Club dominates possession in opening games against Atlético Ottawa
Patrice Gheisar is a coach driven by philosophy.
And after a long off-season, CPL fans have finally gotten a taste of his front foot, attacking system which earned him so many accolades at League1 Ontario club Vaughan.
The Wanderers first two games of the season — both against Atlético Ottawa — showcased a team on the rise but caught mid-lesson.
Halifax’s statistics are promising on paper but will they reach the heights promised by Gheisar and his high possession-system?
To judge this, we need first to go back to last year.
GAINING AN IDENTITY
Gheisar was announced as the second-ever head coach of the Wanderers on November 30, 2022. He was coming off an astonishing season with Vaughan to cap off a sparkling reign at the League1 Ontario club.
Under Gheisar’s tenure, Vaughan had won 41 games, lost two and had five draws across regular season and playoffs.
However, it’s the manner of their dominance which is most important — they did so while scoring 173 goals. They conceded only 59 times across 48 contests.
But how was Gheisar going to replicate this success in Halifax?
“We’ve got to gain an identity,” he told One Soccer’s Adam Jenkins in November. “And our identity is going to be an attacking philosophy but the principles will be a combination of play, pass and move into space.”
The emphasis, Gheisar continued, was on encouraging players to take chances and to exploit weaknesses in opposing clubs.
The words are in stark contrast to former head coach Stephen Hart’s defensive system and sent the heart’s of many Wanderers fans aflutter.
There was also an emphasis on honouring the system, meaning that the build up is to be as celebrated as any goal.
Gheisar added this starts with good people.
“I think what our fans can expect from our team this year will be a well-cultured team that will work hard,” he said.
In short, he was preaching modern attacking football where players had the freedom to make reads and then exploit them with the aim of controlling the ball. No longer would the team be focused on getting one star player (João Morelli) the ball but they would be a collective working under a philosophy of movement and attack.
Pep Guardiola would be proud.
WHAT WE’VE SEEN SO FAR
The season is young but a lot of what Gheisar has been preaching can be seen on the pitch.
As a squad, the Wanderers have mostly bought in and their lines look much better than last season.
Ottawa is a good football club but through two games, the Wanderers out passed (1,207, 749) out shot (22, 18) and overall, out possessed (61.25%, 38.75%) Atlético yet somehow didn’t come out with a win.
Still, that’s a big check mark for delivering on a possession-based team; they have mostly looked poised, quick and free-flowing.
Let’s turn to their formation under Gheisar.
There’s no doubt the Wanderers have shed last year’s skin to become something new. They’ve deployed as a 4-1-4-1 and their lines were very well organized in their CPL opener.
Some outlets, including Down the Pub Podcast, noted Gheisar’s fondness for inverted fullbacks and its been on full display.
First-year player Riley Ferrazzo has been a fixture of Halifax’s first two games. Usually deployed as a leftback, he’s technically been assigned to the right hand side of the pitch — but not for long.
He’s clearly been instructed by Gheisar to act as a sort of rover and to be the extra man available throughout the pitch. Often, Ferrazzo has slotted himself in midfield to create a double pivot with French midfielder Lorenzo Callegari.
Midfileders Aiden Daniels and Andre Rampersad are further up the pitch as 10s with players like Massimo Ferrin, Zachary Fernandez and Wesley Timoteo on the wings.
The club has looked dangerous at times and has had its share of chances, scoring two goals — including a highlight free-kick from Ferrin in the Canadian Championship game.
Fernandez also scored a lovely goal off a layoff from Daniels in the season opener.
Which brings us to the idea of playing attacking football; too often, the build up is lacking pace and afraid to push.
There are moments of excellence to be sure, be it a Callegari through ball or a Ferrin half-volley, but there is still a tentativeness that can be expected from a young squad learning a new system. It will take time for the players to feel comfortable taking the chances required to pick apart opposing defensive lines.
The real issues have been on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the CanChamp game.
Halifax conceded the lead late in both games just before half-time. Specifically, Ottawa adjusted their strategy in the CanChamp game to put through balls behind Halifax’s defensive line to exploit the space left by Ferrazzo (or at least where they thought he’d be).
When they have time to prepare, the Wanderers have held up well to pressure and broke up much of Atlético’s build up but their ability to defend against verticality and a quick transition is where this squad has lots to learn.
A PROMISING START
Pep’s Barcelona wasn’t built in a day and neither will the the new-look Halifax Wanderers.
Having said that, Gheisar has already instilled an exciting, possession heavy system which has yielded strong underlying numbers. Players like Daniels, Ferrin, Nimick, Ferrazzo and Callegari have impressed by playing this style of football and the others will surely find their place or find themselves out of favour.
The Wanderers have the tools to compete for a top five finish.
Gheisar’s philosophy has already taken hold.
Cheers,
-WN
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