{"id":323887,"date":"2024-12-13T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/?p=323887"},"modified":"2024-12-13T18:21:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T05:21:18","slug":"isuzu-ute-a-league-round-8-match-preview-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-8-match-preview-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Isuzu UTE A-League Round 8 Match Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano is ready to resume \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d when Macarthur FC visit Sky Stadium on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A derby defeat to Auckland FC last weekend has not changed anything in the Phoenix camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMorale is fine, the boys are fine,\u201d Italiano told media on Friday morning. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a good week of training, the boys are refocused, and looking forward to the Macarthur Bulls.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was proud of the playing group, they did what I asked. I think that in small parts, execution-wise, we could have been a little bit better.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were a little bit sloppy with the ball, we had some really big moments that we failed to capitalise on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI said in the post-match conference that a lot of teams would have given up at 2-0. We were still on the front foot, we were still trying to break them down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Macarthur are the top scorers in the A-League with fourteen goals, they have conceded eleven and currently sit in eighth place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pre Match Press Conference - Chiefy (Phoenix v Macarthur)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IlYaz7H1Fhc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Phoenix also match up well against Macarthur, having beaten them three times last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s that stylistically they\u2019re a little bit more open as a team. They\u2019re a bit more expansive, which can punish teams. But I feel that it suits our style.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re still probably finding their feet. They\u2019ve got some new players in, like Luke Brattan and Marin Jakolis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019ll probably take time, like all these teams that have new players in. I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019ll find their feet and they\u2019ll be thereabouts at the end of the season.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lukas Kelly-Heald has made the matchday squad for the first time this season after recovering from a quad injury.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, Marco Rojas is pushing towards a starting berth after some lively cameos off the bench.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPotentially this weekend Marco might be starting, we\u2019ll see how training goes today.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"323890\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-8-match-preview-2\/lucas-kelly-heald-2-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1995,1329\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1732878185&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Lucas Kelly-Heald (2)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"799\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-323890\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg 1995w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg?resize=1200,799 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Lucas-Kelly-Heald-2-1.jpg?resize=1536,1023 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo credit: Cam McIntosh\/Photomac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cObviously every week we\u2019re moving closer towards him making a bigger impact for the team.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Italiano\u2019s in-game adjustments have been a key part of his tactical setup, and they have often come up trumps for the Nix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI always change things and go with the feel of the game, same as with Auckland, the one against Melbourne Victory, and the Mariners when I changed it three or four times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s more of a feel thing. Sometimes you have a game plan, the players try to execute what you were trying to do and it doesn\u2019t work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChanging the formation fixes a lot of those problems. I\u2019ll do no different there, it just depends on what Macarthur do and how our players play.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The players have also become comfortable shifting between setups within a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOf course every move is information based, but we\u2019re a principle based team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhether you play a 4-3-3, or a 3-4-3, things don\u2019t change in terms of intention, just ideas of where the vulnerability is, where to attack, where the space is and so on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"323892\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-8-match-preview-2\/josh-oluwayemi-8\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2124,1419\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1733480251&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;145&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Josh Oluwayemi (8)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"802\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-323892\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg 2124w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?resize=1200,802 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?resize=1536,1026 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Josh-Oluwayemi-8.jpg?resize=2048,1368 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo credit: <em>Cam McIntosh\/Photomac<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIs there more information? I don\u2019t think there is really. They\u2019ll play what\u2019s in front of them, and a lot of the game is based on instinct. Our job is to make sure that they can see that.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even the starting formation depends on the matchup.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt really depends on the opposition, what they give us. We plan accordingly.\u00a0<br><br>\u201cMy preference is always to have four at the back when we have our strongest team, but sometimes a five might nullify a team that loves loading the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe did that at the beginning part of the year, and thought it was a good solution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you want to be a little bit more expansive, and on the front foot, a back four means that you can put one extra player up top, whether it be a midfielder or an attacker.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I had everyone available, I wanted to be on the front foot from the start and had the players who could come off the bench and finish the game plan, a four would be ideal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The eighth round Isuzu UTE A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Macarthur FC is scheduled to kick-off at Sky Stadium in Wellington at 5pm Saturday and will be broadcast free-to-air on Sky Open and LIVE on Sky Sport 2 in New Zealand, and LIVE on Paramount+ and 10 Bold in Australia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"match-card-embed-root\" class=\"match-card-embed block-match-card-embed block_5bc96eaaa3035672e912a91a588ba764\" data-competition=\"xwnjb1az11zffwty3m6vn8y6\" data-club=\"6j4xzc2g1eeafo6v1f38d4x22\" data-match=\"ap5tubu8r3kqeuzbxhbsa3nys\" data-position=\"32\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Most recent meeting:<\/strong> 27 April 2024 \u2013 Wellington Phoenix 3 Macarthur FC 0&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>All-time A-League head-to-head:<\/strong> Phoenix 7W, Macarthur 2W &amp; 2D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Wellington Phoenix squad (two to be omitted)<\/strong>: 1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 3. Corban PIPER, 4. Scott WOOTTON (c), 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Paulo RETRE, 9. Hideki ISHIGE, 11. Stefan COLAKOVSKI, 12. Mo AL-TAAY, 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES, 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD, 19. Sam SUTTON, 21. Marco ROJAS, 23. Luke SUPYK, 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA, 27. Matt SHERIDAN, 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk), 39. Jayden SMITH, 41. Nathan WALKER.<br>Unavailable: 5. Fin ROA CONCHIE (injured).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Macarthur FC squad (two to be omitted)<\/strong>: 5. Matthew JURMAN, 6. Tomislav USKOK, 7. Daniel DE SILVA, 8. Jake HOLLMAN, 11. Jed DREW, 12. Filip KURTO (gk), 13. Ivan VUJICA, 15. Dino ARSLANAGIC, 16. Oliver JONES, 18. Walter SCOTT, 19. Ariath PIOL, 20. Kealey ADAMSON, 21. BERNARDO, 22. Liam ROSE, 23. Frans DELI, 24. Dean BOSNJAK, 26. Luke BRATTAN, 30. Alexander ROBINSON (gk), 44. Marin JAKOLIS, 98. Valere GERMAIN (c).<br>Unavailable<strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>9. Chris IKONOMIDIS (injured).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Main photo:<\/em> <\/strong><em>Cam McIntosh\/Photomac<\/em><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":323891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[330,338,356,343],"tags":[],"competition":[],"acf":{"match_card_embed_league":5080,"match_card_embed_club":null,"match_card_embed_match":"321880","match_card_embed_disable":false,"auto_publish_updates":true,"reference_article":null,"article_featured_video":"","article_featured_video_tagline":"","article_byline":"","article_media_type":"news","article_video":"","gallery":"","shared_ffa_source":"keepup","shared_hide_in_app":false,"article_player":"","article_team":"","article_competition":"","article_match":"","credit":"","related_articles":"","push_to_social":false,"priority":1,"sport":false,"language":"en","private_content":false,"access_level":"","article_id":"","app_featured_image":null,"article_content_group":"news"},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-8-match-preview-2\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Isuzu 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