LAFC: More than anything else, patience is necessary

LAFC have now not won in their last five MLS matches. But as they look to break out of this recent slump, more than any other virtue or quality, patience is the most necessary.

For 26 matches, Los Angeles FC were the best MLS team that I have ever seen. In fact, they were so dominant during that period that that statement is not even a controversial one. They stand head and shoulders above every other team in MLS history.

However, in the past five matches, Bob Bradley’s side have stalled. They have drawn four, lost one, and looked at least somewhat more laboured than in their previous 26 matches. And given that this has come in the climax of the season, just as the playoffs loom, some are beginning to wonder if they have been figured out at precisely the wrong time.

Certainly, if you were to look at just the results, the picture you would paint is not the brightest. Not only have LAFC not won any of their last five matches, they have kept a clean sheet in none of them and scored more than once in only two. For a team of such unrivalled and relentless dominance earlier in the season, it is quite the drop-off in form.

This week, Bobby Warshaw of mlssoccer.com produced a piece discussing the recent LAFC slump, how the tactics of the opposition have changed, and what Bradley must do to counter. In essence, his argument is that the statistics point to opponents sitting deeper in defensive phases, being more direct when in possession, and looking to contain LAFC’s primary attacking combination: the through pass for an inverted winger between the centre-halves and full-backs.

Much of what he says is highly relevant and accurate. His discussion of LAFC’s need to navigate low blocks, using wide full-backs to overlap inverted wingers is important and hits on tactical elements that Bradley must now implement. The statistics of opponents winning the ball back closer to their goal and utilising more direct distribution are revealing. But there is one, perhaps marginally intangible, aspect that I feel is more important than any tactical adjustment that Bradley can make: patience, on and off the pitch.

When between the white lines, LAFC must be patient in their play. Growing frustrated and forcing passes and attacking moves is an unwise approach. Yes, it may be difficult to break down well-drilled defences who compact spaces centrally and inside the defensive third, but that challenge will only intensify if the midfielders start to play passes that are never there, committing turnovers and relinquishing attacking momentum and pressure. LAFC must take their time, build pressure and force defensive errors late in games as a result.

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But off the pitch, they must also be patient. LAFC have still been dominant in these matches. They have had 27, 23, 13, 16 and 17 shots, all more than their respective opponent. They have averaged. They have had more possession in every match, and less than 55% (which is their season average) in only of them, away to the Philadelphia Union. Carlos Vela has missed two of these matches and played another as a centre-forward. Four of the five opponents are above the playoff line.

They might not quite be carving teams open with the same ferocity and regularity as earlier in the season. They may not be scoring the same incessant number of goals. The results might not be falling their way. But they are still the better team in each of these games. This is not the time to panic. It is the time to trust in your process, to lean on what has been successful for much of the season, with a few tweaks here and there, and to expect the results to come as a consequence.

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LAFC are still the best in MLS. They are still playing like the best team in MLS. They just need to be patient.

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