This Coachâs Bizarre Tactics are Breaking MLS
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 15. 04. 2023
- Discover the unique tactics and coaching philosophy behind the success of MLS team Columbus Crew under manager Wilfried Nancy. Explore how Nancy's focus on relationships, trust, and empathy have propelled the team to new heights. Uncover the innovative 3-4-3 formation and possession-based tactics that create space and disorganize opposition defenses. Learn how key players like Aiden Morris and Darlington Nagbe dominate statlines and control midfield spaces. Dive into the world of 'Nancy-ball' and experience the joy, bravery, and freedom it brings to the players and fans alike.
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#MLS #ColumbusCrew #WilfriedNancy - Sport
How do you think other MLS teams will adapt to counter the unconventional tactics used by Columbus Crew under Wilfried Nancy?
1) Exploit the wide space left open by the wingbacks, 2) Donât press that high. Switching the point of attack is not easy (while long lateral passes are cool to watch, defenses have time to adjust if organized)⊠sometime the Crew has one of those nights when passes arenât clicking. Obviously it could be harder to play this way at Yankee Stadium lol
As a Crew fan I already know that answer because I'm seeing teams do it. Look at the shot totals from the first half this Saturday. Fortunately, for the Crew anyway, none of those shots went in.
@@fsshue8657
1) Is already happening. And it's an issue the 3421 can't really counter.
2) Is very difficult. Pressing is a mentality that gets built into the team. To tell players to ignore the triggers that induce automatic responses is telling them to cease being aggressive. And that carries exploitable downsides of its own.
@@shawngillogly6873 Itâs the tactics within the game, which we donât get enough in the US (pretty much any sport except gridiron football who has NFL Matchup). It should be interesting if the Crew gets a few injuries and how well the system works then⊠it does seem Next Pro helps a club like the Crew to get those reserves some minutes there. I think the Apple TV deal would allow a MLS equivalent of NFL Matchup and educate Americans (like myself) on the intricacies of soccer⊠right now I just get highlights or debate-style shows. I wonder how Jesse Marschâs system would work versus Nancy lol.
you of understand the caoch has european way of how he want to playing the game
Montreal has a completely different roster this year, we sold Milhalovic, Johnston, Kone, Torres and Kamara (and now miller). The owner is farming young talent and selling them without replacing them. We also lost Nancy because the owner wasn't minding his business and got into a fight with Nancy. Nancy is a big reason of our success last year, I truly believe he is the best coach in MLS right now. But the reason Montreal is playing so poorly is the owner
I agree - part of the reason they are bad is because they lost some key players, but I was trying to focus on how much of an impact a great manager can have. Saputo is one of the worst in MLS.
@@ItsCalledSoccer so you decided to make a completely false claim to do so? You explicitly said the roster and availability of this years team and last years is âbasically the sameâ⊠Nancyâs resume is impressive on its own without having to make things up to paint a picture of what an incredible coach he is.
@@alanguy3054 In my mind Djordje and Kone were big losses. A manager's job is to get the most out of the full roster. Losing a few key players should hurt, but not make you go from 2nd place to the worst team in the league immediately.
@@ItsCalledSoccer with Kamal Miller gone, Iâd now argue they sold or traded five of their top seven players from last year - and the switch from Wilfried Nancyâs controlled, methodical game model to Hernan Losadaâs Maximum Overdrive has been as jarring (and fruitless) as expected.
Sold Johnston, as well. Truthfully, I didn't follow him closely in MLS. But, I'm a Celtic fan - and he's doing quite well for us. MOTM in the last Old Firm derby, and quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Hey was my coach when I was 15 years old, 17 years ago. This guy is really charismatic, you want to make him proud. He has that big brother vibe to him.
7 months later, his team are the champions of America. It couldnât have happened to a more lovable coach. Reminds me of arsene wenger the way he talks about the game
Looks like you identified the winning formula! Columbus had a wild tactical sense this year. âOur positioning may allow you to get an easy goal, but itâll allow us to get twoâ
Little bit of luck, little bit of skill
Is artificial counter attacking the new football Meta? The idea of inspiring confidence along with that concept makes me draw parallels with de zerbiâs Brighton. This guy seems like an amazing coach.
My thoughts exactly. As soon as he said artificial counter attacking , I thought of De Zerbi and Brighton.
De Zerbi and Emeryâs Villa are very similar.
I love it when new tactics emerge. De Zerbi at Brighton is making the best use of this strategy at the moment. Itâll be interesting to see how it spreads
It's certainly the latest tactical craze.
Ten Hag, De Zerbi, Emery all do it. Even Pep has adapted his tactics this season to incorporate it.
This aged very well đ
Called it! đ
Columbus entire 2022 season was like an audition for Caleb Porter's replacement. Many teams took points away from us late in games but Montreal with Nancy did it twice.
Nancyâs Montreal was a scary team by the end of the season.
@@ItsCalledSoccer dude fax. I hated montreal since they came back on us twice last year... it pissed me off but i remember saying that i thought montreal were gonna win the whole thing. They were no jokr
Watching this after The Crew won the MLS Cup (for the 3rd time!). Good call.
The switch of play style is how Conte had early success with Tottenham, with Kane playing deep in midfield and Son and Kulusevski playing as wide receivers who drove at defences to score or squared back into the box to assist the goal. How Tottenham imploded under Conte is still surprising to me. The style is extremely effective against teams that love to attack or press high with numbers. Liverpool and Man City were famous victims of Tottenham. Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa were also guilty of mass attacks and equally suffered against Tottenham.
This style of play is really similar, if not identical, to the signature style of the brasilian coach Fernando Diniz, not only the strategy in the pitch, but also the philosophy of relationship with the players
Spot on. "Players over and over again (...) have talked about how Nancy is approachable, empathetic, and committed to their individual success." That sounds exactly like Diniz, who just recently said "The game is much more than a tactical issue. It is a question of the relational issue of people having the obligation to help each other".
I had rhe same impresion about his philosophy but I'm not sure to claim that Diniz and Nancy are of the same tactical school...
Diniz had problems with players becsuse of his approach quite often. Pretty sure his philosophy is cool while it works and at first sight he throw someone under the bus
Love how you mention empathy. Sports Psychology is important to recognize
Agree Elie!
Fantastic video. Thereâs not enough high quality 3rd party MLS content and this right here was amazing. Keep up the good work! Subscribed!
What a kind comment. Thanks Christian!
Your videos are always fascinating!
It's 2am in the UK here and Im sat watching you analyse an American manager Ive never heard about and I'm enthralled!
I feel your break down put's his style similar to Eddie Howe at Newcastle United but then again I'm no expert, unlike your good self.
Keep up the good work, you have a lovely relaxing style and manner!
Cheers David I appreciate that! I would actually like his style to De Zerbi at Brighton. Provoke the press with defenders and create transition moments in attack. All the best!
First year Columbus Crew season ticket holder - love hearing the strategy and tactics! Go Crew!
Thatâs awesome. Youâve got a fun team to watch!
Been a season ticket holder for about ten years, welcome
You can see Nacy's strategy in the stat lines, dominating possession and shots even in losing matches. There are a few top managers running almost identical formations and tactics to Nancy, dominating top flight leagues.
Yup - it shouldnât worry anyone about recent results as the team has still looked good.
The turnaround from Porter to Nancy has been stunning and I'm here for it
Iâm sad that Porter wasnât the next thing. Heâs done so much for Ohio soccer.
Great video. Nancy has made it fun to watch The Crew again!
Glad you enjoyed it Jarrhett!
ok. first time i am looking at video about MLS analysis. good job
Cheers William thanks.
As a Columbus fan, it's really exciting knowing they can put up a couple goals, but very nerve-racking when teams can counter really well, which we saw against Philly and New England. Nancy also seems to hold substitutes back longer than a lot of coaches
Yea there are absolutely drawbacks but I think itâs more fun to watch a brave and attacking club.
The reason why I love your channel is because we think so much alike. Wilfred Nancy is an incredible Manager and needs to be praised for what he is doing. The Crew stunk up the league last season now with him leading the team they are looking incredible playing fantastic futbol. For those in charge of US SOCCER this man is one of my top candidates for the National Team job. Great video
Cheers man thanks for always watching and commenting!
Do you think great club level results will translate to the national team most of the time?
this was a great video! very informative and loved how you delivered it. seriously good work and thank you
Thanks Stephen that means a lot! More to come đ
Looking really good tonight, got that cup!
I love it!
Really insightful and elegantly conveyed. Excellent job
Awesome vid! I didn't know Wilfried Nancy, and now I'm excited about the Crew and looking forward to watching them play football! KUTGJ! Cheers
Favorite coach wish there was more out there about him. Thanks
That's awesome. Thanks for watching D Will!
Great video - Crew fan. Your video is spot on!
Your channel is massively underrated. I'm sure in no time you will have 100k subs
I appreciate that Oscar. I feel like Iâm hitting my groove a bit and have improved myself a lot in lots of different skill sets. Comments like this help validate that and keep me going!
Lmao. I canât take this seriously after the first minutes claim that this years Montreal team is virtually the same as last years. They lost Mihailovic, Johnston, Kone, Kamara and Torres and now traded away Kamal Miller. Fault terrible ownership all you want, but itâs disingenuous to say this years Montreal team has close to the quality they had last year
Cheers Alan. I think it says a lot when the core of the team performs completely differently. Yes the owner is at fault, but the manager makes a huge difference.
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Thank you Nancy. From Columbus đđ€
Very good video, following :)
Also will be keeping an eye on Columbus starting now, interesting football they're playing
Looks like Nancy has been taking notes from De Zerbi at Brighton or Emery when at Villarreal. Both did/do the same thing. Baiting the press while using a shape that outnumbers the opposition in the defensive third, and then using quick switches or 1 touch passes to a 3rd man, typically behind the cover shadow of the baited presser.
This allows them to create artificial transitions by exploiting the opposition's pressing structure.
De Zerbiâs Brighton is the exact team I would liken them to.
I had this exact thought while watching this video. They play very similar to Brighton.
Great video. You just earn a new subscriber. đŻ
Good stuff bro. Followed soccer in Kenya for a while and I like your knowledge of ball.
I like that I have stumbled on your video after watching one regarding the tactics being used at Fluminense. I think the style of play is similar and the philosophy is the same. Quite interesting how fluid the game is and the freedom players have despite the obvious threat of counter attacks as you mentioned in the end. I was just used to the positional play kind of football played in Europe but it is truly a breath of fresh air to see this alternative philosophies. As a City fan, I hope to see a match between Columbus and Mancity one day to see how these tactics play off...
Thanks for watching Derrick! Iâll need to check out the Fluminense one. This is definitely a next evolution of positional play.
@@ItsCalledSoccer agreed...I like how the football landscape is evolving with new ideas from younger managers in the gameđđ
Finally somebody realising how bright this coach really is!
One of the best in MLS.
Brother your videos are the best soccer content on CZcams. Full stop!
Wow, thanks!
It looks like the 3-4-2-1 that is actually the current meta in european football. Young and experienced coaches/managers are using it, like Nagelsmann and Mourinho because of the diamonds it creates across the pitch.
Yup absolutely. And in terms of style itâs close to De Zerbi and Emery in the Prem.
@@ItsCalledSoccer gotta love De Zerbi + Moneyball approach
Great video and break down Jake, thanks. Wouldn't it be nice to see this kind of style chan with the National team? Love it!
This coach sounds great! Gotta start following his career. Cool shirt, BTW.
You should!
Good Video, but could you lower the music just a touch next time?
Yup - noted. It will be improved on the next video. Sorry about that!
Nancy has done an amazing job with Columbus so far
Fun to watch for sure.
Perfect example was the MLS Cup final. For Columbusâ 2nd goal, their midfield all crowded to the right hand side of the pitch playing the ball around, and pulling the LA defense over towards it. The result was that when Amundsen hit that crossing pass to the left hand side of the LA box, there was only one defender left to beat, and the rest is history. Add to that the fact that Columbusâ possession game hardly gave LA a smell of the ball all game long, and it is clear why the Crew won the MLS Cup.
That shirt looks like what should be the ideal Holland home shirt.
Bruh can you imagine?! Instant purchase for me lol
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it Josh!
same tactics Brighton are using in the premier league. freedom bravery and humility.
Yup and also similar to Villa under Emery
I really liked Nancy when he was with Montréal, he has a very high coaching IQ and helps player get better. Unfortunetly he had a beef with the owner of CF Montréal and demanded to move away from the team. I'm glad he stayed in MLS because he raises the level of play and tactic in MLS. I wish him good luck in Columbus, except against Montréal!
Nice breakdown.
Montreal did everything they could to keep Nancy but he wanted out ever since a mid-season bust-up with Saputo when the latter stormed the locker room following a loss.
Yeah didnât do themselves any favors.
Haven't followed them in a while but not surprised that Fredo Saputo did his spoiled rich kid act again. Daddy kept him away from the family business and bought him this little team to keep him busy for a reason.
THANK YOU FOR CALLING THEM IMPACT
I should have said club de football lol
This is a great video, and thank you for the energy you put into it. I think the music level was a little high, as it was tough to focus on your breakdown. Maybe the levels could come up and down as you transition from one point to the next. Overall, loved the analysis
Yup thanks Leavell! A few others have made similar comments and it has been fixed for the video that will be out tomorrow noon ET.
â@@ItsCalledSoccer thx for that! .... although seems to have calmed down now lol
Same roster than last year? Errr... minus Mihailovic, Koné, Johnston, Kamara, Torres, but also the ton of injuries (Piette, Campbell, Quioto, Toye, Vilsaint, Lassi, Miljevic...). That being said, we are abysmally bad, even considering all this. What's happening on the field is nothing less than vomit-inducing.
Yes some of the better performers have left, but that offers up additional roster space. Also it seems core performers were much better under Nancy than whatever it is Montreal is doing so far this season...
Counterpoint: that is a soccer shirt if you're Forever Orange in H-Town, vamos! đ€đ»đđ
Counter counter point: thanks.
Please please please do an analysis of why NYCFC is doing so poorly this season! Love the content youâre providing and will look into buying the book on this video.
Once everything cools down this summer between Nations League, Gold Cup, transfer window I'll be looking for more MLS stories!
One thing to add....watch the positioning of Moreira. He's playing as a CB and get gets forward on almost every attack, sometimes in the center of the field, sometimes out on the wing. When they have the ball, Farsi, Sands, and Moreira all get forward, leaving only 2 central defenders.
Well spotted!
That's this system yes and I'm not sure those two have what it takes that could change?
Nancy is a world class manager in a league that hasn't yet been able to fairly praise his talent.
I hope he finds the success he deserves at Colombus Crew.
World class???
@@davinalopez-oz1ez Yep. World Class.
@@mottahead6464 haha you should do comedy night at the improv .
Subbed just because of the channel name.
One thing the MLS has lacked are these top tier coaches, outside of guys like Schmetzer & Arena. Guys like Nancy, Cherundolo, Carnell are leading this new wave and are unsurprisingly dominating. I'm just happy one of them coaches my team haha
Love the new wave. Even Curtin could be great if he improves.
Ziggy?
I wonder if field hockey had any influence on Nancy's tactics. A lot of those concepts, particularly the slow play trying to bait the press out of position, were reminiscent to me of what you'd see in any top level field hockey game nowadays
Thatâs awesome! And when I tell my American friends how the rest of the world plays field hockey theyâre shocked that lots of men play it.
@@ItsCalledSoccer Can confirm. I'm Australian (man) and I've played hockey most of my life. And where I live there's about the same number of men's teams as there are women's teams playing in the local grade competitions.
The other interesting point I'd add is how for the longest time hockey had stuck with the 2-3-5 formation that soccer had abandoned almost a hundred years ago. That's still the prevalent formation in the lower grades (the level that I play at), whereas at higher levels the transition in the last say 10-20 years has been towards more soccer-influenced 3-4-3 or even 4-4-2 setups as defence has become more important.
Great video, you should lower the volume of the music or play something a little more chill though itâs just a little bit distracting
Yup - has been noted by others and I will make sure it is much improved in the next one.
I think one thing that will benefit Nancy with the crew is the maturity of the back line compared to that of Montrealâs last season. Montreal had far too many gamblers, goalkeeper included who costed games by making rogue tackles and overcommitting in spaceâŠI donât think this will be too much of a problem with the crew.
Montreal was a scary team last year partly because they were all mad lads lol
Wilfried Nancy should be the next USMNT
Nothing more like how Erik ten hag makes a game plan and manages his team...
Seems like Nancy has a contrasting style to Carnell in St. Louis. It would be an interesting contrasting of styles. Hopefully we see it in the playoffs.
For sure. Would be a great battle!
â@@ItsCalledSoccer well Columbus does play STL in the leagues cup in the summer. So feel free to see it all happen!
đgo crew!
As a Columbus Crew fan I'm kinda at an impass. I like the goals but I'm a bit worried he is a bit dogmatic. This last game being very exemplary. How do we adjust when teams figure us out? He needs to be a bit mor flexible. Our biggest concern is in transition. We play a three man back line. This has been great for Nagbe and Morris. They are actually way more offensive than what we would expect in this formation. What's more confusing is our wingbacks sometimes go way forward or pinch way in on the back side. It's worrying.
Now now. Let me talk about the bright side. We are the anti Berhalter. The wings for us end up creating space in the middle. This confuses teams.
On the counter we really struggle. In my opinion I have changed so far. This is actually fun soccer. I hope we can put Ohio soccer on the map again and win a Cup with him. Still questioning though.
All the greatest coaches believe in their ability and ideas. Give it some time.
Narrator: We did.
The Nancyâs condensing of the pitch is just like Nagelsmanâs ideology of relative width at Bayern
I was eager to start that video since I am from Montreal and deeply regret what lead to Nancy's departure but I had to stop your video right away because your premise is false. We lost our core players. Which ones? ALL OF THEM!
Happy for Columbus for getting this amazing coach/man.
Sorry you feel that way. Yes Montreal lost a few players, but the core remains. 2nd to dead last is more than that.
@@ItsCalledSoccer Err..a few!?! Let's see the lineup starters from last season from bottom to top:
Pantemis: Played an handful of minutes then got injured, gone probably for the season.
Allister Johnston: Sold to Celtic
Kamal Miller: Traded to Miami FC
Joey Waterman: Resigned with the club, dreadful this season
Rudy Camacho: Resigned at half salary because he couldn't find a club
Viktor Wanyama: Resigned at half salary after he couldn't find a club
Lassi Lappaleinen: Injured long-term
Djordje Mihalovic: Sold to Alkmaar
Ismael Kone: Sold to Watford
Joaquin Torres: Traded for GAM to Philadelphia
Romell Quioto: Back to Honduras, injured long-term
So basically, the only 3 people playing now are two CB and an aging Wanyama, it's not the same, not even close. I would argue their team isn't even MLS caliber. Nancy couldn't have done a lot more with that lineup.
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange you going to change that shirt?
Have you considered doing anything on Hoffenheim and their recent good form in the Bundesliga? I'm a fan of the coach and a CB there. Thanks Jake! Good stuff as usual!
Haha thanks Tom! And yes I have a list of like 30 videos I want to do just need to find the time đ
a very close way which i personally would set up a tactic for a team id coach
Nice!
His tactics are working well, top 5 in the league and almost definitely gonna be a playoff contender
Great work, although Montreal has turned over a lot of key players since last season⊠obviously Montrealâs owner Saputo is a big issue as heâs never been a patient owner and his focus is at his Serie A club. You should ask MLS for your own show on Season Pass lol. I think a big gap is a lack of a tactical show⊠Their Extratime show is more about MLS personalities, players and transfers (aka Is Greg Vanney or Bob Bradley going to get fired? Or when is Almada leaving MLS? Why isnât Josef Martinez not scoring goals?). Not much on what teams are trying to do on the field.
Ultimately the goal is to do something like that full time. Itâs tough behind the scenes I have a full time job, Iâm a dad now and I like to exercise but I really love making these videos. Thanks for the kind comment!
The concept of playing attractive football for the fans is reminiscent of Brian Clough
"Impossible is an opinion"
We him miss so badly in Montréal....
I would too!
@@ItsCalledSoccer đ€Łđ€Łđđđđđđ
"The artificial counter attack".. do you by any chance watch Brighton in the EPL?...they try to do the same thing
Yup - De Zerbi's Brighton is the closest thing to Nancy's tactics.
Interesting you mentioned side-to-side because Nancy can occasionally be heard yelling "SIDE TO SIDE" during stints of possession.
Montreal here. I'm so mad at the owner and management. I went to games often in the past, I spent hard-earned money on the team. It won't happen this year!
Vote with your money!
MTL owner Saputo (dairy products) has reduced $ spending - he owns Bologna in Italie where his interest lie.
Great video! The background music could be a tad bit quieter though.
Noted! I tried something new with the audio and unfortunately didnât do what I wanted. It will be better next video.
Sounds like a good analysis, except that stating the group is the same as last year is wrong. We lost(?), let go (?), sold (?) Mihailovic, Kone, Kamara, Johnston, Torres, and now Miller. I don't what WN could have done with such a calamitous recruitment strategy...
Iâll admit it was a bit of a stretch but for the videoâs focus I said it. However, Iâd Still argue a great coach gets the most out of the core squad players and Nancy did that. You donât go from 2nd to maybe worst team ever just by losing a few players.
@@ItsCalledSoccer your video suggests that Montreal went from 2nd to "worst team ever" by losing a manger. The comments about the squad change might be trying to fill out how bad that original analysis is. No one is saying that losing the manager is not a factor, but they are saying it is not the only factor as you have treated it in the video.
Weird to see my local team on CZcams as a miracle team
just some constructive criticism, the music is really loud at times and kinda distracting from what you're talking about, try lowering it a bit! But great video.
Yup - thanks for the feedback. I tried something new this time but I'll make sure to improve it on the next one.
Dnq football mention the curacao mnt in a video, but they got replaced by bermuda for the fifa series.
The thumbnail looks like RDJ in Tropic Thunder
Nancy is the dude playing himself as a dude disguised as a soccer coach dude.
MLS football is improving all the time.
Yes it is! An exciting time.
Austin FC could use whatever Crew's got going on. Semi finals last year, this year haven't scored in 350+ minutes. It's getting aggravating and you can see it in the players.
Isn't it interesting that both this team and De Zerbi's are revolutionising their respective leagues by employing these 'artificial transitions' during the same era? I wonder how this concept developed in each of their minds.
How do you think he would do in the English Premier League?
Jesse Marsch did okay, but was fired in a fairly short period of time.
Great video! Subbed!
Thanks for the sub nutty!
Make a video on Orlando Cityđ
I hope he becomes Canada national team Head coach
The name of this channel feels like these category of people who choose the unusual pronounces
I wonder what his tactics would like like in FM24 or FC24
Not to jump on Nancy, he was a good coach for Montreal, especially with young talent, but a month later, CF Montreal finally acquired a couple of players, and didn't allowed a single a single goal at home, including Cup play, since the DC United game in mid-april, which was almost TWO MONTHS AGO, posting 7 straight shutouts at home (Red Bulls, Orlando, TFCx2, Forge, Miami, and Minnesota) - which mean 674 minutes + extra time without a goal allowed and are climbing back in the standings, now in the playoffs picture...so I kinda think it was a roster and mentality issue there.
That said, Nancy's soccer is pretty attractive to watch however.
Actually, I'm a lot more impressed with Steve Cherundolo and how he shaped up LAFC after Bob's departure. He made LAFC into an unstoppable machine.
Maybe not totally unstoppable. This video and analysis aged well.
I agree with the above. There were huge roster changes. Nothing in this video makes sense after that.
when I read the name of this channel, "I see they woke up and chose violence"
Crew LaFc finale
Would be a great match. Although Philly LAFC last year was awesome!