Gabriel Heinze is pointing the finger at himself for Atlanta United’s winless skid, but that does not mean he is overly concerned about his job security.
Atlanta United extended its franchise record run of games without a victory to eight on Saturday following a 1-0 home loss against the New England Revolution. Questions abounded afterwards about the direction of the Five Stripes under Heinze, but the Argentine head coach made it clear he is not worrying himself about the possibility of being let go due to this string of poor results.
“I do not need (technical director Carlos Bocanegra and president Darren Eales) to show me support because they see what I do on the day to day,” said Heinze in Spanish. “What I worry about is my players. I speak to (Bocanegra and Eales) daily and I understand their positions, but they have always been with me and they see the way we are doing things.
“I will not change that opinion of them if something were to happen, but I do not need them to show me support. What I need or what I am thinking about is to keep working and they have always been with me so there is no problem.”
🐾 @gustavobouok 🐾
In. Form. pic.twitter.com/UuDNUYPApk
— s – New England Revolution (@NERevolution) July 17, 2021
The polemic head coach, who is in his first season with Atlanta United, also made it clear that he is not scared to lose his job should that situation come to pass. Previous Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer was fired for a similar string of negative results.
“I know this profession very well, and I am not afraid to fall,” said Heinze. “I have dedicated myself to this for a long time, and I know the rules well.”
When talking about Saturday night’s loss in specific, the 43-year-old Heinze stated that he took a lot of positives from the defeat vs. Eastern Conference leaders the New England Revolution that came by a minimal difference.
Chief among them was how the shorthanded Atlanta United side battled and played, even though the team finished without a goal for the fourth time in the last five matches.
“I take a lot of positives of this game because this team is competitive and tries to propose play,” said Heinze. “I think the team has tremendous courage. We have not lost that mentality with the players that are playing today, with an effort and fight that is very good and we should be thankful for.
“As long as I have all those elements, I will keep going. The rest does not worry me at all.”
Of course, Heinze knows that he has to turn the tide as far as results go given that Atlanta United is in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-4-7 record. What’s more, he is determined to turn things around.
Atlanta United may be in a bad way right now, but Heinze is confident that he has what it takes to get his side out of this hole and back on track.
“There is an extraordinary team and a group here. Possibly it is the head coach who is very bad,” said Heinze. “But I really believe in what I am doing and I am going to continue to do the same.”