I missed the first half of Sydney FC's best game of the year thanks to a weekend stint in gaol. We arrived five minutes before halftime. The crowd was as I feared - restless, angry and smaller than it should be.
Sydneysiders sense their team's collective lack of belief. Last season the club scrapped and grappled for draws, in stark contrast to the team of two years ago who scored first and strangled teams into submission.
Viteslav Lavicka - surely the manager with the most to prove this season - identified the problem of a lack of leadership and re-recruited Karol Kisel before the close of a lost season. He beefed up Sydney's spine with Pascal Bosschaart and Michael Beauchamp, and the shock signing of Brett Emerton left Lavicka with as good a squad on paper as one could ask for: three Socceroos, three Young Socceroos, two former internationals and a host of home-grown footballers with lots to prove.
The opening arm wrestle against Melbourne was rich with promise - Sydney dominated much of the play until Mark Bridge's brain snap. The home fans endured a spanking from the Roar, but results against Adelaide and the Heart were encouraging.
What a shame it was that only 11 051 fans turned up on a gloomy Sunday afternoon to see Sydney wilt, straighten and run over Gold Coast United. It was the performance that proved Lavicka's point: he has more leaders. He can let the team off the leash because their capacity to entertain springs from mental strength.
I've previously called for Karol Kisel to be benched for Dimi Petratos and Terry Antonis. Kisel showed on Sunday exactly why he was the first player Lavicka wanted for this season. Kisel possesses belief, technique, nous and a competitive fire that spreads throughout the side.
It was Kisel, Carle and Emerton that forced Sydney FC back into the match after the calamitous second Gold Coast goal. They kicked the club into fifth gear. Passes previously delivered at a pedestrian pace skidded off the turf. Fullbacks were thrust forward while Terry McFlynn mopped up with venom.
I had figured that Kisel's inclusion would damage Sydney by forcing the messiah himself, Brett Emerton, out onto the left - a role which proved difficult against the Victory and the Roar. But Emerton proved his worth to Sydney on Sunday. His backheels, lay offs, flicks and driving runs inside and outside Gold Coast's defence pulled defenders away from Scott Jamieson, who has lifted his game this season. Perhaps Jamieson has been energized by some of the leadership that Lavicka was after. More could come from a raw, young talent.
The backline of Coyne, Bosschaart, Beauchamp and Jamieson seems settled but work is clearly required - Gold Coast's second goal would not have been out of place in an early edition of FIFA. United's forward movement often threatened to pinch a third goal - can a triangle of McFlynn, Bosschaart and Beauchamp keep up with a mobile threat?
Sydney's midfield is certainly mobile enough and technically adroit. Emerton, Nicky Carle, Karol Kisel and Terry McFlynn will take some replacing - though it was interesting that Lavicka did not decide to replace McFlynn with Rhyan Grant as the clock wore down. Instead Beauchamp galloped forward and won the crucial penalty after Gold Coast wrapped their legs around him.
Lavicka's biggest dilemma remains how to get the most out of Mark Bridge. The eternal enigma could have scored a hat trick and won a penalty, but took home nothing but the rage of the crowd after he blinked when Emerton bounced a cross towards his hip.
Some say that Bridge is the club's best natural finisher. It's time he proved it. With Bruno and Petratos nipping at his heels, to say nothing of the phantom Surgeon, Bridge will have to start taking opportunities.
Sydney's next home game is against their closest rivals - Central Coast, another side with a lot to prove. It will be a heated match but Sydney have the most cause to look forward to it. They know they can win tight matches by playing positive, ball on the ground football. They know Brett Emerton and Nicky Carle will only get better - Carle must be getting close to a Socceroos recall.
And Terry Antonis, one of the A League's brightest prospects, wasn't even playing on Sunday. This could be a great season.
Showing posts with label Mark Bridge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Bridge. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sydney FC wasting the worst of times
Sydney FC fans were supposed to enjoy a season of promise. Instead they endure a bitter malaise. The club is locked in a suffocating spiral as a dwindling tribe of disgruntled supporters show up to sing for a stuttering and terrified squad.
How did it come to this?
The champions built on their famous double by replacing an ageing and failed marquee in John Aloisi with a fringe Socceroo and genuine number 10. A front office headed by the impeccably credentialed Edwin Lugt and bankrolled by David Traktovenko stated the ambition to become a premier club in Asia (later the "preeminent club in Asia") and coach Viteslav Lavicka looked forward to warming up for his title defence with glamour preseason friendlies against Everton, Rangers, Blackburn and AEK Athens.
Now Lugt is gone. The Festival of Football was a lonely failure. Sydney FC could not even claim the false honour of a finals place. The Asian Champions League campaign is crippled, almost certainly beyond repair. Last season's mastermind is tottering despite his recent contract extension, undermined by his one dimensional approach, limited squad and failure to recruit players who can excel within his system.
I have already chronicled how the A League campaign fell apart under the weight of poor recruitment, a cascade of injuries and the unexpected acceleration in the quality of the A League. But the ACL is another matter.
Last week Sydney FC capitulated against Kashima Antlers. The club has failed to win a home game in the ACL and departs for unfriendly shores against superior opposition. Three points in Shanghai are an absolute necessity for a side that will face up against group leaders Kashima and Suwon with no clear idea of how to beat them.
More experienced scribes than I have already written about how Sydney FC's new low standards of ambition are a disgraceful mockery of the club's potential. Michael Cockerill believes that the club must recruit a Harry Kewell-level marquee player to haul itself out of a death spiral. I agree with the need to recruit a genuine marquee striker and believe that a Yorke or Fowler level signing would bring back 5,000 fans to the first home game, possibly more. But there is a particular type of striker that is required to entice the thousands of paying members to every home game.
Sydney FC fans demand more than football. We know that the SFS will never host a technical exhibition to match what we can see at home on television. But Sydney FC's greatest problem is its lack of flair. The idea of enduring 90 minutes of Mark Bridge and Dimitri Petratos playing out of position is more than most can bear. It was equally frustrating to witness the armband pass to a player not deemed worthy of a new contract in Stuart Musialik. How can a club not have more than one leader?
Sydney need flair and belief in equal measure. They need a swashbuckling striker who will show more heart than Bridge or Bruno Cazarine, and better touch than Juho Makela. Alex Brosque was popular because he believed in his own abilities. Precious few Sky Blues do the same - Shannon Cole's enduring popularity is based on his confidence, not his defensive positioning.
Kewell would fit the bill (hopefully his contract would include a requirement that he stay on his feet and play nice with the referees). Michael Owen's Premier League appeal would also do quite nicely. Miroslav Klose and Ruud Van Nistelrooy round out the quartet of impossible targets, but this is the ambition that Sydney FC must show.
More likely marquee targets are Vince Grella or Scott Chipperfield - neither would fill the flair void that Nicky Carle cannot match on his own. Whoever replaces Lugt will have one hell of a job finding the marquee man that Sydney rightly crave.
How did it come to this?
The champions built on their famous double by replacing an ageing and failed marquee in John Aloisi with a fringe Socceroo and genuine number 10. A front office headed by the impeccably credentialed Edwin Lugt and bankrolled by David Traktovenko stated the ambition to become a premier club in Asia (later the "preeminent club in Asia") and coach Viteslav Lavicka looked forward to warming up for his title defence with glamour preseason friendlies against Everton, Rangers, Blackburn and AEK Athens.
Now Lugt is gone. The Festival of Football was a lonely failure. Sydney FC could not even claim the false honour of a finals place. The Asian Champions League campaign is crippled, almost certainly beyond repair. Last season's mastermind is tottering despite his recent contract extension, undermined by his one dimensional approach, limited squad and failure to recruit players who can excel within his system.
I have already chronicled how the A League campaign fell apart under the weight of poor recruitment, a cascade of injuries and the unexpected acceleration in the quality of the A League. But the ACL is another matter.
Last week Sydney FC capitulated against Kashima Antlers. The club has failed to win a home game in the ACL and departs for unfriendly shores against superior opposition. Three points in Shanghai are an absolute necessity for a side that will face up against group leaders Kashima and Suwon with no clear idea of how to beat them.
More experienced scribes than I have already written about how Sydney FC's new low standards of ambition are a disgraceful mockery of the club's potential. Michael Cockerill believes that the club must recruit a Harry Kewell-level marquee player to haul itself out of a death spiral. I agree with the need to recruit a genuine marquee striker and believe that a Yorke or Fowler level signing would bring back 5,000 fans to the first home game, possibly more. But there is a particular type of striker that is required to entice the thousands of paying members to every home game.
Sydney FC fans demand more than football. We know that the SFS will never host a technical exhibition to match what we can see at home on television. But Sydney FC's greatest problem is its lack of flair. The idea of enduring 90 minutes of Mark Bridge and Dimitri Petratos playing out of position is more than most can bear. It was equally frustrating to witness the armband pass to a player not deemed worthy of a new contract in Stuart Musialik. How can a club not have more than one leader?
Sydney need flair and belief in equal measure. They need a swashbuckling striker who will show more heart than Bridge or Bruno Cazarine, and better touch than Juho Makela. Alex Brosque was popular because he believed in his own abilities. Precious few Sky Blues do the same - Shannon Cole's enduring popularity is based on his confidence, not his defensive positioning.
Kewell would fit the bill (hopefully his contract would include a requirement that he stay on his feet and play nice with the referees). Michael Owen's Premier League appeal would also do quite nicely. Miroslav Klose and Ruud Van Nistelrooy round out the quartet of impossible targets, but this is the ambition that Sydney FC must show.
More likely marquee targets are Vince Grella or Scott Chipperfield - neither would fill the flair void that Nicky Carle cannot match on his own. Whoever replaces Lugt will have one hell of a job finding the marquee man that Sydney rightly crave.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A Wasted Summer Part 4: When 1.1 Goals Per Game Isn't Enough
Sydney FC won the last championship with a combination of clean sheets and clinical strikes. In 2010/11 the Sky Blues lost their defence and forgot how to score.
Injuries to key attackers Nick Carle and Alex Brosque and the club's decision to replace Karol Kisel with a left back crippled the front men from the start.
Add Mark Bridge's debilitating loss of form to the late recruitment of Bruno Cazarine and one quickly understands why the defending champions scored just 35 goals in 30 games.
The three goals against Melbourne in the opening game were almost as good as it got - Sydney attacked with confidence, intent and poise. And then it all went to shit, the season swallowed by what might have been.
The championship winners took the title by scoring 1.3 goals a game. But they also conceded 23 in 27, not the 40 in 30 of the "title defence". When strikers don't score or defend, as was the case with Mark Bridge and others throughout the season, any team is in dire trouble.
SQUAD REVIEW
STRIKERS
Alex Brosque, Bruno Cazarine, Juho Makela, David Williams (loan)*
Alex Brosque was Sydney's main man. A pacy, two footed and creative striker, as comfortable out wide taking on a fullback as he was flicking a pass to an onrushing midfielder, Brosque was the perfect support striker for Viteslav Lavicka's diamond midfield.
Before his acrimonious transfer abroad Brosque scored six goals in 13 starts and two appearances off the bench. His year was frustrated by niggling injuries and he tended to contribute in fits and starts, as opposed to dominating games.
Brosque was frequently Sydney's most direct player and the way he split and committed defenders immediately made space for others. Sydney will miss his mobility and, more notably, his agility. His departure has left Viteslav Lavicka with a pair of battering rams.
Bruno Cazarine was recruited after a prolonged courtship and his 9 goals in 20 starts are widely credited with saving Sydney's season. A cool finisher within the box with his head and feet, Bruno brought a direct option with a deft enough first touch, and a positional awareness often lacking from Bridge.
Big Bruno may not match the Samba template but he brought much-needed balance to a Sydney side. His obvious desire in the first half of the season lifted the club after he was finally signed in September. One imagines he could have made an even greater impact had he enjoyed a pre-season with Carle, Bridge, Brosque and company.
Bruno has re-signed for another season and his selection for the ACL shows Lavicka's faith in his ability. Cazarine can hold the ball up and choose the right option. His little and large combination with Dimitri Petratos was something to savour and it will be fascinating to see how Lavicka sends out the troops next Spring once David Williams has departed.
One hopes Bruno can work on his shooting from outside the box: a crucial option in the arsenal for less-mobile strikers, particularly in a Sydney side often guilty of over-elaboration.
Juho Makela is an interesting case. Allegedly recruited without the approval of his coach, the Shark sunk his teeth into the A League before his form petered out at the end of the season.
Lavicka tried pairing Makela with Cazarine but the two seem too similar, too comfortable leading the line and too predictable with the ball at their feet. Defending against the two was all barge and no risk and it was no real surprise when Makela was chosen to warm the pine for the ACL.
Someone should tell Sydney's webmaster, who still states that Makela's "height and size will be great attributes for Sydney FC in the 2011 AFC Champions League".
Makela has an obvious nose for goal and seems relatively effective in the air, but looks short of agility at a relatively sedate full throttle. Unless he can find a way to fit around Cazarine's style, I predict Makela will feature mostly on the bench next season as a perfectly able backup to Bruno.
Where Makela and Petratos play will be determined by David Williams. Williams has played for the Socceroos and long enjoyed the "next big thing" tag despite a rather unflattering strike rate of 12 goals in 85 career appearances.
Williams now occupies the attacking winger role but would be converted to second striker by the wing-shy Lavicka. He has what Sydney lack most of all - pace, and the ability to take defenders on in one on one situations. It seems extremely unlikely that Williams will sign a long-term deal but he would be a very welcome addition.
Sydney will most likely head into the next A League with a strike force of Cazarine and Makela as genuine number 9s, supplemented by Mark Bridge and Dimitri Petratos. A pacier option, perhaps in the form of a marquee signing, would be very welcome indeed.
*Mark Bridge, Dimitri Petratos and Kofi Danning's contributions are examined here.
Injuries to key attackers Nick Carle and Alex Brosque and the club's decision to replace Karol Kisel with a left back crippled the front men from the start.
Add Mark Bridge's debilitating loss of form to the late recruitment of Bruno Cazarine and one quickly understands why the defending champions scored just 35 goals in 30 games.
The three goals against Melbourne in the opening game were almost as good as it got - Sydney attacked with confidence, intent and poise. And then it all went to shit, the season swallowed by what might have been.
The championship winners took the title by scoring 1.3 goals a game. But they also conceded 23 in 27, not the 40 in 30 of the "title defence". When strikers don't score or defend, as was the case with Mark Bridge and others throughout the season, any team is in dire trouble.
SQUAD REVIEW
STRIKERS
Alex Brosque, Bruno Cazarine, Juho Makela, David Williams (loan)*
Alex Brosque was Sydney's main man. A pacy, two footed and creative striker, as comfortable out wide taking on a fullback as he was flicking a pass to an onrushing midfielder, Brosque was the perfect support striker for Viteslav Lavicka's diamond midfield.
Before his acrimonious transfer abroad Brosque scored six goals in 13 starts and two appearances off the bench. His year was frustrated by niggling injuries and he tended to contribute in fits and starts, as opposed to dominating games.
Brosque was frequently Sydney's most direct player and the way he split and committed defenders immediately made space for others. Sydney will miss his mobility and, more notably, his agility. His departure has left Viteslav Lavicka with a pair of battering rams.
Bruno Cazarine was recruited after a prolonged courtship and his 9 goals in 20 starts are widely credited with saving Sydney's season. A cool finisher within the box with his head and feet, Bruno brought a direct option with a deft enough first touch, and a positional awareness often lacking from Bridge.
Big Bruno may not match the Samba template but he brought much-needed balance to a Sydney side. His obvious desire in the first half of the season lifted the club after he was finally signed in September. One imagines he could have made an even greater impact had he enjoyed a pre-season with Carle, Bridge, Brosque and company.
Bruno has re-signed for another season and his selection for the ACL shows Lavicka's faith in his ability. Cazarine can hold the ball up and choose the right option. His little and large combination with Dimitri Petratos was something to savour and it will be fascinating to see how Lavicka sends out the troops next Spring once David Williams has departed.
One hopes Bruno can work on his shooting from outside the box: a crucial option in the arsenal for less-mobile strikers, particularly in a Sydney side often guilty of over-elaboration.
Juho Makela is an interesting case. Allegedly recruited without the approval of his coach, the Shark sunk his teeth into the A League before his form petered out at the end of the season.
Lavicka tried pairing Makela with Cazarine but the two seem too similar, too comfortable leading the line and too predictable with the ball at their feet. Defending against the two was all barge and no risk and it was no real surprise when Makela was chosen to warm the pine for the ACL.
Someone should tell Sydney's webmaster, who still states that Makela's "height and size will be great attributes for Sydney FC in the 2011 AFC Champions League".
Makela has an obvious nose for goal and seems relatively effective in the air, but looks short of agility at a relatively sedate full throttle. Unless he can find a way to fit around Cazarine's style, I predict Makela will feature mostly on the bench next season as a perfectly able backup to Bruno.
Where Makela and Petratos play will be determined by David Williams. Williams has played for the Socceroos and long enjoyed the "next big thing" tag despite a rather unflattering strike rate of 12 goals in 85 career appearances.
Williams now occupies the attacking winger role but would be converted to second striker by the wing-shy Lavicka. He has what Sydney lack most of all - pace, and the ability to take defenders on in one on one situations. It seems extremely unlikely that Williams will sign a long-term deal but he would be a very welcome addition.
Sydney will most likely head into the next A League with a strike force of Cazarine and Makela as genuine number 9s, supplemented by Mark Bridge and Dimitri Petratos. A pacier option, perhaps in the form of a marquee signing, would be very welcome indeed.
*Mark Bridge, Dimitri Petratos and Kofi Danning's contributions are examined here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A Wasted Summer Part 3: Sydney FC's Crippled Magicians
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.
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.
Monday, February 21, 2011
2010-2011: A Wasted Summer Part 1
A near 30 percent drop in average crowds. No finals football. The acrimonious loss of their Socceroo and star striker.
It wasn't the worst of times but the best of times faded pretty quickly this season for Sydney FC.
The A League has few real traditions but a swift stab in the back for under-performing Sydney managers is a seasonal delight. Viteslav Lavicka is very, very lucky to still be in a job. The Sydney FC overlords are to be commended for their restraint and thanked for their deep pockets.
Few others associated with the club deserve the same sentiment. Sydney is a city of high expectations (and lamentably low levels of supporter loyalty). For A League champions to miss the finals is not unprecedented but remains catastrophic. It is time to take stock.
The Asian Champions League can do more than salve the wounds from this campaign. It is time for the club to be decisive. It needs to jettison or play Stuart Musialik, Sung Hwan Byun and Stephan Keller. Lavicka needs to nurture or release Kofi Danning and find the best positions for Shannon Cole and Seb Ryall. He must pick and stick with one of Liam Reddy and Ivan Necevski.
Indecision has robbed Sydney FC of Matt Jurman - Lavicka should not be permitted to put his own short-term priorities ahead of future development. Lavicka's fight for survival is the bed that the board has made until the spring. Sydney will just have to live with it.
SQUAD REVIEW
GOALKEEPERS
Liam Reddy, Ivan Necevski
Australian football seems best at generating goalkeepers and to have a mediocre keeper is unacceptable. Reddy and Necevski were frustratingly inconsistent throughout this season and while both bore the cost of shaky shifts put in by those in front of them, neither seized the position with anything like the determination and confidence displayed so often by Clint Bolton. Reddy was very poor at times, particularly against North Queensland when he failed to read the obvious intentions of David Williams, while Necevski seems unable to grasp a cross or corner.
The decision to release Bolton, recruit Reddy and retain Necevski looks dodgy, particularly given the need for stability at the back with the obvious departure of Simon Colosimo (who was contemplating a trip overseas for months). It may have been a question of timing and wages, but there are better keepers home and abroad. Would it be too rude to mention Danny Vukovic?
CENTRAL DEFENCE
Hayden Foxe, Stephan Keller, Seb Ryall, Matt Jurman, Antony Golec, Andrew Durante (loan)
The source of many of Sydney's woes. The decision to replace the ball-playing Simon Colosimo with the skilled but slow-footed Hayden Foxe put Lavicka in a constant tactical bind. A central pairing of Foxe and Stephan Keller was extremely vulnerable to the pacy attacks of early season foes. Last season's high line and compact defence evaporated early. Too often the last line was left too deep to intercept but too high to recover, and Seb Ryall's inconsistencies and weakness in the air cost him his place - somewhat unfairly, in my opinion, as some of Keller's displays were particularly dire. Matt Jurman's emergence as a talented compromise candidate came too late to save Sydney's season and his departure is one to mourn.
The centrebacks were not assisted by unusually poor form from the screening Stuart Musialik and the ball holding target man Mark Bridge, but the end of the Asian Champions League campaign will bring a real challenge to the Sky Blue backline. Odds are that Keller, Foxe, Jurman and Durante will all depart, leaving Ryall and Golec, who barely played at all this season, as the only specialist centrebacks for the next A League season. Sydney will plummet from over supply to a chronic shortage in an area where they seemed so well stocked just 18 months ago.
Of course we all expect the club to sign a new central defender soon but outstanding candidates are thin on the ground. Jade North is another undersized centreback who can be maddeningly inconsistent - a Ryall/North partnership would be vulnerable to tall, rough attacks and the players' own panic attacks on and off the ball. Sydney need to find a more permanent solution than Durante - a signing I applaud, but a stopgap measure none the less. Jamie Coyne is a long way from Simon Colosimo's level of ability, even taking into account Colosimo's poor season in Melbourne.
For a club to play two central defenders that are on their way out, or not even Sydney players to begin with, is more than a symptom of poor recruitment - it is counter productive in the long run.
FULL BACKS
Shannon Cole, Sung Hwan Byun, Scott Jamieson, (Seb Ryall)
Full back might be Sydney's strongest area going into Asia - an odd assertion given that Byun could be trimmed to make room for other foreigners and Ryall will rarely start matches at rightback.
In Shannon Cole and Scott Jamieson Sydney have a pair of fullbacks at home in the tackle, dogged over 90 minutes and happy to bomb forward with the ball at their feet.
Both have their limitations. Cole's attitude and ability in attack is sabotaged by some poor positioning and tendency to ball watch, while Jamieson's first touch and delivery from wide areas can be phenomenally dire. Jamieson is also rather one-footed and loses speed at the end of the second half.
But Lavicka's set up of a conservative midfield three behind a hard-running number 10 requires attack-minded fullbacks and there are few better suited to the task, or with more potential for improvement, than Cole and Jamieson (not that Josh Rose, Cassio or Shane Steffanuto are not slightly above the Sydney two).
If Sydney can settle on a midfield anchorman, a centreback combination and keep Nick Carle fit, Cole and Jamieson will find form and consistency. It was not easy for Cole to half-heartedly get forward as the ball was lost in midfield, or for Jamieson to start off as a left midfielder (a position he should never play again).
Ryall is too conservative a fullback for an already narrow team and Lavicka seems rightly unlikely to play him on the right unless the last 10 minutes require locking up. Byun will always be a Sydney hero but his second season will be remembered for yelling at his teammates and shrugging his shoulders.
The recruitment of a seasoned left back such as Dean Heffernan would simply retard Jamieson's progress in the same way that Cassio's brilliance forced him out of Adelaide. Sydney should find another solution, perhaps a left footed centreback who provides a defensive alternative, and continue to develop their two Australians. The whispered arrival of Scott Chipperfield could also work, provided Chipperfield plays in midfield and provides cover for injury.
It wasn't the worst of times but the best of times faded pretty quickly this season for Sydney FC.
The A League has few real traditions but a swift stab in the back for under-performing Sydney managers is a seasonal delight. Viteslav Lavicka is very, very lucky to still be in a job. The Sydney FC overlords are to be commended for their restraint and thanked for their deep pockets.
Few others associated with the club deserve the same sentiment. Sydney is a city of high expectations (and lamentably low levels of supporter loyalty). For A League champions to miss the finals is not unprecedented but remains catastrophic. It is time to take stock.
The Asian Champions League can do more than salve the wounds from this campaign. It is time for the club to be decisive. It needs to jettison or play Stuart Musialik, Sung Hwan Byun and Stephan Keller. Lavicka needs to nurture or release Kofi Danning and find the best positions for Shannon Cole and Seb Ryall. He must pick and stick with one of Liam Reddy and Ivan Necevski.
Indecision has robbed Sydney FC of Matt Jurman - Lavicka should not be permitted to put his own short-term priorities ahead of future development. Lavicka's fight for survival is the bed that the board has made until the spring. Sydney will just have to live with it.
SQUAD REVIEW
GOALKEEPERS
Liam Reddy, Ivan Necevski
Australian football seems best at generating goalkeepers and to have a mediocre keeper is unacceptable. Reddy and Necevski were frustratingly inconsistent throughout this season and while both bore the cost of shaky shifts put in by those in front of them, neither seized the position with anything like the determination and confidence displayed so often by Clint Bolton. Reddy was very poor at times, particularly against North Queensland when he failed to read the obvious intentions of David Williams, while Necevski seems unable to grasp a cross or corner.
The decision to release Bolton, recruit Reddy and retain Necevski looks dodgy, particularly given the need for stability at the back with the obvious departure of Simon Colosimo (who was contemplating a trip overseas for months). It may have been a question of timing and wages, but there are better keepers home and abroad. Would it be too rude to mention Danny Vukovic?
CENTRAL DEFENCE
Hayden Foxe, Stephan Keller, Seb Ryall, Matt Jurman, Antony Golec, Andrew Durante (loan)
The source of many of Sydney's woes. The decision to replace the ball-playing Simon Colosimo with the skilled but slow-footed Hayden Foxe put Lavicka in a constant tactical bind. A central pairing of Foxe and Stephan Keller was extremely vulnerable to the pacy attacks of early season foes. Last season's high line and compact defence evaporated early. Too often the last line was left too deep to intercept but too high to recover, and Seb Ryall's inconsistencies and weakness in the air cost him his place - somewhat unfairly, in my opinion, as some of Keller's displays were particularly dire. Matt Jurman's emergence as a talented compromise candidate came too late to save Sydney's season and his departure is one to mourn.
The centrebacks were not assisted by unusually poor form from the screening Stuart Musialik and the ball holding target man Mark Bridge, but the end of the Asian Champions League campaign will bring a real challenge to the Sky Blue backline. Odds are that Keller, Foxe, Jurman and Durante will all depart, leaving Ryall and Golec, who barely played at all this season, as the only specialist centrebacks for the next A League season. Sydney will plummet from over supply to a chronic shortage in an area where they seemed so well stocked just 18 months ago.
Of course we all expect the club to sign a new central defender soon but outstanding candidates are thin on the ground. Jade North is another undersized centreback who can be maddeningly inconsistent - a Ryall/North partnership would be vulnerable to tall, rough attacks and the players' own panic attacks on and off the ball. Sydney need to find a more permanent solution than Durante - a signing I applaud, but a stopgap measure none the less. Jamie Coyne is a long way from Simon Colosimo's level of ability, even taking into account Colosimo's poor season in Melbourne.
For a club to play two central defenders that are on their way out, or not even Sydney players to begin with, is more than a symptom of poor recruitment - it is counter productive in the long run.
FULL BACKS
Shannon Cole, Sung Hwan Byun, Scott Jamieson, (Seb Ryall)
Full back might be Sydney's strongest area going into Asia - an odd assertion given that Byun could be trimmed to make room for other foreigners and Ryall will rarely start matches at rightback.
In Shannon Cole and Scott Jamieson Sydney have a pair of fullbacks at home in the tackle, dogged over 90 minutes and happy to bomb forward with the ball at their feet.
Both have their limitations. Cole's attitude and ability in attack is sabotaged by some poor positioning and tendency to ball watch, while Jamieson's first touch and delivery from wide areas can be phenomenally dire. Jamieson is also rather one-footed and loses speed at the end of the second half.
But Lavicka's set up of a conservative midfield three behind a hard-running number 10 requires attack-minded fullbacks and there are few better suited to the task, or with more potential for improvement, than Cole and Jamieson (not that Josh Rose, Cassio or Shane Steffanuto are not slightly above the Sydney two).
If Sydney can settle on a midfield anchorman, a centreback combination and keep Nick Carle fit, Cole and Jamieson will find form and consistency. It was not easy for Cole to half-heartedly get forward as the ball was lost in midfield, or for Jamieson to start off as a left midfielder (a position he should never play again).
Ryall is too conservative a fullback for an already narrow team and Lavicka seems rightly unlikely to play him on the right unless the last 10 minutes require locking up. Byun will always be a Sydney hero but his second season will be remembered for yelling at his teammates and shrugging his shoulders.
The recruitment of a seasoned left back such as Dean Heffernan would simply retard Jamieson's progress in the same way that Cassio's brilliance forced him out of Adelaide. Sydney should find another solution, perhaps a left footed centreback who provides a defensive alternative, and continue to develop their two Australians. The whispered arrival of Scott Chipperfield could also work, provided Chipperfield plays in midfield and provides cover for injury.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Game 25 - Sydney FC 1 vs Melbourne Victory 1 - 15/01/11
Melbourne had three of the five clear cut chances in this enthralling match but Sydney should have dominated a contest so full of hope and despair that Juho Makela's equalizing goal was, for a good two seconds after it hit the net, too good to be believed by half the crowd.
Sydney raced back to the halfway line ball in hand and buoyed by stunned supporters, somehow believing that after failing to score for 91 minutes, they could thrash one into the net in 90 seconds. Too little, too late for Viteslav Lavicka, who will be lucky to survive the week.
Finals football was a forlorn hope after the devastating draw with the Fury back in October's three-game stretch. Last night's failure has cut the cord. Sydney are six points back and have played two more games than the sixth-placed Jets.
The case against Sydney FC is simple. If you can't beat your biggest rivals when they are missing four of their best five outfield players, when you are playing in front of your biggest home crowd, when you have 16 shots at goal in the first half, then you don't deserve to play in the finals.
At halftime I wrote: "The game has the feel of a Sydney FC training run with everyone missing their shots. I fear a sucker punch."
If Juho Makela was fit to start, the Sky Blues would have won the match. If Alex Brosque was fit to play it would have been a rout. If Hiro Moriyasu's shot had slid inside the post, if Dimitri Petratos had even touched the ball...
A title defence should not depend on wishes or sentiment. Sydney have drawn or lost 19 out of 25 games this season. That the Sky Blues have a mathematical chance of finals football is an insult to other sides.
Judging by last night's glorious first half what hurts the most is what might have been. Sydney flew at Melbourne unburdened by the doubts that have crippled this campaign. Melbourne had the two best chances of the half but it seemed a moot point, such was Sydney's dominance.
The first 45 minutes were encapsulated by one Sydney movement when Nicky Carle rode a challenge then back-heeled the ball to kick off a raid that ended in a shot off target. Carle dominated the first half in the same way that he dominated the opening game of the season. How Sydney have suffered under the poor form of Mark Bridge.
Melbourne were desperate to slow the game down but still had the best chances of the first 45. Stephan Keller inexplicably decided to let a sliding cross roll past him along the six yard box and straight onto Danny Allsopp's boot, and Liam Reddy was lucky to see a feeble header spring from Matt Jurman's last-ditch challenge on Allsopp, whose movement troubled Sydney's back two all night.
By the 35th minute some Sydney players were getting restless. Bruno Cazarine put in more petulance than workrate and Juho Makela's drifting runs were a welcome addition after he came on for Hiro Moriyasu at the 55th minute. If Alex Brosque returns, Big Bruno will be lucky to keep his place. Stephan Keller's 80th minute shot from near the centre circle was selfish, stupid and hardly the thing to invigorate his supporters or his side. Skipper Terry McFlynn should not be allowing this sort of thing.
Nicky Carle deserved his man of the match award but his detractors (and there are many) will quite rightly point out that he failed to place a shot on target and that his cross to Makela may well have been a mis-cued shot. He was also peripheral in the first fifteen minutes of the second half when Sydney's passing was comical at best and atrocious at worst. McFlynn and Bruno, then Byun and Makela made pathetic efforts to attack down the right hand side and Carle should have demanded the ball to restore Sydney's possession.
All that said, Carle played in Petratos for what should have been a certain goal, put the ball right onto Makela's foot for his strike and tore Melbourne to shreds in the first 45. Things are looking up for what will be a very tough Asian Champions League campaign.
18-year-old Dimitri Petratos has played in four different positions: across midfield and as a support striker. He ran himself into the ground last night but looks most at home with players in front of him. The air swing was poor and but hopefully his confidence is shored up strong foundations. Does Viteslav Lavicka have the wherewithal to slot Petratos back into midfield before he has too much time to dwell on his miss? Time will tell.
Which brings us to the boss himself. If the Sydney board show the ruthlessness of their predecessors then this failure - and it is a failure - should be Czechmate for Lavicka.
It depends on the players. If they have lost all confidence in Lavicka then he should be congratulated for last season and retired. The first half performance does not indicate that things have degenerated that far. But Lavicka seems unable to improve the team at halftime which is when a manager should be at his best.
Few managers have enjoyed this much patience from a board. Lavicka has recruited the wrong replacements for the wrong departures, has stuck with the the wrong tactics at the wrong times and failed to shore up the confidence of a previously dominant and swaggering team.
One more game without a win should seal his departure. If the looming "mid-January" board meeting comes before Sunday's game against the high-flying Mariner, Lavicka may not get even that chance.
EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention was the fantastic contribution from The Cove. They were in amazing form with another brilliant tifo, and here's hoping everyone comes back for the final game of the season against the Phoenix next month. If you missed it, here's a link I snagged from parkingthebus on Twitter.
Sydney raced back to the halfway line ball in hand and buoyed by stunned supporters, somehow believing that after failing to score for 91 minutes, they could thrash one into the net in 90 seconds. Too little, too late for Viteslav Lavicka, who will be lucky to survive the week.
Finals football was a forlorn hope after the devastating draw with the Fury back in October's three-game stretch. Last night's failure has cut the cord. Sydney are six points back and have played two more games than the sixth-placed Jets.
The case against Sydney FC is simple. If you can't beat your biggest rivals when they are missing four of their best five outfield players, when you are playing in front of your biggest home crowd, when you have 16 shots at goal in the first half, then you don't deserve to play in the finals.
At halftime I wrote: "The game has the feel of a Sydney FC training run with everyone missing their shots. I fear a sucker punch."
If Juho Makela was fit to start, the Sky Blues would have won the match. If Alex Brosque was fit to play it would have been a rout. If Hiro Moriyasu's shot had slid inside the post, if Dimitri Petratos had even touched the ball...
A title defence should not depend on wishes or sentiment. Sydney have drawn or lost 19 out of 25 games this season. That the Sky Blues have a mathematical chance of finals football is an insult to other sides.
Judging by last night's glorious first half what hurts the most is what might have been. Sydney flew at Melbourne unburdened by the doubts that have crippled this campaign. Melbourne had the two best chances of the half but it seemed a moot point, such was Sydney's dominance.
The first 45 minutes were encapsulated by one Sydney movement when Nicky Carle rode a challenge then back-heeled the ball to kick off a raid that ended in a shot off target. Carle dominated the first half in the same way that he dominated the opening game of the season. How Sydney have suffered under the poor form of Mark Bridge.
Melbourne were desperate to slow the game down but still had the best chances of the first 45. Stephan Keller inexplicably decided to let a sliding cross roll past him along the six yard box and straight onto Danny Allsopp's boot, and Liam Reddy was lucky to see a feeble header spring from Matt Jurman's last-ditch challenge on Allsopp, whose movement troubled Sydney's back two all night.
By the 35th minute some Sydney players were getting restless. Bruno Cazarine put in more petulance than workrate and Juho Makela's drifting runs were a welcome addition after he came on for Hiro Moriyasu at the 55th minute. If Alex Brosque returns, Big Bruno will be lucky to keep his place. Stephan Keller's 80th minute shot from near the centre circle was selfish, stupid and hardly the thing to invigorate his supporters or his side. Skipper Terry McFlynn should not be allowing this sort of thing.
Nicky Carle deserved his man of the match award but his detractors (and there are many) will quite rightly point out that he failed to place a shot on target and that his cross to Makela may well have been a mis-cued shot. He was also peripheral in the first fifteen minutes of the second half when Sydney's passing was comical at best and atrocious at worst. McFlynn and Bruno, then Byun and Makela made pathetic efforts to attack down the right hand side and Carle should have demanded the ball to restore Sydney's possession.
All that said, Carle played in Petratos for what should have been a certain goal, put the ball right onto Makela's foot for his strike and tore Melbourne to shreds in the first 45. Things are looking up for what will be a very tough Asian Champions League campaign.
18-year-old Dimitri Petratos has played in four different positions: across midfield and as a support striker. He ran himself into the ground last night but looks most at home with players in front of him. The air swing was poor and but hopefully his confidence is shored up strong foundations. Does Viteslav Lavicka have the wherewithal to slot Petratos back into midfield before he has too much time to dwell on his miss? Time will tell.
Which brings us to the boss himself. If the Sydney board show the ruthlessness of their predecessors then this failure - and it is a failure - should be Czechmate for Lavicka.
It depends on the players. If they have lost all confidence in Lavicka then he should be congratulated for last season and retired. The first half performance does not indicate that things have degenerated that far. But Lavicka seems unable to improve the team at halftime which is when a manager should be at his best.
Few managers have enjoyed this much patience from a board. Lavicka has recruited the wrong replacements for the wrong departures, has stuck with the the wrong tactics at the wrong times and failed to shore up the confidence of a previously dominant and swaggering team.
One more game without a win should seal his departure. If the looming "mid-January" board meeting comes before Sunday's game against the high-flying Mariner, Lavicka may not get even that chance.
EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention was the fantastic contribution from The Cove. They were in amazing form with another brilliant tifo, and here's hoping everyone comes back for the final game of the season against the Phoenix next month. If you missed it, here's a link I snagged from parkingthebus on Twitter.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Game 19 - Sydney FC 0 vs Queensland Roar 1 - 12/12/10
"It could have been worse."
That is the frightening defeatism that has infected Sydney FC. This season has seen a champion squad plunge into despair and disrepair, with nary a captain or coach able to bail the water out of a sinking ship.
To say that Sydney FC won the second half flatters the hosts mightily. Brisbane rarely got out of second gear. Imagine what they could accomplish with a top class striker. The Roar worked their way down field methodically and brazenly, while Sydney struggled to play out of their own half.
All the old bad signs were there. Stephan Keller thumping the ball long and wide. Static fullbacks hugging the touch line. Players pointing at positions where they expected each other to be, five seconds after the ball had gone. Sydney's playmaker, either Mark Bridge or Terry Antonis, settling for occupying a defender instead of running them ragged.
Viteslav Lavicka should guide the club to the Asian Champions League but Sydney FC should not be offering him an Alan Pardew-esque five and a half year deal. Lavicka clearly arrived with Plan A - the same 4-4-2 diamond that Sydney have played for a year and a half - and no Plan B, despite Brisbane playing the same way they have all season.
Lavicka identified that Gan and Antonis were struggling but changed personnel without attacking the cause of the problem. Few managers have disrupted Brisbane this season but the diamond left Antonis and Bridge completely impotent - exhausted by defence and desperately out of position in transition attack. Brisbane apparently enjoyed 68 percent of possession in the first half. I'm surprised it wasn't more.
To go man for man, as Sydney were unable to do:
Ivan Necevski should have done better to block Kosta Barbarouses's cool finish but made some smart saves in either half. A good back up option for sure, but it seems Crazy Ivan has found his level.
Shannon Cole was easily Sydney's most impressive player over the 90 minutes. He supplied Sydney's only moment of skill with a cool backheel in the second half, put in a few threatening runs and kept Thomas Broich reasonably quiet. Cole backed himself in the tackle and on the ball, which was something few other Sydney players seemed willing to do. His combination with Dimitri Petratos was encouraging and should be nurtured.
Sung-Hwan Byun put in possibly his worst shift in a Sky Blue shirt. Apart from supplying atrocious delivery from wide areas throughout the match, Byun was one of many Sydney players who seemed more intent on ordering his teammates around than getting in a helpful position himself. Byun's mind seems off the job and Scott Jamieson cannot return soon enough.
Hayden Foxe and Stephan Keller may have been a great central combination five years ago. But Foxe's distribution has degraded over the past month and Keller's has probably been atrocious his entire career. That Brisbane did not win by more is evidence of their honest hard work but they were often caught too far apart, too far from their Solorzano, too deep (to cover their lack of pace) and too scared of the ball. It is time for Lavicka to recruit some replacements.
Sydney's under fire manager was forced to substitute Brendan Gan and Terry Antonis at halftime and both youngsters deserved the hook. Hopefully Antonis will not stay benched for long. The lad has undoubted ability but today's match was too cruel a test so early. His confidence must now be sand-bagged, not sabotaged. Sydney's first responsibility was too relieve defensive pressure and neither Gan nor Antonis contributed, while Terry McFlynn's performance was similarly lacking.
Terry McFlynn may be a Foundation Player but he needs to be a proper captain. It has been too long since McFlynn, or any Sydney player, took a match by the scruff of the neck. It is McFlynn's duty to lead by example, but doing a job is no longer enough in a Sydney side of much lower quality than last year's edition.
Hiro Moriyasu also put in a fairly abject performance. He was played in what is allegedly his preferred position at the base of Sydney's midfield, but lost possession time and again, took too long to select an option, was weak in the tackle and failed to interact properly with his defence. Hiro is best employed as a box to box harasser and lacks the composure to play as the screening anchor. An in-form Stuart Musialik is a better option, but Sydney have precious few players in form at the moment.
Big bad Bruno Cazarine was obviously not fully fit and played for free kicks before halftime. Alex Brosque was dynamic, inspirational and alone.
Mark Bridge was absolutely anonymous. Again. His new contract should be read to him like the Riot Act. Hopefully a rocket up the backside can push him past the barrier of his natural abilities. Bridge is an enigma without the ability to justify his inconsistency. Nicky Carle, it has been said too often, cannot return soon enough.
A champion side should not regress so poorly. A great manager should not allow them to. Great managers adapt. Great players overcome adversity. Sydney FC simply flounder while their crowds dwindle and The Cove grows quieter. Sydney's names were not cheered and the side was barely applauded onto the park.
Something is out of kilter and it is not just Nicky Carle's back.
That is the frightening defeatism that has infected Sydney FC. This season has seen a champion squad plunge into despair and disrepair, with nary a captain or coach able to bail the water out of a sinking ship.
To say that Sydney FC won the second half flatters the hosts mightily. Brisbane rarely got out of second gear. Imagine what they could accomplish with a top class striker. The Roar worked their way down field methodically and brazenly, while Sydney struggled to play out of their own half.
All the old bad signs were there. Stephan Keller thumping the ball long and wide. Static fullbacks hugging the touch line. Players pointing at positions where they expected each other to be, five seconds after the ball had gone. Sydney's playmaker, either Mark Bridge or Terry Antonis, settling for occupying a defender instead of running them ragged.
Viteslav Lavicka should guide the club to the Asian Champions League but Sydney FC should not be offering him an Alan Pardew-esque five and a half year deal. Lavicka clearly arrived with Plan A - the same 4-4-2 diamond that Sydney have played for a year and a half - and no Plan B, despite Brisbane playing the same way they have all season.
Lavicka identified that Gan and Antonis were struggling but changed personnel without attacking the cause of the problem. Few managers have disrupted Brisbane this season but the diamond left Antonis and Bridge completely impotent - exhausted by defence and desperately out of position in transition attack. Brisbane apparently enjoyed 68 percent of possession in the first half. I'm surprised it wasn't more.
To go man for man, as Sydney were unable to do:
Ivan Necevski should have done better to block Kosta Barbarouses's cool finish but made some smart saves in either half. A good back up option for sure, but it seems Crazy Ivan has found his level.
Shannon Cole was easily Sydney's most impressive player over the 90 minutes. He supplied Sydney's only moment of skill with a cool backheel in the second half, put in a few threatening runs and kept Thomas Broich reasonably quiet. Cole backed himself in the tackle and on the ball, which was something few other Sydney players seemed willing to do. His combination with Dimitri Petratos was encouraging and should be nurtured.
Sung-Hwan Byun put in possibly his worst shift in a Sky Blue shirt. Apart from supplying atrocious delivery from wide areas throughout the match, Byun was one of many Sydney players who seemed more intent on ordering his teammates around than getting in a helpful position himself. Byun's mind seems off the job and Scott Jamieson cannot return soon enough.
Hayden Foxe and Stephan Keller may have been a great central combination five years ago. But Foxe's distribution has degraded over the past month and Keller's has probably been atrocious his entire career. That Brisbane did not win by more is evidence of their honest hard work but they were often caught too far apart, too far from their Solorzano, too deep (to cover their lack of pace) and too scared of the ball. It is time for Lavicka to recruit some replacements.
Sydney's under fire manager was forced to substitute Brendan Gan and Terry Antonis at halftime and both youngsters deserved the hook. Hopefully Antonis will not stay benched for long. The lad has undoubted ability but today's match was too cruel a test so early. His confidence must now be sand-bagged, not sabotaged. Sydney's first responsibility was too relieve defensive pressure and neither Gan nor Antonis contributed, while Terry McFlynn's performance was similarly lacking.
Terry McFlynn may be a Foundation Player but he needs to be a proper captain. It has been too long since McFlynn, or any Sydney player, took a match by the scruff of the neck. It is McFlynn's duty to lead by example, but doing a job is no longer enough in a Sydney side of much lower quality than last year's edition.
Hiro Moriyasu also put in a fairly abject performance. He was played in what is allegedly his preferred position at the base of Sydney's midfield, but lost possession time and again, took too long to select an option, was weak in the tackle and failed to interact properly with his defence. Hiro is best employed as a box to box harasser and lacks the composure to play as the screening anchor. An in-form Stuart Musialik is a better option, but Sydney have precious few players in form at the moment.
Big bad Bruno Cazarine was obviously not fully fit and played for free kicks before halftime. Alex Brosque was dynamic, inspirational and alone.
Mark Bridge was absolutely anonymous. Again. His new contract should be read to him like the Riot Act. Hopefully a rocket up the backside can push him past the barrier of his natural abilities. Bridge is an enigma without the ability to justify his inconsistency. Nicky Carle, it has been said too often, cannot return soon enough.
A champion side should not regress so poorly. A great manager should not allow them to. Great managers adapt. Great players overcome adversity. Sydney FC simply flounder while their crowds dwindle and The Cove grows quieter. Sydney's names were not cheered and the side was barely applauded onto the park.
Something is out of kilter and it is not just Nicky Carle's back.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Game 17 - Sydney FC 3 vs Wellington Phoenix 1 - 02/12/10
The four thousand hardy souls who ventured to the SFS on a wet and windy Wednesday night witnessed the possible birth of a new footballing star.
Terry Antonis only played for half an hour but he controlled the midfield with enthusiasm and daring. He ran at players with the ball at his feet, turned during his first touch despite the bucketing rain, took the initiative with a long range shot and most importantly - passed decisively, elegantly and forwards despite playing in the middle of a veritable monsoon.
Antonis played in Mark Bridge for Bridge's own drought-breaking goal and linked well with fellow super-sub Dimitri Petratos. If those two continue to improve Sydney have a pair of real prospects in their ranks.
Stuart Musialik must be wondering where he fits into Sydney's future as his contract winds down. Terry McFlynn is a defensive midfielder at heart and his status as skipper ensures his selection. Hiro Moriyasu is a box to box defensive type and was recently re-signed. Rhyan Grant has played junior international football and clearly has Lavicka's favour. Brendan Gan slotted in nicely on the right side of the diamond, though still fails to inspire complete confidence.
With Petratos growing into a deep-lying playmaker role and Musialik's selection anything but the sure thing it was last season, we may see Disco Stu head for safer pastures at the end of the season. It would be sad to see him go - at his best he offers far more than McFlynn, who maintains his spot thanks to Sydney's overall lack of aggression.
The match itself was a corker - and thanks to our Harbour City's allergic reaction to rain, I missed the first 35 minutes due to traffic jams. It boasted 26 shots - three of which hit the post - and four goals of high drama, if not high quality.
Bridge looked to be level as Antonis released him for his well-taken goal but Seb Ryall's handball for Sydney's third strike was as blatant as they come. Dylan Macallister's late goal was anything but a consolation as Wellington looked the marginally better side and finished far stronger than Sydney.
The Sky Blues reverted to some familiar bad habits after taking the lead. When opposing fullbacks push forward for a constructed overlap, Bridge in particular will often track back to within metres of a challenge but then not follow his man despite Sydney's left back committing to the opposing winger.
Sydney have been caught out by simple overlaps down the line time and time again this season and Wellington only failed to earn a point due to poor delivery. Kiwi crosses often found a sole Sydney defender with Phoenix strikers lurking to either side. When Sydney did have numbers back their marking was woefully poor and players failed to track fullbacks or close down Phoenix players as they pinged in crosses from deep.
If Sydney fail to cover these areas against the Mariners then expect an aerial bombardment aimed at their physically dynamic strikers. Of course, if Sydney are drawn too wide then Graham Arnold will direct his number 10 to drift into space.
The strikers must take responsibility for closing this increasingly obvious gap in Sydney's defensive set up. Bridge and Brosque need to track back and actually follow their man, not just get six feet behind the ball and wait for the opposition to lose it.
Sydney can take a lot from this match. The celebration with The Cove has returned with some welcome swagger on the ball. Scott Jamieson battled well before succumbing to illness and fatigue. Gan played well, Ryall was everywhere, Brosque and Bridge scored well-taken goals and Bridge in particular put in another impressive overall contribution. Hopefully some of Antonis's enthusiasm will encourage Bridge to pass first-time against the Mariners.
On the downside the delivery from Shannon Cole and Jamieson from wide areas was as rare as it was appalling, Hiro was largely anonymous, Ivan Necevski's distribution failed to improve and only Antonis had the wherewithal to test Mark Paston from distance in atrocious conditions (and did so weakly). But Sydney's inconsistency remains the biggest concern. Sydney take an even contest and find five minutes of beautiful passing football, but remain unable to wrest back the initiative when their opponent has the upper hand.
Sydney are playing below the Mariner's level, will be exhausted after a tough match in heavy rain and can only hope that the Mariner's are still in shock after the Roar savaged them 5-1. It is far more likely that Central Coast will be desperate to beat their rivals in front of their fans and salvage some pride. A point may be a good result.
Terry Antonis only played for half an hour but he controlled the midfield with enthusiasm and daring. He ran at players with the ball at his feet, turned during his first touch despite the bucketing rain, took the initiative with a long range shot and most importantly - passed decisively, elegantly and forwards despite playing in the middle of a veritable monsoon.
Antonis played in Mark Bridge for Bridge's own drought-breaking goal and linked well with fellow super-sub Dimitri Petratos. If those two continue to improve Sydney have a pair of real prospects in their ranks.
Stuart Musialik must be wondering where he fits into Sydney's future as his contract winds down. Terry McFlynn is a defensive midfielder at heart and his status as skipper ensures his selection. Hiro Moriyasu is a box to box defensive type and was recently re-signed. Rhyan Grant has played junior international football and clearly has Lavicka's favour. Brendan Gan slotted in nicely on the right side of the diamond, though still fails to inspire complete confidence.
With Petratos growing into a deep-lying playmaker role and Musialik's selection anything but the sure thing it was last season, we may see Disco Stu head for safer pastures at the end of the season. It would be sad to see him go - at his best he offers far more than McFlynn, who maintains his spot thanks to Sydney's overall lack of aggression.
The match itself was a corker - and thanks to our Harbour City's allergic reaction to rain, I missed the first 35 minutes due to traffic jams. It boasted 26 shots - three of which hit the post - and four goals of high drama, if not high quality.
Bridge looked to be level as Antonis released him for his well-taken goal but Seb Ryall's handball for Sydney's third strike was as blatant as they come. Dylan Macallister's late goal was anything but a consolation as Wellington looked the marginally better side and finished far stronger than Sydney.
The Sky Blues reverted to some familiar bad habits after taking the lead. When opposing fullbacks push forward for a constructed overlap, Bridge in particular will often track back to within metres of a challenge but then not follow his man despite Sydney's left back committing to the opposing winger.
Sydney have been caught out by simple overlaps down the line time and time again this season and Wellington only failed to earn a point due to poor delivery. Kiwi crosses often found a sole Sydney defender with Phoenix strikers lurking to either side. When Sydney did have numbers back their marking was woefully poor and players failed to track fullbacks or close down Phoenix players as they pinged in crosses from deep.
If Sydney fail to cover these areas against the Mariners then expect an aerial bombardment aimed at their physically dynamic strikers. Of course, if Sydney are drawn too wide then Graham Arnold will direct his number 10 to drift into space.
The strikers must take responsibility for closing this increasingly obvious gap in Sydney's defensive set up. Bridge and Brosque need to track back and actually follow their man, not just get six feet behind the ball and wait for the opposition to lose it.
Sydney can take a lot from this match. The celebration with The Cove has returned with some welcome swagger on the ball. Scott Jamieson battled well before succumbing to illness and fatigue. Gan played well, Ryall was everywhere, Brosque and Bridge scored well-taken goals and Bridge in particular put in another impressive overall contribution. Hopefully some of Antonis's enthusiasm will encourage Bridge to pass first-time against the Mariners.
On the downside the delivery from Shannon Cole and Jamieson from wide areas was as rare as it was appalling, Hiro was largely anonymous, Ivan Necevski's distribution failed to improve and only Antonis had the wherewithal to test Mark Paston from distance in atrocious conditions (and did so weakly). But Sydney's inconsistency remains the biggest concern. Sydney take an even contest and find five minutes of beautiful passing football, but remain unable to wrest back the initiative when their opponent has the upper hand.
Sydney are playing below the Mariner's level, will be exhausted after a tough match in heavy rain and can only hope that the Mariner's are still in shock after the Roar savaged them 5-1. It is far more likely that Central Coast will be desperate to beat their rivals in front of their fans and salvage some pride. A point may be a good result.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Game 7 - Sydney FC 1 vs Gold Coast United 1 - 26/9/2010
It's a big week for football in Sydney but the city's football club is still tottering on the precipice, determined not to make a leap of faith, and refusing to kick out and kick-start a stalled season.
In fairness, Sydney FC could not have come much closer to finding their first win (incredible, isn't it?) of the season. To have one goal scored a second after the ref's whistle, hit the post and play against ten men for a good half hour but still not win must be galling.
Take heart boys. Sunday afternoon's draw against Gold Coast was surely Sydney's most impressive performance of the season. The Sky Blues showed some of last season's maturity, determination and composure but still could not truly earn three points.
Essentially Sydney have to rediscover their ruthless streak. This obviously applies to efforts in front of goal where Alex Brosque was unlucky and rusty, Byun continues to frustrate, Bridge seems uninterested in striking through the ball and Musialik looks more likely to lob the keeper from 50 metres than smack one from the edge of the box.
Sydney must also find their edge in possession. Too many players settled for crossing the ball from deep when Gold Coast were down to ten men, despite the true Bling FC boys looking far more vulnerable throughout the match to feints and touches around the edge of the box. By the end of the match Sydney were attempting one-man plays and panicking for the goal, but again seemed completely terrified of turning with their first touch despite having space to do so. This is a continuing facet of the Age of Lavicka and a lamentable one.
When your opponent is down to 10 men and sitting deep it is the number 10's job to make the play. Mark Bridge pulled the strings well and played some nice football but failed to impose himself when it mattered most and remains an absolute enigma. I have long thought Bridge is best played as a target man but coaches switch him from a leading striker to a ghost striker, then to a man in the hole and even send him to either side as a genuine winger. Bridge has the basic skills to play each position and rarely puts in a horrible game. But he is yet to dominate a match and should be dropped for Nicky Carle as soon as possible.
Alex Brosque is understandably yet to form this season but if he can play 60 minutes on Wednesday night, I think he will score. He hit the post, slightly dithered over his "non-goal" and failed when sent through the lines by Bridge in the second half. Sydney need him sharper and focused on the right battles. New man Bruno Cazarine sated his taste for goal and heard his name sung by The Cove. Let us hope that is enough as he seems a willing striker and tough player, but certainly not someone to frighten the likes of Michael Thwaite or Simon Colosimo.
Enough carping. Sydney's improvement was dramatic and it began, as it always should, at the back and off the ball.
For once Byun and Jamieson worked in harmony on the left. Jamieson remains an enigma within the team - technically adequate with the ball at his feet, positionally very sound, defensively strong, but entirely unwilling to (or not allowed to) take on a man. He put in a good shift but his substitution came as no surprise despite Sydney starting with at least three other players short of genuine match fitness.
McFlynn was McFlynn, a welcome return, but a midfield of McFlynn, Jamieson and Musialik is never going to create much. That will heap more pressure on Cazarinie, Brosque, Bridge and Carle, whose stats suggest they have never been prolific goalscorers. These are the personnel choices Lavicka has made and now he has to justify them on Wednesday night.
Sydney can take most heart from their centre of defence. I thought Keller was due a spell on the bench but he and Ryall performed mostly brilliantly in open play, with Ryall unlucky not to be man of the match. I used to have little time for Ryall but if he plays this well against the Fury and particularly Adelaide, the future will look decidedly brighter for all Sydney fans.
Both goals came from corners and featured positionally astute finishing. Sydney inexplicably pulled the ball out of their net with two men at the near post and after allowing two free headers. McFlynn has confessed to losing his man but it was Keller who went for the ball and completely missed it while vacating the space that Djite eagerly entered. It was a lax moment and to concede in added time only added to the bitterness of another soft goal.
Reddy looked solid in goal (if a little erratic when coming to punch) and continues to justify his recruitment.
Gold Coast can heart from this match. Bruce Djite looks an improved player and hungry for goals, while Culina and Porter will win them games like this. They have no obvious weak link and may well play a home semifinal in front of two thousand fans.
The big story for Sydney is that the pressure on last season's champions will continue to build until Wednesday night. The clearest symptom of the strain on the squad came when Sydney received yet another card for dissent after Alex Brosque decided to inexplicably tick off a previously-friendly referee. But injuries and fitness permitting, Viteslav Lavicka showed on Sunday that he has no need to change his system. His players just need to perform to the level required by it.
In fairness, Sydney FC could not have come much closer to finding their first win (incredible, isn't it?) of the season. To have one goal scored a second after the ref's whistle, hit the post and play against ten men for a good half hour but still not win must be galling.
Take heart boys. Sunday afternoon's draw against Gold Coast was surely Sydney's most impressive performance of the season. The Sky Blues showed some of last season's maturity, determination and composure but still could not truly earn three points.
Essentially Sydney have to rediscover their ruthless streak. This obviously applies to efforts in front of goal where Alex Brosque was unlucky and rusty, Byun continues to frustrate, Bridge seems uninterested in striking through the ball and Musialik looks more likely to lob the keeper from 50 metres than smack one from the edge of the box.
Sydney must also find their edge in possession. Too many players settled for crossing the ball from deep when Gold Coast were down to ten men, despite the true Bling FC boys looking far more vulnerable throughout the match to feints and touches around the edge of the box. By the end of the match Sydney were attempting one-man plays and panicking for the goal, but again seemed completely terrified of turning with their first touch despite having space to do so. This is a continuing facet of the Age of Lavicka and a lamentable one.
When your opponent is down to 10 men and sitting deep it is the number 10's job to make the play. Mark Bridge pulled the strings well and played some nice football but failed to impose himself when it mattered most and remains an absolute enigma. I have long thought Bridge is best played as a target man but coaches switch him from a leading striker to a ghost striker, then to a man in the hole and even send him to either side as a genuine winger. Bridge has the basic skills to play each position and rarely puts in a horrible game. But he is yet to dominate a match and should be dropped for Nicky Carle as soon as possible.
Alex Brosque is understandably yet to form this season but if he can play 60 minutes on Wednesday night, I think he will score. He hit the post, slightly dithered over his "non-goal" and failed when sent through the lines by Bridge in the second half. Sydney need him sharper and focused on the right battles. New man Bruno Cazarine sated his taste for goal and heard his name sung by The Cove. Let us hope that is enough as he seems a willing striker and tough player, but certainly not someone to frighten the likes of Michael Thwaite or Simon Colosimo.
Enough carping. Sydney's improvement was dramatic and it began, as it always should, at the back and off the ball.
For once Byun and Jamieson worked in harmony on the left. Jamieson remains an enigma within the team - technically adequate with the ball at his feet, positionally very sound, defensively strong, but entirely unwilling to (or not allowed to) take on a man. He put in a good shift but his substitution came as no surprise despite Sydney starting with at least three other players short of genuine match fitness.
McFlynn was McFlynn, a welcome return, but a midfield of McFlynn, Jamieson and Musialik is never going to create much. That will heap more pressure on Cazarinie, Brosque, Bridge and Carle, whose stats suggest they have never been prolific goalscorers. These are the personnel choices Lavicka has made and now he has to justify them on Wednesday night.
Sydney can take most heart from their centre of defence. I thought Keller was due a spell on the bench but he and Ryall performed mostly brilliantly in open play, with Ryall unlucky not to be man of the match. I used to have little time for Ryall but if he plays this well against the Fury and particularly Adelaide, the future will look decidedly brighter for all Sydney fans.
Both goals came from corners and featured positionally astute finishing. Sydney inexplicably pulled the ball out of their net with two men at the near post and after allowing two free headers. McFlynn has confessed to losing his man but it was Keller who went for the ball and completely missed it while vacating the space that Djite eagerly entered. It was a lax moment and to concede in added time only added to the bitterness of another soft goal.
Reddy looked solid in goal (if a little erratic when coming to punch) and continues to justify his recruitment.
Gold Coast can heart from this match. Bruce Djite looks an improved player and hungry for goals, while Culina and Porter will win them games like this. They have no obvious weak link and may well play a home semifinal in front of two thousand fans.
The big story for Sydney is that the pressure on last season's champions will continue to build until Wednesday night. The clearest symptom of the strain on the squad came when Sydney received yet another card for dissent after Alex Brosque decided to inexplicably tick off a previously-friendly referee. But injuries and fitness permitting, Viteslav Lavicka showed on Sunday that he has no need to change his system. His players just need to perform to the level required by it.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Game 4 - Sydney FC 1 vs Central Coast Mariners 1 - 28/8/2010
Sydney FC is a club in trouble, but the boss has again sounded the right notes of calm and reflection. Whether he meant to describe his players as "frustrated" and not "frustrating" is another question.
It is too early to abandon talk of a title defence but far too soon for players to lose their heads. Saturday’s (frankly disappointing) home crowd had bought the right to boo referee Matthew Breeze, but the amount of dissent on the field was understandable and not excusable. We pay to sing, cheer good play and occasionally boo bad football. The Sky Blues are paid to play football and should have gotten on with it.
Last season Sydney FC collectively dominated their opponent. Now they bitch and moan, often to each other, and did so long before Breeze’s latest bungle spoiled Saturday night’s emotional derby against Central Coast
But before examining Sydney FC, let’s bag the ref. I am grateful to every person who becomes a referee, but as Jesse Fink so rightly put it, for the FFA to honour Breeze’s 100th game after the final whistle was high farce. How the referee and linesmen combined to miss the Mariners’ handball, award the penalty and send off Liam Reddy must be explained. Obviously any keeper in that situation risks giving away a spotkick but Reddy was far from the last man, Perez was not heading “towards goal”, and it was demonstrably not a “clear goalscoring opportunity” after Perez kicked the ball away from goal and towards onrushing defenders.
To add acid to the wound Sydney
The tragic fact is that this game underlined the saddest and most cast-iron convention in football: if you are fouled in the box, you must fall over or you will never win a penalty.
Forget video replays, forget retrospective punishments: give teams a chance to get a spotkick honestly and they might just stop falling over in disgraceful fashion.
Breeze said of his milestone: “Like a player, these achievements are nice at the time and I’m sure I will look back on moments like this with fondness.”
“Like a player”? We can liken Breeze to Clayton Zane, another Australian whose game went downhill after his first sniff of Confederations Cup glory.
As for Sydney Sydney
Scott Jamieson looks a promising player but a natural left back and he and Byun are not yet gelling. While Danning looks destined to return to the bench, it will be interesting to see who loses their place to Terry McFlynn and (hopefully) Alex Brosque after Rhyan Grant’s impressive performance.
Stuart Musialik again coughed up the odd cataclysmic error, particularly early on, and though Sydney
Nicky Carle, so dominant in that game, was sorely underused and no other Sydney Mark Bridge
No Sky Blue seemed to think about testing the Mariners’ 18-year-old debutant keeper from range. No cross seemed likely to find a target or test the nerves of young Matthew Ryan, until Rhyan Grant’s goal, which was celebrated like a 30-yard match winner and not a barely-earned gift. Few passes were delivered with pace or invention and the red card robbed Lavicka of his chance to switch things up in the second half.
Give Graham Arnold his due. He compressed the Mariners around the centre circle and dared Sydney Sydney Central Coast
One of the compensating pleasures for A League fans shorn of world class talent is to watch the game evolve season by season. It appears that this vintage of the A League has moved on markedly and Sydney FC is swinging in the breeze.
Lavicka’s men have been worked out. Their next challenge is: don’t panic.
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