Lionel Messi did not feature in Inter Miami’s quarterfinal match against Tigres in the Leagues Cup as he aggravated a muscular injury and missed training the day before the match. Regardless, they advanced to the semifinals by virtue of a 2–1 victory thanks to Luis Suárez’s performance; he scored two penalties. The match illustrated the team’s depth without its superstar and included contributions from players like Rodrigo De Paul. Furthermore, Miami must protect Messi’s physical fitness in preparation for the last third of their season.
Tactical Observations: Inter Miami vs Tigres
Absence of Messi = Shifts in System
Inter Miami typically builds play through Messi dropping into midfield to set the tempo, pull defenders and free up runners (like Suárez). Without Messi, Miami adapted with a more direct/vertical approach – they focused on getting up the pitch quickly in the midfield without detail in the build-up. Rodrigo De Paul and Jordi Alba became the main progressors of the ball, and routinely stretched Tigres wide, breaking them down, with the aim to create gaps centrally.
Suárez as the Central Reference Point
Instead of floating and linking with Messi, Suárez occupied much higher up the pitch as a traditional target man. He constantly took the centre backs of Tigres into a duel, creating chaos in the box. All of Suárez’s goals came from penalties; however, he made positional decisions that forced defensive mistakes, thereby demonstrating how to successfully exploit pressure in the penalty area.
Midfield Compactness & Double Pivot
In the midfield, Miami’s (De Paul + Busquets) shape sat much deeper than it did on a normal matchday, with the priority on defensive shape and cover. While they relinquished possession of the ball in spaces that weren’t dangerous to concede, Miami did close space quickly from midfield into the middle third. This compactness mitigated Tigres better chances (through balls) and deflected them out wide where Miami doubled the defenders.
Defensive Shape & Protection of Risk
With their back line, Miami kept their shape narrow and disciplined, funneling qualifications of spaces where Tigres could play into their striker. Miami played its mid-block while retaining its energy and not exposing space in behind as it was avoiding high pressing without Messi. Alba and Yedlin found numbers-forward only while they had a high number of players who defending the transition.
Psychological & Tactical Elevation from Suárez
The Tigres defenders continually were rattled by the actions of Suárez, who pressed the rinse on the mental aspect of sliding in tackles, and exaggerated actions when encountering contact, which ultimately forced the referees to make decisions. Suárez provided leadership despite the absence of Messi, which provided the Miami players with a psychological advantage and allowed them to remain true to the project and their principles during tight moments.
(The featured image above is attributed to “Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons”. No changes were made thereto.)