Wednesday’s disheartening 3-0 defeat to Sydney whisked away much of the optimism from the close loss to Western United, where it finally seemed the Glory were heading in a better direction.
Fortunately there is no time to dwell on that result with two home games in quick succession. Tomorrow night sees David Zdrilic face another manager who he has worked under in Steve Corica, as Auckland come to Perth for what is officially the new longest away trip in the A-Leagues.
The Glory have played twice since Auckland’s last hit out, adding extra difficulty to the task of trying to defeat the side currently on top of the table.
Here are the talking points ahead of the first ever clash between these two sides.
How will Adam Taggart go?
The one player the Glory can ill afford to lose due to injury is the striker, which is why alarm bells were ringing when he was substituted at half time during the week.
David Zdrilic confirmed in his pre-match press conference the skipper was feeling tightness and could’ve gone on, but they didn’t want to risk it ahead of the two games coming up.
Taggart prides himself on his work ethic, whether it’s applying pressure defensively or making runs in behind.
Up against the best defence in the league, he will have to work even harder if the Glory are to get the ball in the back of Alex Paulsen’s net. Let’s see if he’s able to.
On the chance he doesn’t play the full 90, other attacking options will be required to step up and take charge.
Nathanael Blair has struggled to make an impact off the bench this season, and Nikola Mileusnic managed to get through 20 minutes in his return from injury.
With Taggart carrying something, the onus is on those two as the secondary strike options to help him out. Now is their chance to really make an impression on the manager.
What’s the response after Zdrilic’s comments?
Some of David Zdrilic’s comments really haven’t helped his cause or given the fans a chance to sympathise with him. Whether it be the lack of fitness or the constant talk of what is happening off the field, his choice of words hasn’t been perfect.
Wednesday provided the ultimate form of it when he said the club was aiming to be more competitive, change won’t happen immediately and the players will kick on next season.
Although he says the comments were misconstrued, the fact he’s already talking about next season is a little concerning.
If the aim is to be competitive, there is a long way to go; 26% possession and zero shots on target is about the furthest from competitive you can get. We’re nearly halfway through the season in January, mind you.
Sydney are a good side; Auckland have been even better. The crowd numbers are dropping, and will continue to do so quickly if the club continues to be soundly beaten.
Talk is cheap when there’s no action. If Zdrilic’s words have meaning, then he will rally his troops and take the fight to Steve Corica’s side.
Predicted lineup
Taggart
Faisal – Pearman – Carluccio
Pennington – Gomulka
Hamzaoui – Lebib – Mrcela – Risdon
Sail
And for the women…
Best chance to break the Sydney hoodoo?
The last two weeks haven’t been kind to Stephen Peters and the Glory girls. The narrow 1-0 loss to the Mariners was followed up by a 2-0 defeat in Wellington, where they conceded another goal from long range.
Grace Jale found the breakthrough against her old side, and then a cross into the box was headed home by Olivia Fergusson to put the game out of reach.
For most of the season it’s been a case of not quite enough. Tonight they have a good chance to get over the hump and break a long drought in the process.
Reigning champions Sydney have been a shadow of their former selves, currently on the bottom of the table with one win in nine matches.
The Sky Blues have been horrid in attack; six goals scored is the worst in the league, with Perth and Canberra next on the list with 10 each.
Not only could the Glory register their first clean sheet of the season, but a win tonight would also be their first against Sydney at home since December 2018.
With matches against two of the top three to come, this shapes as a crucial game for the Glory if they are to keep within distance of the top six.
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
