Arena: “The positive part is I think over the last half-dozen games or so, we’ve scored a bunch of goals. So certainly, if we can be a little bit better defensively, we’ll win more games.”
The New England Revolution’s attack is alive and well, but there are items to address defensively.
The Revs produced their eighth multi-goal performance of the season when they battled Atlanta United to a 2-2 draw. Adam Buksa scored both goals, bringing his season total to six.
Unfortunately, it’s the seventh time that the Revs have allowed more than one goal in a game. The Revs’ defensive performances have led to them dropping points in six games where they held the lead at some point.
There are now six occasions when the #NERevs have dropped points after gaining a lead. It amounts to 15 dropped points:
At Portland – Draw
Home vs RSL – Loss
At Miami – Loss
At DC – Loss
Home vs Crew – Draw
At Atlanta – Draw— Seth (@SethMan31) May 15, 2022
When asked about what needs to improve, midfielder Tommy McNamara said there are multiple areas.
“I think it’s honestly in all areas,” McNamara commented. “It’s not just one specific area. It’s all areas individually and collectively. We need to be better in literally every aspect of defending.”
The backline and goalkeeper are often criticized first when a team is allowing goals. While their primary job is to defend, McNamara notes that everyone has to play their part for a team to collect a clean sheet.
“It’s not just the defenders and the goalkeepers or the sixes and the defensive and the backline,” McNamara said. “It starts from our front players and all 11 players need to collectively defend together and everyone is responsible defensively. So, I think everyone individually and collectively needs to be better in that regard.”
The Revs have allowed 20 goals through eleven games. Last year they conceded 41 in 34 outings. The team is doing fine offensively this year, having scored 18 goals. This puts them on pace to score approximately 56, which isn’t far off from last year’s total of 65.
The Revs will soon welcome back Gustavo Bou, though head coach Bruce Arena said, “It’s going to take a while for him to get back in a rhythm. He’s been out an awful long time.” Dylan Borrero is another attacker who will soon be available as he recently participated in his first training session.
In short, the Revs have plenty of offensive weapons, but they need to work on the defensive side of the game.
“If we improve defensively, we’ll probably win some more games,” Arena. “The positive part is I think over the last half-dozen games or so, we’ve scored a bunch of goals. So certainly, if we can be a little bit better defensively, we’ll win more games.”