A Quick Look At Zdrillaball

Just two games into David Zdrilic’s tenure as Perth Glory’s new head coach, fans are already noticing the distinct impact he’s made on the team, despite having been with the club for just a month.

I’ve previously touched on what fans might expect from Zdrilic’s style of play, given his three-year stint at Red Bull Leipzig. Under the mentorship of someone as innovative and knowledgeable as Ralf Rangnick, Zdrilic has clearly absorbed a great deal, and it’s evident in the Glory’s current approach.

The most striking aspect of the Glory’s new style is their aggressive and intense high press. What stands out is the cohesion within the team — it’s an all-or-nothing effort. The entire squad commits to the press, rather than just a single player.

The following examples illustrate this approach in action.

The key point to note is that Glory’s press is a mix between being ball and man-oriented, alternating between a 4–4–2, 4–3–3 and 4–2–3–1 formation. The primary objective is straightforward: force mistakes to trigger transition opportunities, allowing Glory to capitalise on their speed and exploit the opponent’s disorganisation.

For example, in the Australia Cup qualifier against Brisbane Roar, we saw those elements at play in the Glory’s press.

The ability to press high and regain possession in advanced positions is a huge asset for any team with ambitions of competing for silverware in the coming years. While that goal is probably not realistic for the Perth Glory this season, they are laying a strong foundation.

One notable case is Sydney FC’s resurgence last season, which was largely driven by their high press, forcing turnovers, and creating scoring opportunities. They finished the season leading the league with 7.3 possession regains per game in the final third — compared to Brisbane, who finished second with 6.1, and the Glory, who ranked sixth with 4.7.

Is the press perfect? Not yet, but at this early stage of preseason, that’s expected. In terms of ways in which the press has been beaten over the last few games, these examples have been the most common:

• Players being overly eager when pressing and getting beaten
• Reactive pressing rather than proactive pressing
• Ineffective use of cover shadows

These are small details showing that the press looks promising but still needs refining — fortunately, there’s plenty of time to make adjustments. Nevertheless, it’s by far the most distinctive and recognisable aspect of our style of play.

Historically, the Glory’s press wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t as well-coached as it is now. The team typically ranked in the top six for average possession won in the final third, but we lacked the cutting edge to press teams even higher.

Physically, there’s also been a clear shift. Stan Lazaridis, the new Football Director, frequently mentioned over the past few months that the team didn’t look fit enough — a claim that passed the eye test.

Now, the squad looks much fitter, and that’s also been reflected in how they move the ball on the pitch. In true Red Bull fashion, the Glory’s approach in possession is quick and direct, mirroring the style Ralf Rangnick employs with his teams. In the most recent Euros, Rangnick’s Austria side focused on quickly advancing the ball into key areas to create the highest-quality scoring opportunities.

This explains why (to an extent), in the two Australia Cup games so far, the Glory haven’t dominated possession. The emphasis is on effective possession — ensuring that when the Glory have the ball, they turn it into a meaningful attacking opportunity.

Their possession play is marked by minimal touches, quick ball movement (primarily on the ground), and an emphasis on engaging in rapid combination play. These are the most notable aspects of Glory’s approach when they have possession.

A couple of examples highlight this style in action — such as Taras Gomulka’s blocked shot against Brisbane Roar and Adam Bugarija’s goal against Melbourne City.

When the Glory can move quickly, they do so with tight, sharp passing combinations that are incisive — Bugarija’s goal being a perfect example of this, showcasing their deadly precision.

Of course, like the press, there’s still room for improvement. At times, the Glory have given the ball away too cheaply, leaving them vulnerable to counterattacks. However, the overall signs are promising, and there’s hope that these issues will be ironed out before Round One.

Already, just two games into pre-season, we can clearly see the Red Bull philosophy in David Zdrilic’s approach to the Glory’s game. The high press, intensity, and directness are all trademarks of this style of football, which will hopefully give the Glory a strong chance to make the finals for the first time since the 2019/20 season.