Dead Ball Specialists Are Match Winners
In Perth Glory’s previous game against Newcastle Jets, Deborah-Anne De La Harpe forced a sensational save from Jets keeper Claire Coelho after a well-struck free-kick. De La Harpe went one better on Sunday with a goal from an unstoppable dead ball strike, beating the impressive Sarah Langman in the Wanderers goal. The 21 year old also provided some quality service with her inswinging corner kicks, and Langman was forced to make the save of the game from a Mie Leth Jans header after a tremendous delivery by De La Harpe. With both teams having such strong defences, the ability to break your opponents down is aided when you have a weapon such as De La Harpe on your side.
Defending Is Not Just For Defenders
Perth Glory’s success was a result of their determined pressure to win the ball back off their opponents as soon as possible, not allowing them to settle into any sort of rhythm. The whole team was involved, with veteran Lisa De Vanna leading the way from the front. Her tenacity to win the ball was matched by De La Harpe and Sofia Sakalis, and the Glory front line made life uncomfortable for the Wanderers back four whenever they tried to play out. If balls did make it into the midfield then Leth Jans and Sadie Lawerence hunted the ball down or forced their opponents to play under such pressure that possession was often coughed up.
Wanderers Need To Find Some Bite
Despite the excellent goalkeeping of Langman and the resolute defending of the back four, Catherine Cannuli’s side are never going to be serious challengers until they can build on the bedrock of their solid defence. The Wanderers never produced any sustained pressure during the game and seemed to be working in isolation in the final third, rather than as a cohesive unit. Langman recognised this in her post-match comments with Paramount:
“We need to do better in the final third,” she said.
“Defensively, we’re generally doing quite well. I think we just need to do better in the final third. I think we just need to just have more shots in general. We get the ball there, doing all the hard work. We’re just not putting it in the back of the net.”
There’s No Substitution For Experience
The plaudits for the win rightly went to former Young Matilda De La Harpe, while former Junior Matilda Hana Lowry also caught the eye with another fine display. However, it wasn’t just about youth for Glory as the experienced players in their ranks really showed how valuable they are to the team. Defenders Kim Carroll and Tash Rigby, midfielder Leth Jans, as well as forwards De Vanna and Leena Khamis managed the game superbly, with all five showing tremendous leadership on the field.
Glory Are Getting Stronger
The week was yet another tough one for the Perth side, and the announcement by the WA Government that it would not re-open the border on February 5th has all but scuppered any chance of them playing at home again this season. This was a bitter blow for the Perth based players in particular, but they have grown as a unit during their enforced absence from family and friends and seem to be thriving in the artificial environment they find themselves in. Coach Alex Epakis had this to say about the situation after the game:
“The group was fantastic all week and despite the difficult news that came through in the week, we drew a line in the sand and said to the players that the only way we can respond to this is in our performance on the field.
“That was a huge motivator today,” he said.
The closeness in the Glory squad is there for all to see and their performances over the last two games suggest they will be a very difficult side to beat as we enter the second half of the season.
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