Atlanta United ended all of their managerial suspense with the
hiring of Ronny Deila this afternoon.
Deila was most recently in the UAE after a few stints in Belgium with varying levels of success. Before that of course he led New York City FC to a title in 2021.
So what are you getting here?
Well, you’re getting goals, hopefully. Diela continues a trend in Atlanta United history with more attack-minded managers. Deila’s teams have had stints where they can flat-out overwhelm the opposition and frequently finish near the top of the league in chance creation. Of course the catch with this is having good finishing to make those chances count, which you expect Atlanta to address in the next month with a pile of money to play with and two DP spots burning holes in their pockets.
Now, if you are asking ‘where’ those goals are coming from on the field itself, well the striker is the easy answer as is the case with most teams but it is not that simple always for Deila’s teams. His teams have a tendency to build from the wings and work their way inside, but not necessarily with wild crosses. Expect more combination play at the edge of the box and cut-back passes into the danger zone in the middle of the box.
It is tricky to reference his 2021 NYC team because they played on a smaller field, but they did not put in a ton of crosses, choosing instead to work the ball into danger spots and their wingers and midfielders benefited with those cut-back crosses and combination opportunities.
Along with that you can probably anticipate some heavy usage of guys like Pedro Amador and whoever-plays-right back-until Lennon is healthy. The point is, the goal chances will likely be spread around on the offensive side of the ball. And despite the heavy use of the wings and fullbacks, don’t expect to see tons of wayward and hopeful crosses.
All of that sounds fun and for the cynical among you it may sound familiar and cause you to tug at your collar a tad as a song you’ve heard in just a different key. Fear not, as Deila has shown the propensity to go direct and do it quickly if the situation calls for it. His time in Scotland against so many teams that don’t really have any interest in playing against the only giant at the time (Rangers was in administration at the time. Long story) led to having to be creative in breaking down defenses while switching gears in Europe where they often operated as underdogs.
The point is, I wouldn't expect him to be married to one style or pattern of attack every time out. He will take what you give him and go to war with it swinging an axe with roars.
Speaking of roars, and we will be talking about this more as time goes on, the Ronny Roar.
In short, his start at Glasgow Celtic was a rocky time. He was trying to instill change at a club that was coming off the Neil Lennon regime and they struggled out of the gate. Following a last second winner at Aberdeen, he went to the traveling Celtic supporters and roared and pumped his fist. This became a trend and an action he did repeatedly, including his final match at Celtic Park after announcing his departure. You can expect some of that here too.
So what led to those rocky times and the regime change? Well to give a 30,000 foot view — and to completely editorialize for a moment, he was trying to drag a proud club forward. When he went to Celtic he pushed nutrition and fitness in ways and at levels they were not necessarily used. To continue to editorialize, it’s arguable he helped put the foundation in place for Celtic to stride forward with Brendan Rodgers.
What does that mean here? It may mean he can marry the grit of on-field toughness with advanced technological ideas that we see so often at top clubs around the world. And more importantly, he demands progression and ambition.
Deila has handed chances to academy products at every stop, but he’s also reshaped players who show fight. Expect more of the same here. Academy kids who want to scrap and claw will get looks, and keep an eye on fringe players who might be able to force their way into conversations. It’s a new set of eyes for this squad and it will be on them to impress the new manager.
Finally, and equally as important, Deila has been highly regarded as a person at his stops. Even in cities where he left without glory, he was respected and spoken well of. While that doesn’t translate to wins and losses, it is vital as you work to improve the culture here in Atlanta.