Atlanta United’s signing of Russia international Alexey Miranchuk means there’s a few different ways the Five Stripes could take the pitch with the versatile midfielder.
The 2018 MLS Cup champions announced earlier this week that the 28-year-old has joined the club on a deal through the 2027 MLS season with an option for 2028. Miranchuk was brought in from Serie A side Atalanta to fill the void left by Thiago Almada, who was transferred to Brazilian side Botafogo earlier this month.
While Miranchuk isn’t expected to debut for his new club until late August or early September due to the work visa process, it’s never a bad idea to see how Atlanta could integrate their newest player into the starting XI as they hope to qualify for MLS Cup playoffs.
Here’s how Atlanta’s newest signing fits in at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Miranchuk has often lined up as an attacking midfielder throughout his career, playing 230 games as a No. 10, according to Transfermarkt. When spearheading the creative duties, Miranchuk has logged an impressive 33 goals and 45 assists.
When it comes to Atlanta, interim boss Rob Valentino has switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 as the team had no true playmaker in the side. However, with Miranchuk in the picture, Atlanta could return to a 4-2-3-1 or they could stick with the 4-3-3 with Miranchuk taking on a more central role.
The former Torino player has also taken up shop in a center-forward/support striker role in the past. Transfermarkt reveals that Miranchuk has bagged eights goals and eight assists in 40 appearances as a center-forward, and as Atlanta currently have no star striker after the sale of Giorgos Giakoumakis, it would sense for their newest signing to potentially lead the line for a few matches.
If Miranchuk isn’t leading the charge as a No. 10, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him line up out on the right-wing as he’s a left-footed player. If Valentino or the next permanent head coach wanted to tweak their tactics a bit with Miranchuk, they could deploy him out wide on the right so that he could cut in on his preferred left foot to send in crosses or take shots at goal.
According to Transfermarkt, Miranchuk has played as a right-winger 59 times in his career, tallying 11 goals and 12 assists.
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