Jesse Marsch’s side make it 3 out of 3 and maintain a 100% win record against their new local rivals after their intensity both with and without the ball proved too much for an old NYCFC midfield.

The Red Bulls lined up with roughly the same 11 players which have seen the most football this season. Robles started between the sticks, guarded well behind a back four of Lawrence, Perrinelle, Miazga and Lade. Scorer of the second goal Felipe was the midfield partner to the energetic Dax McCarty who never gave himself a minute’s rest all game. The duo complemented the forwards well as Sacha Kljestan was, as ever, key to the pressure from Marsch’s team whilst he was flanked by Grella and Sam. Bradley Wright-Phillips killed the opposition off in the 84th minute; he spearheaded the threatening RBNY attack for the full 90.

In the search for their first ever points against the Red Bulls, Jason Kreis made a slight change to his team’s structure. The coach opted to include Frank Lampard in behind David Villa, however this change was somewhat maladaptive in the pressing game of the visitors.

The New York City FC back line consisted of full-backs Andoni Iraola and Angelino flanked Mena and Facey in the centre ahead of goalkeeper Josh Saunders. The first of three designated players in the starting 11, Andrea Pirlo featured alongside Andrew Jacobson as a double pivot pairing. The Italian struggled throughout the game and was often the target of some impressive pressing from the Red Bulls. Ahead of the ex-Juventus man sat the second designated player for the visitors – Frank Lampard. On either side of him were Mix Diskerud and Thomas McNamara supporting the lone striker, and final DP of the team; David Villa.

Stopping Pirlo

In my preview of the match, I talked in some length on the importance of stopping the playmaking force that is Andrea Pirlo. If Marsch’s men didn’t apply an intense pressure on the Italian then he would’ve been primed to control the game. Sacha Kljestan and co. never gave the World Cup winner breathing space and as a result it was one of Pirlo’s worst games in a NYCFC shirt to date.

One tactic used to curtail the Italian’s influence was through the use of Kljestan and situationally a number of players to mark Pirlo out of the game. In a number of moments the RBNY forwards stopped New York City FC’s designated player from receiving a pass in the first place and through this, restricted his impact on the game greatly.

On the occasion that Pirlo did receive the ball he was instantly faced with 2 or 3 Red Bull players who enforced an intense press on the playmaker. This ensured that even when Marsch’s team were unable to prevent NYCFC from getting the ball to him, they could still stop the Italian from creating the dangerous chances which he has done throughout his decorated career.

The above image typifies this, just seconds before this was taken, McCarty shouts to Felipe and alerts him of Pirlo’s freedom just as the ball-carrier is moving back inside to face his teammate. This does not only show the American midfielder’s game intelligence, to anticipate the next few steps of the opponent but is a prime example of the Red Bull’s defensive strategy. As soon as the ball-carrier is in a position to pass to Pirlo, both Felipe and Wright-Phillips sprint to block any passes and as a result, the ball is moved to a different player in a weaker and deeper position.

In some cases, the Red Bull players attempted to form a pressing trap around Pirlo. A pressing trap is where the defending team will invite the opposition to move the ball into an area which is unstable or susceptible to being pressed, and then instantly press the area with a great intensity. This is exactly what happened in the above scene as Felipe, Sam and Wright-Phillips isolate Pirlo as soon as he receives the ball from being in a semi-relaxed state before the pass is played. The result of this excellent defensive manoeuvre is a regain in an advanced position as the Italian lays the ball right to the feet of Sacha Kljestan however the Red Bulls were unable to capitalise on the prior defensive work.

NYCFC Struggle in Defence Against the Red Bull Intensity

It is no doubt that Jason Kreis looked to pack the experience and talent of their 3 designated players into the squad all at the same time, however this plan caused issues throughout the game.

Firstly, with Lampard and David Villa being the highest-positioned players on the team the pressing game of NYCFC struggled to get anywhere near the level of energy as their opposition. This factor made the development of possession much easier for the likes of Felipe and Miazga who brought the ball out from defence well.

Lampard’s poor energy in his pressing was an issue even early on as he failed to press Perinnelle for the opening goal of the game. When the ball is in a wide position the team should generally look to press the player as he has only 180’ of movement available due to the simple fact that if he moves towards the touchline, he’ll be out of play. However, Lampard was very passive in this scene and even though he did move towards the ball it was nowhere near quick enough.

In a few cases during the game, the three designated players for NYCFC were all pressing high up the pitch at the same time. This was not only ineffective as none of them were able to meet the required intensity but it left Jacobson isolated with a lot of space to cover in a deeper position. In the image above, Perrinelle drives forward well, shrugging off pressure from first Villa and then Lampard to play a penetrative pass into the midfield as Jacobson simply has too much space to cover on his own.

Once the two highest pressers, Lampard and Villa, were bypassed they struggled to recover their positions as the ball movement by the New York Red Bulls was often just too quick. This caused severe issues for Kreis’ side at times as it left the centre of their midfield exposed and with players such as Grella and Sam coming inside, potential threatening overloads could be created.

The fast and sharp passing game from the Red Bulls was key in the development for the first goal as once Lampard’s previously-mentioned poor pressing was taken advantage of, a vertical pass was played into Grella and after a quick combination, Kemar Lawrence found himself in acres room to drive into down the left. With such time on the ball, the young full-back made the most of it with an excellent cross from deep which gave BWP an easy tap in from 6 yards out.

A key issue was the lack of horizontal compactness from NYCFC as Pirlo and McNamara were too far away from the ball to give any positional support, especially as both Diskerud and Lampard were now out of position. With little help from their teammates, a 3v2 overload was created around Iraola and Jacobson leading Lawrence to be the free man in the first place.

As the game wore on, the issues of fitness for NYCFC’s designated players became more and more evident whilst the team as a whole slowed down. In the build-up for Felipe’s well-taken goal, it is clear to see the problems which Pirlo and Lampard were having as neither moved other to support the 1v1. Immediately following the goal, Lampard was benched for Patrick Mullins.

With an excellent performance in the Red Bull Arena, Marsch’s team have made it 3 wins from 3 in the Hudson River Derby. From the first 10 minutes onwards the excellent display of intelligence and intensity from each member of the team exemplified the effective strategy which has been implemented under Marsch. Their energy and speed of play proved too much for a NYCFC team which, despite being full of experience and individual ability, had no reply to the co-ordination of the Red Bull pressing.