Whether it’s on the field or late night television, the LA Galaxy’s addition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic has produced plenty of headlines since he made the move from Manchester United earlier this year. Unsurprisingly he was a topic that came up a few times in the team's media sessions and for head coach Tata Martino, who’s coached his fair share of superstars, it’s no surprise with what Zlatan's brought to the league.
“He’s a world figure,” he said through a translator Wednesday. “What makes him special is what he does in and around the [penalty box]. Because of his size, his strength, he’s good with his feet. That’s what makes him such a good player."
Atlanta United’s squad has plenty of respect for the towering Swede, but once they step on the field it’s down to business and stopping Ibrahimovic goes a long way toward stopping the Galaxy. They say that starts with keeping him far away from their goal.
“He’s very strong, he’s tall, he’s really good in the area,” Leandro González Pirez said. “We try to keep him out of the box because he can do a lot of damage there.”
“Keep a high line,” added captain Michael Parkhurst. “He’s not a guy right now who’s looking to get the ball behind defenses and go on breakaways. He’s very strong and good in tight spaces… he’s definitely someone we need to be wary of when the ball goes wide. We need to be aware of his runs into the box, because he’s very good in the air.”
While Zlatan’s skills are unique, players say the strategy is much like guarding any dangerous attacking threat: try to avoid one-on-one situations near the goal.
“You just have to defend in numbers,” said Jeff Larentowicz, “especially when the ball is wide you need to make sure you have a body on him in the box."
Players say they always look forward to the challenge of playing “special” players, but made it clear they’re going to southern California for three points.
“I think growing up and watching guys like him, it’s an honor to play against them,” Greg Garza says. “All that aside, we’re going there for business and we need to continue this good run we’re currently having right now.”
They made it clear they’re not losing their focus on the bigger picture: competing against the Galaxy, not just Ibrahimovic, and added even that matchup has some benefits of its own.
“I think it’s one that also presents us some opportunities, because we won’t get pressed like we did against NYCFC by a team with a forward like Zlatan,” Parkhurst said. “But they’ve got other good attacking pieces as well, dos Santos and Kamara for example, so it’ll be a tough challenge for us.”
But Atlanta United's players insist they'll always try to assert their own style on the match, no matter who lines up on the opposite side.
“They’re a very good team with big players, we have to know that,” Pirez said. “But we’re a good team too, so we need to try to bring our own characteristics to the field.”
The match kicks off from the Stubhub Center in Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. EST, so make sure to tune in live on Fox Sports Southeast. Click here for everything you need to know about how to follow.
