Not only was Western Sydney’s come from behind win over Melbourne their fourth win in a row – the first time they have that in nine years – it also saw them break a club record.
The Wanderers’ attack was at its scintillating best as they scored three goals in under 20 minutes to secure the 4-2 win, taking their goal tally for the league campaign to 47.
Even with six games to spare in the regular season, the Wanderers have now surpassed their previous record of 45 goals in a season, achieved in the 2020/21 season.
Considering how strong some of the Wanderers’ teams in the past have been, reaching Grand Finals and winning continental championships, it is a huge achievement and a credit to the coaching of Alen Stajcic in his first season in charge at the club.
In addition to the club record already achieved with a decent chunk of the season still to go is the fact the Wanderers now also have the best attacking record in the league this season, having one more than second place Western United whilst having played a game less.
Several stats point to how well the Wanderers’ attack has performed this season even outside of the how many goals they have scored.
They have 2.5 goals per game, the highest in the league, and also have the second most shots on target per match with 6.2.
Their ability to kill teams in transition has been one of their best assets in games, and they have 24.4 accurate long balls per match, many of which lead to goals on the counter attack.
The fullbacks and wide players have also been busy, putting in 5.2 accurate crosses per game, the third highest in the league; this is reflected by the fantastic performances of Gabriel Cleur at right back and more recently Alex Gersbach on the left after joining in January.
It also clearly hasn’t been a one man show in the goalscoring department, with 13 players scoring at least one goal in the league and five players having six goals or more.
Nicolas Milanovic is having another fantastic season in front of goal, already matching last season’s tally of nine goals to lead the charts, whilst Zac Sapsford has seven, including three in Sydney Derby matches this season.
Brandon Borrello has also been a somewhat underrated presence, with his work rate freeing up strike partners Sapsford and Marcus Antonnson to be clinical poachers in the box, and Borrello has also chipped in with seven assists for the season.
Other key creators include Cleur with five assists and Juan Mata who has three assists and a goal to his name so far this season.
Another impressive aspect of Western Sydney’s attack is the way they can score goals in many ways; they can punish teams on the counter as Antonsson did against Melbourne on Saturday, or score brilliant team goals like the one Jack Clisby scored against the Mariners last month.
They also have players capable of the spectacular, like Dylan Scicluna’s first ever A-League goal or Borrello’s free-kick against Brisbane.
Attacking midfielder Bozhidar Kraev has also become a surprise threat off of set pieces, scoring twice off corners in the Wanderers’ recent unbeaten run.
The Wanderers aren’t a one-trick pony, and their attack has only improved since the start of the season, scoring four goals in each of their last three matches and in five of their games this season; overall they have scored at least three goals in eight of their 20 games this season.
It has put them in a good position to return to the Finals, as they sit third with six games left in the regular season, and whilst there is still plenty of football to be played, there is little sign the attacking machine of the Western Sydney Wanderers will slow down anytime soon.
