City the latest test in Western's wild ALW ride

Western United haven't been able to string results of any kind together so far this ALW season but with a visit from Melbourne City next up, coach Kat Smith says work is being done to change that.

If one was looking for a silver lining to Western United’s up-and-down form this A-League Women season, it would be that the almost predictable unpredictability of Kat Smith’s side means they’re due a win against Melbourne City on Friday evening. But given that Michael Matricciani’s side heads to Ironbark Fields top-of-the-table and still unbeaten this season after downing second-placed Brisbane, United will need something a bit more concrete than a rollercoaster-like form guide if they’re to secure an upset win.

Sitting eighth on the A-League Women table entering the weekend, two points back of sixth-placed Central Coast, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that halfway through the 2024-25 campaign, Smith’s side is putting together one of the most hot-and-cold runs in the league’s history. Across their opening ten games, the one constant for the side from Melbourne’s west is that they haven’t recorded the same result in back-to-back games; draws and losses following wins, wins following draws and defeats, and losses following draws and victory.

Last Saturday at McKellar Park, Catherine Zimmerman’s 15th-minute opener provided a strong start in their attempts to back up the previous week's win over Newcastle with another three points, only for an own-goal from Claudia Mihocic six minutes later to wipe their lead away and Sofia Christopherson’s 50th-minute strike to condemn them to defeat. It continued a six-game run that has seen the side yo-yo between heavy defeats against the likes of Western Sydney and Brisbane but also log wins over Sydney and the Mariners; variability that has left them on the outside looking in at the top six heading into the weekend, but not by too much.

Admittedly, if the pattern holds, that should mean United takes all three points off City at Ironbark Fields. And Melbourne’s green and black contingent have had the wood over their light blue rivals since their entrance to the league in 2022-23; winning three of their four meetings and drawing the other. But Smith knows there’s plenty that needs doing if United are going to start putting together a run of results to challenge the likes of City atop the table.

“We're doing a lot of work in terms of the mentality and the approach that we have with the playing group,” she said. “Whilst there's a lot of experience in terms of caps for this club or other clubs in the league, I think there's a unique space here in terms of the expectations and standards.

“So we're working with the playing group continually wanting to be better and working through those challenges to translate from our training environment and the conditions and standards we hold here to performances that are enough to win games in this competition.

"I can go into all the details in terms of technically and tactically, but in terms of the way we want to play football, we're very front foot. We're very attacking-minded. For me, ultimately, our ability of players to deliver in their one-against-one situations. That's a key.”

City once again leading the league in average possession in 2024-25, United will likely find themselves operating with less of the ball on Friday evening, with Smith acknowledging the need to ensure that if City was to have the better of that stat, her side would need to ensure that their possession wasn’t purposeful. It’s easier said than done, of course, and compounding the challenge of blunting the league’s second most free-scoring attack – City’s 25 goals this season betted only by Brisbane’s 30 – will coincide United being forced to make another reshuffle to her back four.

Her return from a long-term injury having coincided with Alana Černe being forced to the sidelines with a fractured foot, a strain will force highly-rated youngster Claudia Mihocic to the sidelines this weekend, the injury described as “short term” by Smith but one that will nonetheless require a fresh face next to Grace Maher on Friday evening.

Colombian-American defender and one-time Portland Thorn national team replacement player Isabel Dehakiz replaced Mihocic in their loss to Canberra and would shape as the most obvious replacement but Smith didn’t rule out further tinkering.

“We have options there,” Smith said. “Those that have got some versatility and experience to play midfield [and] play as a centre back. So we've got ourselves a solution, we've worked hard on that over the course of not only the last week or two.

“But we're confident that the players given the opportunity will do their best.”

Header Image: Western United