LA Galaxy lost on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return to the line-up to FC Dallas on Wednesday night. The Galaxy need more than just a ‘pass it to Zlatan’ plan from Sigi Schmid.
It was a dire season for LA Galaxy last year. They slumped to a bottom-of-the-table finish, they were devoid of any semblance of excitement, anticipation or plan for the future, and they were in need of new lease of life.
So, in that quest, they turned to a 35-year-old striker coming off a year-long ACL-tear recovery who had been deemed unnecessary by his club, so much so that his contract was voided and he departed without any compensation.
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Nevertheless, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as he so often does, brought his brilliance with him and infected every nook and cranny of the club. It was at this point that Sigi Schmid’s infatuation with the Swedish striker began.
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The problem for the Galaxy, however, is that while having thoroughly great players is necessary, it is not sufficient. Football is a team sport. It requires a team to win. Not an individual. That is not to say that individuals are not needed. They are. But they must contribute to a greater, cohesive collective. Schmid and the Galaxy are a long way from that.
Zlatan returned from suspension for a petulant red card on Wednesday night against FC Dallas. On an individual basis, it was a successful evening’s work. Two second-half goals for Zlatan nearly rescued a point for LA. But the damage had been done. FC Dallas were three goals to the good. The points, for all intents and purposes, were theirs. And so it proved to be.
The problem for the Galaxy was Schmid’s tactical preparations. It was, in essence, the age-old, schoolboy plan: ‘pass it to the best player and hope that he can do something special.’ Galaxy were passing it Zlatan and then praying for a moment of magic from a man who is certainly capable of it but cannot always be relied upon. And that is because no one can be relied upon to consistently produce these moments.
Toronto FC put a structure around Sebastian Giovinco so that he can flourish; Miguel Almiron has a ruthless and speedy Josef Martinez in front of him with Darlington Nagbe supporting him; David Villa and Bradley Wright-Phillips are served with plenty of service in New York; Carlos Vela blooms at the heart of a team bursting with attacking options that provide him with runs off the ball and space to work his magic.
Meanwhile, Zlatan is on his own. The dos Santos brothers are out of form and on their way to the World Cup, Romain Alessandrini has hardly performed close to expectations all season, and the less said about the deep-lying midfield and defence the better. It is no coincidence that the Galaxy won the two games prior to the Dallas loss without Zlatan. It’s because they didn’t simply lean on him.
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This LA Galaxy team does have the makings of a decent operation. With a few tweaks and amendments, they could be a postseason candidate. But, right now, their ‘pass it to Zlatan’ is not enough. They need more. And that falls on the doorstep of Sigi Schmid.