Romain Alessandrini: The LA Galaxy’s struggling star

Despite leading the Galaxy in goals and assists, Alessandrini has struggled to show up when his team has needed him the most.

It’s been a rough couple of months for the LA Galaxy. The club has not won a single game since June 21st.

That 3-1 win came against the Colorado Rapids on the road. Coincidentally, that was also the last game in which winger Romain Alessandrini scored for the Galaxy.

Since that game, the Galaxy have drawn once and have lost eight games. The club is currently ninth in the Western Conference and is in danger of missing the playoffs.

Although it might be easy to blame the Galaxy’s backline for the defeats, it also doesn’t help if playmakers like Alessandrini suddenly underperform. The French winger was great during the first half of the season. He scored eight goals and collected eight assists.

Despite the hot start, Alessandrini hasn’t scored in nearly two months. His struggles have really diminished his impact on the Galaxy. Throughout the season, the Galaxy have either drawn or lost close games to teams they should have beaten. Alessandrini should have been a difference maker.

There are a few possible factors that explain his recent lackluster play. For starters, Alessandrini has had injury problems recently. He missed the game against Portland and didn’t really look a hundred percent against NYCFC.

With the bye week underway, the Galaxy will have a few extra days to prepare for its game against the Columbus Crew. Perhaps this time off could help Alessandrini return to form.

Another factor might be that Alessandrini hasn’t really had help from his teammates. The French winger often tries to create scoring opportunities for his teammates, but they tend to either miss or lose the ball.

Forwards Gyasi Zardes and Giovanni Dos Santos have to finish their scoring chances. They need to be sharper. They can’t allow Alessandrini’s work in the midfield to go to waste.

Most importantly, the French winger has to find his concentration. He has to rekindle his scoring mentality in order to get out of this slump. His passing and dribbling need to get sharper. He can’t continue losing the ball under pressure.

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In order for the Galaxy to turn things around, they need players like Alessandrini to step up. Whether or not the team makes the playoffs will come down to their performances.