Neville and Morgan Encouraged by Draw with Atlanta

Touchline Talk

By Inter Miami CF

May 9^th, 2021

Inter Miami earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Atlanta United at the DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday, May 9. Head Coach Phil Neville was impressed with how the team bounced back after a cautious first half.

“I thought in the first half they were the better team, we played too cautiously in terms of our press… In the second half I saw a team that was prepared to do anything to try and get back in the game, win the game and certainly not lose it. I’m happy at the end of the game,” said Neville.

Neville and Morgan Encouraged by Draw with Atlanta

Following his goal to level the match against Atlanta, Heineken Man of the Match Lewis Morgan remained optimistic about how the team will progress and improve as the season continues.

“With the players we have, eventually we will dominate games and I think as I see in spells we are doing that, so it’s just like trusting the process that the manager and the coaching staff have set for us because when we do that, we do control moments in games so it’s just a matter of doing that more often,” said Morgan.

In addition to a motivated team performance, Neville was quick to highlight the excellent individual performances from scorer Lewis Morgan and super-sub Federico Higuaín.

“I think with Federico, in the LA Galaxy game he was fantastic, [against] Philadelphia [he] won us the game, today he came on and gave us that calmness and composure…I just think that at this moment in time the influence that he is having, the impact that he is having in the last 35 minutes of games when the game becomes stretched, when the opposition become more fatigued and the game gets open, I think that's where he has so much intelligence just to come on and pick up the rhythm of the game the speed of the game really quickly, which is what he brings us.”

“He knows his worth, he’s been sensational I’ve got to say and today was another major impact from him. He gives the team a lift, he gives the team composure whenever everyone else is around. He’s really fast and he’s emotional, he just brings the calmness to the game and I am really pleased with Federico.''

“In terms of Lewis, he was MVP last year, best player for the Club and with that comes expectations, comes more pressure and I think what you see in the last couple of games, you’ve seen him getting back to those levels and beyond those levels. I think today is just a continuation of getting more fitness, getting more speed into his play, more direct and we’ve challenged him to score goals,” concluded Neville.

Morgan also praised Federico Higuaín’s professionalism within the squad and highlighted how essential he is for the team, both on and off the pitch.

“Everyone knows Federico's quality on the ball and off the ball every single time he comes into the game. At the moment he seems to be making an impact, and for our forward players it’s a delight to play with him, when you’re making runs you believe the ball is going to arrive…that’s testament to his professionalism. He’s not started as many games as he probably wanted to, and every single day he’s one of the best performers. We love playing with him. That’s two games now that he’s really helped, shifted the balance over in our favor.”

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