Wanderers looking to show Sydney derby stalemate was a building block to finals return

If last week’s Sydney derby had the veneer of a pre-season match it is because Western Sydney Wanderers remain every bit the work in progress.

The opening round stalemate with Sydney FC offered glimpses of promise, a solid defence and the first signs that a new-look attack was finding rhythm left coach Carl Robinson with reason to be pleased with the early foundations that are being built.

Jack Rodwell almost hit the winner late on for Wanderers last week. Credit:Getty

After missing the finals for a fourth consecutive season last year, the Wanderers embarked on another overhaul during a long off-season. Some big names were brought in: Tomer Hemed, Dimitri Petratos, Rhys Williams and Jack Rodwell. However, the four-month COVID-19 lockdown gave Robinson little opportunity to test his revamped squad before the start of the season. That’s why he was content with the draw against the Sky Blues but expects more against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon at Parramatta.

“A little bit of continuity, continuing doing what we have done in the majority of pre-season,” he said when asked what his players need to do better. “I think both teams are very new. We are new and they’re new so trying to get a gauge on them is very difficult. They have brought in a certain profile of player, which is probably exciting for Newcastle.”

The Jets are another side in the midst of change. New coach Arthur Papas was brought in alongside a flurry of fresh faces. Among them are some familiar to the Wanderers. Former defender Matt Jurman made the move north during the off-season, while ex-Western Sydney youth products Mohamed Al-Taay and Kosta Grozos were also snapped up by the Jets, who also hired former Wanderers assistant and youth coach Arthur Diles to help Papas.

Andrew Redmayne palms away a Dimitri Petratos shot in the opening round.Credit:Getty

The Wanderers signed Robinson from the Jets last year, before prying Steven Ugarkovic and Bernie Ibini away from Newcastle shortly afterwards. Understandably, there’s been talk about the match-up between two clubs who boast so many former players and staff. However, Robinson did his best to ignore the sentiment around Sunday’s clash.

“People like to write stories about players playing for other teams, but I think if you go through the whole A-League, at some stages players are going to play against their opposition teams. It happens every week all up and down the country,” he said. “It’s another game for us, obviously it’s an important game we are at home, we want our amazing supporters to come back and support us like what we did on the weekend and a little bit more.”

For Petratos, his first match against his old club will also pit him against his younger brother Kosta. While the family affair will no doubt be emotional for the Petratos family, the attacking midfielder’s focus is firmly on securing three points, even if it is at the expense of his younger brother.

“They have got a few sharp players on the wings. I think they will play a counter attacking game. I believe we are ready. We have had a good training week and looking forward to playing that game,” he said.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article