Did the Wanderers stand up? Which marquee made his mark? We answer the big questions from Hyundai A-League Round 2.
Did the Wanderers stand up? Which marquee made his mark? We answer the big questions from Hyundai A-League Round 2.
1. Will the Wanderers suffer?
Did they lose? Yes? Did they suffer? No. Considering the pace at which the club and team were put together, the Wanderers should be proud of how they-ve started their Hyundai A-League career.
Tony Popovic has built a talented, solid squad that looks as if it will be competitive once they get to grips with playing with each other. And taking into account the fact that Adelaide were so far ahead in their pre-season preparations, and one-nil loss to a confident Reds side is no embarrassment at all. Things will improve – perhaps in the Sydney derby…?
2. Which marquee will matter?
Both, as it turns out – but neither quite made the ultimate contribution as the game once again proved that it-s the team that matters, not the individual.
Del Piero was outstanding in Sydney-s midfield, his control, vision and technique making him often look like Keanu Reeves going super slo-mo in The Matrix. And that free kick… Every football fan in the country wanted that to go in and he didn-t disappoint.
But neither did Heskey, for that matter, who put in a tireless and powerful performance up front for the Jets, who looked a lot more comfortable with their new marquee striker. For all the critics sniffy at his scoring record, that sharp half-chance volley was a cracker.
3. Who has the brains?
Brisbane-s demolition of Victory was an illustration of one champion team-s understanding against a side only just laying those foundations.
Ange Postecoglou has spoken of his plans for a fluid attack but on this display he would be more successful adding a bit of concrete into Victory-s midfield.
They just couldn-t handle Roar-s power, with the towering Paartalu and tireless Murdocca providing the platform for the devastating combination of Broich, Halloran, Nichols and Berisha.
4. Strength or speed, which is better?
There wasn-t much between them. Arnie-s young Mariners side proved they can stand up to perhaps the toughest side in the league, and although it wasn-t exactly champagne football, Central Coast will certainly take heart from a performance that shows promise for the rest of the season.
The Glory, however, still have work to do before they can become a truly dominant side, in the style of Brisbane Roar. But one-nil at Bluetongue…? They won-t be the last team to suffer that result.
5. Can the youngsters step up?
Yes. Yes, they can. Was it Phoenix-s unbridled willingness to take the game to their hosts or did the Heart fail to capitalise on their domination of the game?
Melbourne certainly had the better of it and should have had more than one goal to their name but this will be a learning experience for Aloisi. Heart look good enough but they must learn to finish teams off if they want to taste some success this season.
Wellington, on the other hand, can take plenty of pride from the performance of what can only be called the reserve side. Yet again, the Kiwis are proving their doubters wrong.
