A Midfield Reimagined

PHOTO: San Jose Earthquakes

One of the areas that needed the most addressing for the Quakes was their midfield. For a few seasons now, various coaches attempted to fix what was the weakest part of the team.

With all the transfers made this winter, Arena has a chance to finally bring some balance to the middle.

Every Quakes manager hoped that their version of a midfield would be the solution. Due to a combination of misunderstanding the personnel and struggling with adapting, no one could fix anything.

Arena’s transformation of this team needs to revolve around making any Quakes midfield playable. While the front office allowed the MLS icon to rebuild this team completely, he still has to deal with the lingering effects of Luchi’s tenure. This forces Arena into a difficult position with some personnel choices.

Outside of López, the options for the Quakes in the middle range from promising to rotational. In that mix, there exists a potentially stable option. However, Arena must be willing to make some tough choices.

To truly push this team to the next level, the Quakes need an adequate midfield.

Without one, the best-attacking line in club history won’t bring them to the playoffs.

When Arena took control of this team in the winter, the Quakes’ midfield was broken. There are too many players with skill sets that are difficult to fit together, yet not good enough for a playoff side.

Over Luchi’s tenure, the former manager opted to play a two-man midfield with a more attacking midfielder under the striker. For those more pivoting players, Luchi often played Gruezo and Yueill. Neither player lived up to the demands of the team.

While Yueill left this offseason, the club seems stuck with Gruezo, which might kill their hopes midway. The issue revolves around both the player and his contract. 

Gruezo arrived in San Jose after a few good seasons in Germany after being a top player for a good Dallas side. Signing him to a DP contract forced him to be played week in and week out despite his issues fitting in with Luchi’s system. The player finished last season as one of the least impactful players on the worst team in the league.

Again, if Gruezo had a normal contract, he could be acceptable as a backup. However, his contract makes it awkward to force him to the bench, meaning that he needs to play weekly. Perhaps under Arena, a revival may happen, but the new additions seem to push him further down the totem pole.

Another player impacted by the arrival of Arena is Tsakiris, as he needs more developmental minutes. The issue with the youngster is that he failed to show real improvement since his debut, but the team required him to take on a much larger role. Arena needs to find a way to balance his minutes with the needs of a team looking to make a run in the playoffs.

The roster handed to Arena still contained the issues created by Luchi’s tenure.

One of those issues is sure to hang over the Quakes as they enter next season.

Regarding their lineup choices, the Quakes seem likely to implement a similar midfield to the one used in previous seasons. López is penciled in at the center, attacking midfielder spot, with numbers six and eight behind him.

With Coachella on the horizon, Arena likely utilizes this tournament to choose his midfield pair fully. One of the questions that haunt the manager is how to best balance it. Does Arena fully give Tsakiris a chance, or does it make sense to offer veterans a shot at stabilization?

If Arena opts to go with the youngster, Gruezo’s inclusion makes more sense. The fit with López remains awkward, but the hope is that Tsakiris plays more like a box-to-box mid. Gruezo, then, only needs to focus on being a defense anchor. 

An argument exists that Mark Anthony-Kaye fits better, but he may occupy that same space as Tsakiris. Alongside the youngster, the best option remains to play a purely defensive mid.

Using Anthony-Kaye gives the team the best chance at competing, given his experience and play. Playing him allows for another dynamic midfielder to play alongside, but the Quakes don’t really have that player. Ian Harkes appeto bes as a potential solution, but he still fails to offer any dynamic play.

As highlighted, Gruezo still remains the odd man out, with this roster and lineup not being made for him. To be frank, none of the players fit well together. No player enters this training camp with the starting spot nailed down, making Arena’s job even tougher.

The front office did well in adding more experienced midfielders, but there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen.

Arena needs to juggle plenty of factors to build a midfield that can play at a playoff level.

Unfortunately for the Quakes, issues exist across the roster, but the midfield is at the top. Outside of López, no one appears ready to take control of the middle.

While Arena did well to rebuild this team, it’ll all be for naught if this midfield is still a mess heading into the season.

PHOTO: San Jose Earthquakes