The Welly Nix Were Already Bad Before Darije Kalezic, He’s Just Trying to Fix Things Up
Hey, remember a month ago when the Wellington Phoenix beat Perth 5-2 and we were hoping that’d be the start of a long and prosperous run of form? Yeah, about that… they’ve played twice since, losing 4-1 to Central Coast and 3-2 to Melbourne Victory, both at home. They were even 2-0 up against the Vicks at half-time, a team with one win from eight previous games. You don’t have to guess now that the Nix are last on the ladder.
It’s bloody awful. That was the second time this season that the Nix have blown a two-goal half-time lead at home – they were 3-0 up at one point against Brisbane in the capital only to draw 3-3. They’ve conceded four goals more than any other team in the competition despite having played one game less than most of them. This is the kind of footy that incites panic amongst fans, the kind of results that leaves teams playing before mostly empty stadiums.
What’s more is that they lost this latest game without the services of Gui Finkler, who was dropped after packing a sad last week when he was subbed off. Apparently instead of heading to the bench he instead got in his car and headed home. If that’s the case then dropping him isn’t only justified but you have to wonder whether his future at the club is in jeopardy too. Lucky for him he’s got a marquee contract and the Nix have tight wallets.
The blown leads, the stroppy but expensive players, the frustrated manager… these are signs of a club that isn’t running like a well-oiled machine. But they’re also familiar signs for Phoenix fans. Which is why any pressure on the manager right now is stupid – instead of putting it on Darije Kalezic’s bill, how about giving him the support to actually make the changes that need to happen with this team? As bad as the defence was in the second half on Sunday, it was equally as bad last season too. Kalezic inherited most of these dramas… just as he inherited most of the squad.
Most but not all. It’s easy to forget but the first game of the season saw seven players making their A-League debuts for the club with only Roy Krishna and Marco Rossi being regulars in 2016-17. Obviously when the All Whites returned the following week that drastic turnover eased up a little, though injuries to Andrew Durante and Rossi have meant the first choice defence hasn’t had as much time together as anyone would want. You can argue that every player that left has been replaced by an equal or greater talent (except for Glen Moss) but integrating all these new players is no easy task for a fresh coach. Then again, Kalezic obviously doesn’t care when he’s chucking Keegan Smith in there, still in high school, to start the first few games.
Lewis Italiano is probably the better keeper overall but he’s not that far ahead that he completely outweighs other benefits. Hence it’s notable that since Smith was dropped (read: ‘protected’ in Kalezic’s phrasebook) we’ve seen a bit less of the patient possession play from the back that Smith was picked to help bring to the team, and which stood out so much in the first month of the season. That’s already a clue that Kalezic was making some concessions to get this team to catch up to where they need to be, even before he said as much after the Melly Vic game.
He also said that this team was lacking in ‘winners’. A fair call and likely another sign of a team too caught up in trying to learn a new manager’s conceptual style of play. You can get swept up in that stuff and lose sight of the forest through the trees, which is that at the end of the day you just need to find a way to win, regardless of how you play. That patient possession stuff is all meant to be in service of scoring goals and winning games. The Nix are scoring… but they’ve also allowed more shots against them than any other team, they have the second worst passing accuracy and they’re yet to keep a clean sheet. Just a good thing that Kaludjerovic and Vidosic can jump high.
This kind of stuff is what you want to hear from a manager in this situation. He’s held the selfish player accountable for what he’s done and he’s effectively given the rest of them a kick up the arse for not applying themselves enough for these lost victories as well. He’s doing his bit and it’ll be interesting to see if he makes many changes to the team on the weekend. You’d imagine not since these XIs are at least getting themselves in good positions, proving they’re capable of winning plenty of games in this competition. But one or two players oughta be sleeping nervously for the next few days.
If games ended at half-time then the Nix would have 11 points instead of 5. That’d have them in mid-table. And while their five second half goals so far aren’t terrible on the face of things, three of them came in that one win over Perth so it’s been slim pickings outside of that. Plus there have been a couple goals conceded on the brink of the break as well. Fitness shouldn’t be a problem so it has to be a mental thing, that winning mentality that Kalezic is talking about.
Although there is one other aspect to mention: that bench sucks. Seriously. This week they had Keegan Smith, Dan Mullen, Ali Abbas, Adam Parkhouse and Hamish Watson. Fair play to the lot of them, they all have their abilities. But not a single one of those players is gonna come on and turn a game for you. Watson and Parkhouse have 15 substitute appearances between them already (from eight games – they’re coming on every week!) and if that’s the best we’ve got to throw at teams then no wonder the Nix aren’t scoring second half goals. Again, not to rag on players here but these two are guys you’d want pushing for a place on that bench, rather than being automatic picks.
Which leads into another point about signings and strap yourself in tight because here comes a working theory… bad transfer windows linger like bad smells. A personal favourite test case is West Ham United who had one great transfer haul the year they bought Dimitri Payet and almost made the Champions League. Two crap ones since and they look like they might get relegated. Most of the best performers for the Nix right now are guys that Kalezic (and Vidosic) brought in. Vido Jr and Kaludjerovic are scoring goals. Goran Paracki has been great, own goal aside. Ali Abbas and Dan Mullen have been a little more mixed, though Scott Galloway has looked decent. More ticks than crosses, sweet as.
But this squad is still suffering from the whiffs they acquired last season. Kosta Barbarouses, Shane Smeltz (if he even counts), Ben Litfin and Jacob Tratt are already gone. Gui Finkler has only showed flashes of justifying his marquee status - and most of those were when he didn’t have to play with Kosta/Roly, he’s never been a perfect fit in this team and with Kalezic preferring more energy to his team he’s not a perfect fit now either. No criticism for Marco Rossi, he’s been excellent. Which leaves Ryan Lowry who was given a new two-year deal before Kalezic arrived for no apparent reason. Word is there might have been a trigger clause but if that’s the case then why are you offering bonus years to an unproven player in the first place?
So if we’re writing off almost the entire 16-17 haul then this squad is even more scattered. You’ve got half a team of young guys and new recruits trying to mix with half a team that were half decent three years ago when Nathan Burns was in town. Squads need to continually evolve and the Wellington Phoenix are still paying for mistakes of the past.
You see the trend here, right? Bad signings from a year ago, an ingrained mentality from a previous regime, lingering defensive vulnerability… these are not new problems that we’re dealing with. Hence things, despite how they seem, aren’t actually getting worse. The problems that are happening now are a result of trying to correct things that have been festering for too long.
So, like… just chill for a few weeks. See how the team responds to the manager’s ultimatums and check out whether a less ambitious approach in the short term helps them out. Hopefully these last two weeks have simply been the dark storm before the rainbow blooms, and if not… well, if not then it’s no different to the most other Phoenix seasons, to be honest.
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