Stern test awaits Phoenix
At a glance
A recharged Wellington Phoenix could distance themselves from the chasing pack and push towards a home playoff if they survive a tricky month of A-League fixtures.
The fourth-placed Phoenix face the three teams sitting above them on the ladder over the course of the next four rounds, starting with tonight’s away match against Perth Glory.
The Phoenix have not won in Perth since 2015 but a victory tonight will catapult Ufuk Talay’s men into third, possibly even second if Melbourne City lose to Melbourne Victory.
But with Adelaide United breathing down their neck, now tied on 24 points, and Brisbane Roar experiencing a mid-season resurgence, coach Talay acknowledged February’s results could have major ramifications on the top six.
A string of defeats against the Glory, City and Sydney FC could see the Phoenix slide down a congested ladder but the rewards are massive if they register positive results.
‘‘From day one we said we want to make the top six and it’s most important that we win our games week by week and get the three points,’’ Talay said.
‘‘We need to do our job by ourselves and that’s by winning the games that we play. Whatever happens underneath us is
What: Who:
irrelevant once we get our three points.
‘‘We’re very happy with the way the team is travelling, obviously there’s still a lot of room to grow and I still think at times we can be better than we are.
‘‘We have been a little bit patchy in the last couple of games so I think the break would have helped and for me it’s more that we are consistent with the brand of football and the way we want to play – we’ve got to do it for 90 minutes.’’
Boosting their chances of snapping Glory’s eight-game unbeaten run, the full-strength Phoenix have welcomed back key figures Reno Piscopo (international duty) and Matti Steinmann (suspension), while the bye week allowed David Ball and Alex Rufer to fully recover from their lingering injuries.
Sorely missed in their recent win over Newcastle Jets, Steinmann is expected to slot straight back into the starting 11 alongside Cameron Devlin but Talay admitted he faces a selection dilemma further up the field with six players vying for four positions.
The return of Olyroos star Piscopo could put some pressure on Callum McCowatt but Talay suggested changes will be minimal against a team who have conceded just twice in the past five games.
‘‘I’m a big believer in consistency, the players have been doing well, I still give them the opportunity to go out and play,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s up to them to hand their shirt over to their team-mates. I’ll
A-League round 18 Wellington Phoenix v Perth
Where and when:
HBF Park, Perth; tonight 11.45pm (NZ time)
always back the players who have been doing well and continue with the same formation and the same players.
‘‘It’s also more the opposition setup and what we need, if we need pace in behind. Do we need a fast player up the top or do we need a player that if they drop off can play in tight areas?
‘‘That will determine also the selection of players. We need certain attributes against certain opposition and it’s great to have a mixture of players and a balance of players to select from.’’
The Phoenix flew to Perth on Monday, two days earlier than they usually would for the A-League’s longest away trip, in order to give themselves the best chance of adapting to the warmer conditions.
‘‘We wanted to try it, they have tried two days previously and the day before the game but we had the opportunity to have a mini camp and we’ll see how it goes and hopefully it turns out to be positive with the result and we can do this again for the next game.’’
The Glory will be without attacker Chris Ikonomidis after he tore his ACL in last weekend’s draw with Melbourne Victory while playmaker Diego Castro is also in doubt.