How the Phoenix got the game-plan wrong

 
Tony Tannous Columnist

By , 15 Mar 2010 Tony Tannous is a Roar Expert

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There was a fair bit made by Ricki Herbert about Chris Payne’s hand-ball goal on Saturday night, and how it changed the game. He obviously had a point, but I felt that focus deflected the attention away from some serious errors in the Wellington game-plan.

Watching the early going from my vantage point at the SFS, I was surprised to see Wellington sitting back so deep and playing such a conservative game built on containment.

Any time you see Tim Brown and Vince Lia sitting deep alongside Manny Muscat, refusing to bomb-on, you know Wellington are looking only to frustrate.

And with Chris Greenacre, Paul Ifill and Leo Bertos dropping off, letting Sydney knock it around in their own half, you knew Wellington were looking for a smash-and-grab.

But it was clear, very early on, that it wasn’t going to work, and it would be only a matter of time before Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge would unlock the Phoenix back-line, despite it being so miserly of late.

When Chris Payne came on early for a ham-strung John Aloisi, adding more mobility to Sydney’s forward line, it was almost inevitable the ‘Nix would crack, especially with the two fullbacks, Troy Hearfield and Tony Lochhead, struggling to stay compact in the face of Sydney’s wide-play.

When Sydney are in the mood, at home, and can stretch opposition defences, they inevitably create space in the middle for the classy feet of Karol Kisel, Bridge and Brosque to take full advantage.

Even watching it live I felt Wellington had erred and that the game-plan would rely on a lot of luck, and some outstanding performances from Liam Reddy, Andrew Durante and Jon McKain.

While the trio have been producing it consistently for much of the past few months, I felt Wellington’s best hope was to come out and have a go at Sydney.

In Ifill and Bertos they have two outstanding attackers, and in Brown and Lia they have two guys with an ability to ghost into the box late when they’re on the front foot.

And with the momentum built up recently, a healthy contingent of travelling fans, and the groundswell of goodwill both here and across the ditch, Wellington, I felt, had to get on the front foot.

Throw into the mix a Sydney side that must have had its confidence dented by the major semi final loss to Melbourne, and you expected Herbert to come to Sydney and have a real go at Vitezslav Lavicka. They had nothing to lose.

The fact they came out and started playing as soon as they went behind only confirmed they had the ability to take it to Sydney.

Obviously Payne’s controversial goal, coming so soon after Durante scored his first A-League goal, halted whatever momentum the Phoenix had just built through the equaliser, and calmed Sydney’s nerves.

After the break, as Durante pointed out in the post match press conference, Wellington had no choice but to come out and play with a high line, and this obviously played right into Brosque, Bridge and Payne’s hands (no pun intended).

Perhaps the pace of Brosque, in particular, was the reason Herbert was reluctant to start with a high line, but Phoenix fans will be left wondering what Ifill, Brown and Bertos might have been able to do if Wellington got forward and had a go from the start.

Follow Tony on Twitter @TonyTannousTRBA
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