Western Sydney Wanderers have been consistently switching out players every match, leading to better performances and a bright future for the club according to manager Marko Rudan.
The Wanderers pocketed another three points in their match against Western United, scoring an early goal in the first half to take the win.
The goal came in the 28th minute when Yeni N’gbakoto chased down a stray pass from Aidan Simmons in the penalty box and fired a strike into the goal.
.@wswanderersfc draw first blood 🔴⚫️
Yeni Ngbakoto is first to react to the loose ball and gives his side the lead over @wufcofficial 👏
Catch all the action LIVE on @Channel10AU Bold 📺
Follow live: https://t.co/Wxs1tPi9Hz
#WeAreALeagues #WSWvWUN pic.twitter.com/rq9KyrUd6l
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) February 5, 2023
For the rest of the match, Western Sydney largely kept United out of the goal box. The Green and Black only managed to get 8 attempts to score in the entire game, compared to the Wanderers’ 20 attempts.
The win has put Western Sydney back in second place on the ladder, after three consecutive draws and a defeat had caused the club to start dropping in its ranking.
Wanderers coach, Marko Rudan, chalks the win up to changes in training.
“[Over] the last month, we started to change the training program. You can see a lot of that now come to fruition in the park,” said Rudan.
“We’re starting to evolve into the team that I knew we were going to be.”
Some of the changes have involved the constant rotation of match-day squads and starting line-ups.
In this last match, Aidan Simmons made his first starting appearance. While the young winger didn’t score any goals, he made two attempts and assisted in two others.
This move came after Simmons assisted Brandon Borrello in his goal during the match against Central Coast Mariners the week before.
This result-driven approach to line-ups has helped keep the club performing at its peak ability.
“[The players are] still fighting for their positions. [Aidan Simmons] had a start today, it was [Daniel Wilmering] last week, it was [Ramy] Najjarine the week before,” explained Rudan.
“They’ve got to earn their stripes. It’s always performance-based and that’s what will keep them in the team.”
The coach also believes that rewarding the younger players with more game time will have a flow-on effect, helping to motivate players in the Wanderers’ academy.
“We’re creating a really great environment for young players to come and train and be first-team footballers,” said Rudan.
“When they see a lot of young guys get chances at the top levels, it just spurs them on.”
With the changes in tactics paying off for Western Sydney, the team is feeling ready to take another victory in their clash against rivals, Sydney FC next week.
“We’re going into next week’s derby full of confidence [and with] a great resolve about us,” remarked Rudan.
“We want to go out there and win.”
Featured Image Credit: Western Sydney Wanderers FC
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