Christian Lattanzio speaks on players that are here, Justin Meram’s impact off the pitch, Swiderski getting called up to the Polish National Team, the key to success in MLS, and more ahead of Charlotte FC’s journey to take on Philadelphia Union this Wednesday.
Let's uh get this going Uh really P paranormal let's just start With you What's going on Christian how are you Good we'll thank you you I'm fantastic uh what can you tell us About the availability of uh Enzo uh Camille rather and uh the rest of the uh The injured quartet we have this week You were about to say Karen right Uh I I said Carol instead of Carolyn but Uh Anyway Uh no um I think again this game uh I Mean it feels that we are playing on a Daily basis now but uh I think it just Comes a little bit too early for Camille and Enzo so They are not gonna be in the squad in This uh In for this game but uh and then but Very close to her back against him band So that's the good news one thing at the Time will but again the the our focus is On players that they are available in Here for us is I want to put the focus On what we have what what not what we Don't have What is Justin marum like away from the Pitch with this squad I mean we've seen The impact that he's made on the pitch But uh I'm wondering with this condensed Level of games how much is his maturity And experience bringing to this squad
I think he becomes uh Justin [Music] Press conference every week I already Said many times that for me Justin as Well as a player that brings the quality That I like in in that position Uh uh he's a very very good character That uh help us To help the change room With this experience especially in the League so I can only repeat what I said Is is I count a lot on him he knows that why I Keep pushing him and sometimes we have Frank discussions already Because I think he can give Even more that what he thinks he can Give so it's my duty in my position to Push him and just as I do with the other Ones And maybe more because of his experience And because of his uh ability and what He can bring or because of his Leadership so from him like from other Plays as I said in the past the car all The end so the Ashley Kalina from these Guys I only a Guzman I only expect more Than I would expect from the other ones So Justin goes in that category so that Tells you how much I rate him and how Much I think is important for us How much uh have you counted on your Midfield you know Derek Ashley and Brant I feel like the way that you've looked
At your Midfield you've thought that Maybe Carol could be that Central Attacking midfielder he's had to push Forward obviously and that's forced all Three of them onto the pitch what has it Been like seeing those three grow in Chemistry and and just continue to be Solid making sure that they are not only Disruptors but creators as well exactly We'll we need to have those guys that They can do everything especially the Eight and the ten and the last game Where Given the the emergency that we have and This is the beauty of having to play a Le Caro that can be a number nine Uh he has done that with different Characteristics from and so from Different characteristics even in his National team where obviously Lewandowski played that that role with The different characteristics and Carol Can play underneath but Carol has been Playing number nine in the past he can Do that role and that allows us to play A midfielder at the moment you know give Us experience uh give us Relative experience obviously experience In the more General sense with Ashley Given his uh background as a player and In Premier League But Brandt and DJ featured a lot with me so They are getting this kind of experience
For our club and I think that they are Playing their role pretty well but again Like you said will they have to be able To do this double roll defensively to Keep us to give us solidity and then Offensively to give us penetration and The ability to create opportunities and To finish them off as well And lastly for me uh you said after the Game on Saturday that you don't want to Be kind of hanging on for dear life at The end of these games you want to be More aggressive how fun of a line is That when you obviously do not want to Concede but you want to seek out all Three points yet you also want to stay On the front foot as much as you Possibly can making sure that your team Is not having to survive in the fashion That it has in certain contests this Season But this is well this is the ground with Every coach is uh trying to find you Know that you create and play with the Ball and you don't concede Chances and you don't concede the too Many possibilities to the opposition uh It's difficult because it's If you stay low and deep you think you Are more solid defensively and then you Can go on counter attack if you stay up But you don't create so many But if you stay up and then you don't You're not so careful in transitions
Then you risk to play play and then the Opposition score I remember in the last Game against the Galaxy to go out there And uh against for me what is a very Very good team still full of uh strong Individuals and with the coach that you Have to respect for who he has done in The MLS I think that We had Vast majority of the chances but the First shot on target is them when we Make a mistake and they can go in Control attack and they shot and then Kale make a say and then we consider the Corner so this is the balance of Playing and creating and at the same Time not considered so we have to we Want to stay True to our identity because also when We play and create like it happens in The in the last game in Los Angeles we Ended up having a clean sheet as well of Course they had their own chances but This is a part of a football game that You also considered that but the idea is To minimize what the opposition can can Do Thank you good luck this week thank you Will okay Sam you're up Um coach speaking of availability uh how Will uh Carol's availability be uh Affected by the international call-up Which one yes it's feder Escape
No it doesn't affect his availability Why why some Um the the team announced it on Facebook Today so I just wanted to uh you know Confirm he was Uh available uh for Philly and the rest Of the games this week yeah of course Because the the international break will Be after Seattle So I don't yeah it's been announced but he Will play it will be part an integral Part of our Squad of our starting eleven So we count on Carol Carol is happy to To play and to to be our uh one of our Strikers so I if anything Congratulations to him to get again into The national team but I thought he Cemented this place in the last game What he's called as well So and he has a good record with the National team so that doesn't surprise Us if anything make us proud and also The MLS because You know people sometimes I hear people That they are not so respectful in my Opinion as they should be with MLS is a League in which there are many players That he doesn't certainly hinder the Possibility To go to the national teams if anything Actually he maximized that most of them People think if you look only at the Polish Squad the books are frankowski
That they were here with New England Chicago Disney play for the national Team they play in big clubs in Europe Carol is the same we play for Charlotte But he's in the national team starting So I don't think that there are Is if anything for us we are proud of That that and MLS should be proud to Have this kind of players that represent A big national teams uh for as a as a League Um so one of the things that was Striking about La was it was Um Kalina's first clean sheet since being Back it was only the team's second clean Sheet so far this year in terms of Everything from you know being able to Win games and and goal difference Um how are you and the goalkeeping staff Uh working with the keepers to try and Uh you know tighten and and the defense Of course to tighten that up and and get More clean sheets as we go down through The seasons Sam I think when we defend we defend uh Together When I mean together I mean starting With Carol so starting with enamel with Enzo so the defensive duties is Everybody concerned likewise when we Attack we start our attack uh with uh With uh Christian with Talina And so
I think it's a collective thing is uh I Said to the boys on many occasions that The success that this team can have is Linked to the way we defend the better We defend but uh when I'm in defend I Mean defending as high as possible Not to be defending deep obviously there Are moments in the game in which you Cannot defend the higher and then the Opposition play through you so you have To defend maybe in the mid block and Moments in which you have to defend in The box like it happened it happens in Every game for every team so ideally we Want to defend in our box the least as Possible but when we do I think we have to be ready but the key Of our success this season or not I can tell you here because I say this To the players is linked to the way we Defend as a team so of course what you Say but it's not only concerned that They go Key by concerns The strikers the midfielders The Defenders everyone and then the Goalkeeper of course but The way we defend as a team is linked on The way how far we can go in the Competition so in which we are Thank you and and finally you touched on This a little with um Will's questions Um but given that uh Justin and Harrison Were both on the 20-man team of the Match today for MLS this week and that
You know you've seen amazing Contributions from Justin since coming On I believe you know three assists and Only five starts so some we should thank Him or he should thank us what do you Think no no no the uh the question is Right away you started thinking that He's making us a favor he's a good gift To stop that But uh we also I think he's uh he also Has to thank Charlotte Oh well that's that's what I'm getting Too But he's done really well he's done Really well I'm joking so the Um we are so happy to have them both Ari And Justin yes of course Um but but you know earlier in the Season in a lot of these press Conferences you talked about you know How how in some ways you were playing a Waiting game with injuries to get Experience on the field now experience Has been on the field it's really shown You've won for the last five games how Has that experience and Leadership Um you know transformed the team's Fortunes It's coming it is important it is Important we have a squad that uh that Has a lot of young players at the moment And we are happy to do that as a club as We said uh we have to do that we have to Build that but at the same time you
Cannot buy experience you cannot buy That kind of being settled or Comfortable in difficult situations that Experience plays might bring and when I Was saying this at the beginning of Season is because as a coaching staff We're working hard we were doing the Things that we do now but we cannot be On the pitch and the boys will learn by Making mistakes like everybody in life You know not just in football I said This already how do you learn you learn By as human beings by making mistakes And the experience play is obviously Because they've been in this situation Can help not just to make less mistakes Themselves but also to give the right Word the at the right time when they're On the pitch and so I think that their Contribution is uh is is immense and he Can show then after we have to grow up As a squad we have to improve in Everything that we do but to have them And we are still waiting to get Guzman Back and it was a for us it was Important to have him on the bench at Least it's uh it's gonna give us Something more Thank you coach good luck tomorrow thank You Sam All right Carol we'll finish with you The last but not least hey Christian do You know what do you know what time zone You're in you holding up okay
Um I'm not sure I thought Um how do you how do you balance Getting Legs some rest and getting prepared are You at the point where you just let them Take as much time off as you can Be the both I mean we did a lot of video Because you can still trade tactically By watching things and by seeing what we Prepared against the LA Galaxy what they Did well what we didn't do so well and Also Analyzing as much as we can the next Opponent so I think the the coaching Staff does a good job and the analysts They do a good job in making sure that We are up to date I watch the game as Well and we confront our ideas on how to Approach game by game And on the beach and the same we don't Do so much but I though I'm not prepared To compromise about the intensity I still want to ask even if we don't go 100 physically to train 100 mentally and Under Pressure sometimes I'm sure that The boys don't like that But for me is uh is Paramount and is not Negotiable that we need to train Under Pressure because It's a way of uh having the right Attitude all the time and even if we Only do 50 physically but the mental Intensity has to be there especially Against the team that we're gonna face Tomorrow that we know that they are
Pretty intense and pretty fighty as uh As a as an 11 so and I have a lot of Respect for what Jim Curtin has done in Philadelphia so I think that they have To be ready for the challenge and you Don't get ready by relaxing you get Ready by being in them then there is Time to relax Carol we've spent plenty Of time on the planes When they're on the beach they have to They have to be intense with me Otherwise We have a Some strong words Okay speaking of your staff I was Curious um what you think of Fuchs Development as a coach has it been a Natural thing are you having to whip him Into shape you know what's has he been To it I said to them I have jokingly I've Noted that I have more Problems to manage the stuff than to Manage the place please uh easier than The stuff is he a prima donna or Something yeah they are wonderful I Think that they are really good and You asked me about Christian Christian Has been absolutely Sensational he is Very humble in his approach he's very Detailed after all you know his very Experienced place also is Austrian but You know they tend to be very analytical Which I like
And no I think Chris has been great and I think I said it in the past I keep Saying I think it will be a very very Good coach and not in the far Uh future but in the very soon he will Be a very very good coach and Charlotte You know uh is very lucky to have a guy Like that working for the club I I have No doubt about it but I knew from from Early doors that he was a guy that came With the right mentality he wanted to Come here to first of all he wanted to Come to MLS he wanted to give 100 on a Daily basis and you can ask for more Than that Great and one last uh thing the last two Games and it might be more you've had That hybrid fullback Midfield Thing working with Jalen Lindsay I know I think one game and Harry One game has It been more and um I'm also curious if That's something that you're doing Because of personnel because of tactics Of who you're playing because they've Had a year experience playing for you They're ready for it you know what what Has gone into it Got on a bit of everything we have a Clear way of playing that we want to That we want to develop and we need to Have certain plays in certain position To allows us to then to have more Passing lanes and more passing Possibilities and then in order to
Attack with more players So the players that they choose to the Role is the one that they convinced me More You always have to find the balance Cattle between how you defend Because you might have a play that is Great to do something on in one phase But then in the other phase you struggle And uh Our vice versa somebody that is really Good in defending for example when he Has to step up and play he's a bit less Confident especially if I ask him to Play midfield so it's to find that Balance for me is important Obviously we know each other more I know What they can offer and this to find This balance uh with the Personnel Obviously uh the the squad is improving And But We still as I said in the past need Disguise needs a little bit of help from The front office but we need to move on And I think that both are in jail and Play the role really well and but I I They have my own trust and they know That And also I guess the other three backs Have your trust if you're leaving a Little bit more defensive responsibility On them exactly exactly again is this um Balance that you need to have between
You know supporting the play and be able To play uh when you have to switch the Point of attack and to be able to face a Transition in control attacks this is a Very important and This is the the game that we need to Always have in mind when you when we Have the ball it is the moment when we Can be in danger To be counteracted because at the moment We are thinking of creating and and so To find the balance between the plays That we have is always something that is In my mind in the coaching staff mind so We can maximize Our uh offensive options without losing In defensive transitions Great thank you Christian thank you all Right we're going to wrap it up there we Have a plan to catch everyone thanks Appreciate your time thanks
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