Crew tactical review: Columbus busts through the gates of St. Louis to grab a win

The Columbus Crew continued their unbeaten streak on Sunday, taking down St. Lous CITY SC 2-1. St. Louis opened the scoring within 10 minutes off a rebound that came back off the crossbar. A rare case of poor positioning by Patrick Schulte allowed the ball to be headed into the back of the net to put the hosts up 1-0. From there, Columbus responded. Steven Moreira hit a sublime volley at the back post just before halftime to even the game, and Diego Rossi pushed the Black & Gold out in front in the second half with a strike from distance. After some chances from CITY were thwarted by Shulte in the waning moments, the Crew escaped St. Louis with all three points.

It was another game of emphasized width from Columbus that also saw the debut of new attacking star Daniel Gazdag. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into the Black & Gold getting the victory.

Utilizing width

In recent weeks, the Crew have shown more affinity for attacking from wide areas. Early in the season when they had attacking troubles, Columbus went forward with more of a mixed bag of attacks. In the past few games though, the Black & Gold have found a good balance of attacking options but mostly looked to the wide spaces first.

This could be for a few reasons. One reason is the return of Moreira into the starting lineup after being injured on and off to start the season. The reigning MLS Defender of the Year is a stalwart on the backline, but also an offensive dynamo.

Another reason is the emergence of Mo Farsi and Max Arfsten as serious attacking threats. Both wingbacks showed they have the ability to get in behind the defense and score but also stay wide and rack up assists. By playing from wide areas, the Crew are putting the offensive burden in their hands.

The final reason is that it takes the attacking burden off of Rossi and the rest of the front three. One of the biggest gaps in Columbus’ team was Cucho Hernandez’s playmaking ability when he left for Spain. Rossi is magical in his own right, but he has a different skillset than Hernandez. Allowing the wide players to take more of the attacking forefront means that Rossi can be freer to go and hunt goals, rather than worrying about being the team’s sole playmaker.

Up to this point the emphasis on the width has worked, and it was especially potent against St. Louis.

CITY defended with a narrow midfield of three to four players, meaning that the backside wide channel was always open for the Black & Gold. If the Crew switched the point of attack quick enough, they over rotated St. Louis’ midfield and overloaded the opposing wingback.

This is where Moreira comes into play. With the Frenchman flying up into the attack, Columbus could easily get a two-on-one against the CITY wingback. Moreira moving up also allowed Farsi to have more attacking freedom to cut inside.

This was one avenue of the attack that the Black & Gold utilized, but there was another passage of play that got the Crew good looks on goal as well. On defense, St. Louis would shift to a back five to match Columbus’ firepower. Since this was the case, the front three often dropped in deep.

The space was readily available for them due to CITY pressing with four to five players. This left a midfield gap for Rossi, Jacen Russell-Rowe and AZ Jackson to explore. When they would drop in, the defenders would follow them, leaving a gap between the outside centerback and the wingback.

At this point, the wingback had two options: get tight and allow Farsi and Arfsten to have the wide space or go out on an island to cover them. If the opposing wingback tucked in, Columbus’ wingbacks could stay wide and exploit that space. When the wingback decided to go out and cover though, Farsi and Arfsten would make inverted diagonal runs in behind the defense.

This passage of play yielded a few opportunities that had chances to score, but it is the adaptability of the Black & Gold’s attack that has grown so much in the recent weeks. After a lackluster offensive start, it seems like the Crew are back on track. The addition of Gazdag is only going to bolster that offensive front.

Daniel Gazdag’s role

With any new signing that comes through the doors in Columbus, it is always exciting to see just where in Wilfried Nancy’s system they will play. For Gazdag, his first action came on Sunday in the second half against St. Louis.

Known primarily as a creative attacking midfielder, Gazdag also has the ability to be versatile. He is much like Rossi in the sense that he can be a no. 9 or no. 10, creating from the midfield but also poaching a goal when needed.

On Sunday when he came on for Jackson, Gazdag slotted in as a second no. 10 alongside Rossi. In the fluid front three, he can become a no. 9 or even a half pivot, when necessary, which is exactly what Gazdag did.

He essentially took on Jackson’s roaming role but with a bit more emphasis on being involved in the buildup play. The Hungarian attacker would drop in next to Darlington Nagbe and Dylan Chambost at times to cultivate the buildup and then become a secondary runner once the play advanced.

While he did not get on the scoresheet due to a tight offsides call late in the match, Gazdag looked comfortable and fit in pretty seamlessly with the team. Not only does he bring a veteran presence with an impeccable MLS pedigree, but he also will free up certain aspects for other players.

Gazdag’s inclusion in the lineup takes the buildup burden off of Russell-Rowe’s shoulders. Now the Canadian striker can become a true poacher like Christian Ramirez was, getting into dangerous spaces for Rossi, Dazdag and the wingbacks to find him.

It also takes some of the burden off of Chambost. Pushed back into a deeper role alongside Nagbe, the Frenchman has found success at that position. With a trustier ball handler in the buildup with Gazdag on the field, Chambost can feel freer to get forward without worrying the ball will be turned over.

Time will tell just how good of a fit Gazdag will be with the Crew, but early signs say that he will be a massive addition to an already great team.