Perth Glory went down 4-0 to Melbourne City away from home yesterday and for those who watched the game, it didn’t come as much of a surprise.
It was clear that the away side intended to sit deep, absorb the pressure and look to hit on the counter.
A fair strategy given the calibre and quality of the opposition, who let’s be honest are light years away from this Glory side that is currently in transition.
The tactics from Ruben Zadkovich from a defensive perspective seemed to work a treat in the first half, as despite City’s dominance in possession, they couldn’t find a breakthrough.
But less than five minutes into the second half, the citizens found the goal they were searching for as Jamie Maclaren pounced on Marco Tilio’s loose touch to smash the ball home past Liam Reddy.
Twenty-five minutes later, after Mitch Oxborrow thought he was the Golden State Warriors’ Point Guard, Steph Curry, Melbourne City had a penalty that Maclaren tucked away.
Marco Tilio then scored City’s third in the 82nd minute after an excellent dribble infield and then a shot from his weak foot that must’ve blindsided Liam Reddy, as the goalkeeper was left motionless.
Matthew Leckie finished the game off in added time, as he tapped the ball home following a shot deflecting off the post.
Now first things first, I completely understand that this Glory team is undergoing a rebuild. I get that things will take time and we are a fair way off from where we want to be.
Having said that, the performance was insipid.
Now that’s a pretty strong word to use, but let’s not kid ourselves here, there’s no other word that could be used to describe that performance.
Defensively, it wasn’t terrible. But that was to be expected, as essentially everyone bar the striker was behind the ball. We did look reasonably organised.
Going forward, I can’t explain it. We barely held onto possession for more than 10-15 seconds. We either gave the ball away cheaply or played a hospital pass to a player that was about to get swarmed by the City press.
We had no opportunities in front of goal at all in the first half. We didn’t even register a touch in their box until the 66th minute. That’s embarrassing.
We still look void of any creativity in the midfield and attacking thirds. Not getting the Marco Mancosu deal over the line in the off-season has absolutely hurt us, as it is clear that we lack a playmaker.
So looking forward for the Glory, fortunately, there are no games until mid-December and this couldn’t have come at a better time for the struggling side.
There is an abundance of things that have to be worked on and it is fair to say that fans are beginning to lose their patience.
Again, we all understand that this is a rebuild. But in no uncertain terms can yesterday’s effort be deemed acceptable in any way.
To have one shot, that wasn’t even on target, all game is appalling. I’m sorry there’s no other way to put it.
We showed no threat in the attacking third and it appears that over the last few games, we’ve barely improved our patterns of play or structures when going forward.
Perth Glory look far too predictable and easy for teams to beat, as a well-organised defensive block can only do so much.
Now, I seriously hope things change heading into the home game against Western United, as the performance yesterday was scarily reminiscent of last season.
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