LA Galaxy Post-Game Quote Sheet vs Colorado
Below, you will find a complete transcript of the post-game press conference and media availability for the LA Galaxy after a 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids on Tuesday night.
SIGI SCHMID
General thoughts on the match:
“Similar to Saturday. We had the lead twice so we need to hold onto the lead. Our final resolution, our final commitment, I don’t know if it’s there. I know we can talk tactics if we want, but when a player — when there is one forward playing against four defenders and he drops off and gets the ball in a pocket, I don’t know what the tactics are there. Do we need six back there? The tactics are somebody’s got to get up his rear end. So it’s just that final thing for us. Just hasn’t clicked.”
“I thought they were better than us tonight in the first half. For sure we switched to a 4-4-2 at halftime. I thought we got into the game a little better as the result of that. And we got a couple of goals, but so did they.”
On Lletget playing in the no. 10 spot:
“I mean he scored a couple of goals in the last two games. He’s still searching for his fitness at this stage. He’s a quality player. He’s given to us in bits and pieces and I need it a little bit more on a consistent basis. But that’s not just him. That’s others as well. But certainly, I’m happy for him getting those goals.”
On the Galaxy’s tendency to give up leads:
“Yeah. I mean it’s not good. It’s not good defensively. It deals a little bit with mentality. And it deals with our organization. It deals with our communication on the field. On the first goal, the ball gets cleared out and we don’t step out. We walk out. Again, we can talk tactics and we can continue to work on that, but that’s not tactics, that’s effort. We need more from them. I mean we have the defenders who we have. We weren’t able in the transfer window to add anybody because we just didn’t have the room, or the finances to do it. And we didn’t have the roster space to do it. It’s difficult. These guys have to step up and we’ve got to figure it out. We’re not going to get to the playoffs by going one point at a time.”
On injuries:
“Alessandrini’s knee — he’s fine structurally and everything else it’s just a little bruise in there that they’ve got to take care of so we need time for him to get back. I don’t know exactly what the time is. Giovani has a strain (quad) a grade 2 strain, so his is going to take a little while to get back. Jonathan felt his groin. Don’t know the extent of that at this stage. And Michael Ciani has been nursing his hamstring and he’s been getting through, and it just tightened up again. And we just felt if we made him play the second half he could pull it and that would take him out for a long time. So we decided to pull him.”
Injury Timeline:
“I think Gio is 2-4 weeks. And I think Romain is hopefully 1 week to 2 weeks.”
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC
On how frustrating the result was:
“I think the last two game — I mean three because we lost the first of the three — is very irritating because we should win these games. If you look a the table, at the fixtures, if we take all the points we should have taken we are probably first or second in the whole league. That is very irritating because we make basic things look very difficult. And this should not happen. These mistakes happen where my son is training. But there you are learning. That is where you learn basic things. Yeah, we just have to work hard and keep going. Because I feel a big confusion in the field.”
On if this team is too soft:
“I think many things. One of them is soft, yes. And I think, I mean the first goal cannot happen. The ball goes out and you need to pressure. Basic thing. Second goal should not go in. Basic thing is you should be on your toes and you’re ready always when the ball comes. So basic things we make it look difficult and it cannot happen.”
“So everybody talks about the playoff and the way we play now we don’t even deserve playoffs. So that is how the situation is.”
On not getting scoring chances:
“No. Two games not even one clear chance. And I don’t know. I’m trying to run into space and that and to get the balls. The only thing I had was a free kick. Actually four free kicks. Two of them hit the bird outside the stadium and one catched the hand, the fourth hit the crossbar. And that’s the only chances I have.”
“I don’t know what it is. It is what it is. I am trying, but yeah. I don’t get the clear chances.”
On are you personally feeling frustrated:
“No, I’m irritated. Very irritated. Because this is the moment when you show everybody that you want to be in the playoffs, or whatever your aim, or whatever the objective is, and this is the game you kill. I tell you the opponent is not better than us. But they’re better organized, play better than us, and they want to play. They’re on their toes and they are in the field and playing. So we’re doing everything the opposite.”
On the injuries affecting the game plan:
“That is also not good. We miss Gio (Dos Santos). Today Jonathan (dos Santos) after 20-25 minutes. We miss Romain (Alessandrini). And these players, they are very important for us. And especially they are important for the offensive game of ours. And if you don’t do good defensive, then you need to do good on offensive. And we miss a lot of player that create chances and score goals.”
On possibly playing in Seattle on the turf:
“I don’t know which turf it is. For me, all of them are the same. And I think it’s a shame to play on turf because football was not created on turf. But so far I didn’t play on turf. I think I did one game in Portland — 10 minutes — and that was the worst turf I ever played on. So that says everything.
“I haven’t come so far. It’s Tuesday today, I just lost two points, and let’s see what happens tomorrow and I will discuss what the situation will be for the weekend.”
ASHLEY COLE
On whether he remembered the last goal he scored for the Galaxy:
“I think it was Salt Lake, right?”
On his goal he scored on Tuesday night:
“I just tried to make a run kind of down the line and didn’t get it and I ran inside. I’m not too sure who passed it to me. I got a good touch, it kind of opened up for me and I had a nice finish.”
On whether or not the results took away from the joy of his equalizer:
“Yeah, of course. Again we come into the game looking to get three points, and we concede a sloppy goal again. It’s disappointing. I think all the lads come in (to the locker room) disappointed. We know we have to pick up points now.”
“I don’t know what it is. Collectively maybe we’re not giving our all, fighting for every ball and every tackle. Sometimes it shows in kind of the way we concede goals. We’re kind of all over the place at times. It’s disappointing.”
On the effect of Injuries to the team:
“They’re big players for us. we miss the quality they bring, but that’s why we have a big squad. The players that come in now have to work so who knows how long the injuries are going to be out. They’ve got to stay fit and produce for the team because we need them now. It’s kind of crunch time of the season because we have to start winning games. Especially at home. We could have started it today.”
On how he keeps from letting the defensive lapses drive him crazy:
“I’m gone already (laughs). It’s difficult. At the start of mid-season we were going down and coming back (in games), then the last few weeks we were leading games and conceding silly goals. I think we’re disappointed how we’re conceding goals, and we have to change it. We’re missing the mentality the intensity. We have to start kicking each other because we don’t kick enough players of the opposition. We’re too soft, we’re too nice to each other. I think that has to change.”
On if there needs to be a different mentality in training:
“I think we spoke about it before together that maybe we’re too soft on each other. We have a lot of experienced players. We can all take criticism. We can all take a kick up the ass. Sometimes it’s needed. I think it’s needed now because it’s come to the crucial part of the season where we have to find a place in the playoffs, minimum, because picking up the odd point I don’t think is going to be enough. We have to start winning games.”
SEBASTIAN LLETGET
On how the result settles with the team:
“It’s déjà vu. We come in here and we’re like, ‘we just lived that the other day.’ The same thing happened. We just can’t finish the game. I know it’s a tie, but at home it’s unacceptable.”
On his goal:
“Individually, I can look back on my game and be happy I was in good spots and finished some things off. But of course, I’m let down from a team perspective. It’s tough to take a tie like that, take two goals like that in that area. It’s unacceptable for everybody.”
On if the team is too soft at certain times in games:
“I definitely think so. I think if we were a bit more onto each other and just keeping on each other’s toes, I think we could be a bit sharper. Especially in times like that. I think it’s mentality. Of course, it starts in training, but it’s mentality. We need to get it right before playoffs.”
On if you need guys who are tougher:
“It’s definitely part of it. I think we do have guys that potentially (could be those guys). I have to step up and be that sometimes. We all have to come out of our comfort zone. So I definitely believe it’s something we should be doing more.”
On if it’s an effort issue:
“Of course, if that’s what the manager sees then most likely that’s probably what it is. Of course, we’re running and we’re trying, but it’s just more organization. Maybe we don’t have to run as much and we don’t have to be that tired. It’s more that we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.”