That was more like the Western United of old.
After a tough start to the season that saw the reigning Isuzu UTE A-League champions go winless in their opening five games, Western have slowly but surely begun to rediscover their mojo.
Western have now won three of their last four games in the league, but their last two wins over the past fortnight have showcased all the traits that helped take John Aloisi’s side to Championship glory last season.
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Hard nosed defending, discipline and being decisive going forward.
Prior to last weekend, Western hadn’t registered a single clean sheet and were shipping goals for fun, as a result of calamitous defending and a series of uncharacteristic errors – which were far from common place in the previous campaign.
But now, even without star defender Leo Lacroix and going down to 10 against Melbourne Victory; the reigning champions have seemingly stamped out their defensive issues with back-to-back clean-sheets and 1-0 wins against both Tony Popovic’s side and Western Sydney Wanderers.
On Monday evening, they had to be at their best defensively and they were exactly that.
With the score still 0-0, veteran centre-back Nikolai Topor-Stanley was sent off for a clumsy challenge on Chris Ikonomidis which could have easily swung the pendulum the other way and into Victory’s favour.
But to Western’s credit, they responded brilliantly, in fact, they started to create more issues after the dismissal – with Josh Risdon’s go-ahead goal coming on the brink of the half-time.
From there, they never let go of the rope. Western were back doing what they do best. Defending hard and frustrating their opposition after gaining an advantage.
The 1-0 win over Victory was as Western defender Ben Garuccio described as “vintage”, with the scoreline that they won by on so many occasions last season to match.
“We knew we needed to turn things around. I think we just got back to doing what we love doing and that’s defending, keeping clean sheets,” Garuccio told Paramount+ post-game.
“I think that was a vintage Western United performance, so very happy.
The goal helped massively, but I think, against Central Coast we learned. We got the red card and we sort of capitulated and I think were was just that feeling in the rooms today. Let’s put things right, let’s show everyone we’re back.
Even with one less man, in the searing summer heat and against a host of quality attackers, Western held firm, not rolling over like they did when Topor-Stanley was last sent-off against Central Coast Mariners earlier this season – where they coughed up a two-goal advantage and fell to a 4-2 defeat on the road.
On this occasion, Western were sensational in the back half – led by the return of star defender Tomoki Imai, the goalkeeping heroics of Jamie Young and the rest of their hard-nosed defensive unit – that was supported brilliantly by their hard-working midfield.
But even going forward, they always seemed the more dangerous in transition, with Aleksandar Prijovic’s gravity creating all sorts of havoc, while James Troisi played his best game since joining in the off-season.
“It was very similar to results we had last year,” Risdon said.
I think first six games of the season before the World Cup, we were leaking too many goals and now two wins on the trot, two clean sheets, we really wanted to get back to our defensive structures and being hard to beat, hard to concede so we did that.
“It was pure effort by the boys, getting a man sent off in the first half and just grinding out a result. A lot of effort.”
And a win like this, could be the result that was sorely needed to get their title defence back on track heading into the New Year – sitting only a point outside the top six and three points off fourth.
Especially now that they’d be hoping to get some continuity in their starting line-up, with Imai, Prijovic, Tongo Doumbia and Steven Lustica (still absent) all missing significant time due to injury.
While they’ve had a raft of absentees due to suspension or illness including Garuccio, Lacroix, Risdon and Topor-Stanley, meaning line-ups – particularly in defence – have had to be chopped and changed at various points of the season.
Thankfully, they’ll have Lacroix back from suspension on Friday evening against Brisbane Roar to replace the suspended Topor-Stanley – who Western fans would be hoping can recapture his best form after a difficult season to date.
‘That was the one’: Young’s crucial clutch save secures the win
Had it not been for their custodian Jamie Young, the result could have been markedly different.
Young’s save proved to be integral, with the Western goalkeeper coming up big to deny Nick D’Agostino a last-ditch equaliser – somehow clawing the ball out of his net to secure the three points.
It’s something Australian football fans have become all too used to throughout his career, as Young made yet another all-important clutch save when his side needed it most.
“I think it was a corner, some cross came in. They obviously challenged well for it and the piece sort of was just not quick enough and I could move quick enough and just spring for it,” Young told Paramount+.
As a keeper, you might not have too much to do but you have got to make critical saves and that was one.
But when asked if there had been some alterations defensively and whether things had begun to turn around in the back-half, Young channeled his inner Al Pacino from ‘Any Given Sunday’, stating that he believes football can well and truly be a game of inches.
“I don’t know, sometimes things click and you get that mentality back and that hard-work and I’m not trying to say that it wasn’t there but football is like a science, it’s not always exact” Young said.
“Sometimes it is and today we got the rub of the green at times with ten men so you need a little inch sometimes and that inch of belief or something got us over the line today.”
