A quality starting 11 and proven Hyundai A-League stars certainly aren’t taken for granted by the Brisbane Roar, but coach Ange Postecoglou says an all-round team chemistry has been the key to their 2010-11 success.
The Professional Footballers Association named seven Brisbane players in their team of the year, and on that statistic alone it would be easy to assume that the quality of their roster has been responsible for their record-breaking, one-loss season.
Captain Matt McKay has had an incredible season, starring for both the Roar and the Socceroos, Thomas Broich has taken just one season to thrust his name into the discussion of best-ever Hyundai A-League imports, Matt Smith has been a revelation in the heart of the defence, and Kosta Barbarouses and Jean Carlos Solorzano have proven their class with goal after goal.
But for Postecoglou, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Offseason recruitment – and the Roar did plenty, bringing in 12 fresh faces – was more than a star search; it was a calculated mission to find complimentary talent.
“It’s a little bit different (to picking a rep side)…with a rep side, sometimes you don’t know if the chemistry’s right. It’s not just about having the best players,” said Postecoglou.
“Sometimes, in terms of your recruiting, you fall into the trap of just going for the players who are good players, but do they necessarily fit into what you’re doing.”
“Our chemistry has been good all year, and that’s the key to our success, it’s not so much just having the quality of players we do have. And we do have great quality throughout our squad, but the chemistry’s right.”
“They all play our style of football and they all react well to one another, and I think that’s the key for us.”
Postecoglou also touted credited success to the depth in his squad, pointing at the contribution of substitutes Massimo Murdocca and Henrique, who combined to equalise for the Roar in their major semi-final 2-2 draw with the Mariners, as a recent example.
“The big thing for us is that everyone’s ready to go, and as we’ve proven quite consistently this year, and even in the last game, it’s not just a matter of who starts, it’s a matter of who comes off the bench that makes a big difference, and we’ve been better at that than all other clubs,” he said.
“From our point of view, we just want to make sure that everyone is absolutely cherry ripe for the grand final, physically and mentally, and whether they play 90 minutes, half an hour, or two minutes, that they contribute.”
“Whether it’s (Murdocca and Henrique) or two others, we’ve been good all year with people coming off the bench and contributing to the side. I’m sure come grand final day, we’re going to have the 15 or 16 blokes who are selected ready to go and ready to make a contribution.”
