There have been a couple of times this season when I have questioned Miron Bleiberg’s tactical acumen, but I have to say, I was really impressed with the way he dismantled the Brisbane Roar on Boxing Day.

The weekend prior to Christmas I was at Bluetongue Stadium to see the Roar beat the Central Coast thanks to Matt McKay’s injury time winner.

But throughout the game the Mariners managed to expose Brisbane’s Michael Zullo, getting in behind him on a few occasions, only to waste all the good work.

Zullo had only just been converted to a left back by Ange Postecoglou, and had had a couple of blinders, but the Mariners managed to find a bit of a chink, with Brad Porter and Nicky Travis getting the better of him a few times.

Of course, Brisbane’s win meant no media heat was applied on Zullo after that game.

But no doubt Bleiberg was watching, and promptly decided to target the youngster a few days later, sending the likes of Jason Culina, Zenon Caravella and Joel Porter his way. Shane Smeltz profited, bagging a hat-trick.

Now, on Sunday, in the much-anticipated blockbuster in Sydney, the Gold Coast manager may get another chance to target an expose an inexperienced fullback.

Last season there was a lot of hype around Shannon Cole, who caught the eye with his work on the ball, but a closer look showed some obvious deficiencies in his defensive game.

But this season, I feel his defensive game has come a long way. With Vitezslav Lavicka perhaps recognising he doesn’t have the pace to play as a wide midfielder, Cole has become the number one right back at the club, and has been doing a good job for much of the season.

That was until a couple of days before Christmas, when Dean Heffernan took Cole to the cleaners as the Mariners bombed-on in search of an equaliser.

Then, on the weekend, Perth Glory also targeted him, with plenty of success, minus some poor finishing from Jamie Coyne and Jamie Harnwell.

At full strength, right back remains the one area where Sydney look vulnerable, and it will be interesting to see what, if anything, Bleiberg does to try and expose Cole.

On Wednesday night, in the impressive 2-0 win over Newcastle, Bleiberg sprung a surprise by starting Joel Porter on the bench and starting youngster James Brown on the left.

He had a great game, exposing the quick Tarek Elrich for much of the first half, and combing beautifully with Culina for the second.

Whether Bleiberg goes with Brown again, or reverts back to Porter, Cole is up for a challenge, and must lift.

Cole may have had some pressure on his spot had Sebastian Ryall not succumb to injury, but given the five straight clean sheets for Sydney, he is likely to retain his spot.

The Gold Coast play a wide game. They are good at stretching teams, and forcing the fullbacks out.

They like to overload one of the flanks, sending Culina, Caravella and now Charlie Miller there, where they play their keep ball games until something opens up.

Usually this is down the right, but Sung-Hwan Byun and Terry McFlynn are a formidable defensive combination, even more reason to seek out Cole’s side.

Sydney, meanwhile, like to keep things narrow and compact when defending. The battle to see if the Gold Coast can stretch and open up Sydney will be fascinating.

There are other great battles to look forward to.

Both sides have worked incredibly hard on their transition game this season.

It has been the hallmark of Sydney’s game under Lavicka, the ability to funnel men quickly behind the ball when they lose it. The idea is to squeeze teams early, and win the ball back quickly.

When Alex Brosque is playing, Sydney are also great at springing forward with pace and numbers, and, if he is fit and ready, the striker is likely to prove a handful for Bas van den Brink and Kristian Rees.

Meanwhile, Steve Pantelidis could be back into the starting 11 to “look-after” Steve Corica, who has been in great form.

That might mean Michael Thwaite reverts to right back, which will help Bleiberg’s team carry the ball forward.

While the Gold Coast’s defensive transition hasn’t been quite as impressive as Sydney’s, their attacking transition sure has caught the eye, with Jess Vanstrattan often the springboard.

One, two, three quick passes and suddenly Gold Coast are down the other end, threatening before the opposition have tracked back into position.

A few weeks ago I wrote on The Roar about how the Gold Coast managed to expose the Mariners by countering swiftly. The Mariners haven’t been the same side since.

In the ensuing weeks, Bleiberg’s modus operandi has only become more evident.

No doubt Lavicka will have recognised it, and devised a plan to counter it, by keeping Vanstrattan away from the ball, slowing him down, putting pressure on whoever the outlet is and holding up the Gold Coast.

Given each team’s ability to transition so well, there is the possibility both sides could cancel each other out.

Jason Culina, after some poor body language a couple of months ago, is firmly back in the mood, owning the game on Wednesday, and how Sydney deal with him will be crucial.

Given Sydney’s propensity to keep a structured diamond midfield, Culina will look to the flanks for space, as he has done so often this season. His delivery from wide has been top shelf, and Sydney will try to double up on him and deny him space to deliver.

That could create space for Miller and Caravella. United have a bevy of influential front third players.

While Sydney are fresher, and playing at home, where they have been on fire, one senses that Gold Coast have the bigger guns, and if they are physically and mentally up for it, will take some stopping. Can they make it a hat-trick of wins over Sydney?

Whatever transpires, this is shaping up as one of the games of the season, so bring it on.

Follow Tony on Twitter @TonyTannousTRBA

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