Although Inter Miami perfect start to the season came to an end on Sunday with a 3-2 loss to CF Montreal, there are still indications of improvement.
Last season, the team seemed lost without Lionel Messi on the field. Miami’s passing was out of sync at times, so it wasn’t a pretty match, but they persevered to rally and push for a point.
CBS Sports narrates setting up a match against a team that will probably make the playoffs without Messi is a good result, but set plays are still a problem because two of Montreal’s three goals came from deadball situations.
Even though Federico Redondo wasn’t on the field, he contributed to Miami’s creativity in some ways.
With Sergio Busquets starting the game on the bench, Redondo, who recently joined from Argentinos Juniors, looked more of a mobile enforcer from deep in Miami’s midfield.
He was spraying long passes and making controlled runs at the same time. Robert Taylor, Julian Gressel, and him tried to move the ball quickly up the pitch at one point, but the post stopped them.
The Herons paid a price for not having those moments when Messi wasn’t playing, as two wins over Charlotte FC in the previous season would have guaranteed them a postseason spot.
However, making the most of Messi’s non-playing minutes will be essential to maintaining the top spot in the league.
Work needs to be done, and part of the reason Redondo looked so good was that Miami was giving him space to work as this was just his second game together.
However, as he gets to know his teammates better, his inventiveness will grow.
Inter Miami’s Fate
Redondo’s father, Fernando Redondo, was a standout defensive midfielder for Real Madrid and he learned a lot of the game.
Regretfully, he is unable to close the gaps in Miami’s set-play defense by himself, but some defensive shortcomings can be forgiven as long as the Herons are able to score goals.
While the Herons prevailed 2.77 to 2.09 against Montreal in the xG match, the team’s ability to function as a unit in the absence of Messi and Luis Suarez will be crucial.
The addition of more players will only improve Miami’s chances of success throughout the season, as the team lacks depth without DeAndre Yedlin following his trade to FC Cincinnati.
This is a playoff team, but they will need to compete during the season and use at least 20 players if they hope to win the Supporters’ Shield as well.
Messi and Suarez can usually make up for bad performances for the Herons in games, but it will be in their long-term best interests to use them less on nights off.
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With time passing, Benjamin Cremaschi’s return is also drawing nearer, which will restore a vital attacking dynamic to the midfield.
For Tata Martino and Inter Miami, the next few weeks are about proving that they’re a great team regardless of who is on the field. Great teams learn from bad performances like this and make sure they don’t happen again.
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