Eight months on from taking the reins, the Ross Pelligra era of Perth Glory truly gets underway this weekend in Campbelltown.
New coach, new philosophy, new signings. The imprint of head coach David Zdrilic and football director Stan Lazaridis is clear to see in the current crop of talent who will front up to Australia Cup winners Macarthur on Sunday afternoon.
Preseason has given the fans an idea of what to expect from the side this season, but there are still many unknowns heading into Round One.
Are the imports ready to start?
The overseas contingent of Luis Canga, Anas Hamzaoui and Christian Caicedo will provide a nice mix of experience and youthfulness in their respective positions.
Ecuadorian Canga brings much needed physicality and strength to the Glory’s defensive stocks which desperately needed improving.
Belgian left back Hamzaoui is a riskier signing after going a season without playing, but has gotten off to a decent start in his three pre-season appearances.
Twenty-two-year-old Caicedo makes up the final part of a youthful attack featuring Abdul Faisal, Adam Bugarija and Khoa Ngo amongst others.
The young winger wasn’t included in the provisional squad for Sunday, having played less than an hour of football in the final two matches of preseason.
The defensive duo each played a half in the final preseason hit out against Newcastle and could make their A-League debuts this weekend.
They’ve got enough minutes under the belt to suggest they are ready to be in the starting lineup, but don’t expect either to play the full 90 just yet.
Who gets the nod in defence?
Imports aside, David Zdrilic isn’t short of alternatives he can utilise in his almost entirely brand new backline.
Lachlan Barr and Kaelan Majekodunmi were the chosen centre half pairing for the first Newcastle friendly in Bunbury and played together in the Australia Cup wins over Brisbane and Melbourne City.
They would be a good option having built a partnership over the course of a few games, and it would give Canga extra time to get fully fit and build chemistry with his new teammates.
At left back, Zach Lisolajski is more than capable of filling the role having impressed heavily in the 5-4 win over City.
Josh Risdon is an almost certainty on the right, and Oli Sail seems to be the preferred option in goal.
Macarthur’s quality in attack offers a tricky opening test for the defence. Getting the balance right between them and the midfield will be key if the team is to get a result against Mile Sterjovski’s side.
Can Faisal continue to light it up?
The 18-year-old has been Glory’s standout performer over preseason, bagging three goals in the Australia Cup and twice more in the Tri-Series against Balcatta.
An A-Leagues debut awaits against the Bulls. Their academy side is where Faisal made his name with consecutive hattricks in the FNSW League One.
Expectations are higher given what he managed to do against A-Leagues opposition in the cup, but the league is a bigger leap for the young starlet.
Much like Daniel Bennie did last season, the teenager has the chance and the ability to properly introduce himself to Australian football.
His ceiling is high, and if he maintains his preseason form then the Glory will be very dangerous going forward.
Will there be a change in away form?
In the last four A-Leagues seasons, the Glory have won six of 52 away matches. For reference, Tony Popovic won eight in the 2018/19 season alone.
It has been the Achilles’ heel for the last three managers. Travel is a factor, but it’s not an excuse for some of the performances outside of WA.
I’ve associated the poor form with the white kit, so the change in colour of the away strip to lilac is a welcome change.
The large gap between how the team plays at home compared to away needs to be fixed; with a new footballing philosophy in place and a manager who will stick to his guns, this should be less of a problem.
How strong the performance is matters more than the result at this stage. The wins will come later on if the team can start to consistently perform well, and that is what I will be looking out for when the Glory get their season underway.
Predicted lineup
Taggart
Faisal – Gomulka – Carluccio
Bodnar – O’Neill
Hamzaoui – Barr – Majekodunmi – Risdon
Sail
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
