The Fire will hope that Torres is the key that unlocks ShaqiriвЂ™s true potential. He isnвЂ™t a central attacking midfielder, and his heat maps prove that as he often drifts to the right wing anyway. There are some other reasons for this, like his injury issues and the fact that he has little help going forward, but the biggest thing has been his positioning. The Swiss captain hasnвЂ™t been bad this season, but heвЂ™s just not been at his best. Him filling in there means that Shaqiri can return to his preferred position on the right wing. HeвЂ™s played there before, and heвЂ™s got the right attributes for the position. See, even though Torres is probably more of a winger, heвЂ™ll likely slot into the number 10 spot for Chicago. Instead, the big thing about his introduction to the side will be that it frees up Xherdan Shaqiri. However, his arrival is actually less about what heвЂ™ll bring to the table. His diminutive stature and low center of gravity makes him a nightmare for defenders to deal with, and heвЂ™s more than capable in the final third, able to make the final pass to set up a chance or go for goal himself. The Mexican is great on the ball, whether heвЂ™s dribbling up the field or picking out a teammate with a pass. However, heвЂ™s a player whose impact goes beyond the scoresheet. Torres isnвЂ™t actually playing great at the moment, only grabbing a goal and an assist in 14 Liga MX Clausura appearances since the turn of the new year. Now, itвЂ™s unclear how long itвЂ™ll take before he can actually take the field for the Fire, but there shouldnвЂ™t be too long of a wait since heвЂ™s already in midseason form in terms of conditioning.

Signed to a Young Designated Player contract in mid-February, the player will be coming to the club on May 1st, which is this Sunday. ThereвЂ™s another reason to have hope going forward. Whether that means a change in formation, a shift in the starting lineup, or some other alteration, thereвЂ™s still plenty of time to fix the situation. However, since itвЂ™s still early, those surrounding the club should have faith in the head coach to make the right adjustments.

If there were only a few weeks left of the season, and Chicago were set in their ways in terms of approaching games, then it would be fair to expect nothing to change. ThatвЂ™s why the sideвЂ™s attacking woes arenвЂ™t too much of a worry. The emphasis will still likely be on the backline, but fans should expect a few more bodies in the final third. You canвЂ™t pass to someone that isnвЂ™t there.ДЄs a result, the system has to change, and Hendrickson almost certainly knows that himself. When the Fire do get the ball going forward, they quickly run out of options and ideas, and the main reason for that is the fact that they donвЂ™t have many players further up the field. With two holding midfielders in front of a back four that doesnвЂ™t venture too far forward a ton, thereвЂ™s always a decent amount of bodies at the back. The arrival of Rafael Czichos has also helped greatly, but those who were already at the club have also improved, like Wyatt Omsberg.ДЄ reason why the defense has been so good has been the teamвЂ™s focus on the defensive side of the ball. Hendrickson has already completely turned around the defense, transforming a previously leaky backline into one of the best in the entire league. An upcoming adjustmentД¬hicago knows that things need to change going forward. However, even though lifeвЂ™s not looking great for the Fire, itвЂ™s still notВ time to panic just yet. The positive feelings surrounding the club have somewhat faltered, and there are now some real concerns from fans going into the future. Open Cup during this time, falling to USL1 outfit Union Omaha on penalties at Soldier Field. Chicago has lost two out of their last four games in MLS play, with the other two games being 0-0 draws at home. However, things have gone downhill since. It was a borderline dream start to the season for them, and it was starting to look like they could be a true challenger in the Eastern Conference under new head coach Ezra Hendrickson. The statement seemed especially true the following week, as Chicago followed up that result with a 3-1 win at home against Sporting Kansas City.ДЄfter four games, the Fire had picked up eight points, and they had only conceded once during that stretch. That was the exclamation of Chicago Fire commentator Tyler Terens after the side had effectively wrapped up aВ win away to D.C. вЂњAnd boy does this team have a different feel about it!вЂќ

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