A-League: Western Sydney Wanderers concede late goal to draw with Western United
Desperate for a victory to draw a line under a week dominated by claims of player unrest and division, Western Sydney managed to let two points slip away and their winless run now stretches to seven games.
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After their week from hell, the Wanderers still can’t take a trick.
Markus Babbel’s side was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Western United on Friday night, despite snatching the lead late in a grim encounter – only to concede at the death yet again.
Desperate for a victory to draw a line under a week dominated by claims of player unrest and division, Western Sydney managed to let two points slip away and their winless run now stretches to seven games.
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Unkind results over the rest of the weekend could send them even further down the table, sharpening even more the questions over Babbel’s tenure. The groans and catcalls of the 11,988 crowd told the story of this jittery season.
Forward fits and starts
More than a third of the way through the season, it’s startling to see an attack that believes so little in itself and in each other.
When the Wanderers players complain privately about a lack of a distinctive style, this is what they mean – uncertain whether to come through the middle or down the flanks, with too many passes consequently out of kilter.
In the end this is the more damning indictment than any claims of splits in the camp.
When Patrick Zeigler arrived at the far post to thump home Kearyn Baccus’s flick on to take the lead, it was only his side’s second goal in close to six hours of football.
Meier’s misery
At least the German striker got a first start since November 9, but sitting on the bench hasn’t made Alex Meier any fitter in that time.
His lack of mobility might matter less if there was a dynamism around him, allowing Meier to feast upon others’ creativity, but in fact it just makes their attempts at transition painfully slow.
Occasionally Meier would drop deep to play the link man but without the deftness of touch to speed the tempo. His Bundesliga Golden Boot seems from a different age.
United in the dark arts
Just as they did against Brisbane a week ago, Western United came to man the trenches in front of their own goal, numbers behind the ball at all times.
It’s a perfectly respectable strategy, augmented by players versed in wind-up tactics that are highly amusing to everyone except those on the receiving end.
The only problem is it’s a zero-sum strategy – concede relatively late, as here, and the whole effort can be for nothing. Credit United, then, for rallying as Connor Pain floated a cross that was met by the head of Aaron Calver for the equaliser with three minutes left.
An ex-Sydney FC man cruelling the Wanderers just summed up the home side’s lot.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS 1 (Patrick Ziegler 79m) WESTERN UNITED 1 (Aaron Calver 87m) at Bankwest Stadium. Crowd: 11,988. Referee: Alireza Faghani.
Originally published as A-League: Western Sydney Wanderers concede late goal to draw with Western United