Sunday commenced what can only be described as a nightmarish seven-day period for the Perth Glory, in which they have been given the daunting task of playing three games within the space of that time. The Glory’s lacklustre start to the A-League season continued on Sunday, with an eventual 2-1 loss to the travelling Wellington Phoenix. The Phoenix dominated for a majority of the game and were undoubtedly deserving of the three points.
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The Glory have some undisputed quality amongst their defensive ranks, including former captain Michael Thwaite, potential future Socceroo Josh Risdon and the ever imposing Dino Djulbic. Hence it comes as somewhat of a surprise, that the back half has been made to look vulnerable in the early stages of the season.
Kenny Lowe has made clear the expectations placed upon the experienced Spaniard Diego Castro, by boldly declaring him as the best foreigner in the competition. However, himself and fellow import Guyon Fernandez have failed to provide the attacking flair the Glory have been after.
Team chemistry will no doubt improve as the season wears on, but you get the feeling Glory fan’s patience is already running thin.
What remains as part of this difficult seven days is an FFA Cup semi-final encounter with Melbourne City tonight, as well as a clash with last year’s FFA Cup winners Adelaide United on Sunday. City showed external pre-season expectations placed upon them were not unwarranted, with an outstanding second half in the opening Melbourne derby of the year on Saturday night, which saw them fall just shy of completing a stunning comeback.
While Adelaide proved last year what they’re capable of, and will be desperate to record their first victory of the year after two hard fought draws in their opening two games. Strong opposition awaits the Glory, however it will provide them with some relief that what awaits will be within the comforts of home, with both contests being played at NIB Stadium.
It is imperative that the Glory get the next few days right. It shapes as potentially season defining – even at this early stage of the year. Considering the workload that faces the Glory players, the somewhat taken for granted processes of player management and rehabilitation become as important as ever. The work the players have done in the off-season becomes all the more meaningful as they are forced to trust in the physical conditioning they endured in pre-season. This period will sort the men from the boys so to speak.
Confidence is a beautiful thing. If the Glory are to win these two games it is something they will possess in spades. The outcome would see them progress through to a second FFA Cup final in as many years, provide them with a much needed kickstart to their 2015/16 A-League campaign, and the fatigue caused by the seven days prior would be quickly forgotten.
External and internal doubt would be replaced by an injection of optimism and belief, and a solid foundation to build upon would be laid. On the other hand, somewhere in between (a win and a loss) may only create further uncertainty, while the worst case scenario, (two more losses) would be a hammer blow.
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At the risk of sound cliched – the game of football is just as much a mental game as a physical game. Ensuring the attitude of the individuals and the team as a whole is in the right place is paramount. The Glory will need to call on all three of these elements over the next few days if they are to navigate what’s to come with success.
At first sight its easy to take this difficult period for the Glory with a grain of salt, but at closer inspection there is a realisation it could shape their season.
It cannot be underestimated.
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