Tata Martino: “It’s the third game in a week and fatigue is starting to hit us”

Inter Miami’s coach hinted that accumulated tiredness is starting to afflict his players after a long run of matches.

Diego GorostietaDiegsGorostietaAndy HallEstados UnidosUpdate: May 17th, 2024 19:13 EDT0

YURI CORTEZAFP

After being held to a 0-0 draw away at Orlando City on Wednesday, Inter Miami are back in action this weekend as DC United pay their annual visit to Fort Lauderdale. The visitors are mid-table in eighth and on paper seemingly an accessible rival, however, the Herons will be seeking to avoid any excess of confidence as it’s a game they must win to remain top of the Eastern standings.

On Friday, Miami coach Gerardo Martino spoke about what he expects from the game, and from a rival who, despite a few ups and downs, are a dangerous opponent – especially considering the accumulated fatigue that he is beginning to affect the Inter Miami squad after playing three games in a period of seven days.

Keeping the momentum strong! 💪 5️⃣ wins and 1️⃣ draw in our last 6️⃣ matches. #VamosMiami 💗🖤 pic.twitter.com/CS9as1MEwz

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) May 16, 2024

Three games in one week for Martino’s Inter Miami

“After we played them in DC, they descended into an erratic period regarding results and performance and have even modified their tactical setup, but all MLS teams represent a different degree of complexity and we must be very attentive,” the coach told reporters in Friday’s press conference. “Especially because it is the third game in a week, fatigue and travel begin to play a role and we will have to be attentive not only to the opponent, but also to our own physical fitness”.

Regarding some of the threats that his team could come up against on Saturday, Martino singled out DC’s forward Christian Benteke, whom he considered their key player. Inter Miami will need to keep their eyes on the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker – or better still, make sure he sees as little of the ball as possible.

“There is an area where Benteke is very strong, which is inside the area. The second issue is to mark him closely inside the area but the first is to avoid everything that comes his way – he usually gets service from the wings,sometimes through the centre, He doesn’t just score scores goals, he uses his head to lay the ball off to his team mates inside the area… so it is best to make sure he doesn’t get much time on the ball,” Martino said of Benteke.

Total football 😍23 passes were completed in the build-up to Benteke’s second goal. pic.twitter.com/BYcu0VpHRn

— D.C. United (@dcunited) May 14, 2024

New call from Tata Martino to the League

Martino was also quizzed about a topic that he has constantly expressed his disagreement with, the MLS fixtures calendar and how is team is always affected by the international breaks – an area which he feels could be improved.

The Argentine reiterated that in an ideal world, the MLS should be put on hold during FIFA breaks. Inter Miami are one of the most affected by the FIFA windows breaks due to the high number of internationals in Martino’s squad. During the last international break, he was without six players.

The work never stops 👊 pic.twitter.com/5oDwiMyOqc

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) May 14, 2024

Martino feels that squads need to be evenly-balanced in order to compete – while Inter Miami has the most expensive payroll in the league and with the largest budget, it is largely due to the stars players on its roster. So when the FIFA window comes around, he is left with a depleted squad and that is his major concern and source of his complaints to the league.