It was a warm afternoon when Western Sydney Wanderers hosted Wellington Phoenix last Sunday, yet the home side was as cool as could be in routing the visitors right from the opening minutes.
An early goal to Zac Sapsford had them in front within a minute and despite the fact the goal came off the back of a Phoenix defensive error, the tone was set for a 90-minute performance where Wanderers coach Alen Stajcic outpointed his opponent by some margin.
In boxing parlance, it was a round scored 10-8; a convincing one in which the loser threw a few in vain but never really stepped up to the contest as a potential winner. No matter what Giancarlo Italiano threw at Stajcic, the answer came quickly and at times, in spades.
The 41-year-old Italiano has done superbly with Wellington since taking over full-time in April 2023. With 19 league wins from 37 matches since that time, it says a great deal about his influence over a team that has been a recent top-six staple.
On very few occasions has the man affectionately known as ‘Chiefy’ been handed his head on a platter over the last two seasons, yet after consecutive losses to Auckland FC and Macarthur, Stajcic dusted up a normally diligent and effective defence with precision and energy.
The Wanderers were on from the get-go and aside from a brief period mid-way through the opening half and early in the second as Wellington attempted to make a stand and get back into the contest, it was a dominant victory from a squad that needed one.
Yet it has been far from plain sailing at Wanderland since Stajcic sent his team onto the pitch to face Sydney FC in the opening round. A 2-1 loss there was followed by a sloppy draw with Western United in a match they were entitled to win and then a goal-fest loss to Adelaide.
Roar editor Christy Doran made the trip to Seattle with VisitSeattle.org, diving into the city’s electric sports vibe, outdoor adventures, and renowned food scene. Click here for his latest adventure in the Emerald City.
To describe the Wanderers’ defence as loose in the clash with Adelaide is something of an understatement. The landscape looked a lot better after a 4-1 win over the Jets, but a second Sydney Derby loss confirmed the defensive issues.
Then, off the back of new recruit Juan Mata’s agent expressing disgust at the lack of minutes being given to his man and Stajcic labelling the claim as cowardly, there was a glimpse of hope.
A 2-0 win against an undermanned Melbourne City was creditable and deserved, whilst a 2-2 draw with Brisbane had the men from Sydney annoyed at an opponent doing very little in the second half to actually attempt to win the contest.
Most pundits had the Phoenix rolling into Sydney on the weekend and knocking off the home side to keep the up-and-down season they have going bubbling along for a least another week. Then, impressively, Western Sydney came to life.
Defensively, the coach appeared to finally have the back four on the same page. Wellington threatened now and then but for the first time this season, composure was clearly evident across the Wanderer back line.
Zapsford kept presenting time and time again, Brandon Borrello was superb up front and could have scored on multiple occasions, whilst Bozhidar Kraev was excellent against his old club. Youngster Dylan Scicluna was outstanding in the contest through the centre of the field and veteran Josh Brilliante managed things well in the midfield.
More possession, shots and passes completed at a good percentage will have impressed the coach. However, the high percentage of tackles won and Western Sydney’s 19 free kicks conceded to Wellington’s seven, probably says more about the reasons behind the win, than some of the quality finishing they produced.
It was a team performance from Western Sydney Wanderers and that is not something we have been able to say about them for some time.
The signs we saw against Melbourne City have been clarified a little further and there was absolutely no evidence of the laziness and disconnect that is sometimes observed by a very frustrated group of supporters.
Despite Mata’s agent blowing his top, no doubt through the lens of a very frustrated player slowly creeping back towards full match fitness, Stajcic has stood firm, stuck to a plan and slowly empowered his team to execute it.
If the Wanderers continue to present off the ball as consistently as they did against Wellington and win it back quickly via coordinated enthusiasm, effort and positioning, Stajcic will have achieved what quite a few others before him have been unable to.
There was simply no ‘i’ in team on Sunday afternoon, everything the Wanderers did was for the benefit of teammates and even Mata looked a happy camper when he took to the pitch in the second half.
Just like that, the Wanderers are a point from the top six, with a game in hand of the two teams above them. If the fans are prepared to play the long game and back a quality coach, Western Sydney might finally be back on course.
Frankly, it would be about time.