To be clear, coming out of a just completed March international break, Jesse Marsch will not be best pleased with two draws — 2-2 against Iceland on Saturday, and 0-0 versus Tunisia on Tuesday night.
Searching for a silver lining to those dark rain clouds that delayed the match on Tuesday, Marsch will point to resilience, as well as much better second-half performances in each match. He will like what he saw on the wings with Ali Ahmed, Marcelo Flores and Liam Millar. All legitimate options for starting spots.
Aside from that, though, arguably the head coach’s biggest takeaway will be just how dependent Canada’s success will be on a healthy best XI and that despite much improved depth, the drop off in some crucial positions is still dramatic when the injury bug bites, which it has — big time — over the past year.
Which was most obvious in the heart of defence.
Playing a high line on defence, one of the hallmarks of Marsch-ball, requires great pace from his centre backs. In Moise Bombito, Canada has one of the quickest defenders in European football. The trouble is Bombito has not played since breaking his leg in a match between his club, Nice and Monaco in October. It was hoped that the 26-year-old would be back playing within a couple of weeks; however, there are murmurs that it could be longer. Marsch said last week that he was concerned with Bombito’s recovery.
With Derek Cornelius limited to a substitute’s role the past two games as he also returns to fitness from a muscle injury, and Alfie Jones and Luc De Fougerolles also unavailable, Marsch leaned heavily on three defenders scrapping it out for likely one squad place for the World Cup.
The results were … not great.
Yes, Kamal Miller redeemed himself against Tunisia following his costly mistake that led to Iceland’s opener on Saturday. Miller had to replace the unfortunate Ralph Priso after twenty-five minutes, when the Vancouver man pulled a hamstring. Miller was decent and led all players with 68 touches. Regardless, on more than one occasion, Tunisia breached the Canadian press, and Miller and Joel Waterman were off the pace somewhat. And against a better team, Canada would likely have fallen behind.
Priso’s departure was a tough pill to swallow, as he had looked aggressive and composed in his first real start for Canada. Pace is his strength, and even in limited minutes, he has given his head coach something to ponder when deciding who will be his fifth centre back this summer.
With Alphonso Davies absent once again — that is over a year now if you are counting — Marsch continued to lean heavily on Richie Laryea to patrol left back. He had a couple of options ahead of him, the emerging Ahmed, who in a start against Iceland and a cameo versus Tunisia showed flashes of his superb form at Norwich, but was perhaps not as noticeable as he had hoped.
The other guy, meanwhile… was!
Welcome to the national team, Marcelo Flores. Enjoying his first action in a Canadian shirt, the Mexico-based winger demonstrated a skillset not often seen in Canadian colours. This is a footballer who thrives when attacking one-on-one, scheming and bursting into small pockets of space. Marsch talks about the verticality he likes in his attacking players, but that is contrary to what Marcelo brings. The difference factor could be key to the Canada attack, especially when a low block frustrates as it so often does, including over their last two matches.
Try not to get too carried away by the new talent that has just arrived, but boy, was he fun to watch. More than one former international suggested to me that Marsch needs to find a way to get Marcelo into the starting XI.
Is there a scenario where, in May’s North Carolina camp, Flores gets some reps centrally with Jonathan David featuring further up the pitch?
Of note, with Tajon Buchanan’s suspension forcing some experimentation on the right wing, Millar looked outstanding in his stead. Renowned more as a left winger, Marsch told us he was comfortable with the Hull man switching sides. Buchanan is a sure-fire starter come June, but Millar eases any concern of what an injury to the Villarreal star might result in.
The central midfield is another area where the replacement value for the starting two may not be as high as had been speculated. Stefan Eustaquio’s injury absence was felt, as was Ismael Kone’s suspension for the Iceland game. The Icelanders won the midfield battle, with Mathieu Choiniere and Nathan Saliba experiencing forgettable matches. It wasn’t until Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio came on as a sub that any fluidity entered the midfield.
Against Tunisia, Kone returned to the fray, and although not a dominating performance, his surging runs added some spice to the centre of the park, and Saliba looked more composed. Regardless, the two matches underscored the importance of Eustaquio as Kone’s partner in midfield.
It is difficult to ascertain just what Marsch will have garnered from this window. Dan Jebbison looked as dangerous as he has in a red shirt, albeit off the bench, while, although not making his debut, Marsch was effusive in his praise of eighteen-year-old striker Bim Pepple, who enjoyed his first call-up. The fact is, Marsch probably already knows his 26-man squad for the World Cup, although Davies, Bombito and Promise David’s health will be front of his mind leading up to the final selection.
It is 71 days and counting until kick off … for the record.
from Sportsnet.ca
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