Brisbane Roar coach Rado Vidosic said his side found their mojo again in Friday night’s 4-2 win over Sydney FC– but then they lost it just as quickly.
Brisbane Roar coach Rado Vidosic said his side found their mojo again in Friday night’s 4-2 win over Sydney FC- but then they lost it just as quickly.
While delighted to have shaken a pesky three-match losing streak, Vidosic showcased another trait he has in common with revered predecessor Ange Postecoglou – he is a hard man to please.
The reigning Hyundai A-League champions looked to have returned to their dominant best as they toyed with the hapless Sky Blues, but a handful of defensive gaffes caught the watchful eye of their coach.
“The first half was probably brilliant, the way we pressed and moved the ball. It was probably the best half so far in our A-League season,” Vidosic said.
“But very disappointed with the second half. That was not good enough. We didn’t defend well, we did not move the ball quickly enough.
“So there’s a lot of positives. But unfortunately there are quite a few negatives as well.”
Alessandro Del Piero’s two goals – the first brace of his A-League career – were gobbled up by the strong crowd on offer at Suncorp Stadium.
But both could have been prevented by a Brisbane side who were already out to suffocate the Italian star’s influence on proceedings.
Vidosic was still fuming after Del Piero’s stunning left-foot strike brought Sydney back into the game at 2-1.
“There was no-one near him,” he said.
“You know that Del Piero is the go-to man, they’re looking always to pass the ball to him, and it’s very simple to stand close to him. That’s it. Shouldn’t be that hard.
“The mojo was back in the first half, but it was a mojo-less second half. I think defending, again, wasn’t the best.
“We played at home and we allowed the opponent to score two goals. It was not good enough.”
Vidosic pledged during the week that out-of-form players would be axed following the shocking 4-1 loss to Melbourne Heart last week – in the end, only Matt Jurman was dropped to the bench.
Midfielder Mitch Nichols didn’t take on Sydney, but that was because of a lower back injury – not form.
“There was no need to force him. With back injuries you never know how they’re going to perform,” Vidosic said.
But would Nichols have played if he was fully fit? “Well, I won’t tell you that, will I?” Vidosic teased.
“I wasn’t happy with anyone’s form against Melbourne Heart, so I was happy with today’s form.
“The Melbourne Heart game is long gone. This game we’ll analyse tomorrow and we’ll have a meeting with players on Monday, and then all our attention is turned to Central Coast Mariners. It’s going to be a very hard game.”
And Nichols might find it hard to break back into the Brisbane side after an emphatic showing from young winger Ben Halloran, who scored his first goal and relished service from Thomas Broich, who moved into midfield.
“The goal definitely helped him with confidence, his performance after the goal was brilliant,” Vidosic said of Halloran.