The virus that swept through the Adelaide United camp prior to their Club World Cup opener against Waitekere United certainly seemed to take its toll, with the Reds turning in a shaky performance on their intercontinental debut.
They may have won 2-1, but they were anything but convincing as Adelaide relied on goals from set pieces to sneak passed the semi-professional Kiwi side.
Speaking to ex-Socceroo captain Ned Zelic at half-time, he was apprehensive about Adelaide’s chances in a rematch with Asian champions Gamba Osaka.
“Gamba are technically so good and are able to break down defences,” said Zelic.
“On the basis of the Champions League final and from what I’ve seen tonight, I can’t see how Adelaide are going to do that.”
It’s hard to disagree with such sentiment, but Adelaide will be hell-bent on revenge when they take on Gamba at Toyota Stadium with the Reds seeking redemption for that Champions League thrashing.
There’s no doubt that Gamba are tired following a gruelling domestic season, but wily coach Akira Nishino may have some aces up his sleeve.
Several Gamba players have featured only sporadically this season, including ex-Japan striker Ryuji Bando, who has missed most of the campaign through injury.
Veteran defender Akira Kaji and young striker Masato Yamazaki both missed the final J. League game of the season through suspension, and Brazilian striker Roni has rarely featured since his mid-season arrival to replace the departed Baré.
Even Hayato Sasaki has hardly played his season – starting just five games in the J. League – but he caused constant headaches for the Adelaide defence in the Champions League final with his pace and movement off the ball.
As such the Osakans may not be quite as fatigued as first thought, and they will be highly motivated to win through to a semi-final showdown with Manchester United in their own country.
They also have the benefit of having played at Toyota Stadium this season, where they beat Nagoya Grampus 2-1 back in May thanks to a double from inspirational striker Baré.
Fortunately for the Reds, Baré now plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates. Toyota Stadium is still standing though, and it’s undoubtedly one of the best sporting arenas in Asia.
It’s often referred to as the “home” of J. League club Nagoya Grampus, although that description is not entirely true.
Toyota Stadium actually lies around 35km outside Nagoya and Grampus only play marquee fixtures there, otherwise calling the decrepit Mizuho Stadium home.
What is certain is that Toyota Stadium is a magnificent venue, and it’s a far cry from the dilapidated Expo ’70 Stadium in Osaka where Adelaide lost the first leg of the Champions League final to Gamba.
A rematch with Gamba at the high-tech venue was precisely what Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar wanted, and when asked how his team could beat the Osakans, the Adelaide tactician’s response was succint.
“We need to score goals.”
They certainly do, but Adelaide may need to a lot more than just that if they are to keep the attacking threat of the likes of Yasuhito Endo and Lucas Severino at bay.
They’ll certainly need to be more compact at the back, with Waitakere’s Fijian flyer Roy Krishna giving the Adelaide defence a torrid time in Tokyo.
Adelaide keeper Eugene Galekovic was also uncharacteristically shaky, although he was offered little protection from his back four against the Oceania champions.
Food for thought for Aurelio Vidmar and his team, and if tournament football is all about gradual improvement, Vidmar will be looking to speed up the learning process.
United did just enough against Waitakere, but they need to improve if it is to be third-time lucky against Gamba Osaka.
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
It was not too long ago that it was no guarantee that the best youth talents from South Australia would make their A-League debuts…
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
A 10-man Macarthur FC have scored twice in the final 10 minutes and goalkeeper Filip Kurto saved an added-time penalty to defeat Adelaide United…
Clubs have cited regulations claiming players who decline national team call-ups ought to be prevented from featuring at a domestic level.
