Crew tactical review: Hell ends in a tie

The Columbus Crew drew their third straight game on Saturday, this time in a Hell is Real matchup with bitter rival FC Cincinnati. The visitors struck first due to a mess at the back by the Columbus defense just six minutes into the game, but from that moment on the Black & Gold had control. The Crew had the lions’ share of possession, shots and goalscoring chances, but they still lacked that killer instinct to put the ball into the back of the net. That changed early on in the second half, when a handball gave Columbus an opportunity to tie the game from the spot. Diego Rossi converted to even the score, but the Black & Gold would not be able to find the winning goal despite an absorbent number of promising attacks.

It was another draw that feels more like a loss for the Crew due to the lack of finishing. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into this Hell is Real showdown.

Columbus’ offensive dominance

Throughout this game, the Crew were constantly down in Cincinnati’s half of the field. Granted, there were times where the visitors created chances off of counter attacks, but to a neutral observer this game was largely dominated by the team in Black & Gold.

Columbus did a few different things in this game to keep Cincinnati on the back foot and trap them in their own half. The first has to do with the outside centerbacks. Both Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen were given a free pass to move into the midfield and explore out wide.

This may be typical in a Wilfried Nancy gameplan, but this time it was different. Instead of pushing Darlington Nagbe and Dylan Chambost higher, the outside centerbacks were the higher attacking player. Often times, Nagbe and Chambost filled in for Amundsen and Moreira in their centerback positions to aid the buildup and offer defensive cover.

When Moreira and Amundsen did this, the Crew attack morphed into a cupped 3-3-4 or a 3-4-3 depending on if Daniel Gazdag was up top or dropping into the midfield. The outside centerbacks – now moved up into the midfield – had the option to stay inside or overlap with the wingback to create wide overloads. Nagbe and Chambost operated from a deep-lying position but made secondary runs towards the box as the play developed.

Not only did the outside centerbacks’ positioning create overloads, but it allowed them to choose where to formulate those advantages. Cincinnati usually pressed with four players and defender with five, leaving only one midfielder as a safety valve to pick off any stray passes. When this was the case, Moreira and Amundsen pinched in to overload that singular midfielder. When other attackers dropped in to help defend, Moreira and Amundsen moved outside to make a wide overload with Mo Farsi or Max Arfsten.

This freedom for the outside centerbacks was a huge catalyst for why the Black & Gold did so well on offense (minus the final finish). No matter where Cincinnati tried to cover, the Crew could adapt around them.

The second big change that came on offense was the inclusion of Ibrahim Aliyu on offense. After Jacen Russell-Rowe started much of the year, Aliyu was named as a surprise starter for what is arguably the biggest game on Columbus’ calendar. When the team sheets were announced fans were skeptical at first, but Aliyu offered a different skillset the Russell-Rowe does not have.

Aliyu’s main game is to play off the shoulder of the defender as a speedy vertical option. He often drifted into pockets and made runs in behind to stretch the defense, making room for Rossi and Gazdag underneath. Russell-Rowe’s skillset is more in the realm of being a poacher and holdup player. He does not have the same pace that Aliyu does but would excel against a team that likes to press high and allow whipped balls into the box.

With Aliyu stretching the defense with his verticality, Rossi and Gazdag had more room to drop into the midfield and create. If the defenders followed them, Aliyu had enough pace to get in behind the defense and cause damage that way.

The third key to the Black & Gold’s dominance was their ability to change formations to better aid the buildup and attack. For example, when the Crew would be building up in possession they would be in a 1-4-5, with both outside centerbacks alongside Nagbe and Chambost. When Columbus advanced into an attacking phase, that formation would quickly become a 1-3-6 or a 1-2-7.

In the 1-3-6, Sean Zawadzki would stay back with Nagbe and the outside centerbacks right in front of him. Chambost would move into an attacking space along with the front three and the wingbacks. From there, Chambost would typically drop back into the midfield alongside Nagbe in the attacking third, while the outside centerbacks moved into the attack.

All these changes are subtle, but they played a huge role in why the Black & Gold were a dominant attacking team in this matchup. The final piece of the puzzle now is to actually put the ball into the back of the net.

Columbus’ shortcomings

Of all the characteristics we think of when it comes to a Nancy-coached team, not being able to score is not one that comes to mind. The Crew are not drowning in a goalless abyss where they cannot score a single goal, but they are not converting the chances they should.

Many will point to the departure of Cucho Hernandez – which is a valid reason – but Columbus has a plethora of other goalscoring threats that simply wet the bed in front of goal on a consistent basis.

Fans will point the finger at attackers like Russell-Rowe and Gazdag – who have both missed tons of seemingly must-take changes – and look for improvement, but the goals will come. Gazdag has only been with the Black & Gold for a few weeks and in the past, it sometimes takes players half a season to become accustomed with Nancy’s system. There was a time when Rossi was being ridiculed for his lack of production early on, but he has since taken the spotlight and been the Crew’s main goalscoring threat.

The good news for Columbus is that they are doing everything right up until the final finish. It would be a different story if the Black & Gold were not able to even generate a scoring chance, but the only missing piece right now is the final finish. If the Crew can get a multi-goal game back on the board, suddenly scoring will feel so much easier.

If the scoring lapse continues though, focus must turn to the other end of the pitch. I have often contended that Columbus only concedes goals that are self-inflicted mistakes or absolute world-class plays from the other team. If the Black & Gold eliminates the defensive mistakes, they will win more often than not.

On Saturday, it was yet another shot in the foot that sunk the Crew. Patrick Schulte came out to claim a ball and did not deal with it, leading to an open shot on the back post in the opening 10 minutes of the game.

Many fingers will be pointed at Schulte, but Moreira and Farsi need to share some of the blame as well. Moreira slides over to mark another Cincinnati attacker, leaving Kevin Denkey alone at the back post. In that moment, Moreira needs to tell Farsi – who was hanging out further up in the box – to track back and mark as soon as he switches onto another attacker. On the other hand, Farsi needs to recognize that while he is a staple in the attack, he has defensive duties to attend to as well.

The lack of communication and cavalier nature that Columbus played on defense in that moment cannot stand if the Black & Gold cannot score more than one goal a game. These are issues that are fixable, but they are a constant thorn in the Crew’s side.