We’re finally back. The long five-month wait is over, and while there has been substantial change both on and off the field for the Glory, there were some unwanted trends from last season visible on a tough afternoon in Western Sydney.
Ruben Zadkovich would no doubt be disappointed to start the season on a losing front, but what will be of more concern is the manner in which it happened, barely firing a shot despite his new arsenal of forward options.
There’s reason for fans to get excited this season seeing multiple attackers joining the club. Since the Inglewood draw, the club added more creativity out wide in the form of Salim Khelifi and some youthful exuberance in striker Luke Ivanovic, coming across from the Roar in what was essentially a swap deal with Carlo Armiento.
They joined the likes of Bruno Fornaroli, Ryan and David Williams, Stefan Colakovski and Ben Azubel to form what appears on paper as a wide array of talent at the top end of the pitch. Yes, it’s the first game and only our second against A-League opposition since pre-season; there is a little cause for concern though.
Khelifi started on the left with Fornaroli in the middle and R. Williams on the right, playing a 4-3-3 with new captain Mustafa Amini, Aaron McEneff and Zach Duncan forming the midfield three. Rounding out the seven new faces in the starting XI were Johnny Koutroumbis on the right side of defence and Mark Beevers partnering with Darryl Lachman at centre half.
Zadkovich was spot on in his assessment of the forward play post-match. Sloppy, rusty in combinations and poor execution. McEneff was guilty of this, wasting a couple of set piece opportunities in the first half. He did get off our best shot of the game in the final minute however, a left foot volley forcing Lawrence Thomas to save smartly down to his right.
Balls into the box from those set pieces were our best chances to challenge Thomas in the Wanderers net. In open play we rarely troubled the Wanderers, often playing the ball out wide to Williams, who was lively and caused some headache for Adama Traore, and Khelifi who struggled in his debut. Rarely did our attack go through the middle.
More of the ball needed to be played to Fornaroli, who was expertly winning fouls and holding off defenders. It opens up the pitch for the rest of the side and allows the ball to be moved quickly so we can utilise our pace. It occurred once in the first half when Zach Duncan received the ball in the centre circle with acres of space to run into. Romain Amalfitano stopped the quick break with a tactical foul and received a yellow, but it was an example of what could be done when we moved the ball through the middle, it just wasn’t done enough.
At the opposite end of the pitch, it was a completely different story. I am very confident in the partnership between Lachman and Beevers. Every time a ball came into the box, they were there to get it clear, especially Beevers. Early in the second half he made an error in judgement which let Sulejman Krpic through, but luckily, he spurned the chance over the bar. He was exceptional apart from that, including a magnificent sliding challenge on Krpic minutes later after a through ball from Amalfitano.
The fullbacks put in a decent shift; Koutroumbis did very well to keep Kusini Yengi quiet while also having to deal with Adama Traore on occasion. Jack Clisby had a more difficult time with Brandon Borrello and Gabriel Cleur, who was a constant threat on the right and one of the standouts for the Wanderers.
I would have liked our fullbacks to have been more attacking like Cleur, making overlapping runs out wide and giving more support to the wingers. Antonee Burke-Gilroy is out with an injury and Joseph Forde was the only outfield substitute player not used on the weekend; I think we would be better off playing them on the right and left side of the pitch respectively.
The Wanderers goal was very fitting for such a scrappy affair. Borrello got on the end of a long ball on the right, cutting inside Beevers to fire a low shot on goal. Ramy Najjarine slid in before Liam Reddy could collect, the ball bobbled up to Cleur and then to Krpic for a header into an open net.
Reddy didn’t have a mountain of work to do, but when called upon did the job, including the seventh penalty save of his Glory career. Colakovski attempted to clear a loose ball in the box but caught Najjarine. Krpic took the penalty, hitting at a good height for a keeper. Reddy made his move early and was able to palm it away with his right hand.
Western Sydney walked away content with a win to open their account, but Mark Rudan will be hoping for more improvement from his very new squad. Cleur was impressive on the right, as was the lively Borrello. Amalfitano looks a good signing in the middle of the park, and we all know how good Ninkovic is. When he kicks into gear, this team could reach another level.
An underwhelming performance to start the season, a lot to work on and improve on. I don’t think it will take long for the squad to reach peak fitness and get the combinations working like a cog. The pieces of the puzzle look good, the challenge will be to put it all together and make a run for the top six. Getting some results on the road is going to be important before we start playing home games in December. The Jets on Saturday offer a good chance to come away with something, and to atone for a 6-1 drubbing at the Hunter last time out.
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