What’s Santiago Sosa’s function in Gonzalo Pineda’s Atlanta United aspect?

There is not any doubt Santiago Sosa is a skilled footballer. It’s the explanation why he was once so extremely prized via Gabriel Heinze when the Argentine head trainer arrived to Atlanta United in 2021, and reportedly made the purchase of Sosa one among his most sensible priorities. He wanted a participant who might be — each actually and figuratively — the quarterback of his machine. A participant who may just sit down deep, obtain the ball from the goalkeeper, stay the build-up buzzing or even spark the assault himself with lengthy diagonal passes to the wings.

When you paid consideration in 2021, you already know precisely who Santiago Sosa is and the strengths he brings to the desk. However there are some headwinds that stand in the way in which of him discovering the good fortune in Atlanta that he gave the impression destined for again when he was once one of the vital membership’s prized recruits underneath the newly applied U-22 initiative in MLS.

Damage problems on the worst conceivable time

Towards the latter part of the 2021 season, Sosa noticed harm problems crop up associated with his adductor (groin) which we later discovered was once a sports activities hernia the participant was once seeking to arrange. Crucially, Sosa was once out injured right through the precise period of time wherein new head trainer Gonzalo Pineda took price to changed the departed Heinze (Pineda’s creation to the membership was once not on time because of a favorable covid check), and ended up simplest taking part in in 8 of the 14 suits wherein Pineda was once at the touchline. Granted, Sosa began in each and every fit wherein he was once have compatibility to play, which is a a very powerful piece of knowledge that indicators that Pineda does certainly worth what the Argentine midfielder dropped at the desk that season.

Picture via David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire by the use of Getty Pictures

Only a week after the overall recreation of the season, a playoff loss by the hands of eventual MLS Cup champions NYCFC, Sosa underwent sports activities hernia surgical treatment that held him out for a vital time frame. Such a lot in order that Sosa would no longer take part in a lot of Atlanta United’s 2022 preseason, any other a very powerful length to leave out the place a supervisor installs a tactical machine and trains gamers to accomplish particular roles inside stated machine.

On this case in particular, it’s vital to notice that Pineda admitted that he deliberately sought after to stay the tactical machine as constant as conceivable in 2021 as lend a hand safe essentially the most issues conceivable as Atlanta scrapped for a playoff spot. Sosa was once, after all, an enormous a part of that machine as established via Heinze. However the supervisor modified to a again 4 in 2022, and one can perceive why that may be a drastic exchange for a participant like Sosa, who’s preliminary function carved out via Heinze was once in particular to play because the 3rd heart again.

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It’s tough sufficient to take a look at to stay your spot within the staff given the prerequisites described above, but it surely’s much more tough when your absence lets in for different similarly-profiled gamers to return into the staff and display the pinnacle trainer what they are able to do. On this case, that competing participant is Franco Ibarra. If, within the newly applied 4-2-3-1, Pineda was once searching for a natural ball-winning midfielder, Ibarra has confirmed to be precisely that.

In truth, once we evaluate the 2 participant’s statistical profiles, you’ll see precisely how they range from one any other.

(Word: those statistical profiles are composed of mins performed over the past 12 months, no longer simplest from stats gathered this season.)

Obviously Sosa is extra decided to search out the ball and whole passes, whilst Ibarra is ok letting his teammates do extra of the paintings in ownership whilst he pressures and hassles fighters to win it again as temporarily as conceivable. Each gamers have their strengths and weaknesses, but it surely’s comprehensible {that a} gamers like Ibarra may well be a greater have compatibility to play subsequent to a midfielder like Matheus Rossetto, who prefers to be at the ball up to conceivable.

Ibarra’s emergence, blended with the harm bother that Sosa has suffered via each final yr and this yr (he’s ignored extra time lately with adductor problems) is reason why sufficient for him to just were at the box for 325 mins via 13 video games this season.

So the massive query is:

What’s Sosa’s long term?

Within the speedy long term — Atlanta United’s closing suits in June — it’s unrealistic to be expecting Sosa to burst again into the beginning lineup given his present harm that has saved him out of the matchday squad since Would possibly 8 — a recreation wherein he performed 9 mins off the bench in a 4-1 win over the Chicago Hearth.

However having a look past that into the second one part of the season when Sosa will probably be totally have compatibility, it’s unimaginable to believe this query with out the backdrop of the present harm disaster going through Atlanta United’s protection, the place the staff is lacking two fullbacks, it’s big name heart again, and it’s captain goalkeeper (amongst others) for both months or the remainder of the season. It surely seems like an inefficient use of a staff’s assets to have one of these want for ability in the ones spaces whilst holding a participant like Sosa or Ibarra at the bench. If it’s the case the place Sosa is suffering to get into the staff, I’m positive it’d be irritating for the participant as smartly.

Picture via David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire by the use of Getty Pictures

However it’s no longer purely a query of both Ibarra or Sosa in a given lineup. Whilst it sort of feels not likely to look them in combination as a central midfield pairing given their profiles, the query stays as as to whether Pineda may just necessarily revert again to the Heinze-style machine as soon as once more — taking part in a again 3 that comes with Sosa and Ibarra in midfield. It might not be the Pineda’s choice, however it would simply be the one hand he can play making an allowance for the playing cards he’s been dealt via the harm gods.

If Pineda doesn’t see that as an possibility, would the membership believe discovering a switch for Sosa, which might open up a U-22 slot? It’s more straightforward stated than accomplished for a participant who’s handled accidents for lots of the final 18 months. And it’s no longer the location a membership needs to deal gamers from, the place you’d simplest be getting again cents at the greenback of worth.

The excellent news for Sosa is one thing Pineda advised media after a irritating loss in it’s final fit prior to the present long world spoil:

“We’re gonna regroup and reemphasize the significance of each and every play, and whoever is able to play as much as that ordinary goes to start out for my staff.”

That’s no longer a risk, it’s a chance for each and every participant within the squad — maximum of all one akin to Sosa given his trail so far within the season.