LA Galaxy: Zlatan Ibrahimovic needs MLS Cup help
The LA Galaxy have slipped down the Western standings. As they look to take a run at the MLS Cup, they must provide Zlatan Ibrahimovic with help.
The LA Galaxy were missing something — and it wasn’t Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In the game against the crosstown rivals Los Angeles FC, Zlatan showed he is a Ferrari among Fiats. But then he said his teammates are also Ferraris. That’s where things get confusing. The Galaxy gave up two goals in that game, four goals in Portland a week later, and three goals in Atlanta — two own goals and a penalty to be exact.
The LA Galaxy are currently sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference with 37 points, although the margins are negligibly slim at this stage in the season. Minnesota, San Jose and Seattle are tied for second with 38 points. One win puts the Galaxy back in second place.
Their first 10 games of the season were seven wins, one tie and two losses. The two losses came to FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls. They’ve won five games and lost eight games since then. There is something going on and it is affecting their chances at the MLS Cup.
This week, the transfer deadline came and went. They were able to send Emmanuel Boateng to D.C. United and exchange funds with Orlando City to put together enough money to get Cristian Pavón on a loan from Boca Juniors. But is that enough?
Having Zlatan at the top is great for any team, of course, but if you can’t get him the ball so he can make some magic happen, it’s useless. The midfield needs to improve their play. The passing has been sloppy in the last few games, the defense can look lazy at times as well, and the communication has got to a low point where they scored on themselves twice and gave up a penalty to add insult to injury. The Galaxy are tied for 11th in goals conceded with 34 goals in 23 games.
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Guillermo Barros Schelotto has been using the 4-2-3-1 with Zlatan at the top. In the last few games, he has had Favio Alvarez, Uriel Antuna, and Julian Araujo as attacking midfielders, which hasn’t been that great. Jonathan dos Santos and Joe Corona have been the defensive midfielders with the back four comprised of Diego Polenta, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Daniel Steres, and Rolf Feltscher.
This defensive four shouldn’t change in the upcoming game against D.C. United, but dos Santos and Corona need to provide more assistance in the midfield. Barros Schelotto has had a variant of Alvarez, Antuna, Araujo, Perry Kitchen, and Sebastian Lletget on the attacking side. With Boateng now gone, there is an open substitution spot open for any that don’t get the start. But with Pavón, who is certain to start, on his way, someone is the odd man out.
It might be more proactive to have Pavón on the right in place of Araujo. Araujo has shown he is more of a striking force than a natural wide player. The three subs Barros Schelotto should utilize moving forward are Araujo in place of Corona, Kitchen in place of Alvarez, and either Lletget in Antuna’s place or Jørgen Skjelvik in Polenta’s place.
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This weekend is going to be a battle on both ends of the field. D.C. is fighting to climb the standings the same way as the Galaxy. They need a win to get into second place. They also need to prove that they can help Zlatan. If they cannot, those early-season MLS Cup hopes will not last long.