The light at the end of the tunnel is a long way from sight. There weren’t a lot of positives to take from the 3-1 loss to Western United in Unite Round.
Similar issues continue to hamper the progress David Zdrilic is trying to make with his squad. The hot seat is close to boiling point, with the potential to explode if there continues to be no sign of improvement.
Before kicking off under the Friday night lights at Coopers Stadium, a look at the talking points as the Glory continue the hunt for their first win of the season.
Muir was the first. How many will there be?
The mutual termination window has officially begun in Perth, following yesterday’s announcement of the departure of defender Jacob Muir.
Limited game time and the chance to move overseas proved tempting enough for the 22-year-old, who made 33 appearances for the club in three years.
In their announcement, the club let it be known “further squad announcements will be made shortly.”
With the January transfer window on the horizon, it seems like plans are in motion to trim the squad to make room for a couple of new additions.
Muir’s exit leaves a spot for a central defender. Potential replacements include free agent Tomislav Mrcela or Socceroo Thomas Deng, who will be leaving J1 club Albirex Niigata.
My expectation is for there to be two or three outgoings total, which in theory means the same number of incomings in the new year.
The two ideals would be getting fees for those who go and signing first team quality replacements. Extra depth is always good, and certain positions (ahem, no. 10) desperately need filling.
Can Khoa be the Ngo-to guy?
A good friend of mine has been unwavering in his praise for the emerging Glory winger, the 18-year-old who was given his first start last week.
It was his 50-50 challenge win and burst of speed through the middle which led to the opening goal of the game scored by Trent Ostler.
He’s been one of the few bright spots in a poor season thus far, and by most accounts was one of Glory’s best in last week’s loss.
The lacklustre performances of the attacking players and the injuries to Nikola Mileusnic have opened the door for Ngo to break through and potentially make a starting spot his own.
There has been a distinct lack of spark and excitement going forward. Ngo has looked the most likely to produce it, and should get the chance to do so again against Adelaide.
How do you solve the defensive lapses?
The Glory have a problem with conceding goals, no doubt about it. What is of more concern is how they let games unravel so quickly.
Macarthur scored three goals in the opening 21 minutes. Melbourne City scored three goals within the space of 10 minutes either side of half time.
Same story in the last game. Western United’s three goals came in the space of 16 minutes. That’s not a skill issue, that’s a mindset problem which highlights a complete absence of accountability and responsibility when the going gets tough.
Adelaide are good enough to punish us the same way those other three teams have done. They scored three in 23 minutes against the Wanderers in Round 3, and scored three in 16 minutes the last time we played them.
The spine of the defence and midfield have to be better. Those four (two centre backs, two holding mids) bear the brunt of the defensive duties, and must be vigilant tonight to give us a chance of getting a result.
Predicted lineup
Taggart
Ngo – Faisal – Ostler
Pennington – Gomulka
Hamzaoui – Canga – Barr – Risdon
Cook
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
