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The Western Sydney Wanderers were subject to the FFA Cup’s first major upset when they lost 1-0 to Adelaide City on Tuesday night.
A 75th minute goal to Adelaide City player Thomas Love, who ran straight through the Wanderers defence, was enough to secure a fairytale win for Adelaide.
The result didn’t come as much surprise, following an off-season of departures, few arrivals and a less than convincing pre-season.
The Wanderers are facing a nightmarish third A-League season if signings and improvements aren’t made.
Losing an incredible 10 players in the off-season, including international marquee Shinji Ono, Wanderers coach Tony Popovic has been slow to replace gaps left in his side, signing just five new players for the 2014/15 season, with two among them previous ACL exclusive players for his side.
While these signings have been constructive, they are simply not enough as the Wanderers face an impending Asian Champions League quarter-final tie with last year’s champions Guangzhou Evergrande F.C., who also finished fourth in the 2013/14 FIFA Club World Cup.
With the first leg to be played at Pirtek stadium on Tuesday, Western Sydney will need a massive turn around in form if they hope to challenge the Chinese side. A
The Wanderers need to sign one or two more players, with a marquee player an obvious priority. Popovic himself voiced concerns over rushing any acquisition of a marquee player, saying he’s in no rush and any marquee signing must fit in with the club dynamic.
“It’s actually about the right player as well,” Popovic said. “The right player that can actually add to us.”
Regardless, having no marquee puts the Wanderers at a severe disadvantage when they take on the likes of marquee-heavy Melbourne City.
Some more experienced players are needed as well if the Wanderers hope to be competitive.
Placing a positive emphasis on youth, Popovic is doing right by club and country, but must bring in some experienced talent to ensure our youth aren’t thrown into the deep end of professional football too quickly .
Promising young guns Kwabena Appiah and Yianni Perkatis need a few veterans to keep them on the right path, particularly given the loss of inaugural captain Michael Beauchamp, and Nikolai Topor-Stanley yet to prove himself an equally effective leader.
A 1-0 loss to a non-A-League opponent shows something isn’t right at the Wanderers.
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