Western Utd on right track, says Aloisi

NEW Western United coach John Aloisi is confident his team is on the right track after a disciplined 1-0 win over champions Melbourne City capped off a promising start to his A-League Men tenure at AAMI Park on Saturday evening.

After three rounds, United sit second behind Melbourne Victory, who they lost to 1-0 in week one, and have taken two league games on the bounce.

“It feels like we’re on the right track. There’s a lot of improving to do and we will improve a lot more. So that’s a positive,” Aloisi said.

“We know that we need to pick up points now because we’ll get stronger as the season goes on.

“We’ve still got players to come in, the players that are starting to doing well and we know that we’ll get better as the season goes on. So that’s a positive.

“The biggest thing for me is our football will get better with the ball but defensively Western United conceded a lot of goals last year.

“We haven’t conceded from open play in the four games we’ve played [including FFA Cup].”

Serbian striker Aleksandar Prijovic missed Saturday night’s match with hamstring tightness and Aloisi conceded the 31-year-old would likely be sidelined for “a couple of weeks” as United look to build him throughout the season.

“I’m not worried about it because it’s not a major injury, but it’s a little bit of a setback for him,” he said.

“We know that that can happen with overseas players when they come in a little bit late, playing a little bit of catch up.”

Aloisi lauded his new-look defence after the win over reigning A-League Men champions Melbourne City.

City were previously unbeaten in six league games stretching back to last season but had endured a scratchy start to the new campaign.

Melbourne were brought undone by a resolute United defence, marshalled by the brilliant Leo Lacroix, and Dylan Wenzel-Halls’ pinpoint finish in the 20th.

“People talk about the back four, about the goalkeeper. It’s the whole team, it’s from the front,” Aloisi said.

“You saw [Alessandro)] Diamanti chasing, fighting, closing down. If he’s doing it, that sets the tone for everyone else to do it.”

United seized the advantage when Steven Lustica pounced on a poor header from Curtis Good and nodded the ball into the path of Diamanti.

The United captain slid a delightful ball into the path of Wenzel-Halls who took a touch then sweetly struck the ball across his body into the far bottom corner of Tom Glover’s goal.

United goalkeeper Jamie Young then denied City a near-certain equaliser in the 45th minute, using his feet to deflect away Jamie Maclaren’s close-range header.

City continued to press after halftime.

In the 52nd minute Aiden O’Neill ripped a fizzing long-range strike but it clattered off the post.

Three minutes later, Florin Berenguer danced along the edge of the penalty area and found Andrew Nabbout, whose fierce strike forced a brilliant diving save from Young.

From there, City huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow United’s defence down in a fruitless night for their star-studded attack.

Substitute Nathaniel Atkinson forced another good save from Young with a looping header in the 82nd minute, while the United goalkeeper parried away a deflected shot shortly after.

“They had one chance early on the counter and they scored,” City coach Patrick Kisnorbo said.

“The first half we were sloppy, our intensity was a bit low.

“Second half, I thought we dominated the whole 45 minutes and on another day some chances go in but not today.”

 

– BY ANNA HARRINGTON/ AAP