The trailer for the chucklesome mockumentary series Wellington Paranormal features the fictional sergeant of the New Zealand capital’s police force warning that, “over the last few years there’s been a rise in the number of incidents that cannot be classified as normal. They have to be considered paranormal.”
In October 2015 Wellington’s professional football team were denied a 10-year extension to their A-League licence. “You can’t expect to squat on a licence,” warned Football Federation Australia’s then chief executive David Gallop. “On any metric, they’re not performing at a level we like for the growth of the competition”.
Little more than four years later the club has transformed itself – Phoenix-like – from putrescent to poster boys. Last year they made just their second finals appearance in seven seasons, and they have backed it up with an even more impressive campaign. After a routine 2-0 home victory over Western Sydney the Nix lie fourth on the ladder, and it would take an unexpected form slump for them to finish the season any lower. There is a much greater likelihood they will finish higher and set a club record in the process.
The paranormality of Wellington’s revival doesn’t only exist in the quantitative realm, but the qualitative too. Phoenix are arguably the most entertaining team in the A-League.
Ufuk Talay has built on the solid foundations laid by Mark Rudan and finessed a vibrant attacking squad. The opening 20 minutes against the Wanderers on Saturday was a perfect example.
The game fizzed from end to end with the hosts attacking with intent at every opportunity. The passing lanes were prosaically up the guts as the visiting midfield struggled to contain the movement of the quicksilver Ulises Dávila. It made for a pleasing effervescence to the early exchanges, in contrast to the often moribund local fare where teams monotonously recycle possession from flank to flank across the back four and the base of midfield. Not at the Cake Tin, not in front of a season-best crowd (only the club’s fourth at home above 9000 since 2016), not with a typical gale at their backs.
Two things stood out. The first was the speed of the forward pass. The visiting press was bypassed time and again with simple vertical passes into feet, profiting from the alertness of the midfielders and forwards in yellow. The impact of those balls was amplified by the second notable feature, the willingness of Phoenix players to accept the ball on the half-turn and look for first-time passes around the corner to continue the flow of energy. The result wasn’t just a hopeful punt or two forward to relieve pressure, but a building swell that formed trustworthy sets before the perfect wave eventually crashed on Western Sydney’s shore.
Recently crowned A-League player of the month Cameron Devlin was instrumental. Eight minutes in his terrier-like hustle earned his side a throw-in in innocuous territory. From that set-piece he accepted possession facing his own goal, but under his manager’s nose, he turned Xavi-like 180 degrees, the ball glued to the outside of his right boot, wrong-footing two approaching Wanderers and setting his team on its way.
Devlin was one of five Wellington players aged 21 or younger on the field at the final whistle, a tally that does not include on-duty Olyroo Reno Piscopo. One of those five was goalscoring teenager Liberato Cacace, a player of limitless potential, and the most likely A-League resident to follow in the footsteps of ex-Nix schemer Sarpreet Singh and make a splash in Europe. Decent metrics.
Youngsters like Cacace are flourishing in part because the foundations around them are uncomplicatedly sound: a good goalkeeper mops up behind a pair of experienced centre-halves-cum-nightclub doormen, while further forward Dávila buzzes like a golden snitch, setting the season’s standard for imported No 10s. The coaching template is tried and tested, Talay bringing over the IP from former club Sydney FC (and why wouldn’t he?) – so much so that the Sky Blues are even using Phoenix matches to scout opponents, so similar do they consider Wellington’s application of the Graham Arnold-inspired model.
The contrast with the Wanderers, still a muddled work in progress a season and a half into Markus Babbel’s tenure, is stark.
Often when unfamiliar teams appear in the upper reaches of a league table it can be associated with the fear of an imminent fall from grace. But there is nothing false about Wellington’s status. They began the season with four consecutive defeats, despite deserving much more for their endeavour – especially away to premiers-elect Sydney FC. They are now on a nine-game unbeaten streak with confidence growing every week and a talent pool deepening by the round.
Gary Hooper, for example, has the pedigree to dominate the A-League but he is still working towards full fitness. Once he is firing, and his understanding with Dávila becomes telepathic, the Nix should become an even more formidable prospect.
“Over the last few years there’s been a rise in the number of incidents that cannot be classified as normal”. We might have to start reframing our understanding of what normal is in Wellington.
