Alonso Coello vs NYRB - Match Report
NYRB 3 - 0 Toronto FC | MLS 2023 | Written on February 22, 2024
Player Information
Name: Alonso Coello
Club: Toronto FC
Nationality: Spain
Age: 24 (Born 1999)
Position in match: Centre-midfielder (centre)
Preferred foot: Right
Height: 1.85m
Match Stats (via FotMob):
Minutes played: 90
Touches: 93
Passes: 64/78
Pass Accuracy: 82%
Passes Into Final Third: 4
Long Balls Completed: 2/4
Tackles Won: 2/3
Match Summary:
Incredibly one-sided match that was dominated by NYRB from start to finish
TFC sat back in a low block and invited NY to break them down - worked for about 44 minutes until an amateurish mistake from Michael Bradley
TFC were able to create some chances on the counter via Bernardeschi mostly, but they led to nothing
Once NYRB’s second goal went in, TFC aimed to keep the ball for longer periods of time to relieve some of the Red Bull pressure - mostly as a result of Coello’s temporization
TFC’s play was characterized by a lot of sloppy mistakes that should not be seen at the professional level
Player Analysis:
Technical:
Showed again excellent passing ability as well as technical empathy - starting to become the expectation when watching him
Couple of good long balls, what was more impressive in this match were his line-breaking passes - especially when threaded through bodies
Carrying with his head up always - does not want to dribble the full length of the pitch but would rather give the ball to teammates in advantageous positions
Showed excellent composure under pressure in multiple occasions - whether it was finding a pass under pressure or a few smart touches to get out of a 1v1
Showed good timing of the tackle yet again, especially in tighter spaces/the touchline (uses line to his advantage to cut off opponent’s option)
good winner of the ball in wide areas
Good reading of the game defensively + anticipation to actually step in and win the ball back
Tactical:
Finally started to show interest in vertical movement into the space in front of him - still a key AOI, but was not so hesitant to push up in this game
Movement after the pass could be better - tends to stand for a few seconds after a pass as opposed to moving right away - important following both long passes (give a reset option to teammates) and short passes (open up 1-2 possibility + take away any defender that may be pressing him)
Important to improve this as he is the main ‘recycle/reset’ option for TFC, needs to be an option as much as he can
Noted this vs Philadelphia as well
Struggled with blindside runners (must be noted that NYRB played at really high intensity - second last game of the season, they needed a win to keep the playoff hunt, TFC were doing damage control from the moment the game started)
Could check shoulder more often (defensively, no problems at all with his offensive scanning - except sometimes to check both shoulders and not just one) [noted vs NYCFC that he was checking shoulder often, so could be a one-off]
Checking shoulder would help to close passing lanes into these blindside runners, not necessarily track the runners themselves as that is not always possible
Communication from teammates is also important here
Physical:
showed good jump, contesting headers
Uses frame to place body in between ball and defender very well, able to protect/win the ball often doing so