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Going into the MLS SuperDraft many Toronto FC journalists and supporters were clamouring for a new central defender. It made sense; heading into the new season Toronto is rumoured to be losing Andy Iro to free agency and both Dicoy Williams and Adrian Cann are recovering from serious knee injuries. Although captain Torsten Frings was deployed in the position numerous times last season his best position is clearly midfield. This left the club with Ty Harden as the only dependable centre back on the squad, and even then he has his many detractors.
With their first pick in the draft, however, TFC chose dynamic midfielder Luis Silva. Although central midfield was not a position in as dire of a need of an upgrade as central defense many people understood the pick. By all accounts the University of California, Santa Barbera playmaker exhibits the qualities Aron Winter is looking for in an attacking player. He is described as tactically smart, creative, good on the ball, and versatile, the perfect adjectives needed for a player to thrive in a total football system.
When Winter took over the club last season ‘total football’ were the buzz words floating around the club. Fans were hoping to see an attacking, fluid, and possession based squad. Keeping the ball was seen as key to the team’s new identity and in the first competitive match of Winter’s career his side did not disappoint in that regard – they had 64% of possession and completed nearly twice as many passes as the Vancouver Whitecaps. There was only one problem: they were completely outchanced and lost 4-2.
There were two large problems with Toronto in that match that were directly related to the lack of pace in Toronto’s backline. If they played too high up the pitch then Vancouver were able to shred them on the counter with all the space in behind the defensive line. However, if they played too deep then there was a large disconnect between the defense and midfield when the backline had the ball. As the season wore on Winter decided to play a more conservative line which was necessitated by the lack of speed exhibited by his defenders but if he wants to remain true to his total football vision then sooner or later he will have to employ a high defensive line.
While many Toronto fans lamented the lack of passing ability from Toronto’s central defenders another thing holding the team back from truly playing a style that resembles the total football ideal was the lack of a high defensive line and the lack of pressing. When Rinus Michels developed the style at Ajax in the 60s a high line and intense pressing were two hallmarks of the squad, a tradition that lives on in Pep Guardiola’s current Barcelona side. Both concepts go hand in hand with each other and also contribute to the mantra of possession and slick passing.
A high line means that the defense is closer to the rest of the squad and thus makes keeping the ball in the opposition half easier, while pressing the opposition all over the pitch prevents the opposing team from lining up counter attacks to exploit all the space in behind the defense. Toronto didn’t show either of these traits for an extended period of time throughout last season but they also didn’t have the personnel to do so. Players like Iro, Harden, Cann, and Frings aren’t the quickest. Toronto’s fastest centre back was probably Williams and he’s just coming back from a major knee injury. These players would get exposed by playing too high up the pitch, much in the same way John Terry and rest of the Chelsea backline were exposed earlier this season when Andre Villas-Boas tried to introduce a high line to the London club. Much like Winter, Villas-Boas saw his side were incapable of playing the style he wanted and so began playing his back four much deeper.
That’s where Aaron Maund comes in. He may not step in and be a crucial player for Toronto but his skill set certainly contains the attributes needed for a central defender in the stereotypical total football system. Paul Mariner said he passes the ball “very, very well” which is definitely a prerequisite for any team trying to build possession from the back but he was also praised by Mariner for his mobility and quickness. Whether Maund plays any role in Toronto’s upcoming season remains to be seen but with a full year under his belt and heading into his first full preseason as head coach Aron Winter has the ability to begin to fully implement his vision for the club.
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