Former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is hoping that LA Galaxy can benefit immensely from the arrival of Nigel de Jong as the club’s new signing.
One of the strongest and well-known teams in the MLS, LA Galaxy have been struggling for form in the last couple of years. This slump in form has come about after the retirement of Landon Donovan, who was a major player for the club for several decades. Even after the arrival of Steven Gerrard, LA Galaxy have found it difficult to create consistent set of results.
This led to the club acting quickly at the start of the season to bring in former Manchester City and AC Milan midfielderde Jong. Known for his combative way of playing, the midfielder will provide the defensive strength in front of the back four. This would allow the team to take advantage of the attacking prowess of Steven Gerrard. During his later years with Liverpool, Gerrard was not an attacking force with his amazing runs. Instead, he concentrated on influencing the game from a deep lying position. The presence of De Jong allows manager Bruce Arena with the flexibility to change his tactics depending on the needs.
Gerrard told the Hamble yacht charter website that the team will get better as they start to know each other over the next few weeks. “I think we’re weeks away [from having the connections down pat]. We’ve probably had 10 [training] sessions together, a couple of 90 minutes [in games]. With preseason, it doesn’t matter how hard you push yourself in the gym or on the training ground, there’s nothing like match tempo, MLS minutes, and it’ll take three or four games before we peak. Nigel’s your typical No, 4/6, where they sit in there, they’re aggressive, they break up their play,” said Gerrard after the arrival of his new teammate.