Verticality, midfield chaos and low blocks: An in-depth tactical preview of the CanMNT’s upcoming visit to Honduras
The CanMNT is getting set to head down to Central America, where they’ll take on Honduras in a crucial WCQ. Here’s an in-depth tactical preview ahead of that one.
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It’s going to be one heck of a way for them to dip their toes into the water this window. In fact, it’s going to be a start more akin to diving right into the deep part of the ocean.
Yet, for the first time since 2016, the CanMNT are heading back to Honduras, as they get set to kick off this upcoming January international break with a trip down to San Pedro Sula on Thursday. As part of the ‘Octagonal’, the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, it’s a massive game, as both teams have World Cup hopes riding on this match, and won’t want to give an inch to their rivals.
And for Canada, it’s an especially big game, as they currently sit atop the Octo through 8 out of a possible 14 games, but with just 2 points separating 1st and 4th, they’ll want to do what they can to ensure that they can cement their spot in the top 3, and snatch the automatic World Cup qualification berth that comes along with it, which winning a game like this would certainly help them do.
So to say that Canada is looking forward to this game would be an understatement. Not only is Honduras a wounded animal, sitting at the bottom of the Octo with just 3 points from 8 games (Canada has 16), but the country has been a house of horrors of sorts for Canada in the past, who don’t have many fond memories of away trips to Central America.
In fact, the last time that they won in Honduras came all the way back in 1985, 37 long years ago, when Canada beat Los Catrachos in World Cup qualifiers en route to their one and only participation at the World Cup in 1986.
And now, almost 4 decades later, they find themselves in a similar situation once again. A win over Honduras won’t put them straight into the 2022 World Cup, but it’ll ensure that Honduras can’t mathematically catch them, while also putting them 3 points closer to the magic number of 24 points that is expected to guarantee them a spot in Qatar later this year.
It won’t be easy, as Honduras is a motivated team eager to prove that they’re more than what their record indicates, and playing in Central America is never easy, but this Canadian team is also on a mission, as they’ve been eager to prove throughout this Octo, where they’ve already avenged a bunch of their personal demons.
If anything, this Honduras away game feels just like a final frontier, one last ‘bogey boss’ of sorts, a challenge that conquering will put Canada all the much closer to the World Cup.
And as they get set to tackle this challenge, it promises to be an enthralling game, especially considering that Canada is still looking to avenge a 1-1 draw at home with Honduras to open the Octo back in September, one that certainly still sits in the back of their minds given how the two teams fortunes have gone in opposite directions since.
So ahead of this game, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at the tactical battle that lies ahead for Canada. In that Honduras game, they were taught some harsh tactical lessons, which to be fair, they did well to learn from in their upcoming matches, but they’ll want to avoid falling into those same traps this time around.
This might not be a tactical chess match, say (some of these games in Central America can be more akin to a sloppy knife fight), but even a chaotic street brawl can be won with the right strategy, so here’s a look at how Canada can give themselves an edge in this game.
Honduras’s profile:
So to start, let’s dive right into Honduras’s tactical profile, because if Canada is going to beat them, it’s important that they understand what they’re up against, first.
And it’s worth noting that if there’s one thing that Honduras does have, it’s a clear identity, which is both good and bad if you’re Canada.
As they saw in that opening game, it can be bad, as Honduras has a tried and tested system that when used properly, can impose havoc on matches, but the good news is that it also makes it easier to game-plan to stop them.
Again, Honduras will have an advantage in the fact that they’re playing at home, making it easier for them to fully wield said game plan, but the good news, if you’re Canada, is that Honduras is yet to win at home this cycle, losing 3 games and drawing 1 this Octo, showing that this isn’t the house of horrors that it used to be.
So after considering all of that, let’s start by breaking down Honduras’s identity into 3 parts: their press, their defensive line and their play in possession. By doing that, it should give us a better idea of how they look to control games.
And using clips from their latest home game, a 3-2 loss against Panama where Honduras went up 2-0 in the 2nd half before falling apart late, here is a look at what they did so well in that hot start, giving us an idea of what Canada will have to watch out for on Thursday.
Lined up in a 4-4-2 that we’ll likely see on Thursday, which we can find below, Honduras made life very difficult for their visitors for a good chunk of that affair, so while they weren’t able to sustain that throughout the game (usually a challenge for the away team, ironically enough), you have to imagine they look to impose a similar game plan on Canada.
The press:
Fittingly, when looking at Honduras’s profile, we begin from the front, and that means by starting with the press.
Honduras might not employ a complicated high-pressing ‘Gegenpressing’ system, per se, but they certainly try their best to employ pressure on their opponents whenever they can, which is a good strategy given their status as one of the more athletic teams in the region.
That shouldn’t be too much of a worry for Canada, who have shown to be able to build out of the back comfortably in most games, but given the fact that the San Pedro Sula pitch often looks slick and quite bumpy, that could make things a bit harder for them than usual.
And when looking back at the Panama game, you can see several instances where Honduras’s press paid off for them. Plus, even when it wasn’t successful, Honduras still managed to do a good job of keeping their opponents on their toes, which is exactly what you want to do with any sort of press.
When deployed in their 4-4-2, Honduras press mostly through their strikers, with their two wide players sitting deeper and playing more conservatively, which is typical of that sort of system.
Here’s a look at how that looks on a freeze-frame.
As seen above, whenever their opponents has the ball in their half, Honduras are quick to establish their two rigid banks of 4 and then the two strikers, whose job is to help pressure the opponent’s defenders into playing right into that tight bank of 4.
And here’s another freeze-frame that shows what that looks like.
Here, the two Honduras strikers are pushed right up the field, tasked with forcing Panama’s backline and goalkeeper into a quick pass forward, be it in the air or on the ground.
Again, it’s not a super complex idea, as most presses look to do that, but if there’s one thing to note is that when this press is triggered, it isn’t necessarily to win the ball back, but to try and get their opponents to play into their midfield block.
And that’s Honduras’s calling card in those sorts of situations. They often employ a very athletic front 6 for that reason, with the goal being to coax teams into their midfield trap, and if not, their defensive line, which might not be as athletic as the other two lines, but is very physical and ready to engage in all sorts of duels.
Here’s an example of what that looks like in practice.
In that clip, Honduras triggers a very aggressive press via their strikers high up the field, and seeing that, their midfielders then quickly looked to find their sweet spot a fair distance behind them, lining up in a relatively flat 4.
Then, their defence dropped back, allowing them to be set for whatever Panama chose to throw at them, which in that case, was a couple of long balls.
So even though the first two long balls worked for Panama, mostly through luck, that clip still gives an idea of what Honduras wants to do with its press, and that’s to force midfield duels.
That’s not to say that Honduras isn’t open to pressing high up the field, though, as they do in this next clip, nearly scoring a goal via the hard work of Brayan Moya, who won the ball in a great position.
It didn’t lead to anything, but it was one of Honduras’s best chances of the game, and it came off the back of some good aggressive pressure, which they were nearly rewarded for.
And if you’re Canada, that sort of aggressive pressure will be something you’ll want to watch out for in this game. As Panama almost saw there, Honduras can make things happen in a blink of an eye, especially if you’re not careful in possession, which Canada will certainly have to be in this game.
Midfield pressure is valuable:
But while Honduras will have those aggressive moments high up the pitch, as hinted earlier, that’s not the true intention of their press.
Yes, they want to win back the ball, and the higher up the pitch the better, but there’s a reason why they defend in a 4-4-2 and not in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-4, and that’s because their biggest calling card is their pressure in midfield.
Here’s an example of what that looks like.
In this clip, they don’t manage to dispossess Panama, but here, thanks to a nice bit of aggressive defence in the middle, they forced Panama to recycle possession, allowing Honduras to reset their defensive formation.
And that’s why while the press is certainly a key part of their game, how they impose themselves in the middle is arguably where they do the most damage tactically.
In the Canada game from back in September, we saw a lot of that (more of that in a bit), and it really disrupted the game, so it’s important that Canada is prepared for that if they’re to break down Honduras in possession.
They don’t do anything complicated, as again, they just rely on the basic deployment of a flexible midfield 4, as pictured in the 2 next screenshots, but man, does it ever make a difference.
When deployed just right, that 4-man group just seems to move everywhere in harmony, making it hard to play in possession through the midfield, turning the game into the sorts of street fight that Honduras likes to find themselves in.
Just take this next clip as an example of that.
Here, look at how Honduras reacts to Panama finding a bit of green space on the pitch after losing the ball high up the field, sending numbers back in a hurry to get those two deep banks of 4 back in place, nullifying a potentially dangerous attack in the process.
And that’s what we’ll see a lot of on Thursday from Honduras, as they understand that it’s their best way to try and take control of the game, especially against a team like Canada, who thrive when they’re controlling the midfield.
It might not be pretty at times, but they have no problems with sitting back in those two banks of 4, swarming the midfield at every opportunity, making the game a lot more chaotic than it typically might be.
That’s why anyone who plays them would be wise to have a plan to overcome that, be it by just going for numerical superiority and quick passing (a risky plan), or bypassing it altogether (a popular but often boring plan), instead of getting caught in the trap and then torched in transition.
Efficiency in possession:
Yet, for all of the talk of defence and work off the ball, Honduras is still a pretty good offensive team on their day, and Panama saw that on several occasions in that game.
Led by Alberth Elis, who has been in scintillating form for Bordeaux in Ligue 1 as of late, as well as the always-dangerous Romell Quioto and Anthony Lozano, Honduras’s game plan when they’re on the attack is simple but efficient - get their runners going in possession.
And there’s no reason why they shouldn’t operate in that way.
The one byproduct of their physical midfield set-up that they employ on defence is that it doesn’t offer as much technique or control in midfield, so instead, they choose to go direct via the flanks.
Here’s what that looks like.
In that clip, Honduras doesn’t quite strike paydirt, as the final long ball to Alberth Elis just wasn’t good enough, allowing the Panama defender to intervene, but you can see how quickly Honduras moved up the pitch when they decided to play forward, doing so in just two passes.
And that’s a common theme of what Honduras will try to do. They’re not uncomfortable in possession at the back, able to string together some passes when needed, but they much prefer when the ball is moving vertically across big distances in wide areas, allowing their runners to get going.
What that means, though, is a lot of clips like the one below, where Honduras just tries to pass it around slowly at the back before playing that killer ball, and then getting running from there.
And there was a lot of that in the Panama game.
Take this next clip as an example of that.
Here, they actually do a great job of holding onto possession, doing a good job of moving around Panama, and even making some nice incisive and progressive passes while doing so, but instead of trying to barge through the middle with the ball at their feet, they did so just to open up the space for an ambitious long ball.
It’s a bit puzzling, because while the long ball often gives them joy, you can only wonder what they’d be able to do if they played a bit more through the middle, especially in clips like that one, where Panama is doing a good job of taking away Honduras’s options.
At the same time, though, as one wise person once said, if you’re good at something, stick to your guns, and do what you’re good at.
And Honduras takes that to heart.
Take this next clip as an example. Here, it doesn’t lead to an attack, but after a long ball that was just before the clip started, Honduras managed to unlock Elis in transition, leading to a great scoring opportunity.
And there were countless moments like that in this game.
How about this long ball that came at the edge of their own box, helping lead to a fantastic chance in the box, all thanks to 2 forward passes, which helped unlock Elis in transition?
Or how about the ball that they played on their opening goal, which was perfectly weighted to find an onrushing Elis all alone behind the defence, allowing their star man to do the rest with his touch and then finish?
And if that’s not enough, how about what they showed on their second goal, where after a failed Panama corner, they quickly scored thanks to 2 nice long balls, managing to play Brayan Moya in all alone behind the opposing defence?
And it’s moments like those which show why Honduras plays the way that they do.
It might not appease your typical possession purists, but man, can it be effective in the right scenarios, and those clips are prime examples of that.
So even if that means dealing with failed long balls like the one in the clip below, they do that with the hopes of accomplishing what they showed on both goals, where in just 1 or 2 passes, they broke down their opponent’s defence and created a high-percentage look.
And while it means sacrificing a lot of potential possession in midfield, with clips like the one below, where they actually tried to go through the middle but just weren’t able to string together the right passes, can you really blame them?
So overall, much like with their defence, their attack follows a similar theme, and that’s efficiency and maximization of their team profile, which is speed, hence their decision to go direct whenever possible.
Lessons learned for Canada in September:
And ultimately, that’s a good way of describing what this Honduras side is all about.
As we saw with that look at their press, the midfield block that they employ and their directness in attack, they try to maximize their team profile at every opportunity. On paper, that’s speedy forwards, athletic midfielders and a physical backline, and they look to make the most of that with their 4-4-2.
So for Canada, it’s important that they realize that heading into this game. In their opening match against Honduras, they weren’t prepared for that, and it cost them, so it’s paramount that they avoid making the same mistakes this time out.
The good news if you’re John Herdman? When looking back at the tape from that clash with Honduras, you can see a lot of the same principles from Las Catrachos that they also showed in that Panama match, which shows that even despite a coaching switch halfway through the Octo (they went from Fabian Coito to Hernan Dario Gomez in October), and their ongoing struggles, Honduras hasn’t really changed their style of play.
Because of that, it does make it a tad easier to prepare a game plan for this Thursday match.
And using some of what we saw in that opening game, here’s what Canada should make sure to include in that plan.
Keep up the constant pressure:
First, it’s crucial that Canada keeps up the constant pressure on Honduras when their opponents have the ball.
They did an excellent job of doing that in the September game, and thanks to that they kept Honduras to just 1.36 Expected Goals (xG), with ~0.75 of that coming from a penalty, which shows that they mostly kept Honduras out of the dangerous areas that they like to hit on the transition.
And a big part of that came from Canada’s ability to put the pressure on Honduras’s players in possession. As seen above, Honduras doesn’t exactly play tiki-taka, so Canada took advantage of that by applying the pressure on them whenever in possession, forcing them into some rushed attacking moves.
It’s important that when Canada applies this pressure, they don’t get too stretched out, of course, but considering that Canada usually defends in a 4-4-2, that isn’t much of a problem, as much like Honduras, they do a good job of establishing two solid banks of 4 and then press with the 2, with the lone difference being that their wide players are typically a lot more aggressive in their deployment.
That had a big impact in doing so in that first game, so no reason why they shouldn’t keep doing that on Thursday.
Take this next clip as an example.
Here, thanks to some good pressure from Canada’s front 2 of Jonathan David and Cyle Larin, as well as some good pressure from out wide in the form of Tajon Buchanan, Honduras were forced into a sloppy turnover, giving Canada the ball in a good position.
And there will be plenty of opportunities for Canada to win the ball back if they do that in this upcoming game.
Take this next clip as an example of that.
In that situation, Canada didn’t win back the ball, but they forced a very sloppy long ball thanks to some nice pressing from Larin, who made sure that the Honduran goalkeeper wouldn’t get to set his feet before kicking the ball up the field.
In most cases, it would seem like a bit of a futile cause to press that high up the field, but given that Honduras likes to set themselves before playing a long ball, it would be smart of Canada to try and disrupt their ability to play that long ball at every opportunity, making it harder for their opponents to attack via their preferred avenue of offence.
Otherwise, though, one thing that Canada will have to make sure of is that the constant pressure translates to good back pressure in the midfield, especially if they lose the ball.
It’s not something that you see too much from Canada, but with Honduras looking to play very physical in the midfield, some turnovers in that area of the field will happen, so it’s important that Canada is ready for that.
Here’s an example of what that looks like.
In that clip, Canada makes a bad turnover after some nice pressure from Honduras in midfield, but thanks to Canada’s quick reactions, they quickly got into their 4-4-2, nullifying a good counter-attacking opportunity.
And that shows why Canada will want to maintain a good level of constant pressure throughout the game. It might be tough to maintain in the Central American heat, no doubt, but if they were able to do so, it would make a big difference, as these clips showed.
So if anything, Canada just needs to find a good level of pace to do so at. They don’t have to gegenpress, per se, but if they can continually put the Honduran defenders under pressure in possession, while finding a way to track back and limit transition moments, that’ll make it very hard for their opponents to establish themselves in possession, which will, in turn, allow Canada to win the ball back more often.
More midfield movement is a must:
But when Canada wins the ball back, they’ll want to do something with it, and that’s where the next point comes into play, which is that Canada needs to be better in the midfield in this game.
Yes, as seen above, Honduras’s game plan played a role in that, but too often in the September game, Canada didn’t do themselves any favours with how they played in midfield, either.
Part of that is the formation that they chose, as while it was a 3-5-2 on paper, with usual full back option, Richie Laryea, slotting into the midfield 3. In reality, however, it looked a lot more like a 3-4-3 and a 3-3-4.
At the same time, though, Canada also didn’t make the most of their opportunities to play in midfield. Seeing how congested it was, they instead tried to funnel the ball up down the wings, which Honduras likes given how stretched their midfield 4 often is, but continued to do so given how sloppy things were in the middle.
But even though it was a dogfight in midfield in that game, and will be so once again in this one, that doesn’t mean that Canada should shy away from that this time around.
And when looking back at the September game, there were several good examples of why.
Take this next clip here.
In this clip, Kamal Miller plays a nice ball into the pocket where he found a moving Laryea, but while everything was great up to that point, it then broke down as Laryea had no off-ball movement around him, forcing him to play it to a static Alphonso Davies.
If his teammates had been moving, however, that would’ve forced the Honduras midfielders to react to that, potentially opening up a pocket of space for Laryea to turn on the ball or to play a different, more dangerous pass.
And there were several instances of that in the game from Canada.
For example, there was this one clip from in the first half, where Atiba Hutchinson received a nice incisive ball into the middle, but had no options to play off of, forcing him to play a backwards pass.
And then there was this clip from just a few minutes later, where Hutchinson once again received a nice ball, but was this time quickly dispossessed as a lack of options forced him to take an extra touch, allowing Honduras to enact their midfield swarm.
To be fair, a big part of this problem was the fact that the forwards and wide players were quite disconnected from the midfield, leaving them on an island in situations like that, but there’s no reason why they couldn’t have dropped back and given Canada a little more numerical superiority in those situations.
So while Canada will certainly want to put out a formation that prioritizes more harmony in midfield, such as a more natural 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3, they’ll also want to see more movement from their players, too.
Especially against a team like Honduras, who love to swarm the ball in the middle, doing so could allow Canada to bypass that pressure easier, in theory creating some space in the final third, which would be huge.
It’s not going to be easy in the San Pedro Sula heat, as the midfielders will have to be in a constant state of movement in order to create those pockets, but in the right formation, you’d have to hope it could be manageable, and again, if need be, Canada can make 5 substitutions, giving them an injection of fresh legs.
Final third decision making needs to be better:
But while Canada will want to put their opponents under pressure, and find ways to break through the defensive swarm that they’ll face, one thing that they’ll need to do is execute their plays, and do so quickly.
Something that hurt them big-time in the September game was that they actually got into a lot of good areas, but were quite wasteful with them. They still generated an impressive 2.4 xG, but they arguably could’ve had way more, as there were several instances where they overplayed the ball in the final third, wasting some glorious opportunities.
A lot of it might’ve been bad luck, yes, but against a team like Honduras, who like to defend deep, apply a lot of pressure in midfield and apply a lot of backpressure, Canada also needed to play a lot quicker.
Here are some examples of that.
First, there’s this nice Alphonso Davies run, where he then tries to cut it back, but after hesitating on the timing of his cutback, he played it a bit too late, making the chance go to waste.
Then, in this next clip, Davies once again made a great run, but hesitated once he got the ball in the box, caught in two minds between shooting and cutting back, which were both great options, but he ended up waiting too long, allowing Honduras to get back into position.
And then in this next clip, thanks to some solid Honduras backpressure, Davies this time rushed a cross, one that was easily cut off.
Then, lastly, in this clip, Tajon Buchanan is given the ball in all sorts of space in the middle, but lets the ball run a bit longer than he maybe should’ve before trying a through ball, one that is easily stopped by the Honduran backline.
And a common theme in all of those clips? That had they moved a bit quicker, they could’ve made something of the chances that they had in those moments.
It’s not easy, as a lot of Canada’s top attacking players, such as Davies, Buchanan, David, Larin and Laryea, are all really good at slowing down the game in the final third and picking out the right ball or shot, but in a game like this, Honduras will do everything in their power to make that impossible for them, which will force Canada to adjust.
They’ve got the talent to do so, no doubt, but they’ll just have to find that sweet spot between rushing things and making the right decisions, which is a lot easier said than done, but that just shows why Honduras looks to play the way that they do, which is to rush things and turn it into a sloppy street fight.
Projected XI:
So seeing all of this, let’s finish this off by taking a quick look at what Canada’s lineup for this game could look like.
For those who missed it, Canada will be without Alphonso Davies for this camp, and will likely be without Stephen Eustaquio as he recovers from COVID, so those two usual regulars are missing here, but there’s still plenty of firepower for them to rely upon.
And based on that, I decided to go for more of a 3-5-2, one that can shift into a 4-4-2 off the ball, all while considering those absences. Here’s what that would look like.
In that formation, Canada will not only be able to get some of that vaunted midfield control that they lacked last time, but also have plenty of speed in attack, and are mobile enough in the defence to avoid getting burned by Honduras’s talented offensive players.
So while the personnel doesn’t have to be the exact same, that formation would match up quite well to Honduras’s 4-4-2, all while preparing for Honduras’’s tactical strengths, which is everything you’d want to see in this game after what we saw in the first matchup between these two teams.
Looking Forward:
But the good news is that Canada knows that now, and will look to adjust accordingly in this upcoming match.
It won’t be easy, especially considering that we have to remember that this game will be played in humid, 30 degrees weather, in a very hostile environment, but this Canadian team has gotten a taste of these sorts of venues, so hopefully, it isn’t anything too unfamiliar to them now.
So if Canada can overcome the obstacles that Honduras will put for them on the field, such as that press, the intense midfield pressure and direct offensive play, you have to fancy their chances, as long as they manage the elements.
With no Davies for this game, and likely no Eustaquio, that’s easier said than done, of course, but Canada does still have a pretty deep squad despite that, so that shouldn’t be too big of a factor.
Ultimately, however, it’s just going to come down to how Canada manages everything. This game will certainly be tough, without a doubt, but Canada knows what is coming, so it’s all about how they prepare for it, and given that their intense preparation has been a calling card of theirs all Octo, that’s a good sign.
It’s going to be sloppy, it’s going to be humid, it’s going to be chaotic, yes, but Canada knows that already, so as long as they head into this game with the right gameplan, the chance for them to erase some demons will be as strong as ever.
Canada’s Tajon Buchanan battles for a loose ball in a home match against El Salvador in September (Keveren Guillou)(IG: @kevereng)