Ronny Deila's perfect picture for Atlanta United

Atlanta United head coach Ronny Deila told the media in training on Thursday about his efforts to paint the ideal picture for this team, using the metaphor of an artist's process in creating a cohesive final artwork.

"I have a painting in my head of what [our] game is going to be, and [we] color [in] that painting every day. When a wrong color is [added] to the painting, [we] go in and adjust it, adding something else," Deila said.

This metaphor is an illustration of a team on the cusp of performing consistently up to the high standards that were set for them going into this season.

With undeniable talent in both the starting lineup and on the bench, Atlanta United is a puzzle with many different pieces to be placed effectively. There have been glimpses of the final picture Ronny is constructing, but the team is not quite there yet.

Despite underperforming in the statistics in the past few games, Atlanta United is not out of the picture in the Eastern Conference. Still quite early in the season, Atlanta United occupies the 10th spot in the very tightly scored bracket, with only 6 points separating them from first place.

Injuries have been persistent in the starting lineup, making it difficult to form a consistent group on the pitch.

Missing key players in the defensive line has been an issue for Atlanta up to this point, but the changes in the back do not shake Deila's overall plan for the team and how they will face each game ahead.

"You play to attack, to score goals, and you defend to take them away," Deila said.

He believes that the colors of this painting are constantly changing, so the team is taking strides to adapt to these changes as they go. He said he thinks both the offense and the defense are performing well, but the team needs to be as effective as possible in each game.

So, what's next?

Alexey Miranchuk and Miguel Almiron are two key pieces in the Atlanta United attack; however, neither player is performing as effectively as anticipated.

Many are quick to jump to conclusions about Atlanta United's underperformance in the final third, but the lack of goals is not the fault of any single player or position on the field.

Atlanta United is growing together under a new coach and administration in the dawning hours of the 2025 season. With 7 games played out of the total 34 in regulation, there is still plenty of time for this team to find it's bearings.

This is a group that is searching for an identity, a method to constructing the final picture mentioned earlier. Ronny told the media about his means of putting together each lineup on the field.

"One thing [to look at] is who is the best, but also, who is the best together with others," Deila said.

Part of constructing the puzzle of this team is assessing players and their positions. Another- and arguably the most important part- is continuing to strengthen the chemistry between the guys on the pitch.

Alexey Miranchuk believes this to be a very important part of building up the team's confidence and becoming more cohesive as a group instead of individually.

"We hang out off the field with the team sometimes. It really helps you to create a bond and relationship with each other. You can speak not only about football but about life," Miranchuk said. "This helps to create a relationship on the field. We're here to win and to help our teammates."

Atlanta United has a lot of growing left to do, but there is still a very promising future for this talented group of players. It is important to assess the current position of this Atlanta United team as a whole and not the sum of its parts.

There are still changes to be made, but the main focus of Ronny Deila and his team is to score goals and to be the most effective team they can be on the pitch.

"We are better in our performances, but we haven't been effective enough. Things are going forward. It's a process," Deila says about the team coming together. "I'm frustrated we don't have more points, but the only thing we can do [right now] is [continue] to have good performances."

Deila describes the team as a family. He believes that investing time in between games is key to understanding the players on the roster and building trust on the pitch.

The chemistry between these players will continue to grow as the season progresses. As easy as it is to default to criticism of a single performance, this team is still in the early stages of finding an identity they will play by.

Ronny Deila and Alexey Miranchuk are confident this team is going in a promising direction, with improvements being made every day through both establishing connections between players and training hard on the pitch.

Atlanta United will face off against New England Revolution in an afternoon game this Saturday, April 12th, at 2:45 pm EST.

Listen to the full quotes and our thoughts about today's training ahead of the match on our latest episode of Training Ground Dispatch.

Article and photos by Sofia Cupertino