Perth Glory have confirmed retired Socceroo and ex-Sydney FC assistant coach David Zdrilic as head coach of the club’s Isuzu UTE A-League team on a three-year deal.
The 50-year-old has replaced Alen Stajcic as Glory head coach after the club’s wooden spoon finish in 2023-24; Zdrilic has arrived at the club after one season at Sydney FC where he served as assistant to Ufuk Talay.
Capped 31 times by the Socceroos, Zdrilic brings six years’ worth of experience accrued coaching in Europe and the USA to Perth – including a career-enriching stint at German club RB Leipzig where he honed his craft working alongside prestigious managers Ralf Rangnick, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralph Hasenhuttl.
READ: David Zdrilic leaves Sydney FC
Upon his unveiling as Glory head coach, Zdrilic revealed his intention to use his experience gained in Germany to implement an attacking brand of football in Perth.
“I’m extremely honoured and proud to be the new head coach of Perth Glory,” Zdrilic said. “I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait to start playing my part in driving the club forward.
“Perth Glory is starting an exciting new era with a new owner in Ross Pelligra, a new-look playing squad and new coaching staff. There is a lot of hard work to be done, but the challenge is extremely exciting.
“Not only are we looking to improve results in the coming years, but we are looking to embrace a totally new way of playing. There will be a new, distinctive style and it is one I hope our supporters will embrace.
“Perth Glory is one of the few clubs where the entire city – and the entire state – gets behind one team. That ‘12th man’ is something we want to build on and use to our advantage.
“I know how proud our members and fans are of this club’s history, but I also know how hungry everyone here is to start winning again.
“In terms of my coaching philosophy, drawing on my Red Bull background, our team will play an attacking, high-intensity brand of football which gets our members and fans out of their seats. That style is very much aligned to Perth Glory’s DNA.
“We’ve assembled a squad of talented, dynamic and hungry players who are keen to play aggressive football on the front foot both in attack and defence.
“The club’s supporters have stayed loyal during the difficult times and now we want to repay them for that faith by developing a team and a playing style they can enjoy, relate to and be proud of.
“I’m keenly aware of Perth Glory’s proud traditions and past successes and along with the staff and players, we are ready to re-establish this great club as a major force in Australian football.”
Zdrilic joins Perth from Sydney FC having served as assistant at the club where he made 50 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances as a player between 2005 and 2008.
After his retirement in 2010, Zdrilic combined his introduction to coaching with a career in the media before a move to RB Leipzig in 2017 accelerated his development as a manager.
It was at Leipzig with the club’s youth teams where Zdrilic was reunited with Rangnick – his former coach at SSV Ulm 1846 in the late 1990’s.
Rangnick is known as the ‘godfather of gegenpressing’, a high-octane style of play that relies on players counter-pressing the opposition to win the ball after losing possession.
The gegenpress approach, also famously used by Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, was utilised by Rangnick at Leipzig and Zdrilic became one of his disciples whilst at the Bundesliga club, where he also learned off the likes of current German national team head coach Nagelsmann as well as Hasenhuttl, formerly of Southampton in the Premier League and current VfL Wolfsburg boss.
A three-year stint at Leipzig preceded a move to Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire where served as assistant coach, before a return to Europe – firstly to Belgian side KV Oostende and then Genoa in Italy’s Serie A.
After six years abroad, Zdrilic returned home to join Sydney in mid-2023 and now, he has taken on the first head coach role of his senior career in Perth.
Glory Chairman Ross Pelligra said Zdrilic’s appointment is critical to the new ownership implementing its strategy.
“David is a highly-credentialled, highly-regarded Australian coach and we are delighted to welcome him to the club as we open an exciting new chapter in our history,” Pelligra said.
“His appointment is a critical component of our strategy to reconnect and deliver a successful and sustainable Perth Glory to the Western Australian community.
“He has a clear vision and a strong commitment to a bold, ambitious and exciting style of play which will help reignite our Perth Glory.
“We look forward to working with David to drive the club forward in the coming seasons and I wish him every success in the role.”
Zdrilic’s first challenge as head coach is to take Glory to Darwin in July for an Australia Cup playoff against Brisbane Roar on July 23. The winner of the playoff game will reach the Australia Cup Round of 32 – a feat Glory hasn’t managed since 2019.
The club has been busy in the transfer market prior to Zdrilic’s appointment; 12 players have left Glory including 2023-24 co-captain Mark Beevers, young gun Daniel Bennie, central defenders Darryl Lachman and Aleksandar Šuśnjar and forward Stefan Colakovski.
Perth locals Josh Risdon and Brandon O’Neill have returned to the club, while Nicholas Pennington, Taras Gomulka, Nathanael Blair and Adam Bugarija have arrived from rival clubs.
The player recruitment in the off-season has been spearheaded by Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis; Glory CEO Anthony Radich says Lazaridis’ recruitment drive has aligned with what Zdrilic needs to implement his style of football at the club.
“David has learned his trade by working with some of the finest and most innovative tactical minds in world football,” Radich said.
“His high-intensity, attack-minded philosophy aligns with the vision our ownership has for the club going forward and the kind of entertaining playing style that our loyal Members and fans want to see.
“Our Football Director, Stan Lazaridis, has assembled a squad of players closely aligned to David’s playing philosophy and we are extremely excited to see them develop under his leadership.
“We are very pleased to have brought in a coach of David’s calibre and believe that he will play a pivotal role in helping bring success back to the club.”
