The jigsaw is complete but Phoenix remain a puzzle
OPINION: So here they are, the 23 men tasked with lifting the Wellington Phoenix out of Hyundai A-league obscurity.
Head coach Darije Kalezic and assistant Rado Vidosic added the final piece to their puzzle this week with the signing of 30-yearold Serbian striker Andrija Kaludjerovic.
That takes the off-season recruits to five after Scott Galloway, Goran Paracki, Daniel Mullen and Dario Vidosic. Youth team players Oliver Sail and Sarpreet Singh have been promoted to full contracts.
Those moves cover the seven players who have left since the end of the season: Vince Lia, Glen Moss, Alex Rodriguez, Roly Bonevacia, Kosta Barbarouses, Shane Smeltz and Jacob Tratt.
The first question to ask is: Is this team better than that of last season? Yes.
Kaludjerovic, Paracki, Galloway and Vidosic are upgrades on Smeltz, Lia, Tratt and Bonevacia respectively. In Bonevacia’s case, I’m talking about the petulant, disruptive Bonevacia of 2016-17, rather than the midfield dynamo of previous seasons.
The concerns are Barbarouses not really being replaced, while I’m yet to be convinced about Lewis Italiano’s ability to step up from backup goalkeeper to starter to replace Moss. He deserves the benefit of the doubt until he has a chance to prove himself, but his form in the national league last year was concerning.
So if we agree this is an improvement on last year, which some people won’t, the next question is: Can they make the top six?
Making the case for that is a bit tougher.
While the Phoenix might be better, so are most of the other clubs, especially the ones at the Phoenix’s end of the table. Not in the big-name, marquee way, but at that next level down of both imports and Australian players.
Adelaide have signed players with decent German Bundesliga good way. The system they want to play is clear and being communicated to them effectively.
It will be one of patience and organisation, somewhere between former Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert’s robust, defensive style and Merrick’s quick passing, attacking game.
They will look to penetrate when the chance is there to do so, otherwise they will hold possession. They will be narrow and compact in defence, with three defined lines.
There will be some moments of brilliance, but a lot of it will be about frustrating teams into mistakes, or slowly prising open defences.
You can expect them to be slow starters again though. They won just two of their first eight last season, and in Merrick’s first season, in 2013-14, it took them 11 games to get their first win.
This season, Kalezic has already been left to bemoan the state of the squad he has picked up, with Andrew Durante, Gui Finkler, Matt Ridenton, Hamish Watson, Louis Fenton, Dylan Fox and Ryan Lowry all either recovering from injuries, or picking up new ones.
It has meant a stilted start to preparations as they wait for those players to return and for the new players to become bedded in before they host Adelaide in their season opener on October 8.
Throw in the fact the All Whites will likely be in camp or playing on both the opening weekend and for their round five and six matches, and the first two months look tough.
But it would be pertinent to wait until Christmas before casting judgment on this year’s team. If the Phoenix are in the mix then there’s hope. Conversely, if they’re adrift at the bottom, hard questions about squad strength and investment can start to be asked.