Probably the first question after the shock of Zlatan Ibrahimović coming to LA started to subside was “Ok, how’s all this going to work?” Originally we believed Ibra could either step in for incumbent striker Ola Kamara as a substitute, or join Kamara as a second forward for a Scandinavian two-punch.
However as the gravity of the situation has began to sunk in, it has become apparent the Swedish superstar has no plans to take it easy. Ibrahimović wants to make an immediate impact, and sure enough, Sigi’s comments over the weekend suggest the LA Galaxy boss will opt for the latter approach.
“We’re going to have to try and figure that out,” Schmid chuckled. “I didn’t want to think about that a whole lot [before Vancouver]. I wanted to make sure we had this game plan right. I’ll probably throw some lineups or different formations on the board and see what I think works and what makes sense.
”But Ola’s an important player to our team, because of his ability to score goals and because of his ability to stretch the defense. At times Zlatan’s played very well with that kind of a player. I’m sure we can establish a connection and a combination there.”
Sigi’s comments this morning echoed a similar sentiment.
“I am very confident that we have good options, good depth and good players whose qualities complement each other,” head coach Sigi Schmid told LA Galaxy Insider. “Whereas a Kamara likes to run behind the defense, Ibra likes to get the ball to his feet.
“Though people talk about great players’ goals, whether it’s a Messi or Ronaldo, many of those guys are also great passers of the ball. And when you step on the field with Ibra, you know that if you make your run, he’ll find you.”
Putting Ibra and Ola up top can work and even thrive in theory, but we ran into the same fundamental issues Matt Doyle discovered: One you’re conceding possession, and two, where does Giovani dos Santos fit? The 3-5-2 is a possible solution, and after an injury ravaged squad successfully deployed the formation last week in Vancouver, the 3-5-2 might be the shape going forward for LA.