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Western Sydney Wanderers
Semester Summary
As always, the defending premiers were always going to have high expectations heading into the new season but head coach Tony Popovic made sure the players remained focused by starting the season unbeaten until round seven, when they lost to the Brisbane Roar. The season started with a couple of draws before the Wanderers defeated Sydney FC 2-0 in the first Sydney derby of the season. A couple more wins against Adelaide United and the two Melbourne sides showed the Wanderers were back to where they left off. Although Western Sydney’s form hasn’t quite reached the heights of last season, they are still title contenders sitting in second place. Injuries and fatigue have slowed down Western Sydney’s progress but they still sit five points ahead of third place.
Areas of Excellence
You just can't go past the right side of the Wanderers' formation with Youssouf Hersi and Jerome Polenz again troubling defenders down the right flank, with Hersi’s explosive speed and Polenz’ crossing ability they always give the opposition a tough time attempting to close the two roommates down. Shinji Ono, although showing a slight decrease in form this season, is still in the central attacking role, always giving the attacking players options towards goal.
Areas in need of improvement
Scoring goals is one area that the Wanderers have struggled in this season. With an average of only one goal per game, it would be a concern for Tony Popovic. Tomi Juric has emerged as a future star but although Mark Bridge was the Wanderers' leading goalscorer last season from the left wing but even he has struggled with only 3 goals in the campaign so far. The table-topping Roar have scored 12 more goals than the Wanderers this season.
Top Students
Arguably the most consistent player so far this season is Matthew Spiranovic. A shock signing just before the season kicked off, the Western Sydney faithful wondered where he would fit in with the strong centre back partnership of captain Michael Beauchamp and Nikolai Topor-Stanley. Now, Spiranovic is untouchable in the starting 11 and looks to be keeping the captain away from game time in the near future at least. At the other end of the park, Tomi Juric has showed fantastic glimpses of quality in the central striker position, a position that the Wanderers have struggled with in the past. The tall Sydney-born striker has scored four goals in eight games and is already been talked about for a little international tournament coming up in June.
Class Clowns
Aaron Mooy has been struggling throughout the season with some below par performances which has lead to less game time and rumours that he wants out. Mooy, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, will have to improve to show why Tony Popovic should keep him on for next season and onwards. Another low key performer has been Michael Beauchamp. After starting the season well, Beauchamp has now been in and out of the side which deters from his consistency and after strong performances from Spiranovic, he will now struggle to show the manager his form from last season.
Grade
Slowly getting back to their best, B.
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The outlook for the Wanderers is bright and once they get a consistent side each week, they will continue to produce results, although it will be a hard challenge to catch up to the Roar. Popovic’s men still need to remain focused and if they do, the possibilities are endless.