With the international break done and dusted, the focus of football fans will swiftly return to the A-Leagues this weekend for Unite Round.
A quick rest and reset will hopefully pay dividends for David Zdrilic, while Stephen Peters looks to immediately bounce back following a tough defeat at the hands of Brisbane.
Here’s what to watch out for as both Glory sides head to Sydney.
What kind of response will we get?
“Time for a response”. A short but powerful message displayed at the front of The Shed in the moments before Glory kicked off against Wellington in Round 2.
What followed was an uninspiring 2-0 loss. It came off the back of a five-goal defeat in the opening round away from home.
Now we find ourselves in a similar situation. So what lessons did we learn from the two big defeats which we can take into today?
Restricting the amount of shots for the opposition is a necessity. Macarthur and Melbourne City had 20+ shots on goal each, and combined for 31 attempts inside the box.
Limiting big mistakes should be the other key. They’ve led to crucial goals in three out of four matches, and when you’re not scoring them those kinds of defensive errors become increasingly damaging.
Almost everyone is available and has had 11 days to prepare. The players should be sharp, focused and play with intensity. If that’s not the case, it will be a bitter disappointment.
Can two veterans inspire a turnaround?
They were two of the stars of preseason, but for different reasons have played little to no part in the opening month of action.
Defender Josh Risdon is a potential inclusion for his first A-League appearance of the season against his former side after battling an injury.
Having him back in the fold is a huge positive for David Zdrilic. The defence has lacked leadership; someone who can steady the ship during difficult periods. The 32-year-old has been that guy for a long time.
Also a potential in is David Williams, who didn’t feature in the defeat to Melbourne City last time round.
In his two appearances the 36-year-old has primarily played out wide, not in his natural position as a striker.
As an impact sub, his performances last season were very good. Looking back at pre-season, he was excellent in the Australia Cup playoff against Brisbane.
While he is versatile enough to play on the right, his best work is done centrally when he’s closer to goal and can link up with Adam Taggart.
Taggart needs someone like Williams to play close to. They’ve combined well in the past, and is an option David Zdrilic can go for to shift the dynamic of the attack.
Predicted lineup
Taggart – Williams
Faisal – Pennington – O’Neill – Carluccio
Hamzaoui – Canga – Barr – Risdon
Sail
And for the women
Was last week just a blip?
It’s been a real mixed bag for the Glory’s ALW side across their opening three matches. A good start followed by a dramatic fallaway in Round 1, a solid win in Round 2 and lastly, a poor outing in a 3-0 loss to the Roar.
A couple of tweaks to the starting side didn’t pay dividends for Stephen Peters, who has to regroup and get ready to faceCanberra United.
Their formation will be similar to the one Brisbane used last Friday, with three at the back and three in the frontline.
Michelle Heyman will be the key up top, whilst down back two ex-Glory players are likely to feature in the form of Elizabeth Anton and keeper Sally James.
For Glory, the defensive stocks need boosting. The fitness of Onyinyechi Zogg will play a crucial role in that department.
Further forward, I anticipate Kelli Brown to return as the lead striker. After scoring in the opening two rounds, she was moved out wide and had less impact.
Sunday will provide a difficult challenge for this team. However it pans out, it will give us a good idea of where they stand in the ALW pecking order.
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
