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MLS: Former Gunner Vieira forging a coaching identity in New York City
As Patrick Vieira greeted the waiting press, a warm smile crept across his face. “I’m really excited,” he said. “I can’t wait to start the pre-season.”
Appointed head coach of New York City FC in November, it was his first senior role. “I wasn’t ready to manage straight away,” he told reporters earlier this year. A move that was surprising for many, there was a feeling of uncertainty as to what type of coach the team were gaining.
Asked which of his former managers he would most like to emulate, he listed an impressive collection of coaches - Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Roberto Mancini - before ultimately stating it would be wrong to be anything but himself.
With that one remark, Vieira reaffirmed his individuality. A unique player on the pitch, he was now eager to carve out his own identity as a coach. Starting his first home game with a back three, (something rarely seen in MLS) the formation appeared on paper to be a 3-4-3, but in fact played like a 3-2-2-3.
“We started working on it when I was coaching the EDS [Elite Development Squad] in Manchester,” Vieira said earlier this month, adding that the players trained in the formation during their preseason camp in Florida.
While critics may have deemed it needlessly complex, the club have collected 5 points from their opening 4 games - steady if not spectacular. Looking composed on the ball, they currently average the highest possession per game in MLS and have lost just once this season.
However, for a winner such as Vieira that is not enough. Letting a lead slip twice in their last two games, he has deemed it unacceptable. Still working with different tactical ideas in a bid to maximise the team’s potential, he is not married to one idea. "Regarding the 3-3-4, this is a system that is one we’re going to use,” he explained.
Adaptable in his approach, there were positives for fans to take from their opening day win against the Chicago Fire. Their football was fast, attractive, but most importantly it incorporated the assets of their best players, such as Andrea Pirlo. The 2015 season was a difficult one for the Italian. Able to play just 13 games for the club, he faced strong criticism and suggestions the league was simply too fast for him.
At home, Vieira has played Pirlo as part of a deep lying midfield two - alongside the tough-tackling Federico Bravo. Allowing Bravo to drop deep and form a back four when needed, it now also means Pirlo has someone to provide defensive cover. Choosing the former Juventus man as his midfield conductor, his performances have shown potential for the rest of the campaign. Against Toronto FC, he took 105 touches but lost the ball just twice, producing more key passes than any other player on the field, (including last season’s MVP Sebastian Giovinco).
Speaking in pre-season, Vieira brushed aside concerns that Pirlo would struggle to fit into his team: “I’m not worried at all because his brain helps him to anticipate the next pass, the next move,” Vieira said. “The way we’re going to play – controlling the game – we’ll have the possession of the ball. We will have the ball more often and the quality of Andrea, it will make a difference.
“Our organization, the distance between the lines, will help him, will help all the players to run less. I think it’s all about organization, the shape that they’re going to give the team, I think that’s more important than anything else, so I don’t have any worry about that.”
Vieira has been keenly aware of space. Playing on the narrow field of Yankee Stadium, Vieira has opted to name four central midfielders in his 3-2-2-3 formation. Flanking David Villa with fast forwards, it has not only stretched the opposition but also created pockets of space for Villa to operate in.
Still far from perfect, the team is yet to record a clean sheet this season. Defensively poor, that may prove one of Vieira’s biggest tests. Meanwhile the coach also has squad issues to quash. The continued absence of Frank Lampard leads to questions over where he will fit in, while Viera has also opted to bench fan favourite Kwadwo Poku. One of the few bright spots from last season, the Ghanian earned comparisons to Yaya Toure for his defence splitting runs from deep.
However Vieira is a man with confidence in his decisions. Against the New England Revolution on Saturday, he chose to substitute Jefferson Mena inside the first half. “It was just a tactical decision,” he said, when asked why he made the change. “They were giving us a big problem with their width, and I just had to make a decision.”
It is those subtle tweaks, made with confidence, that have earned him the admiration of his players. “Vieira is a very intelligent coach, no doubt about that,” defender Ronald Matarrita said. “He is implementing two styles of play, two different formations in which to set up the team, and I feel that in the two systems we’ve played in the last two games, we’ve played good games.”
When asked to define himself as a coach in January, Vieira told the Guardian. “I’m passionate about the job. I’m really excited. I’m really determined. I’m on the front foot, you know what I mean? I want to go and get it, you know? I’m passionate about the job.”
That passion also extends to his tactical plan, which he demands fierce loyalty towards. “We didn’t respect our plan and when you don’t do that, you make it a little bit easier for the opposition team,” he said after Saturday’s draw with New England.
Helping to cement the idea that he was appointed on merit, rather than an association with the City Football Group, the Frenchman is beginning to give the club an on field identity. Something fans have yearned for, if he can continue to make progress, he will prove that not only was his patience in entering management justified, but also his excitement.
