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So how about the Melbourne Heart? The team that every A-League fan doesn’t support, usually characterised as “finding their feet”, “lacking identity”, “need to define themselves”.
As opposed to Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Brisbane who all have their roots entrenched in, um, being there first?
If you read The Roar, Fox Sports, SMH, The Age or Herald Sun , you’ll know the Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Brisbane Roar and Central Coast were all title contenders.
Chuck in the fact that Sydney have Alessandro Del Piero, which brings a certain amount of ludicrous statements about Sydney’s chances, and half the competition could potentially win the league.
Australian football is really exciting at the moment, but the analysis and commentary is really quite poor (no disrespect to Roarers, who do a great job).
But cliche is the lowest form of predictions.
Wellington were the battlers from New Zealand (ninth). Adelaide have their off the pitch problems (fifth at best).
Perth Glory have a ‘youthful’ team but shouldn’t trouble the ‘big boys’ (seventh). Newcastle are the working man’s team and thus will play punt and run, so they’re at 10th.
This leaves the Heart at eighth, citing “strong recruitment”, sarcastic remarks about John Aloisi’s attire and nothing based on actual football.
The derby was “lacklustre” and “cagey” with comments about how Victory failed to capitalise – very good spin by the media (Fox Sports, I’m looking at you).
The chances were evenly spread, but Heart did have the best chances – particularly Golgol Mehbrahtu turning and shooting narrowly wide, and rounding the ‘keeper.
Victory had the majority of possession but they hardly dominated it – dominating possession isn’t 44-55, it’s 65-35. If Victory dominated, the chances to show how classy Mehbrahtu isn’t wouldn’t have been so numerous.
The fact of the matter is Patrick Kisnorbo and Rob Wielart made a pretty good defensive pairing, never allowing Heart to be cut up – especially when compared to the Adelaide game, where Victory should have scored five.
These weren’t replicated in the derby and for a reason. Heart didn’t park the bus for 90 minutes, they just have good defenders. Accept it.
Against the Central Coast , the Heart were expected to not only park the bus, but tip it over, leaving it immovable in front of the six-yard box. Again, the Heart broke away on numerous occasions and scored twice.
Central Coast were predicted to dominate, but hardly looked like reigning champs playing ninth. In the end, two penalties (and why are penalties so common in the A League?) saved Central Coast an awkward press conference.
Heart should have won, though conceding two penalties isn’t the worst way to lose a lead.
The media can now say “Central Coast comeback break Melbourne’s Heart”, but in two games now the Heart have more than equalled two of the five favourites to win the title.
The Heart have the fastest attack in the league, and as the CCM game showed, it isn’t one-dimensional around Harry Kewell. The defensive pairing is less prone to errors than Adelaide, Central Coast and the Victory have shown.
They go to Perth next week, the home team heavy favourites seemingly because they live thousands of kilometres from everyone else.
Against Adelaide they proved that even 5’5″ wingers can score headers in a crowded box, but also exemplified how difficult it is to score when you have two more players than the opposition.
Expect the Heart to counterattack early, catching Perth out of position (an A-League defender’s favourite position) and to go in 1-0.
How liberally the Heart defines the handball rule will decide the outcome, but Perth haven’t shown how they might score against the in-form defence in the league. Unless it’s from the penalty spot.
The Melbourne Heart probably won’t win the league – you’d expect most teams won’t – but they’ll make the top six.
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