|
|
Alan Gordon was acquired from Chivas USA for midfielder Nick Labrocca at the start of the MLS season. Whether it is fair or unfair, Gordon will be compared to former TFC defender Marvell Wynne, the player Toronto traded in the deal to bring Labrocca to the Ontario side. When he joined the team he was billed as a gritty, hardworking targetman and supporters were lukewarm on his upside. They hoped he could provide a few goals along with a good workrate but didn’t expect much in the way of becoming a regular starter. While he may not be a prolific scorer or top tier striker, it is safe to say Alan Gordon has had a positive impact on his new club.
With and Without Gordon
The problem with after the fact tactical analyses of matches is that by their very nature they are post hoc explanations. Unless one does a preview one can make the post-game report fit any tactical bias they may possess. A non-biased account could look at a control versus an experimental group. In this case, one could look at games Toronto plays without Alan Gordon (the control group) versus the games Toronto plays with Alan Gordon (the experimental group).
Doing such an analysis at the current period in the season is somewhat fruitless as any statistician will tell you that you need a substantial sample size in order to make any sound conclusions. Thus far, Toronto FC have played 9 MLS matches without Gordon and 5 MLS matches with him (I think it’s unfair to count the matches against Edmonton). No one in their right mind would use this small sample of games to definitively define Gordon’s contribution to his team but in case anyone is curious here are the stats for TFC with and without Alan Gordon:
A caution to readers: As mentioned earlier, the sample size is very small. This is worth reiterating as it is not prudent to draw too many strong conclusions from these numbers. Looking at the table one sees that Toronto does slightly better with Alan Gordon in the line up (they average about 0.4 more points per match with him than without him) and they score pretty much the same amount of goals (a difference of basically 0.1 goals per match) however TFC have faced slightly stiffer competition when Gordon has been out of the squad (a small 0.23 difference).
Analyzing the Matches
So with that cautionary tale, what can we actually say about Alan Gordon’s impact? Since he has only played 5 MLS matches for Toronto it is not too tedious to look at his influence match by match. In Toronto’s first win of the season Javier Martina stole the headlines with a brace against Portland. His second goal was the pick of the two, but the opening score had the better build up, and it was in large part thanks to Gordon’s movement. In his short time in Toronto, Gordon has shown a willingness to drop deep and into the channels to drag defenders. Against Portland, his movement into the midfield opened up space for an inside cutting Dwayne De Rosario who eventually laid the ball off to the streaking Martina. This was a sign of things to come for the American striker.
In the next match against Chivas USA, Gordon netted a headed goal against his former club which displayed his aerial prowess; however we’d be remised if we didn’t mention how Toronto earned the free kick which led to that goal. It was once again Gordon’s tendency to drop deep and get involved with the midfield that caused havoc. The central defender followed him and Gordon earned the foul. A large part of soccer is the different bands linking with each other. A flat 4-4-2 is often criticized with isolating the forwards from the midfield and most formations nowadays have some sort of obvious link between the two bands. As defensive schemes have incorporated a dedicated player into playing between the lines in order to stop this playmaker, many teams have resorted to their highest attacker starting up top but dropping deep in order to facilitate play. Think Leo Messi for Barcelona or Carlos Tevez for Manchester City. Both are technically central strikers for their sides but often end up in between midfield and attack, confusing centre backs who aren’t sure whether to follow and therefore vacate space behind them, or leave the striker who now has acres of space ahead of him. While Alan Gordon will never be Messi or Tevez, everything is relative. He can use this strategy to pull MLS level centre backs out of position, much like he did against Columbus at home in April. A seemingly innocuous wall pass between Gordon and Julian de Guzman led to Tony Tchani being able to attack the space Gordon created and gave the Cameroonian midfielder an opportunity to score his first ever goal for Toronto.
What to Look For in Future Matches
In the other two matches Gordon partook in he scored versus San Jose and was ineffective against Seattle, although possibly still nursing his injury. The main thing I have noticed is that when he is in the starting eleven, Toronto FC have much more fluidity about them. Many fans bemoan Maicon Santos’ lack of movement when he is the lone striker. Aron Winter has experimented with playing Santos in behind Gordon when both are fit and it will be interesting to see how TFC line up with Gordon reportedly ready to play. If Winter does elect to start Santos behind Gordon then one thing to look for is for Santos to fill the space Gordon creates when he drops deep. As a natural striker this could be a good way for the TFC captain to find some space to create goal scoring opportunities.
Another player who may benefit from Gordon’s movement is Joao Plata. Winter has often played with an inverted left winger and if Gordon drags defenders away from the centre of the pitch Plata can cut in on his right foot and either pass or shoot, much like he did when he scored at home versus the Chicago Fire.
However, assuming Winter sticks to a 4-3-3 then the key will be for the two most advanced central midfielders to dovetail and support the forwards. Gordon dropping into the midfield is one way to close the gap when Toronto have the ball but the midfield must do their part, too. If the centre back leaves Gordon for a midfielder, this should theoretically free up a Toronto midfielder from a marker. And if Toronto’s wingers then cut in to fill the centre that in turn could allow for Toronto’s full backs to attack. Every movement has a reaction from the opposing team which in turn needs to be exploited for a team to have offensive success, and movement from the highest player can allow for even his defenders to join the attack.
Conclusion
As I wrote earlier, pre-game predictions will always hold more value than post-game analyses, assuming the predictions were correct. Anticipating what Gordon’s impact will be upon his return to the Toronto FC starting line-up however must be grounded in some previous research. He has shown a willingness to move deep and wide when Toronto have the ball which facilitates offensive output from his team mates.
Look for Gordon’s movement when Toronto attempt to build up from the back. If he can drag defenders and midfielders out of position it can allow for his team mates to enjoy time on the ball and give them an outlet that they otherwise would not have. While a striker’s main job is to score goals the ultimate be all and end all is winning matches, and if Alan Gordon can help Toronto do that then his impact will be a positive one.
|