Has Klinsmann’s tenure reached an event horizon?
Neil W. Blackmon
There is a moment in beard-growing when the beard stops itching and all the attendant difficulties of beard growing become somehow manageable. The beard grows and grows and eventually the itching stops.An event horizon, where all that’s left is grooming and the reward of being dashingly beard handsome until the beard gets too thick, becomes ridiculous and all that remains is the question of when to shave it off completely and start again.
Have the US reached that point under Jurgen Klinsmann?
Another match, another defeat for Klinsmann’s United States Men’s National Team.
And certainly there is the argument that this was (yet another) experimental side challenging itself in Europe against fairly strong competition, yet as the men finalized preparations for today’s match in Zurich against Switzerland (12 PM EDT, Fox Sports One), the talk centers more around how the American defeat in Aarhus reflected more of the same from the struggling Yanks. A lack of possession. A lead in spite of it. Fatigue. Defensive breakdowns. A lost lead. A lack of ideas outside of Michael Bradley. A defeat.
Since and including victory in the Natal rain over nemesis Ghana, the US have lost a lead in seven matches: Ghana, Portugal, Ecuador, Honduras, Colombia, Chile and Denmark (twice). A bevy of reasons for the lost leads have been proffered, some reasonable, others less laudable. In chronological order, I’ve linked many:
Ghana. “Hey, we won.” Ok.
Portugal: A long list of mini-breakdowns and a great ball by the best player in the world. A breakdown of that goal by Jesse Marsch, he of ever-increasing Red Bulls popularity (am I right, Red Bulls town hallers?), seems fitting this week given Marsch’s outspoken commentary criticizing Klinsmann’s managerial methods and the team’s lack of an identity right now.
Ecuador. Something about Landon Donovan’s send-off match distracting the team and allowing them to concede against a side that had earned exactly one draw away from altitude since the middle of CONMEBOL qualifying.
Honduras: US probed and probed for a second and then conceded another late goal to draw, on home soil, a Honduras side that just lost to French Guiana. There’s an argument that this game, which featured Jermaine Jones at CB, was about experimentation, and that’s okay, but as Ale Bedoya told me afterwards “it was a game (the US) no question needed to win and should win” and one wonders how much the Klinsmann-Garber feuding backdrop contributed to a lack of cohesion and lousy result.
The US led Colombia and James early before wilting in the second half.
Colombia: Monstrous performance from Kyle Beckerman, but a defeat nonetheless following a no-call on an offside where the US stopped playing and horrendous marking on the Colombian winner, in the 86th minute.
Chile. Our MLS guys aren’t as good as their Chilean Primera guys. Also, another late goal. Still, it was fun reading all the “the US only surrendered goals after coming out of the 3-5-2” pieces. True story, except the Americans weren’t doing much dictating in the match up to that point. Indeed, the Americans were largely picked apart by Chile (B/C?), thanks to wingbacks who didn’t defend and Jermaine Jones refusing to stay centered and tethered as the middle man in the 3-5-2.
And of course, Denmark, where Michael Orozco took himself out of a game because he was “exhausted” after 80 minutes and the US backline crumbled, allowing Nicklas Bendtner, the least likeable Dane since Claudius (who isn’t real) axed Hamlet’s old man, to net a hat trick for Denmark and the Americans continued their trend of losing the possession by a wide margin and looking largely out of attacking ideas save the class of Michael Bradley.
And maybe, in the end, it is the defeat to the Danes and the stunning and saddening concession of three goals to Lord Nicklas Bendtner that represents an event horizon in the Jurgen Klinsmann regime: the moment the obdurate defenders of Jurgen Klinsmann finally saw the tide turn against them and in favor of the loyal, vociferous opposition.
The US isn’t progressing or transforming itself anymore, it’s treading water, or regressing, despite the deepest player pool in federation history. Or at least the team is at an event horizon, where those on that side of the camp outweigh those on the other side of the camp.
Or maybe Alexi and I are wrong, and this type of thinking is more accurate:
Because? RT @OVLH: Neither Bradley nor Arena could have coached us out of the group stage in 2014 nor taken Belgium to extra time.
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) March 30, 2015
Or maybe the US just need a result in Zurich to settle the masses.
Let’s kick around the usuals on that match and then tackle the particulars:
Series: Eighth meeting. Switzerland lead 3-1-3. This is the fourth meeting between the two nations in Switzerland, with the Americans winning the most recent, 1-0 in Basel in 2007. The most critical meeting? The opening match for the Yanks at the 1994 World Cup, of course, which featured Eric Wynalda scoring this stunning goal, which given the moment and the spot, remains the finest free kick in US soccer history.
Weather: Zurich at the end of March, which tends towards Hobbesian. It will be gloomy and cold, with temps around 40 at kick. A misty to light and steady rain is expected throughout.
Stephan Lichtsteiner has helped Juve to three consecutive titles. He’s a problem for the United States tomorrow, but is also a possible solution.
What to Expect From the Swiss:
Since garnering a surprise seed at in Brazil in December 2013, the Swiss haven’t looked the part of world elite.
After conceding just one goal in seven World Cup matches at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, which included a defeat (using a Bob Bradley blueprint) of eventual World champion Spain, La Nati conceded seven goals in Brazil, including five in a humbling 5-2 defeat to France in Salvador where the final was flattering to the Swiss.
Still, the Swiss are more talented than the older, highly organized sized prone to snoozers (Pepsi challenge to who can find a more dull knockout round match than Switzerland 0, Ukraine 0 at the 2006 World Cup round of 16) thanks in large part to a dynamic group of attackers now entering their prime in Bayer Leverkusen’s Josip Drmić, Eintract Frankfurt’s Haris Seferović, SC Freiburg’s Admir Mehmedi and Inter Milan’s Xherdan Shaqiri. These four, along with above-grade midfield talent Granit Xhaka of Borussia Mönchengladbach represent to the Swiss what all footballing nation’s clamor for: a “golden generation”, and one that potentially provides the Swiss the type of attacking invention they have lacked in the past despite tremendous cohesion and effort and organization, particularly along the back wall of four.
And perhaps this is what made Switzerland’s meltdown against the French so stunning in Brazil. The thought entering that tournament was that in Ottmar Hitzfeld, the Swiss had one of the more impressive tactical minds in football, and given his tireless drilling of the team on defending and movement without the ball, there was no way a more attacking intent or inventiveness would harm the team’s trademark grit and stinginess in front of net.
The thinking was exposed in Brazil (and again against England in European Championship qualifying this autumn, but we’ll get to that), particularly against France.
In that match, the Swiss demonstrated they are vulnerable to quick and simple counterattacking football, hurling their talented fullbacks Stephan Lichtsteiner of Juventus (who made a ton of friends this week announcing he didn’t like immigrants) and Ricardo Rodriguez of Vfl Wolfsburg up the pitch to terrorize the French flank and whip in crosses, but exposing themselves to decisive passes and counters in the gaps left behind. I’ve always liked Valon Behrami despite his limitations at club level, he makes clean tackles and simple passes and works really hard (there’s some Dax McCarty there), but he wasn’t up to the task of covering for Lichtsteiner against the French, and neither was Hitzfeld’s other option, Galatasaray’s Blerim Džemaili, who is a more rugged, classic “Swiss” type enforcer.
The Swiss continue to rely on Behrami and Inler to provide cover for their dazzling fullbacks.
What all this meant in Brazil of course was that for all their attacking gusto, the Swiss surrendered some patented organization, and lacked the quality to compensate on the back end, including at the goalkeeper spot, where Diego Benaglio hardly made life difficult on opponents.
Ricardo Rodriguez is precisely the type of player that excites many fans– he’s fast and makes darting overlapping runs and can turn a trick with clever feet, but he’s fundamentally a poor defender and plays reactive soccer without the ball. Lichtsteiner is a more complete fullback, and has improved steadily since moving to Juventus, but he does tend to get ahead of his cover at times and the Americans should be mindful of this and play quick on the turn or possession switch when they have the chance tomorrow.
The Swiss did rebound from being routed by France to play bravely against Argentina in the Round of 16, a 1-0 defeat, but it is worth noting that in that match Hitzfeld returned to the Swiss strategy of old, keeping Lichtsteiner tethered and pinching his midfielders in to keep things narrow and give even more help than the two holders, Behrami and captain Gökhan Inler, could provide on Leo Messi. There’s little to gain from tactically analyzing that match, and that’s especially true given it was the last for Hitzfeld in charge, with his retirement making way for Bosnian-Croat Vladmir Petkovic, a polyglot who is fluent in five languages and probably, long-term, a good fit personality wise with a team of dual nationals.
Save one qualifying match, Petkovic has retained the 4-2-3-1 formation favored by Hitzfeld, retaining the spine of Inler and Behrami and a back four that features a trio of center back options in Hamburg’s Johan Djourou, Basel’s Fabian Schär and Young Boys veteran Steve von Bergen. (The trio is usually a quartet by Aston Villa’s Phillipe Senderos is not with the team this go-round despite playing for what seems like his 10th Premier League side). All of these players are technically limited, but play above their head at the national team level, with Schär in particular a Little Lebowski overachiever, having netted five times in eleven matches from the CB spot (service matters and the Swiss seed was built on a foundation of tactical stone and set pieces).
Potential Swiss lineup.
The Swiss have mostly their full compliment tomorrow, and the lineup should look something like the inset at the right.
The real question, and the one haunting the Swiss since Brazil, is about who the cold-blooded finishers are in front. The bevy of attacking talent hasn’t yet materialized into a number nine ready for prime time, and as good as Xherdan Shaqiri can be (good), the team will not soar until one of the young strikers (probably Josip Drmić) becomes less holding target man and more reliable assassin.
Fortunately for the Swiss, the Americans just allowed the enigmatic and struggling Nicklas Bendtner to “get loose in Aarhus”, so tomorrow could be a brilliant day for Petkovic’s bunch to gain confidence, which they sorely need after struggling out of the gate in European qualifying, with losses to Slovenia, a draw to Poland and a sound defeat by Roy Hodgson and England in Basel.
What to Watch For From The Yanks:
The Hodgson blueprint is actually a fair one. A struggling US won’t get the “back off a bit out of repute” Swiss tactically, one wouldn’t think, but the Swiss problems against the English all started when Ricardo Rodriguez and Lichtsteiner were caught too wide and too forward and the center midfield pairing of Behrami and Inler could not cover. Mute the Euro synth pop and note the sequences at 0:47 and 2:10 in particular, which require one or two quick passes into the exposed gap to have England off to the races.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymGBAjoOntc
The US lack Danny Welbeck and Rooney quality of course, but Michael Bradley as orchestrator vs. Jack Wilshere at the top of the diamond isn’t that poor a comp– nor does it have to be equal. All that is required is that the US get the ball to Bradley quickly so he can make the right pass. The Swiss will inevitably come forward down the flank and the US should have their chance on the chip and break.
Other things I’m watching today in Zurich:
Does Ale Bedoya get another rep as a lateral help option for Michael Bradley?
a) Will the US audition another partner for Michael Bradley? I hold my sentiment from the Denmark match that Alejandro Bedoya did fairly well in the middle in his audition, and the familiarity he has with the center position at Nantes is advantageous. I think Bedoya is so responsible defensively that on occasion, he tried to cover too much for what was behind him, and his shaky moments were almost entirely about that. His three clearances in the first half, shaded next to his limited attacking half passes (10), demonstrate my point.
The job for whomever partners Bradley is to facilitate calmly to Michael and allow Bradley to influence games. Ale Bedoya might warrant further consideration given that job description, and there’s no need to Twitter fight about it.
It should also be noted that Bedoya has led Nantes in attacking half touches (230) and shot attempts (10) in his seven starts in the center at Nantes, so reps- a luxury afforded to Mix Diskerud, perhaps at present the top “other option”– are likely merited.
Bradley in need of a “simple foot procedure” at the top of a diamond might not have been optimal in Brazil, but Bradley was no less influential, as his team leading 90 minute average of 59 touches next to team leading 46 completions per ninety minutes demonstrates. Post Brazil Bradley, slightly more withdrawn, but with lateral help despite his being the slightly more forward center mid, is a better look for the US and finding him a partner is essential if the US are to have any chance at the Gold Cup this summer.
b) The best US CB’s probably aren’t in this camp, and that’s a shame, given John Brooks’s prodigious talent.
There’s no excuse for John Brooks turning his head on Bendtner’s winning strike in Aarhus last week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQl0zx_O6PI
There’s also no excuse for affording Bendtner that much space to begin with. For a player who Klinsmann seems to allow to lose competition battles at club from time to time without being withheld national team opportunity, you’d expect Brooks to at least have sound fundamentals. He hasn’t of late.
I’d like to see Brooks have a nice game. Then I’d like to see Klinsmann, who has been a masterful recruiter, convince long out of favor England international Seb Hines of Orlando City to file a one-time switch. He’s eligible to do so and outside of Chad Marshall, probably more dominant aerially than any player in the US pool. It isn’t like the US CB pool are world beaters– after all– the group in Aarhus was heavily reliant on Michael Orozco, for heavens sake. What’s the harm in calling in a technically proficient aerial presence like Hines?
Klinsmann should play William Yarbrough (above) or Cody Cropper against the Swiss. Rimando’s time has passed, despite laudable service.
c) Give a young goalkeeper a look tomorrow, Jurgen. The continued Rimando starts, while of course merited for a player of Rimando’s extensive service and commendable talent, are another Klinsmann contradiction.
If these friendlies are, as Jurgen says, at base about seeing as many players as possible and building experience for the future, play the future. Don’t go with Nick Rimando, who is unlikely to be a candidate to start either of the up coming international tournaments the US will play in over the next two summers and will, by the time Russia arrives, remain behind Brad Guzan and be 39.
Cody Cropper and William Yarbrough, who could play for Mexico, are still around. Play one of them.
d) Passion and “want to.”
Losing isn’t easy. And it is contagious.
This gets back to Michael Orozco’s taking himself out of a game the US led last week because he was “tired.”
And this type of issue, by the way, one of the reasons I felt giving Michael Bradley the armband was an excellent decision by Jurgen Klinsmann. I think Bradley’s personal standards are demanding and his desire to win are among the highest we’ve seen in an American shirt. Passionate players sometimes fail as captains, to be certain. Other times, however, they are precisely what is necessary. Let’s see the US fight through the fitness questions tomorrow. There’s no excuse outside of a lack of want for a player to ask to be taken off the field after 80 minutes with his team clinging to a lead. Michael Bradley would do well to talk to Michael Orozco, and make that salient point in the locker room.
As Carlos Bocanegra once told me, “no one who puts on the US shirt wants to mess up.” Fight through it.
No players to watch this time. Newborn at home and my previous promise of brevity has fallen by the 2,500 word wayside.
Prediction: Switzerland 2, USA 1. I’m tempted to pick the USA in a show of defiance for a manager who increasingly, at least from the fans and media, is under fire. But I’m not certain that the players have a “Win one for the Jurgen” game in them. And if they do, I’m not certain it happens in the cold of Zurich in a friendly. I do think the US will play better though.
Neil W. Blackmon co-founded The Yanks Are Coming in 2008. E-mail is nwblackmon@gmail.com. Twitter is @nwblackmon.