Deans expects Jets to relish the challenge of quelling dangerous Perth attack

Newcastle Jets head coach Craig Deans admits his side will be challenged by the prospect of keeping Perth Glory’s star-studded attack subdued when the two teams meet at HBF Park on Saturday night.

But Deans says his players are in the wrong game if they’re not willing to relish that challenge, harness the pressure and us it in their favour, as the Jets look to put an end to a deflating form slump with a win on the road.

Newcastle travel out west to face Perth on Saturday night (kick-off 9.20pm AEDT) in 11th spot on the A-League table on a four-game losing streak. The Jets sunk to a new low in Matchweek 13, conceding four first-half goals on the way to losing 4-1 to Adelaide United at home. 

Newcastle’s season has so-far been defined by three individual stretches of differing patches: Deans’ side began the 2020/21 campaign with four successive losses, then mounted a five-game unbeaten run before losing four more on the bounce leading into Matchweek 14.

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The Jets will look to turn that trend around once again starting with a positive result against Perth. Richard Garcia’s team has an equal share of the best goals-per-game (two) ratio in the league, and boast a frightening collection of attacking talent.

Fresh off the back of conceding four against the Reds, the Jets will need to contend with Glory’s ferocious forward-line without captain Nigel Boogaard (suspended) and full-back Johnny Koutroumbis (injured) – but Deans is unwilling to let his side shy away from the challenge at hand.

“(Diego) Castro, (Bruno) Fornaroli, (Andy) Keogh, (Nick) D’Agostino who is scoring goals as well… they’ve got four people that are very, very capable of scoring goals,” Deans told reporters on Friday morning.

“You know what? We have to enjoy that sort of challenge as a group.

As a defender, and a defensive group, you’ve got to go over there and take that challenge on of keeping those four players quiet.

That’s your job. If you don’t enjoy that aspect of your job and the pressure that comes with it, you’re not going to make it in football.

“I expect our back four, our goalkeeper and our midfielders to enjoy that challenge of keeping them quiet, and then it’s up to the quality we have in the front third to go and win us the game.

“That’s football, if you don’t enjoy that you’re in the wrong game.”

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Deans expects his side to relish the chance to size up against some of the league's most dangerous forwards

Deans continued: “football, and all sports are a confidence thing. 

“You have to find that confidence and self-belief.

“It’s not easy to stay positive in a situation like this, but you have no option.

“You have to be positive, you have to be confident, you have to give yourself self belief to go and do the job.”

Deans’ disappointment in the fallout of his side’s 4-1 loss to the Reds was somewhat eased by the positive response his side provided in the second 45 after falling four-goals behind before half-time.

One of the bright sparks of the improved performance was the injection of Ramy Najjarine, who got an assist on return from a one-month layoff due to an ankle injury sustained against Melbourne Victory on February 21. 

The 20-year-old assisted Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ second-half consolation goal in a 45-minute shift which gives Deans and the Jets plenty of hope for what he can produce as he returns to full fitness.

“He’s trained all week, he’s trained for probably two weeks solid now,” Deans said.

“He had 45 minutes on the weekend and he did make a big difference in the game.

“We were in a position at half-time where we needed to do something, and both Ramy and (Liridon Krasniqi) came on and contributed to the game well, and showed some creativity which we’d probably been lacking for the last four or five weeks.

“We welcome Ramy back, everyone knows what he can do. He showed it in the first five or six games of the season.

“We’ve obviously missed him, and we’re really looking forward to (having) him back.”

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Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets
Date: Saturday, March 27 2021
Venue: HBF Park
Kick-off: 9:20pm AEDT
Match Centre
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