SOME questions today following Phoenix’s 1-1 draw with Perth Glory on Saturday night...

Why did it take Phoenix until Perth scored to spring to life? They were terrific in the final fifteen minutes, which begs the question – why didn’t they play that way for the first 75? It would be brilliant to watch them really go at someone right from the start the way they did in that last quarter-hour.

How could the top two strikers in the A-League, with a season total of 17 goals between them, both hit the crossbar from inside the six-yard box within two minutes of each other?

How long will it be before Daniel returns to the starting line-up? Word has it he’s been carrying an injury this week and possibly didn’t start because of it. However his injection into the game after 70 minutes was the catalyst for a noticeable lift in tempo.

He simply must start against Central Coast on Friday, particularly given the rather lethargic performance by Troy Hearfield, the man who was chosen ahead of him against Perth.

Why do Phoenix need a centre-back amongst their substitutes when they have Jon McKain on the field to drop back if needed? Surely another attacking option (Coveny, Kwasnik or Barbarouses) would be a better impact option off the bench than Karl Dodd?

Speaking of Jon McKain, who’s going to fill his spot when he picks up another yellow card and earns himself a suspension? His performances in the defensive midfield role have been immense.

How many drinks was Glory ‘keeper Tando Velaphi shouted after the game after his astonishing late save denied Leo Bertos and earned his side a share of the points?

Is the number of extra minutes held up by the fourth official at the end of the game always three, regardless of how many stoppages there have (or haven’t) been?

How many Phoenix fans would have expected Tim Brown to have scored almost as many goals as the rest of his team-mates (Shane Smeltz aside) combined after 15 games?

If the team in sixth place can take just one point from a possible nine and score just one goal in 270 minutes against the team in seventh place, do they deserve to be in the top four?

In such a tight race for playoff spots, could a goal difference of minus eight ultimately prove costly? And if (as seems likely), 31 points are needed to make the top four, does Friday’s match against Central Coast become literally a must-win game?