Steinmann missed out of the Newcastle Jets game through a one-match suspension after the midfielder picked up five yellow cards, but it appears as if the summer signing wont have to stew on the bench for too long.
The German has played 14 of the 15 A-League games this season and was replaced by January acquisition Brandon Wilson, who struggled to have the same impact as his teammate on his first start of the campaign.
Something New
Talay explained: “It’s a new combination with Cameron and Brandon (Wilson) playing in there, so its not always going to be 100%.”
Phoenix play Perth Glory on the 7th as they have a bye week, and Talay hinted that Wilson won’t get the chance to face his former club from kick-off.
Talay talked about the importance of having strong partnerships across the team, which would indicate that Steinmann reclaims his place alongside Cameron Devlin.
Know Each Other
He said: “Cameron (Devlin) and Matti (Steinmann) playing together they’ve played four or five games now. You talk about partnerships with Tails (Steven Taylor) and Luke DeVere at the back as well, it’s very important to have these partnerships.”
Perth are in the midst of a excellent run of form and Talay is likely to want his strongest team on the field. The head coach normally rewards good performances with a run in the side, but there is no time to be sentimental with this one.
Those automated partnerships are key and that is why he is likely to drop Wilson back to the bench and pick Steinmann. The Phoenix could make a real statement by winning this game and enhance their top six credentials, and that will only happen by going back to what the team knows best.