The Wellington Phoenix had taken seven points from their last three games, having only taken seven from their previous 13, and following on from a 3-2 win in Newcastle that might have been their best win of the season, while Adelaide United were three games without a win and coming off a 5-0 win away to Melbourne City (to be fair, it was only 2-0 with 88 minute played). So naturally, with the opportunity to finally climb off the foot of the ladder… the Nix went and lost 1-0 at home.

The Newcastle win was pretty brilliant. For the first time Darije Kalezic named the full quartet of Nathan Burns, Matija Ljucic, Roy Krishna and Andrija Kaludjerovic to start and the team looked every bit as good as they had in the previous two second halves with that foursome all out there. Ljujic whipped in a cross-shot that found the bottom corner before Dan Mullen nodded in a second from a corner and they were 2-0 up at half-time – meaning that in the 135 minutes with both new signings Burns and Ljujic on the field they’d outscored teams by 4-0.

Andrew Nabbout pulled one back for the Jets after the resumption but a beautiful Roy Krishna goal made it 3-1 ten minutes later. The way he shook that thing onto his right foot, stopping it dead while creating the space to shoot… magnifico. A further ten minutes later Ljujic was replaced so you can count it 158 minutes of Burns + Ljujic and 5-1 to the Phoenix. Dimi Petratos’ late penalty made it sweaty but the Nix held on.

But against Adelaide the mojo wasn’t there. Neither was Roy Krishna, who’d done a hamstring thingy. Burns and Ljucic both started and played the full contest but the Phoenix just couldn’t seem to fashion much despite plenty of possession in the attacking third. It definitely didn’t help that Kaludjerovic seemed to injure a foot a few minutes into things and carried on until the 58th min but was basically anonymous. Kalezic admitted later that he should’ve subbed him earlier.

Perhaps it was down to playing on a Saturday night, considering they haven’t won at home on a Saturday night all season? Oh no wait but they’ve also only won once on a Sunday. And once on a Wednesday. Yeah, rather than having some aversion to the peak of the weekend, it’s more that the Nix don’t often win on any day of the week. Scratch out that little nugget that’s been floating around.

Especially when there are much more tangible reasons for the Nix’s little hot streak coming to such a tame and limping end. The ineffective Kaludjerovic was one of them and it’s becoming concerning that he’s now gone six games without a goal (with only one in his last nine). He was pushing the top scorers back then and now he’s drifted well off the pace being set by Bobo for Sydney (whom the Nix play next). Ol’ mate Bobo’s scored 18 goals this season. Ross McCormack, who just got recalled from Melbourne City, finished his stint in the A-League with 14. Kaludjerovic is tied third with Besart Berisha, Adrian Mierzejewski and Andrew Nabbout, all on eight.

That’s a drought which might drag on a lot longer if this injury is much to worry about. Gotta wait on the medical diagnosis (and even then Andy Durante will tell ya that a second opinion never goes astray) but if he’s gonna miss significant time then the attacking quartet that looked so sharp the last three games will need some reshuffling. The Burns + Ljujic thing was cute but it’s become apparent that the real deal is the Burns + Ljujic + Krishna + Kaludjerovic thing which has played 157 minutes together with that aggregate score of 5-1 unspoiled by the latest travesty.

Also, they just released backup striker Hamish Watson to join Team Wellington. And promising defender Liam Wood as well. And WeeNix prospect Luke Tongue’s gone back to Canterbury. And Ali Abbas came off the bench for the WeeNix this week. And it turns out Ryan Lowry’s been injured and they never told anyone. And… hmm.

Granted, finding a replacement for Kaludjerovic wouldn’t be hard. There are two magnificent central striking options in that team already: Nathan Burns and Roy Krishna. Both are playing out wide but are arguably more effective through the middle and each deserves the chance to play there ahead of any outside option. Of course, that takes another slice out of the ideal starting XI, shifting the problem from striker to winger, but that should be an easier hole to fill.

In the game against Adelaide it was Adam Parkhouse that did so. He came in for Krishna to play on the right and… meh. He does some solid stuff and he works hard but there’s very little impression that he can bust a game open. Don’t wanna be too harsh on a young player but is he really any better than at least half a dozen options in that position from the NZ Premiership? Is he even much better than Sarpreet Singh, Alex Rufer or Logan Rogerson, all of whom came in off the bench in this game?

Gotta argue no… although that trio didn’t exactly find the equaliser either when they got their chance. Rufer came close, volleying one off the crossbar… but no. That’s a trio of guys, Singh especially, who plenty of fans are clamouring for and each one of them deserves the chances they get, each one of them is pushing for regular match day squad inclusion. (Wouldn’t mind seeing James McGarry included there either). The problem is that none of them are ready to start games in the A-League. Twenty minutes off the bench now and then, sure. Just not yet capable of consistently playing at the level you’ve gotta be at here.

And the Nix need wins yesterday, let alone next week. Developing youngsters, allowing them the time and space to make mistakes and learn, is not on the agenda right now. No reason to panic as the brief Keegan Smith spell and Matt Ridenton’s efforts show that Kalezic is perfectly keen on getting that academy bleeding into the top team but one thing at a time, you know.

Which is why with only a couple days left in the transfer window, the Wellington Phoenix desperately need more depth in their ranks. They need cover in every defensive position – Marco Rossi’s suspension coupled with Dylan Fox’s less than 100% status meant Goran Paracki playing at centre back vs ADL. They might be okay in the midfield now that Ljujic is there, coupled with the room for improvement in Mike McGlinchey’s performances and a few of those young guns, but their attacking corps clearly need more options.

Take Krishna out and there simply wasn’t any pace or incision up there. Shows how crucial he is to this team, without him they had a left-footed guy on the right and a right-footed guy on the left and all they wanted to do was check back inside. Burns because that’s how he plays, Parky because he didn’t have the confidence to go past guys. There was one moment in the first half when he found himself played in behind the defence and it ended up with him lying on the deck while the defence comfortably played the ball out of trouble.

Hence why the Nix leaned on so many crosses from their fullbacks. As long as Doyle and Galloway were overlapping then they at least had something to play for, amidst a well-organised and secure opposition backline. But almost every single one of those moments ended up with the cross being blocked or denied in some way. Too slow, too unimaginative, too bloody boring.

Then, at the other end, Lewis Italiano let a goal in between his legs in the 32nd minute. His attempt at a long barrier would’ve had the Blackcaps fielding coach blushing and it ended up being the only goal of the game. The move itself was kinda difficult, the defence had already cocked it up. Durante rushes up on his man and Paracki just watches, rather than sitting in as cover. You don’t often see a team split apart by two headers but that’s what happened and George Blackwood was clean through with more than enough pace. Italiano was caught between charging out or readying himself to dive for the shot… but the shot was shanked and he missed it under him.

It ain’t like this was a one-off for Italiano either. He had a great game against Newcastle but has conceded a number of save-able goals since replacing Smith in the starting line-up. Shots at the near post, ones he got a hand on but couldn’t keep out, etc. This is the same keeper that was overlooked by this same manager for an untested 18 year old debutant to start the season. That’s never happened to David De Gea or Thibaut Courtois or Hugo Lloris.

This is the issue right now. The Nix could’ve risen as high as seventh on the table with a win against Adelaide, at least temporarily, but all it took to derail their recent form was a couple injuries. Because while the gaffer’s sorted out that first XI rather nicely, the bench is still crammed full of not-quite-grads from the academy. There’s not much depth here and it’s too late to wait for the times when everyone’s available for the Wellington Phoenix to turn on the class.

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