With the A-League season about to get underway, Ben Smith looks at some of the potential dilemmas Kenny Lowe may face this season.
Young guns
Prior to his role at Perth Glory, Lowe was head of Football West’s National Training Centre program, responsible for identifying and coaching WA’s best young talent. Trent Sainsbury, Daniel De Silva, Adam Taggart and Eli Babalj were just some of the players who Lowe coached during his time with the NTC. Given the departure of so many starters in the offseason, it’s no surprise to see an influx of youngsters promoted up from the clubs youth team.
Jacob Collard, Mitch Oxborrow, Stefan Valentini and Slobodan Vulin are all Western Australian-bred youngsters who could make an impact; whether or not Lowe decides to trust them with first-team football is the question. Four of Perth’s young guns at the start of last season, Jack Clisby, Riley Woodcock, Matt Davies and Brandon O’Neil, have all left in the last 12 months due to a lack of game time. It will be interesting to see if Lowe puts more faith in youth this season.
Striking gold or striking out?
With Andy Keogh gone, Lowe replaced him with Guyon Fernandez. While early signs are Fernandez plays a different style to the Irishman, he’ll be expected to provide Perth’s biggest threat in front of goals. However, if Fernandez gets injured for a long period, who will Lowe favour to replace him, especially now that Jamie Maclaren is in Brisbane?
At this stage, wingers Chris Harold and Sidnei loom as Lowe’s best options, but neither of them have fully convinced during their time up front. Could Richie Garcia be used up front? Or will Lowe put faith in 19 year-old Valentini, who scored 7 goals in 14 games in this season’s WA NPL? There’s only one out and out striker with experience at professional level on Perth’s list, and if Fernandez can’t find form or ends up injured, Lowe may come to rue his decision not to sign another striker.
The Lone-ly Striker
Whilst Keogh was a success on-field last season, his quality in the final third meant the Glory were at-times overly reliant on the Irishman. For most of the season, he was the go-to man up top, and Perth were always looking to release him when they went forward. However, opposition defenders soon realised this and plotted to take him out of the game. If their opponents were able to shut him down or cut out supply to him, Perth struggled to create chances.
Keogh also found himself isolated up front many times throughout the season, unable to get involved as the focal point of the attack or bring his teammates into the game. Lowe occasionally played McLaren alongside him, but preferred to stick with a lone striker. Fernandez’s early performances suggest he isn’t as mobile as either of his predecessors, which poses a conundrum for Lowe. If their rivals can shut down service to the targetman, is he canny enough to work around it? Given Perth’s main concern looks to be scoring goals, Lowe preventing the isolation of the frontman could be critical to a successful season. Is he brave enough to ditch his philosophy and bring in a secondary striker?
Off-season overhaul
Last off-season, Lowe brought in several high-calibre players who became key contributors. Garcia, Keogh, Dino Djulbic and Ruben Zadkovich were all savvy signings who played big parts in Perth’s success. With the multiple departures over the winter, Lowe’s eye for talent-spotting will be judged once again. The three foreigners in Fernandez’s, Diego Castro and Gyorgy Sandor are of unknown quality in Australia, and if they fail to adapt, Lowe will feel the heat.
Jerrad Tyson and Marc Warren were both deemed surplus to requirements at their old A-League teams and if they fail to take their second chance, questions will be asked of Lowe’s decision to sign them. Given the turnover in personnel in the off-season, Perth’s season depends on whether or not Lowe has found astute deals.
Defensive Midfield Worries
Rostyn Griffiths was one of the best central midfielders in the league last season. In the first half of the season, his form was so good that I personally had him as my pick for the Johnny Warren Medal. Although his form dropped significantly in the second half of the season, his loss is a massive one for the Glory. Lowe had him sit in front of the back four, where he’d break up attacks and win the ball, before using his excellent distribution to set up the next Glory foray forwards. With Griffiths now in Holland, the responsibility will fall to Zadkovich, underrated by many A-League fans who only see his, admittedly lengthy, blooper reel on Youtube.
Unfortunately, Zadkovich has played sparingly in pre-season due to injury, which means Lowe will look to one of Sandor, Diogo Ferreira or Mitch Oxborrow. Lowe needs his holding midfielder to be composed in possession, able to drop deep to receive the ball and act as the link between defence and attack. Sandor looks to fill that criteria, so it would be no surprise to see Lowe start him as the deepest midfielder. If he struggles however, and Zadkovich continues to miss games, Lowe may have to trust his backups, although neither of them are proven performers at this level.
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