The signing of Matias Rojas from Inter Miami means head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino has another option in his squad to offset the Herons’ growing injury concerns.
Rojas was officially announced as the new Heron earlier this week following recent speculation, with the Paraguay international signed for the remainder of the 2024 season with an option for 2025. Miami’s latest signing comes just days after it was confirmed that winger/midfielder Diego Gomez will miss the next six weeks with an ankle injury.
Gomez is not the only player on the treatment table, as Martino has been tasked with coping at the start of the season without strikers such as Leo Campana, Robert Taylor, Bejamin Cremaschi and Facundo Farias, who will miss the entire season due to a serious cruciate ligament tear in pre-season.
Martino has also led the team through periods without superstar Lionel Messi, but the Argentine is back to full fitness and doing what he does best, while Cremaschi is also back in action. Campana and Taylor are expected to be back on the field in mid-May, which will be a huge boost for Miami before Messi and Luis Suarez head off to the Copa America.
With Rojas now on the team’s roster, here’s how the South Florida outfit could play with its newest attacker on the roster.
The left-footed Rojas’ preferred position is on the right, but with the legendary Messi occupying that space when not up front in a striker partnership with Suarez, Rojas will most likely be deployed as a left winger in this scenario. However, should Messi take a breather or get injured, you can expect Rojas to play on the right wing.
Since Rojas has experience as a midfielder, there is also a slim chance that Martino will play him as a full-back. But with Marcelo “Chelo” Weigandt in the squad, the Herons don’t necessarily have to limit a talented attacking player to a more defensive role.
Possible lineups
Although Rojas primarily plays as a winger, he has experience playing in midfield. This would most likely be a last ditch situation for Martino, but it could be useful if Rojas came off the bench to get a result in midfield.
With defensive-minded midfielders Busquets and David Ruiz, Rojas could take on a midfield role where he is given permission to move further up the pitch than the other two midfielders. Should Martino opt for a more defensive 3-5-2 formation, Rojas’ role in the center would likely remain the same.
Possible lineups
Rojas also has experience in the final third as an attacking midfielder. This is the more likely option for the 28-year-old if Martino doesn’t see him fitting well into the front line.
Miami doesn’t typically play with a traditional attacking midfielder in its eleven, but Messi usually has the freedom to move virtually anywhere in the attacking third. However, in difficult times like the Copa America, when Messi is not in the squad but for Argentina, Rojas could be asked to take on some of the creative duties in a 4-3-3 attacking or 4-2-3 system. 1 facility.