Posted by

Michele Tossani ,

December 29, 2013 Twitter:

@MicheleTossani

Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device



Can Nelsen stay with a 4-4-2?

It's been a relatively quiet end to the 2013 year, but Toronto FC are still front and centre as the team in MLS making the most noise from a signings perspective. After TFC inked the Brazilian striker Gilberto, they went and selected Dwayne De Rosario in the re-entry draft, and if we are to believe all of the media reports, are also very close to signing Jermaine Defoe. So the question remains, is 4-4-2 is still the formation to go with? Undoubtedly, 4-4-2 is the favourite formation of TFC manager Ryan Nelsen as it was overwhelmingly his formation of choice in 2013. On paper the pairing of Gilberto and Defoe makes sense with former Internacional/Portuguesa forward playing close to the net and with the Tottenham striker moving around him. However, two questions need to be asked if Nelsen decides to stick with this formation. First, if TFC are able to get pen to paper, where will Dwayne De Rosario be lined up, and second, how will Gilberto and Defoe play together to get the most out of each? The first task is an interesting one in that De Rosario is most effective as an attacking midfielder without tactical restrictions. An option could be to line up De Rosario as attacking winger on the flanks, with the freedom to drift inside to exploit the spaces between the lines. Toronto might have a handful of midfielders who could potentially play on the left side - Alvaro Rey, Jackson, and perhaps even Jonathan Osorio and Kyle Bekker. However, there is no natural left-sided midfielder now that Bobby Convey is gone and De Rosario has had experience on this side both in MLS and with the Canadian National Team. Ryan Nelsen could also switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation to maximize De Rosario's abilities. Playing De Rosario ahead of the two holders in a 4-2-3-1 would allow him less defensive responsibility, would link the midfield with the attack and would add a passer to the midfield's combo of Matias Laba and Osorio. Also, it would give De Rosario the opportunity to play closer to goal. On the defensive side, Nelsen could ask De Rosario to bounce back helping the midfield, in the way to re-build the traditional two banks of four that a solid 4-4-2 can give you. In this approach, TFC should drop a striker. This would not be such a bad option due to the fact both Gilberto and Defoe are suited to play the centre forward spot in lone striker formations as seen in a 4-3-3. Otherwise, Nelsen could stay more adherent to his classic 4-4-2 system lining up a diamond formation. He could try De Rosario behind the attacking duo, inserting a third central midfielder such as Jackson or Kyle Bekker. It will make sense since, as noted, TFC are without a real winger since they dealt veteran winger Bobby Convey to New York. Adding a third man will help to dominate possession and a Jackson/Bekker-Laba-Osorio trio could do a good job of keeping the ball. To run this system effectively, Nelsen needs good advancing full-backs to provide his team width. Mark Bloom and Ashtone Morgan could provide it, although they both have to improve as passers. Questions remain with both players and the arrival of Justin Morrow, as well as Jonas Elmer still in the squad and Jackson being able to play fullback, offers some discussion as to who will show enough in preseason to earn the starting role, and where they will be slotted in. It's obviously early to know what kind of formation TFC will play next season, with team's preseason plans not set yet, the MLS SuperDraft and likely some more transactions to come, but Nelsen should already be thinking about switching to a different shape than the flat 4-4-2 that dominated in 2013. Michele Tossani is a football tactician with a Ph.D. in History. Michele resides in Florence, Italy and is a tactical analyst for Futbol-Tactico.com