With the 2023 season behind them, Inter Miami will look to address issues on its roster.
Perhaps the biggest area of importance for the Herons is its back line.
Despite outscoring its opponents 22 to 11 on their way to winning the Leagues Cup title in the summer, defensively, the Herons suffered against opposition with pacey wingers, and or physical center forwards. Miami often struggled with the physicality and speed, leaving its back line exposed to counterattacks.
After failing to make the playoffs in 2023, the South Florida team will do everything to ensure they can continue to contend for trophies next season.
“We’re proud of building a team that was able to win the first title in Inter Miami history this year, and will continue to look to build on that to find further success moving forward,” said Inter Miami Sporting Director Chris Henderson in a press release.
“Now we will look ahead to 2024. We hope to come back even stronger next season, and be ready to compete for more.”
In order to do that, however, a revamp of its defense is a must.
Inter Miami tactics
A large part of Inter Miami’s defensive woes have come from manager Tata Martino’s tendency to implement a high line.
The consequence of this is Miami’s relatively slow center-backs have trouble keeping up with teams who deploy speedy attackers. In order to remedy this, Martino may want to tactically switch to a low-block, a strategy that would see Miami’s back line cover the space on top of its 18-yard box.
Additionally, if Martino doesn’t want to change his tactics, the Argentine could always acquire players that suit his playing style over the winter transfer window.
Already, there have been rumors that Inter Miami could bring back on-loan defender Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez.
During his time at Inter Miami, Gonzalez-Pirez was known for his excellent ball-playing abilities and staunch leadership. Furthermore, the Argentine played under Martino when the duo were at Atlanta United from 2017 to 2019.
Should Miami bring Gonzalez-Pirez back into the fold, they’ll have a capable center-back who’s familiar with Martino’s tactics.
All in all, Miami is looking to re-tool its roster. Though the attack is set, the team’s defensive issues will see them falter if not corrected.
As the club heads into 2024, expect major changes on the defensive front of the roster.