Western Sydney Wanderers boss Tony Popovic says he and his side learned valuable lessons from their lengthy travels last season ahead of the club’s long trip west to tackle a confident Perth Glory.
2014 saw the Wanderers forced to navigate a trying schedule including the A-League and the FIFA Club World Cup after their historic Asian Champions League success.
The latter two commitments are no longer a factor this season and have contributed significantly to the Wanderers’ table-topping form, along with a complete squad overhaul in preseason.
Popovic believes his club evolved during that tough period, as did he as a manager.
“As a club, a team, as a coach, you’re constantly evolving and trying to improve and I’m not different,” Popovic said.
“Last year we had, in a six-month period, probably an education as a club, and if we’re talking about myself, as a coach that you don’t get in four or five years.
“The amount of games, the amount of travel … the challenges that were put in font of us … it’s a quick-fire education and I believe we got a lot out of that. I certainly learned a lot from that period.
“We always believe that will make us stronger and so far, we can see that we’re stronger as a club.”
First-placed Western Sydney face another challenging road trip: the five-hour flight west.
The Glory are riding a wave of confidence after back-to-back home wins over Central Coast Mariners and reigning champions Melbourne Victory.
Popovic lauded their form, warning that only the best possible performance from the Wanderers would see the three points head back to Parramatta.
“They’ve had two very good results in a short space of time. Regardless of the result last night (against Victory), we know it’s a tough trip to Perth.
“We’ve had many tough encounters over there, we expect no different. We’re going to Perth fully prepared and expecting a really tough game. We have to be at our best.
“We will have to be very good to win, and if we’re not, we won’t win.”
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