How Inter Miami has adjusted its offense without Lionel Messi

Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi

Hampered by a minor leg injury, Lionel Messi has missed Inter Miami’s past three Major League Soccer games, forcing the team to adjust its attack.

“Leo has a muscle overload in his right leg,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said in mid-March after pulling Messi off at halftime against Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. “We don’t want to take any kind of risk with him.”

For Miami, all balls run through Messi, whether they are played centrally from midfielders such as Sergio Busquets or crossed in by wingers such as Diego Gomez. With its star’s recovery entering its fourth week and no signal that he’s ready to return, Miami has restructured its offense.

When Messi is available, Martino tends to choose an attack-minded 4-3-3 lineup – that means four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.

While Martino shuffles defenders based on fitness and availability, he almost always picks Jordi Alba on the left side, with Julian Gressel, Busquets and Gomez making up the midfield and Messi, Luis Suarez and Robert Taylor completing the attack. This lineup is quick, aggressive and focused on getting balls to its star forwards. This attack reached its apex in Miami’s 5-0 victory over Orlando City on March 2.

When Messi’s injury became more serious, Martino had two options: continue using his 4-3-3 with replacement players or attempt a new formation in Messi’s absence. He tried both and the results were startling.

First, Martino opted for the simple option: plugging new players into his existing system against D. C. United. Leo Campana subbed in for Suarez in the center while Gressel pushed forward to fill Messi’s empty spot on the right. Miami allowed the first goal in that game, but it won 3-1 in convincing fashion after its players became accustomed to one another’s rhythms.

Against the New York Red Bulls, though, Miami opted for something completely different: a 3-5-2. Martino chose three central defenders, pushed his wide defenders up forward into attacking positions and loaded the center of the park with ball-holding players. His reasoning was sound – the Red Bulls like to press, so stronger defensive coverage and a focus on possession should have frustrated them.

It didn’t.

Miami’s players weren’t used to the system and fell apart within minutes. The Red Bulls won 4-0 after they figured how to drag Miami’s defenders out of position and create open spaces in front of the goal.

The results of Martino’s experiment are clear – for Miami to compete without Messi, it must stick to what it knows. A tricky 3-5-2 might look good on paper, but if Miami’s players can’t work out passing channels and get comfortable with the attack, it doesn’t make sense. The team’s recent scores back that up – it’s 0-0-2 using the 3-5-2 lineup and 3-1-0 in the 4-3-3.

For Miami to charge up the Eastern Conference standings, Martino must rally his players around its traditional formation. That way, they’ll be competitive in Messi’s absence and ready to work with him upon his return.

Miami plays next on Saturday, March 30, against New York FC.

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