Despite past criticism and ridicule, Marc Warren has stepped up his game at Perth Glory and has fairly won a place in their starting XI.
During Perth Glory’s away triumph over the Wellington Phoenix last weekend, one moment in particular caught the eye. It was not a moment of brilliant skill, or a genius tactical move, or even a fan getting carried away in the crowd.
During the first-half, left-back Marc Warren caught Manny Muscat with a clumsy tackle, for which he was deservedly booked for. As soon as it happened, Twitter lit up like a kid on Christmas Eve. The feed was awash with condescending comments like “Marc Warren, everyone” and “Marc Warren is the worst”.
It has been a recurring theme this season, as the 24-year-old has copped criticism and been the punchline to many jokes over every mistake he has made. However, despite the stream of laughter, Warren has slowly established himself as Kenny Lowe’s first choice at a resurgent Perth Glory.
When he made his debut with Sydney FC during the 2013-14 season, he quickly became a favourite, albeit for fans of other teams. Despite stints with Sheffield United and Scottish First Division side Airdrieonians FC, he looked out of place at A-League level. He was constantly exposed, caught out of position and made his way onto a couple of end-of-season blooper videos. When his one year deal was up, the Cove faithful were happy to see the back of him.
What followed was two years with state league outfit APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC, two years which has done him a world of good. He was a first-team regular with Leichhardt and the time spent honing his skills in the New South Wales National Premier League helped him improve his game.
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During a three-week trial with Perth this preseason, he showed enough to convince the club to offer him a one-year deal. His form in the first-half of the season correlated with his clubs’ and while it was obvious he had made strides, both he and the Glory were failing to inspire much in their supporters and were prone to silly mistakes and lapses in concentration which cost them dearly.
However, as Perth’s form has improved, so too has Warren’s. His positioning is better, he has made less mistakes and the lapses in concentration have diminished. He does not jump into tackles as often (as he infamously did during Melbourne City’s 5-1 win over the Glory earlier in the season) and his distribution has improved. Overall, he appears more comfortable at A-League level now.
He has shared the left-back position with Aryn Williams (another solid pickup by Lowe), who arguably offers more going forward. However, while Williams has also enjoyed a good season, he has been prone to poor decision making on occassions, which has led to Lowe preferring Warren in recent games. His pace also covers left-sided centre-back Shane Lowry, who is not the quickest off the mark.
Yet, critics still snipe. The peanut gallery only see his faults, because it is another chance to make fun of an easy target. One can see numerous jokes on a weekly basis about his perceived lack of skill, but dare say it, Warren has been good this season. Those who still believe he has not improved since those Sydney days probably only realized Diego Castro was a good player six weeks ago.
The highlight of his season so far was the 4-0 drubbing of his first club, the Central Coast Mariners. He was Perth’s best in the first-half, his constant forays forward posing problems for the Mariner’s inexperienced backline. But it was his work at the other end of the pitch which shone, as he kept excitement machine Fabio Ferreira in his pocket. Even when Central Coast switched Ferreira with their best player this season, Mitch Austin, Warren still stifled and frustrated him at every turn.
Warren may never be the best left-back in the league. But he has proven this year he is more than capable of playing in the A-League, regardless of what social media tells you.
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