Perth Glory stunned the Melbourne Victory on Sunday night, staging a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 after going 2-0 down with 10 men on the park.
Here is what I learnt about both sides:
Melbourne Victory
1. That wasn’t good enough
As a fan watching the game, it was impossible not to feel frustrated at what was a slow, disjointed and lazy game from the Victory. That frustration was evident in the terraces, especially after the final whistle.
The Victory have the largest fan base in the league, accounting for just under 30% of overall attendances this season. Frankly, the players (bar Ante Covic and Archie Thompson) aren’t giving the fans much right now.
2. Slow and confused
This could be said of the season to date, but again it was clear that there are problems (duh), mainly being the team is slow and aren’t suited to the short-passing style game that Mehm wants to instill. It is clear there is confusion as to what the team is trying to play, with the long ball being played forward often as well as attempts at passing around in midfield.
With the exception of Archie, the side is slow, especially in midfield. There is no cohesion or rhyme and reason to the way this side is playing.
3. Tommy Pondlejak and Billy Celeski shouldn’t be playing
Firstly, I respect Tommy Pondlejak and Billy Celeski for everything they have done at the club, but their time is done. Celeski couldn’t hold the ball, distribute the ball up the park and has no pace. He is offering just about nothing this season.
The problem I have with Tom Pondlejak’s selection is that he is keeping Rojas out, and is offering nothing in the process, being slow and not passing well either. I’m not pleased to be writing this, but I’m not blind to what is obvious.
4. Should Carlos Hernandez have played 90 minutes?
The playmaker arrived in Melbourne only the day before the match, after representing Costa Rica against Spain, playing 10 minutes off the bench against the champions.
He looked affected by jetlag, not having his usual effect and his passing game wasn’t at its best either. He was probably best served coming off the bench and playing 30-45 minutes.
5. Should Mehmet Durakovic be sacked?
The reaction from the fans said plenty after this game and it is becoming more apparent that Mehm is losing the support of many fans. There are some, and it is slowly becoming a majority, that are calling for his head. I’m wary of knee-jerk reactions, as I don’t want to see the club’s coaching staff thrown into chaos so early.
Let us ask, if Mehm is sacked, who is ready to replace him on short notice? I don’t think Kevin Muscat is ready to do it. So who? No-one right now. I don’t think the players should come away unscathed either, they are as responsible for this as much as Durakovic.
Some just didn’t look interested on the weekend. The fans are running out of patience and Mehm is running out of time.
Perth Glory
1. Brave, but are they the real deal?
A quite interesting thing to arise from this game is the lack of credit the Glory has received in the wake of Victory’s woes. I will give them credit, it was a great effort coming back when all looked lost going 2-0 down with 10 men for 50 minutes.
Whether they are the “real deal”, I’m not sure. We’ve seen this before haven’t we? A great start to the season ends up falling away. They need to capitalise on this and start winning consistently.
2. Unlucky calls against them
Two contentious calls went against the Glory, with the first being Liam Miller’s sending off. You could mount a case for both sides on this, but my view is Liam Miller denied Archie Thompson a clear goal scoring oppurtunity and that was what (I imagine) Chris Beath sent him off for. I would have sent him off as well.
The second decision, the Bas van den Brink penalty, was a shocker. He clearly got all ball and fairly tackled in the box, it shouldn’t have been a penalty. Also, according to the rules, van den Brink should have been sent off as well, but wasn’t. Two mistakes in one.
3. Watch for Andrezinho
The Brazilian wide midfielder came off the bench and bought his side back into the game with a set piece stunner just outside the penalty box in the 71st minute.
He has been a solid recruit for them early in the season, providing plenty of attacking flair down the flank, something that Perth were missing last season. Can he do it consistently? He hasn’t been so far.
4. Why was Mile Sterjovski taken off?
The veteran earned his first start of the season, with the Glory lining up in a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1. Sterjovski started on a flank and looked lively. In particular, his set-piece delivery at corners were solid and could have possibly have resulted in a goal. That was why I was surprised to see him taken off at half-time.
Surely, he should have been given at least an hour? Fergie?
5. More dangerous in attack
The recruiting of Perth Glory in the off-season has bought a few new faces, many of whom are new attacking talent. The new forward pair of Billy Mehmet and Shane Smeltz are going to have a key role to play. Smeltz scored the vital equaliser, smashing home a header off a perfect cross off sub Todd Howarth.
Mehmet and Miller look class touches and with Dodd (currently injured) and Andrezinho running down the wings, the Perth Glory has a bit going for it in the front third. All this, of course in the modern game, leaves Ian Ferguson and his team little room for failure
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