Tattica: Tactical decisions for Vanney to get the most out of Giovinco
Last week Toronto FC officially announced they signed Juventus and Italy International Sebastian Giovinco to a lucrative four-year deal. Toronto FC's Head Coach Greg Vanney praised the signing: “Giovinco is a complete player with the ability to not only create but also to score goals as he’s proven throughout his career in Italy.
“We are very excited for the 2015 season and adding another important piece to an already solid core group only makes us stronger.”
Former Roma midfielder and current key part of TFC, Michael Bradley, also expressed his positive thoughts on the newcomer: “Adding a player like Sebastian Giovinco will be a major addition to our club. Having played against him many times in Italy, I know what he is capable of.
“We have added a great playmaker and true talent and I cannot wait for him to join us.”
What kind of player Toronto brought on? Where is best suited to play into Vanney's line up?
First and foremost, the arrival of Giovinco "marks one of the most important moments in Toronto FC history," as Chief Commercial Officer for MLSE Dave Hopkinson correctly pointed out. This is also a big deal for MLS too as Giovinco is a Designated Player that will arrive in MLS with his best years ahead of him being a 27-year old footballer.
You can't overstate Giovinco's signing. His experiences both internationally as well as his domestic with Serie A Champions League experience under his belt shows the pedigree and potential class that will be on display.
With his arrival, despite spending estimates of $100 million dollars last season, Giovinco's signing means the TFC makeover continues. At 5’5 and roughly 60kg, The Atomic Ant - La Formica Atomica - is a bright and dangerous second forward. His soccer instinct and his ability with the ball makes him comparable to one of Chelsea's best players ever, Gianfranco Zola.
The question now moving into 2015 is where does Giovinco fit in an attack that includes Jozy Altidore, Luke Moore, Gilberto and Bright Dike. It is likely that the strikers seen last year might not all be back for this upcoming season, however, from a tactical perspective, Greg Vanney will need to possibly make sacrifices to get the most out of his latest DP signing.
Positionally, Giovinco is perfectly suited to play alongside Jozy Altidore upfront in Vanney's 4-4-2. It is difficult to envision something different at this point, as the final stretch of 2014 could have been used for tactical experimentation, however, Vanney chose to stay close to what was familiar from Ryan Nelsen's approach and finish the season in this manner.
However, Vanney does have tactical options with Giovinco at his disposal, as his crossing ability makes him useful as an attacking winger in a 4-3-3, or as the playmaker behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1. This last formation would be an interesting development as Michael Bradley's most offensive season ever was at Heerenveen when he was alongside the left-sided creative attacking midfielder Danijel Pranjic, where they combined for 27 goals, with Bradley netting 18. However, on the flipside, Giovinco's potential role behind the striker would allow him to be the link-up player and Bradley could focus on his role as a defensive midfielder.
If Vanney sticks with the 4-4-2, it is important to know Giovinco offers a completely different option from Jermain Defoe. In fact, while the Englishman can be described as a scoring second forward, a true scoring threat, Giovinco is more a classic number 10 playing up front and relying on his acceleration and ball skills while roaming around the field looking for space.
He's a ball distributor, a dribbler able to win one-to-one situations and he's also a good set-pieces taker. As Aaron Neilsen pointed out, his all-around skillset, added that none of it has diminished with him in his prime, could put him as one of the best to play in MLS.
He's not a star player a la Thierry Henry, but he still can make an impact and represents a major upgrade for a team that raised the bar once again in the hopes of finally making the post-season. In the end, when he arrives this summer, Giovinco will surely help lift up the struggling TFC franchise.
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
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