Perth Glory coach David Zdrilic happy with pre-season win against Newcastle Jets, concedes defensive fragility

Perth Glory coach David Zdrilic was pleased with his side’s effort and intent in their fiery 2-0 victory over Newcastle Jets in front of a huge crowd in Albany on Wednesday. The second friendly between the two A-League club’s was far from affable with tempers flaring frequently throughout as both sides grappled with the blustery conditions. Socceroo and club captain Adam Taggart netted a brace with both goals on the back of the Glory’s new-found high press. The Glory were ravenous in their pressure, swarming the Jets with brutal physicality and forcing numerous turnovers. Both of Taggart’s goals were a by-product of the Glory’s emphatic presence, but despite the clean sheet the Jets exposed the Glory’s leaky defence by frequently getting through. Zdrilic lauded his side’s overbearing presence in the first half, a game-plan he learned during his tenure in Europe where he had stints at German Bundesliga side Red Bull Leipzig and Italian Seria A team Genoa. “(The high pressing defence), that’s my whole philosophy,” he said. “I learned everything at the Red Bull Leipzig, I spent three years there and then started implementing that with the clubs that I worked with in Europe. “These are the moments we want to create. . . we created many more moments that we could have maybe executed a bit better, and that’s what we’re working on. “We really want to be relentless in winning the ball up high, and then from that we create chances.” Zdrilic conceded his side needs a more assured defence and better fitness after they were lucky not to conceded late in the second half with the hard-pushing Jets creating most of the chances. “We need to be more secure at the back,” he siad. “We have to defend high up the pitch, and. . . we need to do that a little bit better. “We probably should have conceded a couple goals so that’s something we need address. “We have a lot of players that are coming in that aren’t even fully fit. “I can’t tell (what the first 11 looks like), because the fitness levels of some of the guys are not there yet.” Zdrilic said the regional trip through Bunbury and Albany provided his side with the “perfect preparation” as they now turn their attention to their round one clash with Macarthur FC on October 20. “It was perfect preparation. We don’t get many games against A-League opposition, so it’s important for us to maximise these two games,” he said. “I just was really happy with the way that we went about it.” Jets coach Rob Stanton said despite the loss, the trip galvanised his unit ahead of the A-League season. “It was a terrific trip, and opportunity for the squad to go through some team building exercises, set some goals and help new players integrate and boys seem to enjoy their away trips,” Stanton said. “From a football perspective, we’re able to prepare ourselves and get an understanding of what it’ll be like during the season with quick turnarounds between games and extended travel.”