A League - Week 6 Review

A League Week 6

No international break for the A League as the clubs had to dig deep into the squads to replace players called up to represent their countries and more of how the Socceroos fared later. Personally I don’t mind the idea of clubs playing on through the international weeks it levels the playing field a little as the larger clubs are shorn of their stars and the smaller clubs are given a crack at them. You can counter that the fans are short changed but I reckon that the game benefits overall.

Anyway onto the first game of the weekend as Newcastle Jets played host to Brisbane Roar. The defending champions finally found their feet and ran out 4-0 winners. Jets played a defensive formation in the first half and looked more like an away team as they tried to keep it tight and hit Roar on the break.

To a degree it worked as they managed to get to half time at 0-0, they decided to change formation and play a little more attackingly in the second half and boy did that backfire spectacularly. The most influential moment of the first half was when the injured Roar striker Carlos Solarzarno was withdrawn and replaced by Brazillian Henrique in the 36^th minute.

The diminutive striker went on to hit a second half hat trick and also had a hand in the other Brisbane goal scored by Steven Lustica. They even managed to miss a penalty so it could have been even worse. In all honesty the Jets looked like an utter rabble and it is shaping up to be a very long season for the Newcastle team and supporters.

Saturday brought us Adelaide Utd v Wellington Phoenix as two of the form teams of the league faced up to each other. Phoenix were first out of the blocks and opened the scoring in the 15^th minute through Roly Bonevacia as he resoundingly finished off a lightening counter attack lead by Roy Krishna. A host of near things for the Reds finally bore fruit when they equalised on 36 minutes through central defender Nigel Boogaard as he thumped home a header from a Craig Goodwin corner.

The only question now was could Phoenix cling on to a point but their hearts were broken when in the fourth of three added minutes Sergio Cirio got a touch in the six yard box to knock home the winner and keep the Adelaide unbeaten start to the season going. They are also in the final of the FFA cup so it’s all happy times at Hindmarsh for their Spanish coach Josep Gombau.

The big game of the weekend was at the Allianz stadium as Sydney took on Melbourne Victory, the fixture is dubbed the big blue and draws on the great rivalry between the two biggest Aussie cities. Both clubs put their unbeaten records on the line and both kept them as the game finished 0-0. It was an example of a game of two halves as Victory dominated the first half and should have been well ahead when they headed down the tunnel for the orange segments.

Their best opportunity came when Fahid Ben Khalfallah broke through on the Sydney goal instead of shooting he squared to the offside Besart Berisha whose finish was rightly ruled out. In the second period Sydney shackled Victory playmaker Gui Finkler with a man marker in the form of Peter Triantis, this “defensive” tactic released Sydney and they held sway over the second half without ever dominating it to the same degree that the visitors had in the first. The home team still managed to squander chances to take all three points but Victory coach Kevin Muscat would have headed south wondering how they didn’t win. He did however manage to take some of his trademark aggression out on Sydney midfielder Ali Abbass on the pitch after the final whistle, tea cups must be an endangered species in the Victory dressing room.

Perth Glory took on Western Sydney Wanderers looking to build on their encouraging start to the season so how would they fare against the scourge of Asia in the form of the Wanderers?  The home team ran out 2-1 winners as Wanderers remain at the foot of the table without a single point so far this season. Perth got an early opener when Dino Djulbic headed home a ninth minute corner from Nebojsa Marinkovic.

Their grip on the game became unsurmountable in the seventy eighth minute when Scott Jamieson curled home a lovely long range free. Wanderers did manage to get some consolation through a Jaushua Sotirio goal in the eighty fifth minute but it was too little too late for the Asian champions. They would have another crack at getting their account open in midweek when they took on Central Coast Mariners. Perth climbed to the summit with the win and coupled with their getting through to the final of the FFA cup to face Adelaide Utd they can be delighted with their start to the season.

Sunday brought down the curtain on this round of games when Melbourne City played host to Central Coast Mariners at Aami Park. It looked for all the world like a home win as City took a two goal lead but a late fightback from Mariners earned them a 2-2 draw and put a further dent in the ambitions of City this season.

In a familiar pattern City opened brightly and it came as no surprise when they opened the scoring in the eleventh minute. Iain Ramsay arrowed in a cross from the left and Mate Dugandzic deftly guided a header past Liam Reddy and into the far corner of the net. City extended their lead in the fifty third minute when a Damien Duff corner was met by the head of Erik Paartalu.

All done and dusted, head off to the bookies with your slip in your hand we thought. But Mariners dug deep and got a goal back when with eleven minutes left Glen Trifiro curled home a lovely free kick. City have been generally unable to protect a lead and again it proved true when on the cusp of the final whistle Mariners skipper John Hutchinson drove home in the ninety fourth minute from over 20 yards out.

The Socceroos played Japan on weds morning Aussie time and got another beating as they fell 2-0 behind before the ever reliable Tim Cahill got a late consolation. Australia are in the midst of their worst ever run and it is a little difficult to see where the improvement is going to come from.

Western Sydney Wanderers are playing catch up due to their heroic run in the Asian Championship and they caught up on one of their outstanding fixtures by taking on Central Coast Mariners on Wednesday evening. Wanderers at last broke their league duck for the season as they claimed a point from a 0-0 draw. Both sides had their chances but neither were able to take them, on the bright side Mariners will be happy to take a point back home and Wanderers will be happy to have their first point on the board at long last.

What have we learned?

A strong domestic league does not necessarily mean a strong national team as the Socceroos are ably demonstrating at the moment.

Kevin Muscat is not a man to be taken lightly even when he is in the midst of shaking hands after a game he’s capable of trying to start a ruck.

This week’s fixtures

Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar

Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix

Western Sydney Wanderers v Newcastle Jets

Melbourne City v Sydney

Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United.