It’s been too long since I’ve written about the Fire. I started a new job that has kept me on my toes… actually it’s kept me in front of a computer screen a lot more… and I just haven’t felt up to staring at a screen even more during my free time. But the Fire are on a three game win streak and pushing for the playoffs! So like a Federico Navarro tackle, let’s dive in!
The thing about a three-game winning streak (especially when it’s a less common occurrence than presidential elections, or world cups) is that there are a lot of storylines. I could write about Rafael Czichos being good at almost everything, Jhon Durán’s emergence as the first choice center forward, or Chris Mueller’s beautiful curling shot into the upper 90 to seal the victory. And don’t even get me started with Xherdan Shaqiri storylines.
But winning soccer teams rely on solid play from the collective. So I’m going to try to focus on one tactical tweak that Ezra Hendrickson made on Saturday that I think brings the best out of the team as a whole.
More vertical than horizontal
When most fans think of Federico Navarro they picture him relentlessly charging across the field, sticking in tackles. He is a tireless worker, and one of those players that is easy to cheer for.
But actually on Saturday he wasn’t charging across the field very much at all. If you look at his heat map he was only charging across half of the field. He rarely strayed from the right side of the pitch. But covered much more ground vertically than normal. (via goal.com)
Compare that to this heat map from the game against Columbus and you can clearly see the difference. (or really any other game this season) (via goal.com)
So why would the Fire want to box up their midfield destroyer? By limiting the amount of horizontal space Fede has to cover they are able to maximize his impact. On numerous occasions Navarro was able to counterpress quickly after the Fire lost possession and stop Vancouver from getting out of their defensive third. This allowed the Fire to keep the Whitecaps pinned back in their half for long stretches, something they haven’t been very successful at doing this season.
Instead of running around putting out fires, Navarro and the Fire stopped them from starting to begin with. This has actually been a trend over the past month, the “Good Fire” are compact and play higher up the pitch. The “Bad Fire” get stretched, and give the other team too much space to play.
Another key to pushing Fede further up the field is the cover behind him. Carlos Teran’s pace means that they are comfortable allowing both Fede and Boris Sekulic to move higher up the pitch, which gives the Fire more players in the attack, and more players ready to win the ball back quickly when they lose possession.
The left side worked similarly, although Pineda isn’t quite as dynamic of a player, so he stayed slightly deeper to ensure that the play didn’t get behind him. But this also made for a nice balance between the two midfielders and prevented the Fire from getting caught with too many players high up the field.
Playing the piano
On the flip side pushing Navarro higher up the field requires that he contributes positively to the attack when in possession. Navarro is a classic piano carrier instead of a piano player. But increasingly this season the Fire are asking him to carry a tune. He has a goal and two assists in the last 6 games, and recorded at least one shot in 5 of those games. (Fbref.com)
Considering that accounts for all of his goal involvements and more than half of his shots on the season that’s a sizable increase in production. On Saturday he led the Fire starters completing 97.8% (44/45) of his passes in the match and was a big factor in the Fire’s ability to control the game. (via FBref.com)
Perhaps the best example of the Fede effect comes on the opening goal. Although in this instance Navarro finds himself drifting slightly to the left side of the field due to the deadball situation drawing the majority of the players towards that side of the pitch. He is alert and snaps back possession off of a poor Whitecap throw in, quickly feeding Shaqiri who is able to do the rest dispatching a nice right footed finish into the bottom corner.
Whether using Navarro in this way is a tactic we’ll see Hendrickson stick with in every game, or once Gimenez comes back from injury time will tell, but on Saturday at least, channeling Navarro’s energy to, well a narrower channel, resulted in the Fire playing on the front foot and controlling a game on the road to get a much needed three points.
How to Watch: Chicago Fire v. Atlanta United
Date: Saturday 7/30
Time: 4:00 p.m. ct
Nationally: ESPN +
Local: WGN
I am also curious whether this was a tactical tweak that varies both on our starting XI and that of the opposition, or whether it’s something Ezra wants to make more foundational. What I do like about it is the midfield balance with Pineda, and don’t see why it would have to change with Gaston on the pitch.
I agree it doesn’t have to change with Gaston but just based on what I’ve seen so far this season he tends to roam a bit more than Pineda, which means Navarro has to be the defensive cover.
I also think there will be games when they settle into a lower defensive block like earlier in the season but it’s good to have more than one way to play. We played pretty deep against Toronto and that worked out okay!