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Talking points from A-League Round 10

Roar Pro
15th December, 2011
4

Another interesting week in the A-League. With the champions on the slide, the league is heating up. And a number of teams are stepping up to show the league is no longer a one-horse race.

When will Brisbane bounce back?

This appears to be the question on everyone’s lips. After three consecutive losses, Brisbane’s under the pump.

The Roar’s championship credentials have been seriously questioned and the club must respond quickly and decisively to answer their critics. Have the roar been found out? Can they bounce back?

Though the club hasn’t hit crisis level, they must perform against the Central Coast Mariners to prevent emerging concerns from precipitating into something more serious.

F3 derby action heats up

The Central Coast decisively defeated rivals Newcastle on the weekend.

The 2-0 win highlighted a few things about the league’s two regional teams: Newcastle continues to struggle away from home and Central Coast is the real deal.

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Led by young guns Bernie Ibini-Isei and Mustafa Amini, the Mariners have hit their stride showing that the Gosford-based team isn’t just about defending but attack and flair.

Heart finding their rhythm

Melbourne Heart’s starting to creep out of Victory’s shadow to assert their dominance on the pitch by finally being able to string together a run of good results.

Winning four of the past five matches, the Heart’s jumped up to third on the A-League table, while competitive matches against the Roar and Mariners have proven that Heart can mix it up with the best.

However, what makes the Heart’s run truly astounding is the fact the team hasn’t played a game in Melbourne for almost a month.

The club’s mammoth road trip ends in Perth next week before the club returns to Melbourne for the fifth Melbourne derby. Bring it on!

Another draw at the Docklands

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It’s five draws out of five matches for Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium.

Not a good statistic for the Victory, who find themselves in eighth – well below what was expected of them. However, the draw with Adelaide also saw the Reds left behind in ninth spot.

With both Rini Coolen and Mehm Durakovic under the pump, a draw wasn’t a desirable result for either club.

Time will tell if the clubs are able to turn their seasons around, but time isn’t on either clubs’ side with the table beginning to take shape.

A tale of two Sydneys

Last week the Sky Blues defeated the mighty Roar; this week they couldn’t score against Gold Coast United!

They undoubtedly have the potential to pose a serious championship threat, but, on the other hand, it will be no surprise to many should the team miss finals. The roller coaster ride that Sydney FC is riding must come to an end.

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The team must find form and consistency while Brisbane is down and the ladder is tight, otherwise a premiership may slip out of reach.

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