The bright lights of finals football are slowly fading away for the Glory, a team in desperate need of attacking spark and a sudden boost in confidence.
A five point deficit to make up is doable, albeit challenging with time rapidly running out to make up the ground on the in-form Central Coast Mariners, who currently occupy 6thposition.
The next two fixtures in New Zealand will more than likely determine if the lights remain visible for the final dash to the finish, or if they’re shut down by the time the team returns home to Australia.
Auckland are a completely different proposition in front of their home army. Go Media is a fortress, where only one travelling team has emerged victorious this season.
Wales won’t be back, Lawrence misses the trip, and De Abreu is suspended for this one. Freney is the only notable inclusion.
The Glory’s last win was against the Black Knights at the end of January. Repeating the trick will be tougher, but it’s what Adam Griffiths desperately needs.
Is this finally the game Pennington plays central?
As the season goes deeper, the prominent questions largely remain the same. This has been discussed before, and it is worth noting again with Giovanni De Abreu out suspended.
Will Freney is listed in the extended squad, but is obviously no guarantee to immediately walk straight back into the starting lineup.
If Freney isn’t ready to play from the jump, the choice of partner for Callum Timmins is either Pennington or Luca Tevere, who can both fill in seamlessly.
The gut feeling I have is that Tevere will be the one to move centrally, leaving Pennington out on the left where Adam Griffiths has preferred to put him since coming in as the interim.
Of the two, the 27-year-old is a better option out wide or further up the pitch. The logic behind it makes sense, especially if the manager trusts him more than some of the younger options he can call upon.
At some point in time, it would be nice to see Pennington is his natural role where he has thrived the most in his career. Given all the circumstances, this is the game to make the switch.
How strong can the twin towers be?
They’ve been affectionately dubbed the twin towers for a reason. Large in nature and in presence on the pitch, Scott Wootton and Brian Kaltak have had a positive influence on the Glory’s backline.
Clean sheets have been hard to come by recently, and yes, only two teams have conceded more goals this season. However, nobody would agree the two big name central defendershaven’t been effective or below their usual standard.
Without a lot of goals going in, there is added pressure on the defence to keep the ball out of the net. In this game, it will go up a notch.
Auckland have enough firepower to put a big score on the board. Jesse Randall, Lachlan Brook and Sam Cosgrove have scored 23 goals between them, one more than the Glory have as a whole.
Add in Francis De Vries as a crossing threat, Logan Rogerson out wide and the supremely talented Guillermo May and you have a wide arsenal to draw on for goals.
A flurry of last minute defensive efforts saved a point in Brisbane last week. The whole backline unit have to be alert from the off. A lot of the hope to walk away with something rests on the defence, particularly the two experienced men in the middle.
And for the Matildas…
Who retains their spot from the Iran game?
Joe Montemurro made a host of changes to the starting side for the second group game against Iran, with most of the incomings making a strong case to be involved again tonight vs South Korea.
Three of the five found the back of the net, starting with Amy Sayer inside the opening ten minutes, followed by Mary Fowler and capped off by Alanna Kennedy, scoring twice in her new role as a midfielder.
The defence weren’t busy on the night, but the performances from Charlize Rule and Courtney Nevin were respectable. The depth of the squad has been utilised and to the joy of most, they’ve thrived when given the opportunity.
Picking the side for the crucial final group game is a nice challenge to have. The front threeof Foord, Kerr and Fowler is a must have, and might be the most dangerous front three in the tournament.
Kennedy is the other I would keep in the starting lineup. That is the strongest team we could put out in my opinion, but to reinforce a previous statement, the depth is good. Whoever gets chosen, the faith is there for them to play their role and secure top spot in the group.
Predicted lineup (Glory)
Taggart – Kucharski
Pennington – Timmins – Tevere – Colakovski
Sutton – Wootton – Kaltak – Shamoon
Sutton
Predicted lineup (Matildas)
Foord – Kerr – Fowler
Gorry – Kennedy – Wheeler
Catley – Hunt – Heatley – Carpenter
Lincoln
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
