As the 2023 season winds down, Inter Miami will look back at this year with a bittersweet feeling.
The team did manage to win the Leagues Cup, its first trophy in club history, and sign Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets in the summer.
However, the year is about to end on a sour note for the Herons as they failed to make the postseason. That was in large part because Inter Miami’s attack ran through Messi.
From September 20th to October 4th, the Argentine was out with a hamstring injury, forcing him to sit on the sidelines. During that time, Miami went 0W-2D-3L, failing to win in their last five matches, including a painful loss in the US Open Cup Final.
Despite the drab end to the season, head coach Tata Martino spoke about beginning to form a tactical identity for the team that they can build upon for the future after their loss to the Chicago Fire: “I’m satisfied with what we’ve done throughout the year. I always thought since the moment I took over the team that these six months were going to be to give it some shape, to get to know the players, and for the Club to have an excellent 2024.”
What will Inter Miami’s tactics look like next year?
When Martino took over Inter Miami in late June, he set up his squad in a high-pressing 4-3-3. The team would look to win the ball back as quickly as possible and counter from there.
Eventually, when Messi, Alba, and Busquets came into the fold, Martino somewhat did away with the high press and switched to a compact mid-block in defense and a lopsided 4-3-3 in attack.
The attack was tilted to give Messi positional freedom. As seen in the passing network map, courtesy of MLSsoccer.com, from their 4-0 win vs. Atlanta during the Leagues Cup, Messi occupied the spaces next to striker Josef Martinez. This gave Miami more numbers through the middle, so they could overload the opposition and use the wings to strike in behind.
As the season rolled on, Martino would switch from the 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, and even a 3-5-2. He would also switch from playing through the middle to focusing on creating attacking opportunities solely on the wings with full-backs DeAndre Yedlin and the aforementioned Alba.
Martino’s year was a mix of highs and lows. At times, the football Miami played was excellent and free-flowing, and in other moments it was stagnant and bland. What can be learned is that Martino will have the ability to grow and improve the squad as 2024 inches closer.