Nikolai Topor-Stanley ... 'Everyone knows what they have to do to get the points on the board.' Source: AAP
It's perhaps no coincidence that most of Western Sydney Wanderers' defensive unit feature prominently in statistics about preventing goals.
This is a team built around not giving anything away at the back. Home or away, as Perth found that last weekend, the Wanderers present a formidable obstacle to overcome.
Ahead of Saturday night's visit of Melbourne Victory to Parramatta Stadium, Tony Popovic's men have conceded only five goals, which is second fewest in the league behind leaders Adelaide.
They lead the league in clearances, blocked shots and intercepts. They have also kept opponents scoreless in the first half of six of the seven matches so far this season.
Goal-scoring is another matter, although even that is showing signs of some considerable improvement in recent weeks. After a rough start to life in front of goal, the Wanderers have now scored in four consecutive games.
But if they are to reach the finals in their debut season, the Wanderers are going to have to ask plenty of their defence.
| P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Central Coast | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 14 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 12 |
| 4 | Perth | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| 5 | Western Sydney | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| 6 | Victory | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | -4 | 10 |
| 7 | Wellington | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Brisbane | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Heart | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -1 | 7 |
| 10 | Sydney | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | -9 | 6 |
From Ante Covic in goals through to the central defenders Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Michael Beauchamp, left-back Adam D'Apuzzo and right-back Shannon Cole, they have plenty of experience to call on.
"It all comes down to the hard work in the pre-season," said Topor-Stanley, who joined the fledgling club from Newcastle in the off season.
"Poppa is very big on discipline and putting in the hard yards and he's got the whole team on the same page. It makes it easier when everyone buys into the philosophy.
"Everyone knows what they have to do to get the points on the board.
"The way that Poppa has got us organised, it's much easier doing my job when everyone throughout the whole team knows exactly what they are doing. So it's credit to the coaching staff and the players who are working really well together."
Topor-Stanley, who leads the league in clearances and is second in intercepts, is particularly enjoying working under former Socceroos defender Popovic.
"Yeah, it's great. Michael Beauchamp and I talk about it all the time. It's very simple and it's the small things he's fine-tuned that were kind of overlooked elsewhere," he told foxsports.com.au.
"It's great that we can learn through Tony's expertise.
"This is a fresh start for me and it's a privilege to work with Poppa."
Topor-Stanley also played tribute to defensive midfielder Aaron Mooy, who earned a Socceroos squad call-up for the East Asia Cup next month.
Mooy, who has picked up man-of-the-match points in six of the seven rounds to date, leads the league in effective tackles with 46 and takes a lot of pressure off the defensive line.
"He's great and the good thing is he's still only young. He's got a lot to learn but he has massive potential and talent and has been an integral part of our team."
The 27-year-old is pleased with the team's progress so far but warns that the hard work begins now.
"Behind closed doors we were always confident in our ability," he said.
"It was more other people doubting us because we were a new club.
"We were always confident and we went into the pre-season physically prepared and, more importantly, mentally ready.
"It a credit to everyone so far but it's a long way to go and the hard work starts now."
Victory certainly know they are in for a tough battle on Saturday afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment