The final matchday before the first international break has arrived, and the tale of the Glory’s season thus far has been nothing but woe.
Manager gone, injuries galore, zero wins on the board. No Tom Lawrence this week either, after the forward was concussed in the 2-0 loss to the Victory.
Lots of doom and gloom on the face of it. Fortunately, interim coach Adam Griffiths has stepped up and despite the result last week, the team were much improved in comparison to the opening fortnight under David Zdrilic.
With an extra week of training under his tutelage, a bigger leap should be seen in Friday’s clash with the Mariners.
A much-needed win is on the cards. For everyone involved at the club, a confidence boost going into the break would be massive. No pressure then.
Does the defence need a shake-up?
Tightening up at the back was one of the focal points oftraining this week according to Adam Griffiths in his pre-match press conference.
Three games in, the Glory’s defence is the second worst in the league behind Newcastle, who have also conceded multiple goals in each of their games.
Brian Kaltak was signed with much fanfare, but in the last two games has made uncharacteristic errors which have led to goals.
Against Victory, a poor clearance led to Keegan Jelacic opening the scoring, and then a bold tackle which bounced unfavourably left the rest of the defence exposed, resulting in Juan Mata scoring the second. The less said of Melbourne City’s second goal the better.
The two goals on Halloween weren’t directly his fault; nonetheless, he has underperformed next to Scott Wootton.
Waiting in the wings are Kaelan Majekodunmi and Adriano Lebib, two youngsters who are more than capable of slotting in and doing a job.
This might be the game to introduce one of the two. Game time enhances development, which they’re not getting by sitting in the stands or on the bench.
What’s the best midfield two?
If Luke Amos and Nicholas Pennington were fit, this wouldn’t be a question. But they’re missing again, so the question stands.
Rhys Bozinovski has to be one half of the pairing. His defensive prowess and confidence on the ball has been evident in the opening three weeks.
Callum Timmins was average against the Victory, and is a similar type of player to Bozinovski in terms of profile. Looking at stats from last season, both players ranked highly in possession and defensive metrics.
They played together against Victory, and will probably be the go-to against Central Coast. For something different, I would be looking at Will Freney.
The 20-year-old has created the most chances for Glory with seven this season, and is no slouch on the defensive side of the game.
It also frees up a spot on the right for a more energetic winger to complement Lachie Wales, someone like Khoa Ngo for instance.
Freney would be more suited to playing centrally, and could be the missing link between the midfield and the strikers that we need.
And for the Glory girls…
Badawiya vs Jansen: Who comes out on top?
Based on the results from the opening weekend, the game between the Glory and the Roar should have goals in it.
Three goals scored for each team, and they both weren’t completely stable defensively. Prepare yourself for a high-scoring encounter.
If attack will win the game, the key matchup to look at will be the star forwards. On the purple side, we have Rola Badawiya.
The new signing got off to the perfect start against the Wanderers, scoring on debut with a lovely first time finish and then setting up Gabby Hollar with an inch-perfect cross to restore the Glory’s two goal lead.
On the orange side, the Roar have Dutch recruit Bente Jansen. Like Badawiya, the former Ajax star scored and assisted on the opening weekend, curling in a beauty with her left foot and then putting in a cross which Tameka Yallop nodded home late in the game.
Two prominent forwards who can put the ball in the net and set up others to do the same. Whoever plays better probably wins the game for their side.
If you can, get down to HBF Park at 4pm to watch these two. It’ll be worth your time, no matter the result.
Predicted lineup
Despotovski – Taggart
Wales – Freney – Bozinovski – Ngo
Shamoon – Wootton – Lebib – Risdon
Sutton
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
