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The festive season is a wonderful time of the year, and for the football community it’s equally as exciting. The A-League season is starting to take shape, with teams beginning to stamp their authority on the competition.
While the public is bemused by Brisbane Roar’s diminishing trend – four defeats on the trot – the Central Coast Mariners are now the A-League pacesetters.
On the Melbourne front, the derby has absorbed the Victorian capital, amid a raft of media hype and exhilaration surrounding the fifth instalment of the inner-city rivalry.
Perth Glory owner Tony Sage planted a bombshell on the ex-NSL champions, declaring he would relinquish his investment at the end of the campaign, although the mining magnate has since had a change of mind.
Furthermore, Adelaide’s turbulent campaign encountered another twist, sacking Dutchman Rini Coolen, replacing him with former coach John Kosmina.
Melbourne derby heats up:
The fifth edition of the Melbourne derby will see the two Victorian foes battle it out for the city’s bragging rights, in a game which pits third versus fifth on the table. The growing enmity between the two teams has been evident in recent fixtures and throughout the media, with both showcasing their desire to conquer their cross-town rival.
While Victory has acquired the majority of the headlines this season – failing to reach its potential, amid cultivating concerns surrounding the precarious future of coach Mehmet Durakovic – the red and whites have been treading under the radar, in successful fashion.
Winless in the opening five games, the Heart has triumphed in five of its past six outings, beginning to illustrate signs of its vast potential.
Youngsters Mate Dugandzic – the club’s top goalscorer with five – Curtis Good, Brendan Hamill, Aziz Behich, Eli Babalj and Jason Hoffman are developing rapidly, with the latter four re-signing with the club this week. Sitting third on the table, John van’t Schip’s troops are playing the best football in the club’s short history.
Crossing tenants, the blue side of Melbourne have had a chaotic opening to the season, failing to live up to the colossal expectations inundated around the club during the closed season. Although, to Victory’s credit, the platoon of star-studded players are starting to gel as a cohesive unit in recent weeks – despite results not always going in their favour – recently demolishing a weary Wellington Phoenix outfit at AAMI Park.
While the 3-1 scoreline flattered the visitors, the host’s, for the first time this term, dominated the contest from start to finish. The attacking combinations of Carlos Hernandez, Harry Kewell and Archie Thompson are looking increasingly ominous, while fluency throughout the squad appears to be on an upward fashion.
Whilst Victory may be the dominate alliance off the pitch, its dominance hasn’t transpired into a superior head-to-head record. In four encounters, little separates the fierce rivals. Both sides have one win to their name, with two draws a piece. While both teams are level on goals, amid five scored and conceded.
Friday night’s meeting at the amphitheatre of Victorian football is primed to be a thrilling encounter. The beautifully crafted boutique stadium will be the scene of a boisterous atmosphere, while game itself should be a great spectacle – with both outfits beginning to find their feet and looking good for the season ahead.
Has Brisbane Roar lost its mojo?
Depicted as the premier club of Australian football for a 15-month period – journeying on a 36-game unbeaten run, eclipsing any impediments or records that stood in its path – Brisbane Roar has sensationally been condemned to four successive defeats.
In unprecedented circumstances, Ange Postecoglou’s men seem to be a shadow of their former self. Faults have crept into their game, demonstrated by Michael Theoklitos’ wayward pass last weekend, gifting young Mariners prodigy Mustafa Amini the opening to goal, to engineer Central Coast to a 2-1 victory. It’s rather palpable, Brisbane are not emulating the type of form that had the competition fear it.
While the Roar is still a force to be reckoned with, once the most revered A-League team by a considerable margin, it doesn’t encompass the same feat factor it once did.
Devoid of key players in recent matches, including playermaker Thomas Broich, skipper Matt Smith and Brazilian Henrique, Brisbane’s game-plan of team cohesion and unity has stagnated without the key trio.
The football landscape can change very quickly, however not all is lost for the defending champions, still with ample time to rectify its campaign. While the Roar has surrendered its top of the table status, the south-east Queensland derby in Surfers Paradise on Boxing Day could be the catalyst to resurrecting its season against bottom club Gold Coast United.
The Reds go back to the future:
After a calamitous run of form and arguably its worst performance on home soil, the Adelaide United hierarchy have acted swiftly to last Friday night’s poor display, sacking coach Rini Coolen, replacing him with former coach John Kosmina, after being humiliated 3-0 by cellar-dweller Gold Coast United at Hindmarsh Stadium.
The Dutchman, who was on a four-year contract, was demoted to Development Officer of the club’s youth team, but has since rejected the proposal and is seeking compensation from Football Federation Australia. Kosmina, 55, returns to the club he was notoriously sacked from following the conclusion of the 2006-07 grand final loss to Melbourne Victory – with the outspoken South Australian unable to contain his emotions following the Reds’ embarrassing 6-0 defeat.
Kosmina’s unwavering passion was undoubtedly the reason which lead to his dismissal almost five years ago, although his fervour for the game may just be the recipe needed to ignite Adelaide’s paltry campaign – which sees the club bolted near the bottom of the table. Under Coolen’s tutorship, the Reds were playing a bland brand of football with only two wins from its opening 11 matches.
In a bold move, the Adelaide board must be commended for their courageous actions. It’s never an easy assignment deciding a coach’s fate; however the club’s ardent fans, in conjunction with the football community had a similar notion towards Coolen’s future with United. Adelaide has made the correct decision, with more than half the A-League season remaining and an upcoming Asian Champions League campaign, success is no bridge too far.
Courtesy of Goal Weekly – Follow Robbie on Twitter @RobertDiFabio
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