Atlanta United's Kenwyne Jones was the first player to share his enthusiasm for the hiring of manager Gerardo Martino, which was announced on Tuesday.
“I’m really happy that Martino has made the decision to join us at Atlanta United - he’s played at all levels of football, he’s led Argentina to the top spot in the FIFA World Ranking, and he’s been at the coaching helm for one of the biggest clubs in the world, FC Barcelona,” Jones said in a statement from his public relations firm. “He is a leader in every sense of the word, and I respect him a lot.”
It will be interesting to see how Jones, currently on loan with Central FC in his native Trinidad and Tobago, will fit within Martino’s pressing style.
Jones is a big, physically imposing target forward. Players with his size don’t always work within a pressing style that relies on quickness. Liverpool, which plays a style similar to Martino’s, phased out Christian Benteke. Barcelona won with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, also a big forward, but he eventually moved on.
The good thing is Atlanta United’s roster is still being put together so Martino has time figure out how to compliment Jones’ skills with other players in a way that will satisfy his strategies and tactics before the 2017 inaugural season.
Other players that the team has signed, including Hector Villalba, Junior Burgos, Andrew Carleton and Jeffrey Otoo, would seem to have the skills, or the potential, to play in Martino’s system. Chris McCann may have the versatility as a midfielder or fullback.
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