The lion does not concern himself with the ongoing discussion and decision-making regarding the next Perth Glory head coach.
What he will do is get ready to leap into action again. Three wins on the bounce, with two more games at home to come.
Adam Griffiths’ biggest test has arrived. It doesn’t get tougher than the current king of the jungle, the ladder leading Sydney FC.
The absence of Joe Lolley is a welcome bonus, but this side contains multiple weapons such as Al Hassan Toure, Piero Quispe and Victor Campuzano.
They are high-scoring and defensively sound, led by the central defensive duo of Marcel Tisserand and the familiar face of Alex Grant.
Saturday night, HBF Park, two of the most in-form teams at the present time. The perfect occasion to stamp your authority on this league.
Is this Taggart’s time to shine?
The current form of the Glory would usually suggest Adam Taggart is banging in goals left, right and centre. That has not been the case.
Since the opening round, the skipper has one goal contribution, an assist to Charbel Shamoon where the left-back did the majority of the work.
In years gone by, there has been an over-reliance on Taggart to find the back of the net. To be winning without him contributing all the time is a good thing.
It’s not like he hasn’t been playing well. His off the ball work has been exceptional, and let’s not forget the calf injury he’s been dealing with.
Finding the scoresheet again is the last piece of the puzzle, and if he can do just that, the Glory become an even scarier proposition.
How well he can perform against Sydney’s defence will have a huge impact on the Glory’s chances. The no.22 is still Perth’s best avenue to goal, and in a game like this where just one could make the difference, you’d be silly not to back him in.
Will Sam Sutton make an appearance?
In between the sticks, Matt Sutton has proven to be a brilliant pickup. In pre-season, he wasn’t the Sutton the Glory fans were raving about.
Sam Sutton was the star of the show a couple of months ago, delivering quality crosses and scoring free kicks in friendlies and in the Australia Cup.
An unfortunate injury on the eve of the season has seen him miss the opening two months of the campaign. Now, he’s back in the fold.
While a start is probably off the table, a brief cameo late in the game is a definite possibility, especially if the Glory need to chase the game.
How he fits into the picture long-term will be interesting, given the good form of Charbel Shamoon at left-back.
Eventually, my feeling is Sutton will be on his natural left side and Shamoon will switch over to the right.
For now, just seeing him out on the park will be a wonderful sight. He adds another dimension to both the attack and defence, and will be a useful weapon at Adam Griffiths’ disposal.
And for the Glory girls…
Has the rest done them good?
The week off could not have come at a better time for Stephen Peters and the women’s side, who have been behind the eight ball in recent encounters.
Consecutive 3-0 defeats to Canberra and Melbourne Victory have left them bottom of the pile, with the worst goal difference and defensive record in the league.
The reset button would’ve been hit during the bye, and now the squad has the task of clawing back the gap in the next month.
Four of their next five are at home, with tonight being their first at the Sam Kerr Football Centre in this campaign.
Their opponents Wellington have started life under Bev Priestman without much chaos. Two 1-1 draws, a 1-0 win and a 1-0 defeat.
Home wins were the key to Glory’s finals push last season. If they are to push again, they will need to take full advantage during this Christmas and New Year spell.
Predicted lineup
Lawrence – Taggart
Despotovski – Freney – Bozinovski – Kucharski
Shamoon – Wootton – Kaltak – Risdon
Sutton
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
