Toronto FC: 5 big talking points after Champions League campaign

4) Vanney’s Lineup Decisions

Vanney has been big ever since arriving up North and has been instrumental in the Reds’ recent success for the past few years. Multiple competitions, however, really showed some weakness from the boss in terms of the starting lineup.

The American manager decided to rest regular starters in MLS, for the sake of going all out in the Champions League down the stretch. It seems fair when reading it, but Vanney elected to go for a full bench and reserve lineup for two consecutive weeks in MLS play.

Of course, easy points were dropped and TFC find themselves in a bigger hole domestically, as they sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Sure it was a gamble Vanney felt he needed to take, but some regulars in the starting lineup would have paid some dividends over the past few weeks to at least earn a draw.

Vanney’s use of substitutions is also a big criticism of him at the moment. For example, in what finished a a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire, Vanney elected to bring on Tosaint Ricketts, Liam Fraser and Jason Hernandez.

Was he playing for more attack or defence there? Nobody could really tell. Being up two to ultimately end in a draw gives a sense that Vanney uses subs depending on how the game is going right at the exact moment he puts them in, which is a concern.

What’s also worth noting is that he had Ager Aketxe on the bench for the Champions League Final, despite the Spaniard being in brilliant form as of late.

It’s hard to give criticism against Vanney, especially after all he’s done for the club. One lesson should be learned; don’t mess with a winning formula. Trying new things is great, but at the hands of victory, maybe not so much.