Don’t let the headline fool you. The two results for the Glory thus far fail to accurately reflect the progress Alen Stajcic is making in the early stages of this season.
Two individual moments had a huge bearing on a tight contest in Wellington, one at the start of the game and another right at the end of it.
Oli Sail’s return to his former stomping grounds didn’t turn out well for the New Zealand keeper, a mistake passing out from the back gifting Oskar Zawada the chance to open the scoring early on, which he did with a well weighted chip.
Not to be deterred, the Glory held firm and fashioned a few chances in the opening half. Aleksander Susnjar’s volley from an Alex Paulsen punch away fell quickly at the feet of Jarrod Carluccio, who was unable to guide it home from close range.
An injury to Luke Ivanovic brought David Williams into the fray early on, and he too came close to finding an equaliser. Adam Taggart’s cutback found the Glory’s no. 9, who had his attempt at goal cleared off the line after getting through the legs of the Wellington keeper.
The eventual breakthrough came just before the hour mark from a free kick. An excellent delivery from Oli Bozanic was put away by Mark Beevers, leaping high above the rest for his third goal in Glory colours.
With the game evenly poised with less than 20 minutes left, a turnover in midfield turned into a dangerous break for the Phoenix. Kosta Barbarouses drove past Bozanic and found Zawada on the edge of the area. Bozhidar Kraev received the final pass in the chain and cooly slotted the ball past Sail to regain the lead.
A lapse in concentration from 18-year-old left back Lukas Kelly-Heald gave a chance for Taggart to equalise from the spot in the 88th minute. His poorly struck spot kick was saved comfortably by Paulsen, guessing the right way to keep the Phoenix in the lead.
Defending deep for the final moments, Wellington held on for their first win of the season and the first for their coach Giancarlo Italiano.
The expected goals at Sky Stadium read similarly to the opening day draw against the Jets. Well in favour of the Glory, more missed chances and our opposition taking theirs when the opportunity arose.
Stajcic named an unchanged starting side and only one change on the bench, with Jacob Muir making the trip across the ditch in favour of Luke Bodnar.
Stefan Colakovski and Bruce Kamau were introduced earlier into the contest, the former replacing Carluccio at half time and the former taking Daniel Bennie’s spot right before the equaliser from Beevers.
The wide areas proved effective avenues forward for both teams in the contest. Kelly-Heald and Tim Payne for the hosts were at the forefront for some of their best openings in the first half; Payne cutting inside and blazing just wide and Kelly-Heald setting up Kraev in acres of space in the box only for him to hit the base of the post.
Susnjar didn’t offer the same threat on his side, but John Koutroumbis was much more involved than last week, making more overlapping runs and linking up better with Carluccio and Colakovski.
Stajcic has gone for defensive stability in his full backs so far and if need can fall back on the likes of Trent Ostler and Joseph Forde to offer more attacking options in those areas.
Another point of note is the move of Jacob Muir into midfield. He replaced Bozanic in the 82nd minute and partnered Colli in the centre for the final 15 minutes. His passing and composure should translate well into this new role and it gives Stajcic another option to choose from in the absence of McEneff and Amini at this point in time.
Payne and Paulsen were my picks of the bunch for the Phoenix. The right back completely shut down Daniel Bennie, winning 6/7 duels to go with his goal line clearance. Paulsen in net has been a revelation, finally getting his chance after waiting in the wings. The penalty save will keep his stocks rising and could see him challenge Sail for the New Zealand keeper spot.
It hasn’t gone to plan thus far, but there’s no need for a panic button. In another world, we have four points from six. Putting away our chances and eliminating unnecessary mistakes will see results turn in our favour.
The champions of last season haven’t started their title defence well. Defeated by Adelaide and by Macarthur, sitting 10th on the table. They travel here, looking for their first points under Mark Jackson on Saturday. Just like them, we’re searching for our first win of the campaign. No better team for Stajcic to do it against than his former side.
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