The Westfield FFA Cup round of 32 clash against the Novocastrians is set to be a blockbuster at Magic Park.
Newcastle Jets remain an unknown quantity heading into Tuesday night’s clash and Perth Glory will need to be sharp to adjust to the playing style and tempo of the match as quickly as possible.
We’ve put together a list of what Glory need to do to guarantee a victory over the Jets and progress to the last 16 in the second edition of the cup competition.
1. Silence the crowd; dominate in the first 15 minutes.
Magic Park in Broadmeadow is an intimate setting that’s set to be packed to the rafters with home support for the Hunter Valley outfit. A strong early showing from Glory will keep the crowd quiet, and could give Glory a psychological edge over the home side.
2. Dictate the tempo; get Sandor on the ball as much as possible.
The 32-year-old midfield-general is exactly who you want in these pre-season clashes; he’s won silverware in three countries and captained Hungarian giants Videoton in the UEFA Europa League multiple times. If most transitions going forward out of defence go through the 8-time Hungarian international, expect Glory to pull the strings throughout the match.
3. Be stubborn at the back; prioritise a clean sheet.
There are no drawn matches in cup football, so Glory can afford to prioritise their defence over attack. This doesn’t mean to take a negative, ‘park-the-bus’ approach, but Lowe will be wary that keeping out the goals at the back will give his team the best chance to progress to the next round.
4. Hit the weak spot; attack on the wings.
The additions of central players Nigel Boogaard and Mateo Poljak has added a much stronger spine to the Jets, with both footballers recognised as standouts in the Hyundai A-League. While Glory are capable of outclassing both, it’s clear the Jets are weaker on their wings; so Lowe will be instructing his boys to knock the ball out wide as often as possible.
5. Stick to our strengths; get the wide defenders forward.
Glory were highly praised across the league for their wingbacks’ crossing ability in season 10, and nothing should change in season 11 either. Lowe will encourage Risdon, Golec and Warren to get forward as much as possible on the wings and launch overload attacks on the Jets defence.
6. Be ruthless upfront; punish the Jets’ defensive errors.
It’s important to note that it’s still pre-season for Hyundai A-League clubs, and not all teams will have ironed out all their weaknesses at this early point in the campaign. There will be mistakes at both ends, and Glory’s strike-force will need to finish their chances when they come.
7. Do WA proud; run hard and remember what’s on the line.
Tactics and strategies are fantastic, but it can all be null and void if the mentality isn’t there to back it up. With Sorrento and Perth SC bowing out in the Round of 32, Glory is the last team left to represent the state in the cup competition. The boys need to wear their hearts on their sleeves, run hard, be assertive and play with passion, once they cross that white line. We’re all counting on them to get our hands on that Westfield FFA Cup.
Traveling Squad
Jerrad TYSON, Joshua RISDON, Slobodan VULIN, Dino DJULBIC, Antony GOLEC, Mitchell OXBORROW, Jacob COLLARD, Richard GARCIA, Nebojsa MARINKOVIC, Stefan VALENTINI, Marc WARREN, Christopher GLIGOR, Chris HAROLD, Sidnei SCIOLA, Gyorgy SANDOR and Nicholas FEELY
Newcastle Jets vs Perth Glory kicks off on Tuesday, August 11, at 6:30pm AWST at Magic Park in Broadmeadow, NSW. To watch the game, tune into Foxtel on Demand, details here: http://bit.ly/1IiQwDJ
Looking to join Perth Glory for the 2015-16 Hyundai A-League season? Join Diego Castro, Gyorgy Sandor and Perth Glory and become a member today: http://bit.ly/1ipTWHX
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