Football Season Guide

Western Sydney Wanderers

In


Hemed (att, Wellington Phoenix), Koutroumbis (def, Newcastle Jets), Swibel (att, Sydney FC), Najjarine (mid, Melbourne City), Traore (def, Melbourne Victory), Williams (def, Al Qadisiyah), Antonis (mid, Suwon Bluewings), Ogawa (mid, Yokohama FC), Meijas (gk, free), D. Petratos (mid, Al-Wahda)

Out


Grozos (mid, Newcastle Jets), Mutch (mid, Macarthur FC), McGowan (def, Kilmarnock), Kamau (mid, OFI Crete), Dorrans (mid, Dunfermline Athletic), Al-Taay (def, Newcastle Jets), Müller (att, Central Coast Mariners), McDonald (att, released), Yeboah (mid, released), Ziegler (def, released), Duke (att, Al-Taawoun FC - end of loan), James (gk, Newcastle Jets - end of loan)

Yet another highly inconsistent campaign resulted in a worryingly consistent outcome: Western Sydney Wanderers embarrassing themselves. They've never short of good signings or lofty ambitions, but the actual execution of such has been poor for a while now. To much to their fans' chagrin, Robinson remains in charge, which is the right call - the team failed last season, not him. He's pushed a lot of players out of the door, most of which won't be missed because of their inconsistency. Mutch and McGowan are the exceptions, although the latter made too many mistakes last season. Kamau is another, very underrated right-sider. As always, their signings look impressive. Hemed is a proven goal-getter at this level. Koutroumbis is a solid enough defender. Traore is a very consistent, powerful left-back. Williams is a monstrous centre-back. Antonis is a brilliant all-round midfielder. Ogawa brings a lot of promise as a creator. Petratos can be fantastic on his day. Weaknesses - too many of these players are individuals. Petratos, Ibini-Isei, Troisi all play as individuals rather than a collective, and that was a huge problem for the team last season, albeit with mostly different players. Real lack of speed in central defence will make playing far up the pitch risky. Strengths - lots of match-winners. Good midfield controllers in Ugarkovic and Baccus. Really solid centre-backs when it comes to marking, positioning, and aerial duels. Russell's marauding runs forward from full-back/wing-back. Irreplaceable players - Hemed, Gordon, Russell.

Target


Western Sydney Wanderers always promise more than they can deliver, and this group looks to follow a similar pattern. The potential is there for a top 6 finish but they don't look a 'team'. Top 6 should be guaranteed with this squad but it may be a bridge too far.