WHAT'S BEST UP FRONT? 

Wanderers coach Markus Babbel has pointed throughout his time in red and black that his team can create chances, but they just can't score. 

No matter how hard they try, only 10 times so far this season have they tasted that sweet relief. To Babbel's credit, Alex Meier's form deserved some time on the bench, to find something new, something different.

Nicolai Müller partnered Kwame Yeboah and Mitch Duke in a front three that looked like it had more dynamism. In the four matches Meier wasn't playing, the Wanderers scored just twice. 

The German was called back into the side, preparing to play against a strong defence that will sit back with little room for quick nimble players to expose space against Western United. 

Meier's movements still seemed to cause the Wanderers problems. When Muller broke with the ball midway through the first half, Meier moved in between the two central defenders, but with his back to goal. Instead he ordered his counterpart to play it wide. 

He didn't turn to drag a defender, didn't stretch the defence by altering his position. The move came to nothing and Western Sydney had to start over again. 

Daniel Georgievski's crossing was off the mark while Mitch Duke gets cornered on the left, forced onto his weaker foot. Patrick Ziegler got the Wanderers three points with a well-timed run to the back post from Muller's corner. 

Western Sydney got more joy out on their right hand side, which brings us to the next point we learned. 

TATE RUSSELL: SUPERSTAR 

Superstar might be a stretch, but for his first minutes of the season, right full-back Tate Russell looked a natural replacement for Tarek Elrich and Daniel Wilmering, the latter unfortunately rupturing his ACL midweek. 

The Wanderers first real chance came because of the two players brought back into the side. Meier and Russell. The 20-year old's cultured cross found the head of the German who headed wide. 

Russell is no stranger to the 'fill-in' role, making his debut last season in place of Josh Risdon. If his first match of this season is anything to go by, many wouldn't be surprised if he made the right-back spot his own. 

POI BO... 

Alessandro Diamanti has wowed us with his talent and supreme skill, but some of the work he did against the Wanderers showed us he might be one of the most technically gifted players to ever play in the A-League.

Milos Ninkovic and Diego Castro immediately spring to mind. Minds might cast back to players like Carlos Hernandez in an 'older' era of the competition. 

Diamanti's class was expertly seen just moments into the game. He received the ball yards from the Wanderers box, we know he enjoys a long range strike, but he held it. 

He passed out to his full-back making a run inside the channel, who then allowed Diamanti another bite, he demanded it. 

His body language sensed he would wrap his foot around it and dink it to the far post, he wound up ferociously, but the pass was delicate, back out to the wing to Connor Pain making a darting run in behind, you wouldn't have even known he was there. 

Western United cut through the Wanderers back line but it was only the hand of Daniel Lopar that stopped them going down early. 

The Italian often has the word 'maestro' attached to his name. He more than deserves it. 

SYDNEY FC STILL HAUNTING WANDERERS 

A total of four former Sydney FC players took to the field against the Wanderers tonight. Jerry Skotadis, Max Burgess and Aaron Calver played while coach Mark Rudan was affectionately known as 'The Big Blue Man'. 

It was a beloved former Sky Blue defender that eventually stole a point from the Wanderers. 

Aaron Calver, whos pent five years in the harbour side of Sydney, popped up with five minutes to play with a header that may just keep Western United in the top three.