Canucks display deficiencies in defeat

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/10/2023 (696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chalk it up to the long-haul flights? Or maybe the inaugural venture of an interim manager? What about that inactive spell of more than three months?

Canada’s 4-1 defeat by Japan in Friday’s international friendly was so comprehensively thorough that they might be best to simply point to the date on the calendar: Friday the 13th. Because that was dreadful.

And doomed from the start.

The match in Niigata wasn’t two minutes old when the hosts went in front – Alphonso Davies’ give-away preceding failed clearances from Kamal Miller, Samuel Piette and Derek Cornelius, and ultimately Ao Tanaka’s deflected shot that rolled past goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who wouldn’t have got to it anyway.

It was Tanaka’s first of a pair of tallies that brought the 40,000 fans inside Big Swan Stadium to a roar. In between, striker Jonathan David missed a penalty, the typically reliable Alistair Johnston gifted red-hot Reims attacker Keito Nakamura his fourth goal since June, and Davies, in one of his poorest performances for the men’s national team, effectively ended the game as a contest when his attempt at goal-line defending nicked a bewildered Borjan en route to the back of the net.

Junior Hoilett’s 89th minute tap-in was little more than lipstick on a pig.

When so much of what could conceivably go wrong, does, it might not be the worst idea to just take a deep breath – really deep in this instance – and turn the page, because Oct. 14 couldn’t possibly be as unlucky.

That said, there are Nations League quarter-finals next month, and they serve the double function as Copa America qualifiers. Canada will enter that home-and-away series, likely against Panama, with only seven wins from their last 19 outings and one from their last six. Naturally, better luck will break their way. Stephen Eustaquio and Tajan Buchanon, for example, should be back in the squad, and the travel, while still taxing, won’t be quite the ordeal it was this past week.

Additionally, the five weeks between matches is far preferable to the 96 days separating the Japan contest with the summer’s Gold Cup. And, as far as performances go, the likes of Davies, David, Johnston, Miller, Cornelius and Borjan surely won’t be as underwhelming as they were on Friday. At least, not all of them.

But what of those elements Canada can influence? Assuming Mauro Biello still has temporary control of the set-up in November, what can the head coach and his staff attempt to tweak when the group reconvenes?

For starters, the defense needs sorting – something that was already apparent before the Samurai Blue sliced them up for fun. Given the personnel at his disposal, Biello should switch to a back four, inclusive of Sam Adekugbe. And if there’s not a more reliable centre-back option than Steven Vitoria, the 36-year-old shouldn’t be making way for Cornelius.

Borjan, meanwhile, might be playing regularly in Europe, but he hasn’t been particularly convincing for the national team of late. Canada have ready replacements in Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crepeau, and it might be time for the two Major League Soccer goalkeepers to begin auditioning for the number-one job.

Davies, too, has seemingly been saving his worst football for Canada since – and during – last year’s World Cup. Part of that is his admirable inclination to do as much as possible for his country. The 22-year-old might be a full-back, and a very good one, for Bayern Munich, but Canada’s lack of creativity going forward means he gravitates to the attacking third internationally.

As, for that matter, does Buchanan. And both speedsters should be released to play offensive roles for Canada, ideally on either side of David. This would displace Cyle Larin, but the Mallorca striker has barely played, nevermind scored, at club level more than a year.

Biello might have wanted to start out by showing loyalty to Canada’s all-time leading goalscorer, but deploying two strikers – even if both were in form – against Japan made little sense and showed he didn’t expect Asia’s top-ranked team to play with such a high, aggressive press.

That’s troubling, as was the lack of any meaningful in-game adjustments that might have at least helped prevent his side from being embarrassed. Which they were.

Yes, it was a bad day all around, the portents unlucky from the start. At some point, however, you must at least try to control what you can. As much as possible, you have to make your own luck.

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