Sydney FC's championship defence was destroyed the moment Nicky Carle succumbed to his second injury, and coach Viteslav Lavicka had only himself to blame.
The Czech oversaw a clearout of seasoned veterans but failed to replace his favourite player: Karol Kisel. The decision to fill Kisel's left midfield spot with young left back Scott Jamieson hamstrung Sydney early on, but was brutally exposed when Carle took to the sidelines.
When Steve Corica was injured last campaign, Kisel took his place at the head of Lavicka's diamond. Equally at home in the playmaking Number 10 slot or minding the left side of midfield, Kisel provided creativity and confidence on the ball.
When Nicky Carle keeled over for most of 2010, Lavicka's only options were to play Mark Bridge at 10 or promote his new signing Hiro Moriyasu, who was only just finding his feet. Bridge's catastrophic loss of form and Hiro's inability to threaten in front of goal left the team without a way to score goals or even hold up the ball and transition from defence to attack.
Lavicka's plan to shoehorn Jamieson into left midfield left the young wingback all at sea. He failed to threaten with his first touch and his delivery is too wayward to trust him with the ball at close quarters. If Lavicka had to play a fullback in midfield to accommodate Jamieson, Shannon Cole and Sung Hwan Byun, Cole would have been a much better choice.
Later injuries to Alex Brosque and Bridge sealed Sydney's fate, and the Cove only had Bruno to cheer as Sydney fizzled in front of goal.
The one positive to come from this sorry season is the emergence of Dimitri Petratos and Terry Antonis. Sydney must play these two youngsters as much as possible in 2011/2012. The A League rewards clubs that promote and develop young players, and the fans will flock to see future Socceroos learn their craft.
SQUAD REVIEW
ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
Nick Carle, Terry Antonis, Dimitri Petratos, Kofi Danning, Brendan Gan, (Hiro Moriyasu)
Viteslav Lavicka's 4-4-2 diamond with conservative fullbacks requires creative input from the two wide midfielders. Unfortunately Lavicka chose to play Hiro Moriyasu and Terry McFlynn in front of Stuart Musialik, a conservative approach that lost Sydney games and fans.
Nicky Carle showed in the opening match against Melbourne that he can more than replace Steve Corica. Carle might lack goals and genuine pace, but his sublime touch gives Sydney the rarest of players in the A League: one who can hold up the play under pressure, play the right pass and unlock a defence with a moment of magic.
If Carle stays fit for most of the next season (and his career shows no reason to doubt he will) Sydney will make the finals. If Lavicka can play Karol Kisel or another more offensively minded player with Carle in midfield, Sydney may well go further. Sydney must attack from the first game to win back their fickle fans.
The whinging minority who call Carle a false marquee should consider the gross wages payed to John Aloisi, a player who only came good for six weeks in two years, and measure Carle's contribution at the end of his contract. Carle's wages are far from obscene and I am confident he will prove to be value for money.
News that Sydney were chasing Matt McKay showed welcome ambition and is a great relief: it means that the club has finally acknowledged the gap left by Karol Kisel in left midfield (just in time for Kisel's return). But Brisbane would never let their captain leave for free and Sydney cannot afford a transfer fee. This transfer is extremely unlikely and Sydney would be better served looking elsewhere for versatile wide midfielders: Scott Chipperfield and Brett Emerton, anyone?
Terry Antonis found precious little time on the pitch this season but Sydney must promote and develop his talent. Antonis must play, and in Carle's position, at every opportunity next year (whenever Carle is injured, suspended or tired). Antonis destroyed Wellington in February and his understanding with Dimitri Petratos in that game is surely a sign of good times to come. In that match he ran at players, picked the right pass and controlled the ball despite atrocious conditions. We can only hope he does not move overseas too early.
Dimitri Petratos is an interesting case. He has Mark Bridge's versatility but twice the ability. Petratos can pick a pass, score a goal (his air swing against the Victory aside) and occupies intelligent positions. I still believe his best position is attacking central midfielder and I hope he will find a home on the left side of midfield, but his work as Bruno Cazarine's support striker at the end of the season was inspiring. Sydney should sign him up long term and Petratos deserves to start matches.
Sadly Kofi Danning has not come on in the same way. Danning is caught in a terrible bind. His pace and enthusiasm dazzles against players his age, but his first touch can be dire and is not up to A League standard. Danning's greatest problem is his coach's system. Lavicka only plays Danning up front as a last resort and the Czech rarely plays with out and out wingers.
Now that Lavicka has re-signed with Sydney for another season, it is time for Danning to leave. Though his departure would leave Sydney short of genuine pace, the kid is at the age where he has to play. Another season on the bench will do him no favours and he does not fit within Sydney's best 20. Danning may be a likeable lad and a crowd favourite but he has not lived up to the hype.
Brendan Gan is another player who looks likely to leave. Gan should have slotted into a wide midfield role after Kisel departed, but Lavicka is clearly reluctant to pick a player who divides fans. Gan is keen and adequate, and has a cool finish, but he will probably have to leave and fight for a spot elsewhere to prove his worth.
It is a great shame that the Fury are no more. Players such as Gan and Danning could have found a home there, but will probably end up on the Gold Coast or across the Tasman instead.
MARK BRIDGE
Bridge is the only player afforded his own section throughout my season review because he is a player without a natural position. He also deserves special mention because he was undoubtedly the major disappointment of 2010/11.
This season showed Bridge to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. 1 goal and 6 assists in 19 games would be a poor return from a winger, but Bridge has played as a target man, playmaking number 10, wide midfielder and second striker.
Unfortunately he was not particularly good at any of those positions. Bridge lacks the pace to play winger, the vision and confidence to slot in at Number 10, the acceleration and lethality to excel at second striker and the sheer dynamism to lead the line.
Bridge looks most at home up front with his back to goal, and suffered badly when Nick Carle's injury forced him into attacking midfield.
Players dream of this kind of opportunity. Bridge was asked to run the offence for the A League defending champions. He tried hard but became The Cove's greatest disappointment since John Aloisi.
By late spring Bridge lacked the confidence to turn on the ball when had metres of space around him. Teams crowded him early, destroyed his confidence and reduced him to training drill passes and robotic movement off the ball. His failure to close down properly also left the team dreadfully exposed against overlapping fullbacks.
Bridge tried hard and occasionally put in a good performance. But the former Young Socceroo has suffered the curse of versatility. A sustained spell at striker produced his best form last season, but the A League has moved on. Other clubs have Van Dyk, Smeltz, Thompson and Fowler, and Sydney's "Killer Bs" though never truly prolific, could just about match that standard.
But Bridge never got near the input of the new and improved number 10s: Broich, Flores, Perez and Amini, and is certainly no Carlos Hernandez or Daniel. If the man at the top of the diamond goes into his shell, the team falls apart, and Bridge failed all too often.
It is not too late for Bridge, who clings to his new and improved contract while young talent like Matt Jurman departs for bigger money elsewhere. Like Aloisi Bridge may redeem himself and he does not lack raw ability. He needs to back himself next time he gets on the ball. He must play with the freedom denied him by the shackles of his own mind.
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