Round One is done. The Glory landed a couple of early blows on the Phoenix and then responded by not throwing a single punch for the last hour of the 2-2 draw.
Giancarlo Italiano adapted to what was happening on the park when Adam Taggart scored to give the Glory a 2-0 lead after 26 minutes.
When Ifeanyi Eze halved the deficit right before the break and the Phoenix had all the momentum, David Zdrilic failed to address it accordingly.
Having failed to take advantage in a winnable home game, the Glory now face the much steeper challenge of taking on the reigning champions on their home turf.
Again, the Glory are without key midfielders Luke Amos and Tom Lawrence. Nicholas Pennington will also miss with soreness picked up in his second half cameo last week.
The injury list is bigger, the heat is still on, and the need to see improvement on the park remains. The perfect time to face the ultimate test.
Does Zdrilic stick with the 3-4-3?
The gameplan was clear from the off against Wellington. Take advantage of the high line with three forwards who will make the runs in behind.
All three were very good in the first game, mainly in the opening half hour. Adam Taggart is still clinical as ever; Jaiden Kucharski was brilliant on the right side and Sebastien Despotovski looked confident and comfortable at A-League level.
Eventually, Wellington got into their groove. They were able to completely disrupt the Glory in transition. They were able to maintain long periods of possession, exploiting the Glory’s press with precise passing and smart combinations.
David Zdrilic adjusted the men in midfield, but it didn’t help the cause. The Phoenix were able to create an outnumber in middle of the park, making it difficult for the Glory to win back possession and keep hold of it.
This is the biggest question going into the game: the Glory can switch to the 3-5-2 formation. An extra body in midfield would be ideal, but it would come at the expense of one of the forwards. Will they do it?
In my eyes it has to be done. Melbourne City had 63% possession away from home against a strong Wanderers outfit. Going against a midfield three of Mathew Leckie, Kai Trewin and Andreas Kuen, a third midfielder is needed to even the numbers if we are to challenge the defending champs.
How good is the defence?
Much fanfare was made when Scott Wootton and Brian Kaltak arrived in Perth as part of the plan to tidy up one of the worst defences in the league.
On the opening night, steps were made in the right direction. Despite conceding over 70% possession and 500 passes, Matt Sutton faced five shots on target from 11 shots.
By comparison, the Glory conceded 13 shots on target from 21 shots in the opening game last year. Another point of difference: an xG of 0.77 vs 4.06.
With those stats in mind, it’s not all positive. Two goals were conceded, and despite the figures the defence didn’t look rock solid.
The defensive line was exposed for the opening goal, and when Ifeanyi Eze got one-on-one with any of the defenders he was threatening.
City are a bigger goal threat, with the likes of Max Caputo up front, Kuen and Leckie running the show and their new signings Elbasan Rashani and Takeshi Kanamori.
This will show us how much progress Zdrilic has made resolving the defensive woes from last year. For all Glory fans’ sake, we pray that it is substantial.
Who will be the impact subs?
Being able to call upon substitutes to change a game is a massive weapon in a coach’s arsenal. The Glory need to find theirs.
Joel Anasmo had been the guy to rely upon to get regain momentum and get the fans going. He didn’t have a great showing off the bench on opening night and now he’s out with an Achilles issue.
Nathanael Blair also came on as an attacking source and like Anasmo, didn’t impress greatly in the half hour he was on the pitch.
Three of the Glory’s potential ins for this week could be the one to take Anasmo’s mantle as the main impact sub.
Khoa Ngo is the most similar to Anasmo with his pace and enthusiasm, there’s Adam Bugarija who can be a creative outlet and finally we have Arion Sulemani, the striker who came across from City to the Glory.
Any of those three could provide a spark in the closing stages of the game. With quite a few missing, this presents a golden opportunity to secure their spot in the matchday squad and become an important piece of David Zdrilic’s plans.
Predicted lineup
Taggart – Kucharski
Wales – Timmins – O’Neill – Bozinovski – Ostler
Kaltak – Wootton – Risdon
Sutton
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
