with them. He also developed a system that not only got the best out of the players in the squad; it was also enjoyable to play in, with Atlanta playing some of the prettiest combinations in all of MLS.

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And I do not even disagree with his overarching point: that de Boer’s stylistic changes have not been well implemented, that the players are struggling to execute the tactics as the new head coach would like, and that Martino’s system better-suited many of the players in the squad. But there is time and a place to air such grievances, and in All-Star training to a bunch of hungry reporters desperate for some juicy content is not that.

Like it is looked down upon for managers to publicly criticise their players, it should be the same of players questioning the work of their manager, especially when the team can move top of the Eastern Conference if they win their game-in-hand. Atlanta United may not be playing in the same expansive, explosive manner as last season, but de Boer’s tactics are still very effective, as proven by the results.

Next. LAFC Vs Atlanta United: 3 things we learned. dark

What Gonzalez Pirez has done is entirely disrespectful. He has publicly slated his manager, questioned the work of the team, and involved his teammates by the use of the word ‘we’. It is completely unacceptable. He might be better off just shutting his gob next time.

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