“Victory could be in trouble…” “Wanderers-Roar might come down to the man with the whistle…” We don’t want to say we told you so but…
“Victory could be in trouble…” “Wanderers-Roar might come down to the man with the whistle…” We don’t want to say we told you so but…
1. Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory: Can Marcos recapture the magic?
What did we say last week? “…minus a great performance from Flores, the Victory could be in trouble.” Now, we don-t like to say we told you so but…
The only old magic on display at Hindmarsh on Friday night was Kossie-s rabbit-out-of-the-hat with Marcelo Carrusca. The Argentine has been somewhat overshadowed by teammate Jeronimo over the first third of the season but his display against Victory showed that the Reds have a number of magicians in their ranks, if you also count winger Fabio Ferreira.
For Victory, it was just a bad day at the office. We-ve seen enough improvement over recent weeks to know this isn-t symptomatic of any bigger problems for Ange Postecoglou, short of perhaps a deeper squad in the light of his national team absentees.
2. Melbourne Heart v Perth Glory: Who will stand up and be counted?
Stand up, Golgol Mebrahtu. And take a bow. The youngster took advantage of Glory-s napping right at the end of the game and inflicted a frustrating and probably deserved loss.
It-s hard to say Heart were worth the points but Perth-s lack of concentration at that stage of a game was waiting to be punished.
So what-s happened to Glory? After a blistering start to the season, they-ve gone off the boil in recent weeks; they haven-t won since round 5 and have lost three of their last four. Ian Ferguson-s men certainly need to stand up against Newcastle next week or face really losing track of the leaders.
3. Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners: Can the Jets get out of their slump?
Quick answer – no. The Jets were athletic and committed as you-d expect – but they were simply outplayed by Graham Arnold-s hugely impressive Mariners.
Central Coast-s consistency is something to behold, from the structure of their squad, to their tactical discipline, to their sheer fitness and capacity to field a very familiar starting XI each week. Even the loss of playmaker Tom Rogic didn-t hurt them against the Jets.
Newcastle can only watch their F3 rivals- title charge enviously. Gary van Egmond is aiming for a a more direct style of football to Arnold but he first needs to emulate the Mariners defence; the Jets have conceded 19 goals, the third worst in the competition, compared to the Mariners- eight. The long trip to Perth next week probably won-t make their life any easier.
4. Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC: Can Sydney cope without ADP?
The first win of Frank Farina-s reign at Sydney FC wasn-t about one player; instead, it was about one team. Sydney FC put in their most organised and disciplined performance of the season at Westpac Stadium, and were duly rewarded with a much-needed win. They might have even kept a clean sheet for the second week in a row if it weren-t for a late penalty.
No team would like to lose a player like Del Piero but Sydney FC have to be able to play without their marquee man. They have been far too reliant on the Italian this season and results will only improve when his teammates are able to match his work ethic, if not his ability.
And much credit should be given to Farina for finally making this Sydney team work. They might not have liked his extra training sessions but they look to have done the trick.
5. Wanderers FC v Brisbane Roar: Who will get the rub of the green?
What did we say last week? “… this game might well come down to luck or once again a decision from the man with the whistle…” Yep. We did tell you so.
A fascinating game in Parramatta with both teams desperate for points but neither really creating any clear cut chances, and in the end it came down Matt Jurman manhandling Dino Kresinger to break the deadlock.
A good result for the Wanderers – but the bigger question is where does this result leave Brisbane Roar?
The facts: bottom of the ladder, three wins from 10 and six losses, with 13 goals conceded. The conjecture: trouble in the camp and intense pressure on Rado Vidosic. Something has to change – but what will it be and when?