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The Phil Neville-era is in trouble at Portland Timbers

The Phil Neville-era is in trouble at Portland Timbers

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Derby defeats are difficult enough to digest without the additional consequences that came with the Portland Timbers’ painful home loss to the Seattle Sounders on Sunday. The result dropped Phil Neville’s team to the bottom of the Western Conference with the Timbers on a winless run of nine matches. Portland have problems.

By Graham Ruthven

Neville was an unpopular appointment at Providence Park. Supporters protested against his arrival, highlighting problematic past statements about women made by the former England defender on social media. In a football sense, Neville also appeared to lack the qualifications for the position having struggled as Inter Miami boss.

Initially, Neville looked to have invigorated Portland as an attacking outfit. They scored four goals in an opening weekend victory over the Colorado Rapids and won two of their first three fixtures. The Timbers’ matches were chaotic, but the likes of Evander and Antony were being harnessed in the final third.

And yet even in these more positive times, there were signs of the drop-off to come. Portland grossly over-performed their Expected Goals (xG) over the first few weeks of the season. They simply couldn’t depend on Evander to score a stunning long-range goal in every match. The Timbers’ attacking form was unsustainable.

This has swung the focus towards a faltering defence and a sputtering engine room in the centre of the pitch. Portland haven’t kept a single clean sheet in 12 league matches this season. Out of possession, the Timbers are slow to press and close down opponents. In possession, they are sluggish and laboured to move the ball. 

Miguel Araujo could be the key to improving Portland’s overall play with the Peruvian one of the few in the defensive third comfortable with the ball at his feet. Juan Mosquera’s positioning on the right side has, at times, also given the Timbers a way out. Green shoots of progress, however, are few and far between.

None of this suggests the Portland Timbers are on an upward trajectory under Neville. This season was always likely to be a transitional one after the departure of Gio Savarese, but supporters are entitled to feel they should have seen more progress from their team by now. The foundations Neville has put in appear to be made of quicksand.

“I’ve got to take full responsibility for this run,” said Neville after the 2-1 loss to Seattle. “Any criticism that comes our way has to be aimed at me. I select the team, I pick the system, I picked the tactics for the last nine games. We’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better, but I’m convinced that he will get this right. I’m more convinced than I’ve ever been.”

Neville isn’t the only one facing criticism from fans. General manager Ned Grabavoy is also on the hot seat for some of the front office decisions made under his stewardship. Portland simply didn’t do enough to build out their squad before the attack over the off-season. Neville isn’t helping the situation, but he doesn’t have a lot to work with.

The good news for Portland is that there is still time for them to turn around their season. While the Timbers are sitting at the foot of the Western Conference, they are just six points adrift of the playoff line. They could still catch a number of the teams ahead of them in the standings, but something needs to change for that to happen.

Sacking Neville would be the easiest change to make. Another negative result and performance at home to the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday would pile more pressure on the 47-year-old who has yet to prove he has learned from the mistakes he made during his two years as Inter Miami head coach.

In South Florida, Neville was criticised for his failure to impose a clear style of play on a talented group of players. Inter Miami were one of the worst teams in build-up across the league. What’s more, there was a defensive frailty to the Herons with Neville in charge with their out-of-possession structure easy to play through.

The same characteristics have been evident in Portland’s play under Neville, raising doubts over whether he will ever be able to forge a modern, possession-orientated team. From the start, Neville has had a point to prove as Timbers manager. So far, though, he is only succeeding in proving his doubters right.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every MLS game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

The Phil Neville-era is in trouble at Portland Timbers

Derby defeats are difficult enough to digest without the additional consequences that came with the Portland Timbers’ painful home loss to the Seattle Sounders on Sunday. The result dropped Phil Neville’s team to the bottom of the Western Conference with the Timbers on a winless run of nine matches. Portland have problems.

By Graham Ruthven

Neville was an unpopular appointment at Providence Park. Supporters protested against his arrival, highlighting problematic past statements about women made by the former England defender on social media. In a football sense, Neville also appeared to lack the qualifications for the position having struggled as Inter Miami boss.

Initially, Neville looked to have invigorated Portland as an attacking outfit. They scored four goals in an opening weekend victory over the Colorado Rapids and won two of their first three fixtures. The Timbers’ matches were chaotic, but the likes of Evander and Antony were being harnessed in the final third.

And yet even in these more positive times, there were signs of the drop-off to come. Portland grossly over-performed their Expected Goals (xG) over the first few weeks of the season. They simply couldn’t depend on Evander to score a stunning long-range goal in every match. The Timbers’ attacking form was unsustainable.

This has swung the focus towards a faltering defence and a sputtering engine room in the centre of the pitch. Portland haven’t kept a single clean sheet in 12 league matches this season. Out of possession, the Timbers are slow to press and close down opponents. In possession, they are sluggish and laboured to move the ball. 

Miguel Araujo could be the key to improving Portland’s overall play with the Peruvian one of the few in the defensive third comfortable with the ball at his feet. Juan Mosquera’s positioning on the right side has, at times, also given the Timbers a way out. Green shoots of progress, however, are few and far between.

None of this suggests the Portland Timbers are on an upward trajectory under Neville. This season was always likely to be a transitional one after the departure of Gio Savarese, but supporters are entitled to feel they should have seen more progress from their team by now. The foundations Neville has put in appear to be made of quicksand.

“I’ve got to take full responsibility for this run,” said Neville after the 2-1 loss to Seattle. “Any criticism that comes our way has to be aimed at me. I select the team, I pick the system, I picked the tactics for the last nine games. We’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better, but I’m convinced that he will get this right. I’m more convinced than I’ve ever been.”

Neville isn’t the only one facing criticism from fans. General manager Ned Grabavoy is also on the hot seat for some of the front office decisions made under his stewardship. Portland simply didn’t do enough to build out their squad before the attack over the off-season. Neville isn’t helping the situation, but he doesn’t have a lot to work with.

The good news for Portland is that there is still time for them to turn around their season. While the Timbers are sitting at the foot of the Western Conference, they are just six points adrift of the playoff line. They could still catch a number of the teams ahead of them in the standings, but something needs to change for that to happen.

Sacking Neville would be the easiest change to make. Another negative result and performance at home to the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday would pile more pressure on the 47-year-old who has yet to prove he has learned from the mistakes he made during his two years as Inter Miami head coach.

In South Florida, Neville was criticised for his failure to impose a clear style of play on a talented group of players. Inter Miami were one of the worst teams in build-up across the league. What’s more, there was a defensive frailty to the Herons with Neville in charge with their out-of-possession structure easy to play through.

The same characteristics have been evident in Portland’s play under Neville, raising doubts over whether he will ever be able to forge a modern, possession-orientated team. From the start, Neville has had a point to prove as Timbers manager. So far, though, he is only succeeding in proving his doubters right.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every MLS game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.