Some of the coaches may have been left scratching their heads this weekend, but we’ve still got all the answers from Round 4.
Some of the coaches may have been left scratching their heads this weekend, but we’ve still got all the answers from Round 4.
1. Will the real form team please stand up?
Well, the result says Newcastle, although in truth, Victory weren-t that far behind them in terms of performance.
Gary van Egmond-s side look to be a lot closer to the final product than Ange Postecoglou-s side, however, building on the inspiration from some key players. Emile Heskey hasn-t had such a run of goals in years, while Craig Goodwin appears to be on an unstoppable rise.
Victory, on the other hand, remain a work in progress. There are certainly signs that Postecoglou-s messages are sinking in – the performances of Mark Milligan, Adam Traore and young forward Marcos Rojas in particular – but we may not see the best of his team until much later in the season.
2. Are the Reds the real deal?
They may have got the benefit of some contentious decisions – but when you-re hot, you-re hot, and regardless of the controversy, John Kosmina-s side showed this season holds plenty of potential for them.
Putting aside the various issues from this game, there were plenty of bright points for Adelaide: Osama Malik-s impressively mature performance in the middle of the park, Dario Vidosic-s smarts upfront, Fabio Ferreira-s willingness to attack on the flank and Jeronimo Neumann-s ability to pop up in the right place at the right time – good enough to even suck in the officials?
Adelaide-s AFC Asian Champions League campaign ensured they started the season on the front foot; the question now is can they keep it up?
3. Can the Wanderers stand firm?
They stood firm and went forward with purpose, and fully deserved the three points claimed at the home of the defending champions.
Rarely in recent seasons have Brisbane Roar looked so put off their game but Tony Popovic-s strategy was pitch perfect. Resolute at the back – as you-d expect from the former Australia centreback coach – the Wanderers also showed much more creativity and threat in the final third, much of it stemming from Mark Bridge-s work rate and a surprising turn from Youssouf Hersi.
Wanderers have beaten the best in the league, now they have to maintain that level of performance and keep the goals coming.
4. Are the Mariners better than their place on the ladder?
On the basis of this display, arguably not. Graham Arnold has worked hard to build a coherent, structured and organised team – but none of those elements are likely to bring much in the way of entertainment.
Pedj Bojic-s free kick was really the one moment of attacking creativity the Mariners showed in this game, and luckily enough, it was all they needed against a lacklustre Heart side, also short on inspiration.
The Mariners, as reigning premiers, deserve a certain amount of respect but Arnold-s team lack any dependable threat in the final third; Rogic is a promising talent from deep but can-t do it all, while none of his attackers look likely of getting 10-15 goals this season.
They might be consistent and may well just bore their way through the season, but against some of the creativity and attacking intent other teams have already shown this season, Central Coast could struggle to retain their title.
5. Who will stand up for Sydney FC?
We asked if anyone other than “ADP” would show up and they did – just. After finally getting over a long run of injuries that hampered his form Brett Emerton is starting to look like the player Sydney FC fans expected last season.
Still boasting that fabled engine, his experience, training and passing ability is becoming increasingly important to the Sky Blues.
Elsewhere, Paul Reid added more vision and movement in the middle, while Rhyan Grant is also maturing.
But Ian Crook-s side are far from the finished product. It took a red card to Steve Pantelidis to take Sydney initiative from an otherwise impressive Perth Glory. Sydney got the points but not for the first time this season, they weren-t altogether convincing.
