Perth Glory coach Dave Mitchell has thrown the challenge to his troops to end Wellington’s 12 match unbeaten stranglehold at Westpac Stadium.
Perth Glory coach Dave Mitchell has thrown the challenge to his troops to end Wellington-s 12 match unbeaten stranglehold at Westpac Stadium.
The Phoenix has scored 10 goals in their past three matches, nine of them coming at Westpac Stadium where they have also kept a clean sheet in their last two outings.
Mitchell said his side is well aware they must stay focussed throughout the 90 minutes against a Wellington squad bristling with attacking options.
“It’s going to be a tough task for us,” Mitchell conceded when asked how the Glory would contain a pumped up Phoenix attack.
“But that’s the mental attitude that I’m asking the boys to step up to.
“It’s a team game and we’ve all got to take up responsibilities for defending.
“That’s what we’ve been working on throughout the week and we think we’re capable of winning game we go into,” he said.
Glory has been boosted by the return of striker Branko Jelic, who missed last week’s match against Melbourne with a virus. His inclusion alongside Socceroos star Mile Sterjovski will ensure Perth-s attack gives the Phoenix defence plenty to think about come Sunday.
Jelic has been a threat in every game he has played, scoring four goals, and has backed the Glory to again find a winning formula as a predominantly new look Perth side finds their feet.
“We need a little bit more time to make good relationships between us on the field but the atmosphere is very good between players,” Jelic said.
“I think we play well and generally I believe that we have quality.
“We have a lot of experienced players and I think we don’t need too much time (to see the best from the squad) but maybe a little bit more,” he said.
