Toronto FC Vs Columbus Crew: 3 things we learned – Jozy Altidore’s awful outing

1. Greg Vanney’s idealism

It is not uncommon for managers to be classified as either pragmatists or philosophers in the media. The former term refers to coaches whose tactics and strategies reflect the strengths and weakness of their own players as well as their opponents (e.g. Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti), whereas philosophers rigidly adhere to a particular style of play and their starting XI’s consist of the players able to actualize their ideas on the field (think Maurizio Sarri at Napoli and Chelsea). By playing Alejandro Pozuelo out of position in a 4-3-3 once again on Sunday, Greg Vanney appears to be more of a football philosopher than pragmatist at the moment.

Pozuelo lined up on the right-wing for the third match in a row and could not affect the game in his new role. He hugged the touchline and would not move into the central channel until the Reds retained the ball long enough in the attacking third to trigger overlapping runs from right-back Auro. Pozuelo’s talents were wasted as a result.

Even though he can beat his marker in one-on-ones, he is an instinctive rather than intentional dribbler. In other words, the Spaniard uses his gifts to retain possession and create for teammates rather than drive towards goal before taking a shot or whipping in a cross. Moreover, the Betis product had no room to maneuver when he occupied central areas. The Columbus Crew clogged the middle of the park by the time Pozuelo gained possession, leaving him with little time to settle on the ball and find teammates in dangerous positions.

Greg Vanney is clearly devoted to molding his team according to his ideals. The American coach has prioritized pressing, possession, and counter-pressing in a 4-3-3 as the regular season wore on, and it will be fascinating to see whether Alejandro Pozuelo will find a way to excel or fall by the wayside as Toronto FC modernize their approach.