Montreal Impact Vs Olimpia: 3 things we learned – And breathe
2. Assessing the Victor Wanyama debut
Victor Wanyama’s arrival at the Montreal Impact came out of nowhere. The former Spurs midfielder is still only 28 and was viewed as a player with European aspirations, despite his recent and extensive injury and fitness issues. But instead of fighting in the Premier League, Wanyama swapped English football for MLS and working under Thierry Henry.
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The anchor midfielder made his debut for the Impact here, surprisingly playing all 90 minutes despite not having played just 122 minutes of action since last summer. He was excellent for about an hour. Wonderfully strong, he rarely lost the ball protecting it with his sizable frame. His passing was accurate and consistent, he showed his defensive instincts by rarely being pulled away from his defence, and he was the basis of much of Montreal’s play.
Wanyama certainly tired in the later stages. He played several fatigued passes that were poor decisions and easily intercepted — oftentimes, when you tire, it is your decision-making that deteriorates first. But he showed his class for much of this game and there is reason to be excited about his time in Montreal.
Wanyama’s presence also allowed Samuel Piette to push higher up the pitch. He found smart pockets of space to progress the play, feed incisive passes into advanced teammates, and look to hurt the opposing defence. Henry now has an elite central midfield to lean upon, and Wanyama, if he can stay fit, is a key part of that.