Set pieces turn Columbus in Atlanta – MASSIVE REPORT

The Columbus Crew’s six-game unbeaten streak ended Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Atlanta United. Columbus played two halves, starting strong in the first 45 minutes but faltering in the second. The Black & Gold took the lead on a Diego Rossi strike in the 36th minute, but that lead didn’t last the full 90 minutes. In the second half, Atlanta center back Stian Rode Gregersen rose to the corner and sent the ball into the back of the net, giving the home team the equalizer they needed. Just 16 minutes later, Atlanta took the lead on the same player’s header from the same corner that had scored earlier. From there, the Crew couldn’t get back into the game, suffering their first loss since June 19.^th.

It was a combination of tired legs and clumsy tactics that caused Columbus to sink in this game. Let’s dive into the tactical changes that worked or didn’t work for the Black & Gold.

A solid first half

The team started the match against Atlanta as usual. They dominated possession, penetrated deep into the home team’s attacking third and generated good chances for the forwards.

Much like their last game against Charlotte, Columbus failed to find the killer instinct to capitalize on those chances. Rossi pounced on a rebound conceded by Brad Guzan, but otherwise the Black & Gold looked composed around the goal.

Despite a poor finish, the team controlled the first half perfectly. During this first period, Columbus used two different formations that it is not used to using.

The first formation was a 1-2-2-5, with the Black & Gold in the attacking third. Rudy Camacho stayed back as the lone central defender, while Steven Moreira and Yevhen Cheberko positioned themselves in front of him as two defensive midfielders.

In front of Moreira and Cheberko, Alex Matan and Sean Zawadzki played as two wider attacking midfielders. It was a more natural role for Matan, who was expected to play as a defensive midfielder when Atlanta had the ball.

In front of the attacking midfielders was the attacking five, made up of the full-backs and Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez and Rossi.

This front line gave Atlanta a hard time in their back four. To counter this, the home team placed an extra midfielder in the defensive line on the outside. This freed up more space in the middle for Matan, Zawadzki and any forwards who were positioned in midfield, but it helped fill some of the overloads the Black & Gold were working on.

The team’s second formation was a 1-3-6. This was a slight modification of the 1-2-2-5, which moved Matan to the left side to combine with Max Arfsten, while Zawadzki positioned himself between Moreira and Cheberko in midfield.

This change of direction was an attempt by Wilfried Nancy to free up the excesses on the left side, by pushing Arfsten to cross into the box for the attackers to pounce on. It worked to an extent, with a few quality balls played into the box, but no one was able to finish off a chance except Rossi.

This solid first half would not last, however, as in the second half, Atlanta adjusted. These adjustments generated chances and gave the hosts corners. From there, Black & Gold fans know the rest of the story.

Collapse in the second half

In the second half, Atlanta decided to fight back against the Crew. While many teams could have gotten carried away with possession, Atlanta managed to get back into the game.

The first key for the hosts was to try to make a long pass as quickly as possible to catch the Columbus defense high up. With only Camacho back as a true defensive player, he would be one-on-one with the Atlanta forward. While Camacho is a seasoned veteran, the hosts figured their top striker would have to win a battle with the Frenchman one of these times.

Once Atlanta’s approach of going deep began to show cracks in the Black & Gold’s defense, it led to what would be an onslaught of corners. Those corners would ultimately give the home team the win.

The team decided to defend the corners with a hybrid approach, a bit zonal but also a bit man-to-man coverage. They put Mo Farsi on Gregersen and Moreira on another Atlanta forward while the rest of the Columbus team marked the penalty area.

There were a few problems with this decision. First, Farsi is much smaller than Gregersen. This allowed the big center back to use his strength and size to weave through Farsi’s defense and find the ball. There is, however, a reason for not having a bigger player like Camacho manning the ball. If Camacho is in a zone, it allows him to go and attack the ball freely, rather than forcing him to stay on one mark and letting the smaller defenders attack the ball.

It all depends on the coach’s philosophy. In Nancy’s eyes, he wanted his taller players like Camacho and Cheberko to attack the ball freely without having to worry about being marked. While that has worked all year, it didn’t work Saturday night. Gregersen scored to tie the game and ended up scoring a second goal on an even worse defensive set piece by the Crew.

On the second corner, Gregersen started unmarked near the penalty spot. Columbus opted for a more zonal approach, letting the center back make a free run and jump over everyone. It was an adjustment from the last corner, but it was a terrible mistake that likely lost the game to the Black & Gold.

Now the non-tactical side of the issue also needs to be addressed. Players need to do better. No matter how well a team covers corners, they also need to have players willing to attack the ball to clear their defensive line. The team didn’t have that on Saturday. They looked lethargic, disinterested and completely exhausted when defending those vital set pieces.

Those mental and physical mistakes can be the difference between three, one or no points. That’s what happened in Columbus on Saturday, giving the Black & Gold a bitter taste heading into the All-Star Game.