On this week’s episode of The Official Isuzu UTE A-League Podcast, host Daniel Garb and KEEPUP’s James Dodd and Matt Comito discuss whether Nestory Irankunda should be handed a first senior start in Adelaide United’s do-or-die Semi Final second leg against Central Coast Mariners. Listen below.
Is this the weekend Adelaide United unleash Nestory Irankunda from the first minute?
The Reds find themselves behind 2-1 on aggregate going into Saturday night’s Semi Final second leg against Central Coast Mariners in Gosford and will more than likely need to tinker their attack in the wake of Hiroshi Ibusuki’s latest injury.
Ibusuki was forced from the field early in the second half of the first leg with a calf injury, which could be the same blow that sidelined the Japanese striker for a couple games at the end of the regular season. The club confirmed they will give him every chance to prove his fitness for this weekend’s clash, despite being spotted on crutches post-game.
If he doesn’t recover in time, Veart will need to find a replacement up front, with George Blackwood and Luka Jovanovic the like-for-like alternatives – but Irankunda is a potential wildcard option.
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Ever since his debut last season, the teenage winger has been nothing short of sensational, but despite the buzz, he is yet to start a league game in his short career to date.
On the Official Isuzu UTE A-League podcast, KEEPUP’s James Dodd suggested the idea to start Irankunda – despite believing Ibusuki’s absence will present a “problem” for Veart due to his hold-up ability as an outlet option against the Mariners press.
However, Dodd feels Irankunda’s ability to create “havoc” in the final third could help destabilise the Central Coast defence as look to overturn a one-goal deficit on Saturday night and book a spot in the Grand Final.
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“If he’s (Ibusuki) not going to be there, then it asks a massive, massive question of Carl Veart and (Mark) Milligan and the coaching staff as to how they’re going to try and do this, because the Mariners are going to play the same way again,” Dodd said.
“That’s three consecutive wins they’ve (Central Coast) had against them now. I think they’ve scored 10 goals in the last three games against Adelaide, so how are they going to manage that? I honestly don’t know. Do we see Nestory Irankunda start?
“It could be that could be the way in which they do it. I noticed that with the Mariners, as much as Brian Kaltak has been absolutely fantastic for them in particular this season, he’s almost better when he’s acting on instinct and when he’s when he’s going charging around everywhere and he’s trying to be proactive, that’s almost when they get caught out.
“It’s when the penalty came about because he found himself occupied and he’s then out of position. He runs back in, he’s not tied to Ibusuki, and the penalty comes from him being slightly off of him.
“So if that’s the way forward for Adelaide, maybe they might look at him and say, you know what go and cause havoc.”
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KEEPUP’s Matt Comito believes it could be a “blockbuster” decision, but isn’t confident Veart would throw the youngster into the starting line-up – given who he has turned to in the past and that he’s not proven to be able to produce for longer than short cameos off the bench.
“Well, for a player of such a blockbuster nature, that would be the blockbuster call to give him his very first professional start,” Comito said.
“I think if we did see that, he might be the one who plays his preferred position on the right. We’ve seen Ben Halloran for periods of games, go up top and and lead the line at number nine so that could be a balance that that Carl finds.
“But in all honesty, I would expect him to to slot (George) Blackwood back in there. It seems to be his go to when Ibusuki is out which would be (Luka) Jovanovic, the 17-year-old, getting a spot back amongst the squad.
“I don’t think that he’s going to pull the trigger on that Irankunda decision. I don’t want to spoil the party. I’m worried about the impact he can make for 60, 70 and if he even has 90 minutes in him.
“I think that we’ve seen when he’s come on off the bench at the halfway mark at times, even by 10, 15, 20 minutes later, his impact starts to wane sometimes. I’m wondering whether or not Carl will be fearing, having not seen him start an A-League game, whether or not he’ll be able to have that impact that he usually does late in the game.”
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However, in those cameos, Irankunda has scored eight goals in 34 appearances, including five this campaign along with two assists while playing out wide.
In comparison, Blackwood has scored three goals in 21 games in all competitions playing as a striker, while Jovanovic – who is set to return this weekend – has three goals in 10 in the same role.
Host Daniel Garb thinks Irankunda’s introduction would help take some of the responsibility off the shoulders of star Craig Goodwin who has scored each of their three goals in the Finals Series thus far.
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“I think it’s their best way back into this tie, throw him in from the off. If you’re a Mariners defender, that’s the last thing you want to see I reckon to the start of the game with his fearless attitude just at you from the start,” Garb said.
“There’s no time for regrets right now, so I reckon, starting from the off, and I think it takes a little bit of pressure off Craig Goodwin from the start.
“So Craig Goodwin’s going into this game thinking: ‘alright, I need to deliver. I need to get us back into it straight away’, if they (Mariners) score one in the first half. It’s tough.
“You play Irankunda, it just puts the spotlight on someone else, Maybe just gives Craig a little bit more freedom. I think it’s the number one talking point going into this game.
“Carl probably won’t do it, but I’d love to see it happen and I think it’s an ace up his sleeve that he can play at the start of this game.”
Meanwhile, the Mariners return home with the ascendancy and will be looking to lock in their first Grand Final appearance since 2013, when they won their last Championship.
Nick Montgomery’s side have won plaudits for the style of football they have played since he took over at the start of last season, particularly in attacking phases.
In three matches this campaign, the Mariners have won in each of the contests by an aggregate of 10-2, with last Saturday’s contest being far and away the closest Adelaide have been to knocking off Central Coast in any of those meetings.
Dodd was enamoured with their performance, taking particular note of their “bravery” when they have the ball and their fearless set-up.
“I think the word bravery gets used a lot in football and I think most people, unless they specify in which context they’re using it, assume you mean like flying into tackles and putting your head on the line and putting your body on the line,” Dodd said.
“They are so brave in the way they play football because they gamble… they said, ‘You know what? We’re going to take risks, but we know what we’re doing’.
“I looked at their shape and when they when they were trying to play out from the back, they play basically a reverse 4-4-2. It’s (Nectar) Triantis and Kaltak on their own with the ball, either one of them at the feet.
“(James) McGarry and Storm Roux are so high up and often you’d see maybe a central midfielder would drop in and split the centre backs like Luke Brattan does for Sydney FC. No, they don’t, they stay forward. (Max) Balard and (Josh) Nisbet were in the two in the middle. They didn’t move.
“Then you’ve got the essentially a line of four at the top, and then (Beni) Nkololo, (Sam) Silvera, (Marco) Tulio and Cummings. They’re asking so many questions of the opposition.
“Now, if they get caught out and it’s an errant pass, then they might be in trouble but the way in which they work so hard for one another, it has all the hallmarks of a team that is listening to their coach and trusts implicitly everything that they are asked to do.
“They believe in the coaching staff… and you’ve only got to speak to the players. They all say the same thing. They are buying into everything that the coaching staff says. Do this and we will get results and and you saw that at the weekend.
“The way in which they they dominated Adelaide in that first half was so, so impressive and you heard Carl Veart say it afterwards he said, ‘first half, we weren’t in the game against them’. That speaks such volumes of the work that that coaching staff has put in.”
Comito agreed, believing their bravery also filters in to the way they recruit and operate – given the players they have taken risks on and brought them into their football club – including the likes of Jason Cummings, Kaltak and Tulio.
“It’s also the way that they operate. Players like Marco Tulio, Brian Kaltak,” Comito said.
“Kaltak had never had a professional contract, they give him that chance. Tulio they pluck him from relative obscurity, give him his first chance here who knows how he’s going to bed in.
“Sammy Silvera has already been here before. Bring him back in, make a swap deal with the Jets in the midseason for McGarry.
“They’re taking these gambles, and these players get to work under Monty and and Serge (Raimundo) and then it’s almost like they take them to another level time and time again and I just think that the Mariners don’t have the opportunity to assess a lot of these players that they bring in and how they will play in Australia.
“It’s often times, they’re trusting their recruitment, at times they’re taking a gamble. They’re being brave and it’s paying off and wow, they’re just absolutely simmering right now.”
