Inter Miami will kick off their three-game week with a home clash against Atlanta United on Sunday, May 9. Head Coach Phil Neville was quick to highlight his team’s attacking performances in its opening games as well as what he expects from them against Atlanta.
“We created probably better chances in the first 10 minutes against Nashville than we had probably in the previous two games. I’m pleased with aspects of our attacking play. I do think we need to become a little bit more composed in the final third and keep possession better in the final third. I think when we get everybody fit and firing and get Rodolfo [Pizarro] into areas where he can affect [the game], then it is not an area that I am really concerned about,” said Neville
“We scored four goals in the first two games so I’d say in the first two games the attack, the way we transitioned and the way we counter-attacked, worked really well. So I just want to see a bit more of that and better quality in the final third.”
Neville then went on to discuss Gonzalo Higuaín’s personal motivation this season and how that motivation has translated to on-pitch success.
“I am super pleased, I literally just came out of a conversation with him [and spent] twenty minutes with him, talking about fútbol, talking about the team. He’s a player who’s motivated to want to do well this season. He knows what he wants to do. Even in preseason, the accountability he sets for the rest of the team [saying], ‘I need to do better, I will perform this year.’ I think what we’ve seen already in the two games that he’s played, he’s performed. We just need that for three games next week and we need that for the rest of the season.”
“We know that for us to control games of football you need your best players on the ball. I think that is where Gonzalo comes into it in terms of his touch, of his awareness, and his passing range. He’s as good as anything in this league. We also know that when he’s in the box he’s probably as good as anything in the league in terms of finishing ability.”
With three games in seven days, Neville understands that rotation is going to be key for Inter Miami’s success this week, adding that he believes that this will be an excellent chance for Christian Makoun to establish himself.
“Thinking about the three-game week next week, Christian will play some minutes next week without a shadow of a doubt. His X-factor is that fact that when you are a left-footed left center back, it gives you a real good option in terms of the build phase when you want to come out with the ball. I think that is where he will help the team immensely. His concentration levels are getting better, his aggression and his defending, and his communication is beginning to become a little bit more vocal.”
Lastly, Neville highlighted the competitive nature of Atlanta’s head coach Gabriel Heinze, who was his teammate at Manchester United during his playing days.
“I think you always say that the team mirrors the manager. I think the year I spent at United with him, he’s a ferocious competitor, every single day seemed like a cup final four for Gaby in terms of his training style, his training performance, the way he played games, the way he approached games, he was fearless. I think about the way he used to play, he was really an aggressive player on the field but he was like that in training.
“He left nothing, at the end of every training session, at the end of every day, there was nothing left in the tank for him to give so that was the most impressive thing, his winning mentality was the one that struck out more than anything and ultimately that’s what you saw in his teams,” concluded Neville.
