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As the A-League prepares to pause for an international break after Friday night’s much anticipated Melbourne derby, almost a third of way through its most riveting season yet, it’s time to take stock and assess performances across the league.
In part one of my look at the season so far, I start at the bottom of the table with the defending premiers and champions, working my way up through those teams currently outside the finals.
Sydney FC
Just when you think Vitezslav Lavicka’s men have hit rock bottom comes another killer blow, at home, to Adelaide United. If the draws against Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury were tough to take for the Sky Blues, then Iain Ramsay’s late winner on Monday was another dagger.
Ultimately though Sydney can only blame themselves. Quite simply, when they have dominated, as against Gold Coast and Adelaide, they haven’t been clinical enough. Indeed, the burden of expectation and the pressure of bad results live with their every action at the moment.
Particularly at the back they look slow and error prone, highlighted by the 16 goals conceded in nine games. That’s only seven less than they conceded all of last season (23 in 27 games). Remarkable.
Mark Bridge, Alex Brosque, Bruno Cazarine and Hirofumi Moriyasu have shown better signs of combination play over the past week or so, but the ruthlessness is missing in the penalty box.
When they’ve needed alternatives, they haven’t been there, restricted by the loss of some senior players, the club’s decisions to release a promising attacker in Chris Payne without an adequate replacement, and Lavicka’s conservative use of the bench.
His unwillingness to nurture young attackers throughout the season, despite the pre-season evidence they can do a job, has been baffling.
Far too much burden lies at the feet Brosque, and he looks Lavicka’s likeliest route to regular goals. The sooner Nick Carle is back on the pitch, free of injury, and the sooner the enigmatic Bridge gets his confidence back, the better FC will be.
The trio have only featured in one game together, the opening 3-3 draw with the Melbourne Victory, and you sense Sydney’s hopes of climbing up the ladder hinge on how well they combine from here in.
Not all is lost, but the goals, confidence and points must start flowing, and quick.
North Queensland Fury
Like Sydney, very little has gone right for the Fury, but through the likes of David Williams, Isaka Cernak, Osama Malik, Dyron Daal, Gareth Edds, Mark Hughes and Erik Akoto they have some of the season’s most enterprising performers to date.
Franz Straka clearly has an attacking attitude, and for me he must be commended for promoting proactive football and encouraging the likes of Williams, Cernak, Payne, Malik and Edds to play.
There have been enough dour, defensive managers over the course of the A-League and all that’s done is to turn potential fans away by painting a picture of a poor product. Power to the Fury and Franz.
For all their enterprise and organisation in the front and middle thirds, what the Fury really miss is a classic number nine to round off the play. Eugene SSeppuya had an energetic impact off the bench against Sydney a week ago, but has otherwise shown a heavy touch.
The fact the Fury play so open tends to expose Hughes and Akoto, evidenced by the 16 goals against (the league’s worst record along with Sydney), but the former has been brilliant.
Overall, the Fury have certainly been better value than their seven points suggests, and on the evidence of the spirit shown so far, there is potential to climb up the ladder if they hang in their and the luck turns.
Newcastle Jets
The equal best defence in the league (five goals against) along with the Brisbane Roar and the worst attack in the league (four goals for) by some way sums it up well for the Branko Culina’s men.
They are really struggling to find a regular goal-getter. There have been some really impressive displays from goalkeeper Ben Kennedy, central defenders Ljubo Milicevic and Nikolai Topor-Stanley and defensive midfielders Kasey Wehrman, Ben Kantarovski and Ruben Zadkovich, but the Jets have lacked a regular spark in the final third.
There have been sporadic moments from Michael Bridges, Ali Abbas, Marko Jesic, Labinot Haliti and Jeremy Brockie, but little consistency. Zhang Shuo is yet to show he has the answers.
This team looks very solid, but Culina’s major remit from here is to find a front third solution without sacrificing the tactical organisation.
Undoubtedly the certainty about the club’s future will provide a nice base.
Melbourne Heart
John van’t Schip has chopped and changed, looking for answers across the pitch, and has hitherto not found the solutions on a consistent basis.
Josip Skoko is only recently back and trying to establish match fitness, but a glaring recent omission from the starting 11 is Nick Kalmar, who caught the eye in the early going and should soon be re-instated alongside Skoko and Matt Thompson.
Elsewhere, van’t Schip must find the answers in central defence and in the full-back spots, with Michael Beauchamp, Simon Colosimo and Dean Heffernan all needing to lift.
Meanwhile, the front third is still a work in progress, with Gerald Sibon shuffling between the number nine and number 10 roles, John Aloisi trying to fit in and get his body through games (I’d suggest his best use might be as an impact player for starters), and Alex Terra and Rutger Worm still feeling their way in.
So far the trend has been a loss every second game, but if the Heart are to make the finals they must get organised and get consistent.
Perth Glory
After an encouraging start, it’s all unravelled of late for the Glory, with Robbie Fowler struggling to make a regular goal-scoring impact as he lags a yard or two off the pace of the league.
The touch remains great, but these days he is more of a second striker than a number nine, and what the Glory desperately need is a man to stick the ball in the net.
Michael Baird missed a couple of great chances on the weekend, continuing an inauspicious return to the league, while Branko Jelic is an old-fashioned type that can only play inside the box, and preferable the six yard variety. Meanwhile, Mile Sterjovski has been a bit hot and cold.
It is the same in midfield, where the physical Jacob Burns has been doing his best to hold things up and disrupt the opposition, but without enough support. Adriano Pellegrino is one that needs to lift and start contributing goals.
Meanwhile, there has been much disruption in the heart of the defence, where Jamie Coyne, Jamie Harnwell and Andy Todd have been sharing the duties, while Tando Velaphi has struggled behind them.
In an aging squad, recent encouraging performances from the likes of Scott Neville and Ryan Pearson shows there are some youngsters around, but the question is whether David Mitchell can build a settled, consistent 11?
Tomorrow, in part two of my review of the opening nine weeks of the season, I’ll look at how the top six are travelling.
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