Kosta Barbarouses explained why Wellington Phoenix have been so strong in their first three games of the new A-League Men’s season on the latest episode of A-Leagues Download.
KOSTA BARBAROUSES ON WELLINGTON PHOENIX:
Kosta explained that the Kiwi team’s midfield mix is a key reason as to why they sit atop the table with a perfect record from their first three matches.
“They’re humming at the moment because they’ve got four players in the 6 and the 10 roles who are centre midfielders,” he explained, referring to Alex Rufer, Kazuki Nagasawa, Bryce Duke and Max Anderson.
“Their instant reaction when they lose the ball is to come in and compact… it’s very hard to play through.
“Even with Newcastle playing through and around, it’s very comfortable for them.”
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Kosta said that this allows the Phoenix to flip the switch into attacking mode easily.
“We see that they win the ball back, Nagasawa’s first thought is forward,” he said.
“Then to provide the width they’ve got fullbacks (Matthew) Sheridan and (James) McGarry who fly up and down, and the two dynamic boys (Rafael Duran and Corban Piper) up top.”
Download host Jake Barker-Daish suggested that Wellington’s form will have the rest of the A-League Men’s teams on notice.
“It’s kind of hard to see who’s going to stop them the way they’re moving, the way they work together so cohesively,” he said.
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The Nix have an opportunity to frank their form even further and make a big statement to the competition this weekend when they travel to Auckland for the seventh installation of the New Zealand Derby.
Wellington have yet to win or even draw any of the six encounters between the two sides, with some bruising encounters leaving them on the wrong side of a -16 goal difference against their national rivals.
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However the Black KnIghts’ form has faltered so far this season, with a 3-1 win over Melbourne City in the opening Matchweek of the season being followed by a stinging 5-2 loss to Western Sydney Wanderers and a demoralising draw against Brisbane Roar that saw them concede an equaliser with the last kick of the game.
The match represents the first time Wellington could reasonably be considered anything other than the underdog heading into the fixture, and Barbarouses believes the team will be keen to atone for the one-sided history of the rivalry so far.
“They’re going to be going out for blood,” he said on Episode 3 of the A-Leagues: On the Whistle podcast.
“I was involved in the first few where we were probably up against it from the beginning… this will be the first time where they probably think that they’re in a better headspace or place than Auckland going into the game.”
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The seventh Kiwi Derby will take place at Go Media Stadium in Auckland at 5pm New Zealand time on Saturday (3pm AEDT).
Watch live on Sky Sports NZ in New Zealand or on Paramount+ in Australia.
