ClapIt’s been an up and down rollercoaster ride of a season so far for Atlanta United fans, who are starting to get the picture of what it’s like to be a regular football fan. Not everyone gets to achieve constant and consistent success on a year by year basis, and sometimes, there are trials and tribulations that come alongside being a football club at a high level. Last season they won the MLS Cup, but this time around, it’s going to be a little bit trickier for them.
A few weeks ago it seemed like they’d be getting back on track after a horrendous start to the campaign, but after a few consecutive defeats in the last little while, it’s evident to see that it’s not going to be a walk in the park if they’re serious about retaining the aforementioned MLS Cup. Realistically speaking they should probably set the bar for their expectations a little bit lower than that, but hey, it’s always nice to have high ambitions, right?
Analysing the evidence
Forbes seems to believe there is some kind of in-depth change regarding their branding that we need to talk about or focus on, but instead, we just want to have a look at the man behind the mayhem: Frank de Boer. It’s not exactly a secret that this guy was a little bit of a questionable hire when the news came through that he was going to be taking on the role, but when you really think about it, he hasn’t done all too bad of a job so far. Sure, he hasn’t won every single game, but we have to wonder how many folks actually would’ve expected him to do so. Based on his recent work prior to the Atlanta job, it seems logical to suggest that he may have struggled initially.
Despite some of his inconsistencies, as reported by Pro Soccer USA, de Boer seems to have a clear thought process in his mind regarding what needs changing within Atlanta’s ranks.
What’s the strategy?
“Transition to defense,” de Boer said Tuesday, when asked what his team needs to improve. “We always say, ‘If you’re going to rest, rest in your position. Don’t jog back, and then at the end you have to make a sprint.’ If you analyze that, I think we have to improve.”
“It’s attacking, defending, transition to attack and transition to defense. Transition to defense is the hardest one, for everyone, because pushing forward is nice. Tracking back is the hardest one. That’s mentality. We struggled with it. I think the teams who do that the best, they are normally the most solid teams.
“Of course, a lot of times quality will make the difference, but if you are not having a good day, this kind of aspect of the details of football are very important.”
Atlanta still have a lot of work to do before they can be viewed as consistent play-off contenders, but we really do believe that Frank de Boer is capable of getting them there.
