Two years ago Adelaide United were sitting bottom in the A-League, having opened the 2013-14 season with a winless run of eight games. Josep Gombau was under intense pressure from the media and everyone was deriding his belief in possession-based football.
A 4-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners stopped the rot, and from there the Reds improved game upon game to finish the season in fourth. A disappointing loss to the Mariners in the finals was but a blip on a promising first year under Spanish influence.
Fast forward a full season and the Reds are in a similar position, this time under the direction of Guillermo Amor. The difference? They are playing dire, predictable football.
At least during Gombau’s early reign most with football knowledge could see the positives. The team looked fluent, they were sharp and connected, and some pretty goals were emerging. Most of the time there was just a sole goal between them and three points.
The 2015-16 Adelaide side has conceded 15 goals in six games, 14 of which have come in the last four consecutive losses.
Compared to last season – Gombau’s final year, which started with a seven-game unbeaten run – what has changed?
For starters, Amor kicked off his reign shakily. He attempted to tweak tactics against Melbourne Victory in the FFA Cup, instructing his team to sit back. Not only did he oversee an emphatic 3-1 loss, he also faced opposition from his own players with Tarek Elrich publicly stating “we weren’t quite comfortable with what we did there”.
It was perhaps the new coach’s first mistake, and one he is still recovering from. Since that game it appears as though the Reds players have been given unlimited freedom, and it has resulted in some disjointed, shambolic play.
And one thing has become clearer across the opening six A-League games – this team’s penetration in the final third has fallen dramatically.
They have managed just 24 shots on goal, third worst in the league, and have converted just 12.8 per cent of their chances.
Midfield general Isaias, so crucial in Gombau’s teams, has been off his game. In his past three matches he has produced up an average passing accuracy of just 72.4 per cent, well below his best. Marcelo Carrusca has been flailing as well, and was dropped last week for George Mells, while Sergio Cirio has too much pressure on him.
Their lack of potency was particularly exposed in a 3-0 loss to Brisbane Roar in Round 4.
The scoreline flattered Brisbane, who relied on the instinctive finishing from Brandon Borrello and Jamie Maclaren to defeat their opponents. That was the difference between the two teams – quality in the final third.
Adelaide had chances, the biggest when Cirio had a fantastic opportunity to level the scores on the hour mark, but was denied by a brilliant save from Jamie Young.
It is one thing the Reds can take solace in, key moments have gone against them at times.
Craig Goodwin’s long-range bullet which Andrew Redmayne – yes, Redmayne – magnificently tipped away from goal in Round 2 would have resulted in a 2-0 lead. But the game finished 1-1 thanks to a late Andreu equaliser.
The return of Bruce Djite could help Adelaide get back to their best – he is no goalscoring threat but he played a crucial role in helping Gombau’s team gel. Unfortunately Eli Babalj has struggled to replicate his influence due to both form and fitness.
Are Adelaide missing the goalscoring wizard to climb back up the table? Perhaps, but just as worrying is their defence.
While Adelaide have been lifeless in the final third, there have been glimmers of quality. This attacking group is much the same from last season and should eventually rediscover their fluency.
Fourteen goals in the last four matches, however, is a problem that will not be solved organically.
If opposition score early goals against Adelaide, they know exactly how to counter their gameplan, and the Reds have conceded in the first half in five of six matches. Brisbane Roar faced a similar problem last year in struggling to break down organised teams.
Nigel Boogaard is excelling at the Newcastle Jets, and Reds fans are lamenting Gombau’s decision to let him leave South Australia. His departure has left a huge hole, yet some critics of Adelaide’s recruitment are forgetting that Iacopo La Rocca was brought in as a replacement and has been injured all season.
There were promising signs, too, at the beginning of the campaign.
New defensive pairing Osama Malik and Dylan McGowan looked surprisingly assured in the 0-0 opener against Victory, limiting their supposed title rivals to mostly half chances. McGowan then put in an outstanding performance in the 1-1 draw with Western Sydney.
The attack was struggling, but at least the defence was battling through.
Yet against Perth their defence fell to pieces, torn to shreds by Glory’s foreign contingent of Guyon Fernandez and Diego Castro on the counter attack. Amor has been unable to put the jigsaw back together.
The problem is that Amor has no backup for defence, with La Rocca’s continued absence, as well as club captain Eugene Galekovic’s injury, meaning there are alternatives to shake-up the back line. The only option is Ben Warland, somewhat raw at 18 years.
Galekovic and Djite will emerge as key figures for Adelaide this season, and if their influence cannot turn around fortunes in both defence and attack then finals football looks well beyond the Reds.
Sunday’s match against the Newcastle Jets is clutch, however. As one of the most organised teams in the league, and the most successful in converting chances, they will not provide the Reds an easy task.
The board should give Amor more time, there is no reason to do otherwise. Gombau turned it around, perhaps the Catalan can perform a similar feat.
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