Ernie! Livin' (Kinda) It Up In Sydney
Kick him Andy! Kick him before he scores!
The Wellington Phoenix got their Sydney excursion off to a disappointing start on Saturday night, going down 2-1 to the Western Sydney Wanderers with the winner coming late in the game. Watching the Nix toil against the Wanderers felt all too familiar as the hosts dominated possession and kept the Phoenix on the back foot, absorbing wave after wave of attack only to briefly let their concentration slip.
Unlike a few weeks ago against the Central Coast Mariners, the Phoenix couldn't hold on for a draw. Away draws are nice, nothing too extravagant but they signal a gritty attitude and a desire to fight hard away from the fortress. An away draw is an admirable achievement, it makes sitting back and not throwing bodies forward easier to accept yet this wasn't the case on Saturday night.
There were funky situations which didn't help as Ben Sigmund collapsed on the field and Michael McGlinchey was apparently flown back from All Whites duty with the plebs. Sigmund had taken a few hefty knocks earlier in the game and was battling a virus leading into the game which resulted in him being taken off earlier after it became clear he couldn't continue. This definitely had something to do with the Phoenix sitting back and hoping for the best as Manny Muscat joined Andrew Durante in the heart of the defence; Muscat is a poor man's Sigmund which isn't a shot at Manny ... he's good on the flanks...
Durante, however, was immense and the best player on the field for the Phoenix.
Standing out like a sore thumb as the biggest issue for this Phoenix team ahead of Thursday night's clash against Sydney FC is the lack of a threatening connection up front. McGlinchey looked as though he was feeling the effects of his recent workload, which only made Ernie Merrick's decision to sub Roly Bonevacia and not McGlinchey late in the game rather puzzling.
Jeffrey Sarpong is taking his merry time to settle and with each week that he doesn't quite showcase his apparent class - like Roly did last season - the frustration grows.
Against the Wanderers the Phoenix were presented with opportunities to string passes together on attack and put a ruthless edge on display. This usually came in the form of a counter-attack but quite a few times the Phoenix would build the play up from deep in their own half only for Sarpong, McGlinchey or Roy Krishna to have very few incisive options to chose from.
Away from home and without your starting centre-back, you need to take your chances or even the sniff of a chance when it comes. When you consider that with Albert Riera and Alex Rodriquez sitting deeper and offering defensive cover, the attacking group (McGlinchey, Sarpong, Krishna and Bonevacia) should always have at least two options. Instead these players either ran into a cul de sac or attacked down the flanks with no one in the box.
This is the same issue that we saw last season as the Phoenix lacked any sort of presence in the box to pass to, whether it's a cross or a sharp pass forward into the box.
Shout out to Albert Riera though as he had the most interceptions of any player on the field with five.
With a quick turn-around, it will be interesting to see if Ernie! opts for Blake Powell or Kwabena Appiah up front. Powell especially would give the Phoenix are more stereotypical striker which could work well in tandem with Krishna's pace either side of him, which could mean a rest for McGlinchey.
Sydney FC played in Perth on Saturday night so they have the same amount of time to recover and prepare for this clash. Working in the Phoenix's favour were the scorching conditions in Perth where the game finished with players visibly exhausted/spread out across the field gasping for air.
Adversity seems to be the shadow following the Phoenix this season with their future in doubt but this game against Sydney FC will put the Phoenix and their will under the microscope. Sigmund is back in Wellington, the Nix are on the second leg of a road trip and beating Sydney at home is no easy task ... plus they are coming off a stinker against the Wanderers.
How the Phoenix respond to this adversity will be very interesting. They need to show a far better understanding and better intent with the ball because if they show any sign of sitting back and trying to hit Sydney on the counter - as they tend to do on Australian soil - it could be a shit way to head into Friday.