Inter Miami have been in stellar form this year, a fact made even more impressive given that Lionel Messi has missed the majority of the season.
The Herons captain had played just 12 MLS games with Messi missing a number of fixtures due to a mix of international commitments with Argentina and injury, with the attacker currently out with an ankle problem.
Although Messi is set to return for Inter Miami soon, the Chase Stadium side have been quite the spectacle this year, with Tata Martino’s squad the first to qualify for the play-offs as they lead the Supporters’ Shield charge.
And pundit Kieran Gibbs has been impressed with one figure in particular.
Tata Martino praised after guiding Inter Miami to history
Speaking on the Inter Miami Weekly Show, the former Inter Miami defender showered Martino, with the Argentine coach a contender for MLS Manager of the Year this season.
Although Martino arguably has the deepest squad in MLS history, the former Atlanta United manager has used every aspect of his team to incredible use, and a number of players have improved as a result.
GIbbs said on Martino: “It’s not to say that your team has all these great players that your team is going to go and perform, it’s very naive to think that way. He deserves an incredible amount of credit, I think his team selection has been the most impressive thing for me and the balance of his teams.
“The other night [vs Chicago Fire] I was surprised when he went with a back-three, but then after the game he realized that he wants to see his team performing in different formations, they’re all learning so much about the game, the amount the players have learnt under him from such a short space of time, for me he has to go down as the manager of the season so far.”
Herons would not be as good as they are now without Martino
A good case can be made that Inter Miami have got where they are due to the incredible depth they posses in their squad, yet a great coach is needed for any team to succeed, and Martino is certainly that for the Herons.
The former Mexico manager has been the dream appointment for Inter Miami, with Martino bringing MLS experience mixed with the ability to deal with superstar names like Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets.
And had Inter Miami gone a different direction in choosing their successor to Phil Neville, there’s no telling where the Florida franchise would have ended up had they not appointed Martino.