Perth Glory have made the front page of the West Australian twice this season – the first when Andy Keogh and Josh Risdon were arrested after a late night out in Adelaide, the second after FFA launched further investigations into their use of the salary cap. Perth’s season hasn’t been without off-field issues but their on-field exploits – an FFA Cup final appearance and once again being well and truly in the race for first spot (alleged salary cap breach findings notwithstanding) – have seemingly gone under the radar.
Perhaps it’s because when Perth were enjoying a rich vein of form, no one could quite put their finger on what it was that made them so good. Every cog in the side was operating at eight out of 10 and like a well-oiled and balanced machine, Perth went about winning consistently. Or perhaps it’s because they were written off after going nine games without a win.
That run of form was ended last week when Risdon’s 88th minute strike secured three points against Western Sydney Wanderers. It was followed up by Monday night’s 2-0 win over Newcastle Jets. Both wins, ending their poor form, have seen Perth move back up to second spot and have coincided with a switch in formation to a 4-4-2.
“When we were flying [earlier in the season] we thought we were a little bit open and we needed to box it off and not be so open but I think we went a bit far,” said Glory coach Kenny Lowe. “We were too conservative, Andy [Keogh] was getting isolated and our wingers were working back too deep. We’ve said now ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’, we’re in a great position, now let’s go and take some risks and see where it takes us.”
Playing with a front two is not something new to Lowe. Last season, he experimented with a 4-4-2 diamond, with Sidnei Sciola and Chris Harold providing pace and mobility up front. While the 4-4-2 diamond also featured during preseason and in the early stages of this season, it lacked balance with key signing Youssouf Hersi having to either play in the No10 position, up front or in central midfield as opposed to his favoured right wing position.
But with poor form and Keogh’s isolation up front a major issue, Perth’s return to a front two has resulted in a more open, fluid and dangerous attacking line up. Against Western Sydney, the front two of Keogh and Sidnei caused frequent problems, darting into channels and dragging reluctant centre-backs out wide in a 2-v-2 battle.
When a winger moved inside to receive possession, often a Western Sydney Wanderers full-back would follow. This would leave space in behind the full-back and Perth’s front two made frequent darts into wide areas to receive. By dragging a centre-back out wide, this also opened up spaces through the middle and Mitch Nichols made frequent runs forward from midfield.
It was a different proposition against Newcastle on Monday, with the Jets again lining up in a 3-4-3, avoiding a 2-v-2 at the back, and with Maclaren joining Keogh up front. Again, with two strikers up front, Perth had added fluidity and Maclaren’s pace caused a number of problems early on for Jets’ back line.
In the sixth minute it was Keogh who came towards the ball, dragging centre-back Taylor Regan into midfield and leaving space in behind. Maclaren then burst in behind to receive a pass, only to be bumped off the ball by the covering Daniel Mullen. Two minutes later, Maclaren was in behind again when left centre-back Lee Ki-Je being dragged forward. Maclaren’s run into the channel led to a straight ball in behind from Dino Djulbic which just ran through to goalkeeper Ben Kennedy. Then less than a minute later, Maclaren nearly opened the scoring after Keogh drifted wide to receive the ball. Keogh’s low cross into the box found his strike partner free on the penalty spot, only for Maclaren to scuff his attempt.
But despite the two wins and the increased effectiveness up front, the move to the 4-4-2 has also left Perth outnumbered in midfield. Against Western Sydney, No10 Labinot Haliti found space in between Perth’s lines as the Wanderers outnumbered their opponents in midfield. And against Newcastle – with their box midfield of Ben Kantarovski, Zenon Caravella, Mitch Coooper and Enver Alivodic – the Jets were able to create an incredible number of chances without a finishing touch.
However Lowe’s quote points towards his mentality. When Perth were storming their way to an almost unsurmountable lead at the top, they were too open. This led to a tweak which tipped them too far towards the defensive scale and Perth went nine games without a win and with Keogh cutting an isolated figure up front, sometimes 40 metres from his nearest team-mate when he received possession. Now, the move to a 4-4-2 has again left Perth open, but with two wins in two games and with pace and mobility up front, perhaps an open Perth Glory can challenge for the Premiers Plate.
