The Forward Press: Atleti in ‘critical period of season’ against last-place Halifax
Atlético Ottawa hasn’t yet had the road trip which was promised to refresh the clubs rapidly spiralling home form. But a confident victory against Pacific FC last week has raised spirits, especially given the tactical renaissance Carlos González undertook to freshen up what felt like a tired set of tactics. Atleti close out the road trip against no better opposition – the struggling Halifax Wanderers. The maritimers sit last in the league on 16 points and haven’t shown signs of life in recent weeks having lost three straight and four of the last five, giving Atleti another credible shot at clawing itself back up the league table. Atleti could benefit greatly from results in western Ontario, where Forge and York will meet late on Friday night. A York win coupled with a win for ATO in Halifax could spell a return to the top of the league for Atlético Ottawa. Head coach Carlos González joined the pre-match presser on Thursday before travelling to Halifax. Here are all the details:
The Quotes: Carlos González
On road wins: “I think that we have to try to find our momentum. After this big win on the road (against Pacific), we go on the road again to Halifax. And it's a great opportunity to show a solid version of the team that can be a team that can play for important things. Every time you are away, as coaches, we have the capacity to control a little bit more the details of what surrounds the game day and the previous day. And I think that we are in a good mood, that this win changed the dynamic completely.”
On Max Tissot and Kevin Dos Santos: “As I said last week they are now wearing boots. So that's a really good indicator that they are getting very near to the level of the team. Now, it's more a decision of myself. When is the moment that I feel that they have the pace, that they have the rhythm, that they have the fitness to be helpful for the team? So we will see.”
On Kris Twardek: “Kris had a muscle injury, not a very important one, but after the Forge game, he felt some pain. We are still working on him. He's getting nearer, but we will decide tomorrow if he's in condition to travel with the team or not.”
On the business end of the season: “I think that we are starting, or we've already started a period in which is the critical period of every season, the period in which you win titles or not, depending on how you perform. Our target was to be in this period in options to win, and I think that we are there. So what we have to do now, as a club, is be in our best version. People from front office, fans, players, and of course, staff: best version. If we want to fight for titles, if we want to fight for important things against good oppositions I think that we have to be the best in every single area of the club.”
On rotating lineups: “I don't like the word rotations. I think that what we try to do as staff always is to put the best XI for the game plan and depending on the opposition that we have…We have a plan against Halifax. We know how they play, we know their strengths, we know their weaknesses, they know ours…I don't know if there are going to be big changes or small changes, but my decisions are going to be based on the same situation as always.”
The Big Takeaway: Who Starts and Who Sits?
Personnel question marks still surround Atlético Ottawa as it rolls on to Halifax this weekend. After being rewarded for dropping a number of stars who will likely not expect to ride the bench for the rest of the season, one wonders if Carlos González will be asked to fix what isn’t broken.
González switched to a back five against Pacific last week to cover defensive issues he had been seeing in past weeks. He said as much in the presser: “What we try to do is to be a more solid structure, to be a stronger team defensively and grow from that.” Given the performances of those in his back line, particularly in the auxiliary centreback role by Ilias Iliadis, the indication is that the Spaniard will stick to this shape against Halifax. With the condition of Kris Twardek threatening to the point where he is in doubt to even travel, Dani Morer will likely once again start in the fullback position across from Matteo de Brienne.
In midfield and attack, Sissoko and Aparicio will likely start, as will Rubén Del Campo. Salter played well against Pacific and will likely also be rewarded with another start against his former club. That said, don’t be surprised if one of Tabla or Bassett also sneaks back into the starting XI. González will still be hopeful that his marquee threats can come good with playoffs just over a month away.
About the Author
Ben Ralph is a die-hard football fan and a journalism student at Carleton. He has been supporting Everton through the ups and downs (but mostly the downs) and could not believe his luck when he stumbled across Atlético Ottawa in 2021. Now part of the Atleti faithful, his dream has always been to write football stories, and he is excited to join other fans as writers for CCSG. His football journalist idols are Adam Hurrey, James Richardson, and Charlie Eccleshare from The Football Cliches Podcast.
