Perth Glory’s final home game of 2022 ended in a stalemate in front of a packed-out Macedonia Park as they drew 1-1 with the high-flying Wellington Phoenix.
David Williams opened the scoring for the home side just 22 minutes in, his first A-League goal since March 2019.
It didn’t take long for the away side to bounce back as some intricate passing saw Oscar Zawada slot home his one-on-one chance against Glory keeper Liam Reddy just 9 minutes later.
Neither side could find the breakthrough after Zawada’s strike and it’s fair to suggest that a draw is a sound reflection of the game.
The possession illustrated that it was an even contest, with the Glory (52%) just having more of the ball than the Phoenix.
Wellington on the other hand had the better of the chances, as displayed by their higher xG of 0.82 compared to the Glory’s 0.62.
Salim Khelifi was a standout for the hosts as he created the equal most chances (2) during the game, completed the most dribbles (2), fouled (6) the most and won the most duels (10).
Captain Mustafa Amini and young gun Keegan Jelacic also stood out; they were busy in and around the Glory’s midfield and attacking thirds.
A draw is never a terrible result, but what it has done is illustrate a few problems that have been present for a long period of time.
We’re still missing that clinical edge in front of goal.
Getting new signing Adam Taggart into the team is an absolute must as soon as the January transfer window opens as it was clear that Glory were missing a mobile yet clinical presence up front, despite Williams’ great finish.
What’s also evident is that we lack a clearly defined playmaker to link the ball from the midfield third to the attacking third.
I’ve harped on about Glory needing a playmaker like a broken record, but my point remains the same, especially having seen our creative input from last night’s game.
The Glory can create chances but by in large, they’re not exactly high-quality that are likely to lead to a goal-scoring opportunity.
With Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich confirming that Israeli striker Ben Azubel has departed the club, it’s clear in my eyes that we have to use that visa spot on a playmaker.
We also need to improve those defensive lapses that seem to occur in every game.
Unfortunately, we’re yet to keep a clean sheet all season, and given we’re not exactly blowing the house down in terms of goals scored, tightening up that backline is imperative.
The Glory are doing a lot of things right, but we’re missing a few pieces to the puzzle. Having Taggart and potentially a new playmaker for the new year will undoubtedly boost Perth’s chances of making the finals.
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