There has been radio silence on the western front during the recent international break from the Perth Glory hierarchy.
During an ideal period of time to appoint a permanent head coach, the club is no closer to making a decision on the matter than they were a fortnight ago.
Interim Adam Griffiths remains at the helm for the time being. The longer this “worldwide” search continues, the more inevitable it seems he will be given the reins for the remainder of the season.
The lack of noise has been slightly offset by positive news on player availability. Jaiden Kucharski and Tom Lawrence are ready to go this week, while Sam Sutton and Luke Amos are recovering well from their respective injuries.
Newcastle away was formerly a happy hunting ground, but not anymore. The Glory haven’t left the Hunter with three points since 2018, failing to win their last nine A-League matches at the venue.
The last three matches between these teams in Newcastle have ended 2-2. Will history repeat itself, or are we in for a surprising scoreline?
Can Griffiths fit all the attacking talent into his system?
For the first time this season, a Glory squad will include the forward quartet of Adam Taggart, Jaiden Kucharski, Lachie Wales and Tom Lawrence.
It will be Kucharski’s first appearance under the interim boss, and the second for Lawrence after suffering a concussion in his Glory debut against the Victory.
If all four are fit, the expectation is they will all start on Sunday. How they fit into the jigsaw puzzle of the starting lineup is of most intrigue.
In the 4-4-2, the most likely formation, Taggart and Kucharski would start up top, with Wales playing off the right and Lawrence off the left.
Alternatively, although highly unlikely, the Glory could play in a 4-3-3, with Lawrence in the no.10 spot, Wales on the left wing, Kucharski on the right (like he did in the opening game vs Wellington), and Taggart down the middle.
However it shakes out, seeing all four playing together should excite the Glory faithful. On paper, they can do a lot of damage in front of goal. Building their connection on field and keeping them all fit will be the key to fixing the recent attacking woes.
Can the defence handle the box office Jets?
The Newcastle frontline and the Glory backline are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Mark Milligan’s attack is full of quick, exuberant youngsters. Perth’s back four is mostly made up of experienced, no-nonsense defenders.
Alex Badolato, Ben Gibson, Will Dobson and Clayton Taylor are all 22 or under. Scott Wootton, Brian Kaltak and Josh Risdon are all 32 or over. It’s a game of young vs old this week.
If the Jets can break through the Glory midfield and run at the back four, it will be a long day at the office. Restricting the amount of times Newcastle can counterattack would’ve no doubt been a focus for the coaching staff during the week.
Brisbane showed two weeks ago how to stop the Jets in attack; Sydney showed three weeks ago how to exploit them on the turnover. The blueprint is there for the Glory; if they can implement and execute the plan effectively, then a first win is there for the taking.
And for the Glory girls…
Will they take their chances?
Not taking advantage when the momentum was on their side is what cost the Glory women in their 2-0 defeat to the Sky Blues last week.
Stephen Peters’ side were good in the first half, better than Sydney, but went into the break still level. In the second half, Sydney improved and scored twice when they were in control of the contest.
Those goals can partly be put down to small lapses in concentration and silly mistakes, which the coach addressed in his pre match presser.
Just like the Western Sydney game in Round 1, this is a prime opportunity to walk away with some points against a side who isn’t in great form.
Canberra have one point from their opening three matches. They have a very good striker in Michelle Heyman and a decent supporting cast.
It’s imperative the Glory start walking away from these types of games with something. It’ll make a difference come seasons end, and instils confidence in the playing group when they travel, which they didn’t have at all in the last campaign.
Predicted lineup
Taggart – Kucharski
Lawrence – Timmins – Bozinovski – Wales
Shamoon – Wootton – Kaltak – Risdon
Sutton
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
