Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou believes his side’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Perth on Saturday is proof they don’t have an unhealthy reliance on Thomas Broich.
Star playmaker Broich, who missed the Glory clash with a shoulder injury, has been one of Brisbane’s best all season and has had a huge impact on his team’s fortunes.
Broich missed a large chunk of the Roar’s poor run earlier in the season, highlighted by a spell where they fell from first to third with five straight losses in December, which led to accusations the defending champions were a one-man band.
But Postecoglou said Saturday’s win, which came thanks to a Besart Berisha brace and Henrique’s first-half strike, showed they had depth far beyond the German midfielder.
“Thomas is a fantastic player, I think he’s the best player in the league, so you’re always going to miss him,” he said.
“But I was never in any doubt that we couldn’t be convincing without him.”
“If people were looking for a little weakness in our armour in terms of that, hopefully it has been dispelled.”
“I think tonight a lot of people would’ve been looking at us to see how we went without him and I think we were pretty convincing without him.”
Postecoglou said Broich would have to show ‘marked improvement’ to be considered for Friday’s home match against Melbourne Heart and said they would take a cautious approach with the 31-year-old with finals approaching and Asian Champions League commitments also about to start.
The coach said he was confident Brisbane were getting back to their best form heading into the crucial part of the season.
“Some of the football we’ve played in the past four weeks has been pretty good. We’re scoring goals again and that’s a good barometer for us,” he said.
“We’re getting there. We’re close and so we should be. This is the time of year where things are decided and things are won.”
Victory over Perth saw second-placed Brisbane move within three points of league leaders Central Coast, who have a game in hand, and their advantage over Wellington in third is now five points with four games to play.
While thrilled with the performance and where his side sits, Postecoglou was left unhappy by an incident which saw Henrique sent off in the second half against the Glory.
The Brazilian was caught by a seemingly accidental elbow from Jacob Burns and responded by slapping him in the face, earning him a straight red, but Postecoglou wasn’t pleased with the Perth captain’s role in the dismissal.
“I think there was a bit of provocation there. The whole thing’s just unnecessary. I’ve never been a fan of the whole getting in people’s faces and stuff,” he said.
