Western United’s first ever season since creation was a memorable one with semi-final appearance achieved at the end of it all. Solid results throughout the campaign had the top 6 position under control pretty much all throughout. Then United edged Roar 1:0 in the Elimination Final before eventually running out of steam in the semis when tiredness played major factor in 0:2 defeat vs. Melbourne City.
Making the most against those sides that didn’t qualify for the play-offs was key, 8 of the 12 league wins during the regular season were against teams that finished 7th and lower. Also vital for the successful campaign were the group of veterans – 38-year-old Durante was rock in defence, 37-year-old captain Diamanti was amongst the most creative players in the league, while 35-year-old Berisha showed everyone why he remains the A-League’s All Time Record Goalscorer.
The ability to switch from defending deep to aggressive high pressing in a flash was amongst the main strengths during the campaign, with the other impressive thing in United’s displays this season their mental strength late in games with 7 of their 12 wins secured inside final third of matches.
As much as the experience of the veterans was invaluable it was also major weakness especially after the COVID-break when the hectic schedule saw them tire a lot. This was the main reason in the end why nothing was left in the tank come the semi-final.
Coach Rudan did well to achieve what he achieved with this completely new squad of players. On top of mentioned already veterans Burgess had memorable campaign, especially post-Christmas, he scored 6 goals in final 8 rounds of the regular season.
Not yet clear how the COVID-situation will affect the team and also it’s unlikely that all those 35+ veterans will have another strong season in them, so United definitely need to look at many things and possibilities ahead of next season.
