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Markus Babbel: Dead man walking

Roar Rookie
11th December, 2019
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Roar Rookie
11th December, 2019
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A five-game winless run, including four straight losses.

Four goals scored. Nine goals conceded. Western Sydney was supposed to be a title challenger this season under Markus Babbel.

They had three wins from three at the start of the season and were unbeaten in their first four. However, a winless run that stretches back to the start of November has seen Babbel face more intense scrutiny as each defeat comes.

The Wanderers were top three weeks in. They are now sixth, currently teetering on a knife’s edge; three points separate them and last-placed Central Coast.

I initially predicted that Marco Kurz would be the first manager to be sacked this season. Panic stations are over in Melbourne however, with Kurz being rumoured to be sacked ever since Victory’s loss to Adelaide in the Original Rivalry.

Whilst Babbel’s German counterpart could still realistically get the chop, Babbel is currently the manager under the most pressure in the A-League, with several sources linking Kevin Muscat to the job, should Babbel be relieved of his duties.

Markus Babbel poses with a Western Sydney Wanderers scarf.

Markus Babbel, the Wanderers’ head coach, in happier times (AAP Image/Danny Casey)

Maybe people are just being harsh. They have been on the end of some questionable refereeing decisions, and Newcastle were bailed out by Mitch Duke unable to score from his nine shots against the Jets, but it stems deeper than that.

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In their unbeaten run at the start of the season, only two incorrect VAR decisions stopped success turning into defeat. In the 0-0 draw to Brisbane game, the start of the winless run, the Wanderers had nine fewer shots and three fewer shots on target than the Roar.

The winless run seems to be at the complete opposite of the spectrum in terms of referring decisions. While they were dominated statistically against Melbourne City, a debatable penalty from a foul by Pirmin Schwegler swung the game in the City Blues’ favour.

The post-match discussion following Western Sydney’s loss to Wellington last weekend was all centred around one talking point; Ulises Davila’s penalty, again given away by Schwegler, due to the ball hitting his hand while it was in a natural position.

While Babbel may blame dodgy referee calls and alleged bias against his side, the numbers don’t lie. In the first three games, the Wanderers were averaging 1.6 goals scored a game, whilst on average conceding 0.6 a game.

Since the Sydney game, Babbel’s charges are now scoring 0.8 goals a game, whilst conceding 1.8. Expected goals don’t paint a pretty picture either. Based on xG, the Wanderers should be conceding 1.25 goals a game, while scoring roughly 0.5.

Take into account the signings the Wanderers made in the off-season, and there is more of a reason to be annoyed.

Alex Meier? Has looked unfit and off the mark. Matt Jurman? Decent in distribution but hasn’t shone. Dylan McGowan and Daniel Georgevski? Good pick-ups given their defensive numbers.

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Nicolai Muller? Has put up good defensive numbers given his role. Pirmin Schwegler? Average. The two signings worth giving more detail include Dani Lopar, who has been one of the signings of the season, saving the Wanderers on multiple occasions, and Radoslaw Majewski, who tore his ACL in pre-season and is still recovering, meaning opinions on him would have to be changed accordingly.

It’s clear that Markus Babbel is losing patience with everyone. Referees especially. Given the upcoming fixtures, trips to Perth and Adelaide, as well as a home game against Western United, which are all winnable, a continuation of the results and performances we’re seeing currently may see the board finally lose patience in Babbel.

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