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Posted by
Max Bell,
March 30, 2011 |
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Canada's classy display in Antalya yesterday evening was largely attributed to the effectiveness of its central midfield trio. The group’s strong performance will leave Stephen Hart pondering his options in the middle of the park.
There was a time when Julian De Guzman would have been the first name on Canada's team sheet, but that era may now have officially come to an end.
Stephen Hart employed Canada's new talisman, Atiba Hutchinson, in a deeper midfield role next to Will Johnson, leaving Pedro Pacheco to link up with the attackers against Belarus.
It proved a cunning tactic.
Pacheco showed his suave touch and quality in possession, while neither Hutchinson nor Johnson seemed to be particularly restrained by their defensive duties.
The three men in the middle were the toast of Canada's performance and with wingers Simpson and Jackson enduring relatively subdued performances, the central players were the engine behind the Canadian attack.
Josh Simpson showed flashes of brilliance on a couple of incisive runs, but his potency was neutered by a lack of service to the left side in the first half.
Concerningly, the Simeon Jackson wing project now appears to be hitting a roadblock.
Jackson bought himself some time with a strong performance in Kiev but now seems to be looking increasingly uncomfortable on the wing.
Not a natural crosser of the ball, Jackson's ability to poach goals through the middle seems to be put to waste with little reward being offered up in return for playing him out wide.
Suddenly, the right wing looks like one of Canada's most glaring weak spots.
The cries of supporters to recall Iain Hume to the side seem likely to go unheard by Stephen Hart who does not fancy the Preston striker out wide, and seems to prefer a big target man in the centre forward role.
So what is Hart to do?
Push a speedy Jaime Peters up to the wing? Try and breed the instincts of a wide player into an improving Tossaint Ricketts?
I would suggest that Issey Nakajima-Farran may represent an interesting option as a right winger.
Issey's composure on the ball and intricate footwork offers a creative balance to the attack, and the AC Horsens striker has show he is a quality crosser of the ball.
As for Canada's centre-forward crisis, there seems to be no easy solution in sight.
Rob Friend did well to carve out a number of good opportunities yesterday, but again his efforts went in vein.
Ali Gerba's specter seems to be looming in the shadows ready to burst out for another Gold Cup goal spree, but Hart will likely bring them both into camp and let their form decide.
Fortunately for Canadian supporters, Hart's selection headaches only get more complicated at the back.
Nik Ledgerwood may have emerged as the number one option at right back after yesterday's confident performance, but Jaime Peters and Andre Hainault also offer qualities of their own in the position.
Hainault's strong performance at centre-back also creates a logjam in the middle of the back-line with Kevin McKenna and Dejan Jakovic turning out excellently for Canada in recent appearances.
Mike Klukowski showed good form in yesterday's match, but the MKE Ankaragucu left-back has yet to recapture his flair from 2009.
Marcel De Jong's strong performances for club and country of late will provide Klukowski with stern competition for the starting role in June.
Finally, Canada now enjoys the riches of having two reliable goalkeepers to choose from.
But with Lars Hirschfeld set to be tied up with his Scandinavian club during the Gold Cup, Milan Borjan may get his chance to stake a claim to the number one role.
As Stephen Hart iterated after yesterday’s match these selection questions are 'headaches he loves to have'.
Hart now seems to be succeeding in his quest to create competition in every position.
Max Bell’s player ratings (out of 10):
Milan Borjan – 7
Dealt well with the little that was asked of him. Vocal and confident.
Nik Ledgerwood – 7
Was solid throughout and showed little fear of going forward.
Kevin McKenna – 7.5
Excellent leadership and organization at the back, lack of pace remains a concern.
Andre Hainault – 8
Got the wining goal and looked very at ease next to McKenna.
Mike Klukowski – 6.5
Showed his usual good touch, but wasted a number of crossing opportunities.
Atiba Hutchinson – 8
Classiest player on the pitch. Strode past Belarusian players with ease and did well throughout from box to box.
Will Johnson – 7.5
Solid performance in the middle. Tenacious and effective as ever.
Pedro Pacheco – 7.5
Proved a useful link between mids and forwards. Very composed on the ball.
Simeon Jackson – 6
Received little service, but did little to inspire when he got the ball. Doesn’t look comfortable out wide.
Josh Simpson – 7
Subdued game by his high standards. Showed excellent pace and skill on occasions.
Rob Friend – 7
Showed great enthusiasm and commitment, but failed to put away any of the half chances.
SUBS
Lars Hirschfeld – 7
Made one or two outstanding saves but kicking remains suspect at time.
Tosaint Ricketts – 6.5
Showed good pace and clever footwork but lacked a final product.
David Edgar – 6
Was never able to influence the game, but did nothing wrong.
Issey Nakajima-Farran and Jaime Peters
Appearances too brief to rate.
Adam Straith and Paul Stalteri
Did not feature
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