The conclusion of the international break signals the start of the run home to the end of the season for David Zdrilic and the Perth Glory.
Following the 3-1 loss to Brisbane, the club sits bottom of the league with the worst goal difference by a significant margin. Worse still, the Roar have two games in hand to go ahead on points.
Fans have loudly voiced their discontent; it’s in stark contrast to the radio silence from the people running the club.
Returning to form next season has never been more important. Based on what we’ve seen thus far, that doesn’t look like happening.
David Zdrilic has five games to give the fans some positivity, a reason to believe next season will be different. Here are some of those things that we need to see.
Defensive solidity
January’s 1-0 win over Auckland appeared to indicate a change in fortune for the team. Goals were still hard to come by, but the defensive application was much improved.
In the seven-game spell starting with that win until the end of February, the Glory conceded eight goals.
Before then, they had conceded 13 goals in five and in the last two games, they let in another seven to make it 48 for the season, averaging 2.28 per game.
Both wins this season have come with a 1-0 scoreline. In the 15 games where the team has conceded multiple goals, only two points have been picked up.
When we finished bottom last season, the defence was the biggest issue. When it was our biggest strength, back in 2018/19, it was the foundation of our success under Tony Popovic.
In my eyes, ensuring the defence is solid is the top priority. The three best defences in the league this season are all sitting in the top five on the ladder.
It doesn’t have to be clean sheets; for the run home, the target should be to not concede multiple goals in each game. That would be a step in the right direction.
Goals from someone other than Taggart
Under Alen Stajcic, the defensive woes were somewhat covered up by an attack which was able to find the net with regularity.
This time around, nothing has gone right in front of goal. 14 goals in 21 games is an indictment on the attacking football promised under David Zdrilic.
Adam Taggart has had to do all the heavy lifting. There are some good players around him; they just haven’t contributed nearly enough on the scoresheet.
Stef Colakovski and David Williams provided the bulk of support in 2023/24. Nikola Mileusnic, Patrick Wood, Trent Ostler and others have failed to do the same.
There is only so much one man can do. Lachie Wales and Jaylan Pearman have had the best on-field chemistry with him, but their numbers are also not at the required level.
There has been an absence of patterns of play and a system in which the team can effectively execute moving the ball forward and in finding the goals.
One player can’t be so heavily relied upon. Taggart scoring is great, but his teammates need to be chipping in when he isn’t able to.
Better high pressing
Going back to the Auckland match, the Glory were able to shut down passing lanes and made it difficult for the visitors to build out from the back.
It has been too easy for teams to play through the Glory at times. Rarely has the team been able to consistently win back possession high up the pitch.
The press was a prominent feature during Zdrilic’s time as an assistant. As head coach with Perth, it has left a lot to be desired.
Zdrilic’s advertised style is high-intensity and attacking. He wants to implement and fully imbed it into the playing squad, but for one reason or another it hasn’t happened.
The fans need to see the emergence of his style in order to get behind him as the man to lead the team forward.
It starts from the front and with that press. We have to see it in action, and Zdrilic has five games to show it to us.
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
