- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
If Melbourne Heart beat Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park tonight, the defending champions will drop to last place on the table. They need one man in particular to snap out of his early form slump.
With Besart Berisha ruled out by a mysterious abdominal injury, now more than ever the Roar need their midfield talisman Thomas Broich to influence proceedings.
The German maestro is the reigning Johnny Warren Medallist yet the more he’s tried to influence proceedings this season, the more frustrated he’s appeared to become.
And Broich is such a ‘confidence’ player he may need a stroke of good fortune to kick-start what has been a sluggish opening to the campaign not just for him, but his Roar team-mates as well.
Barely two months ago in an interview with German website Fussball Transfers.com, Broich spoke openly about how happy he is in Australia and admitted he was “as excited as a little kid” about the arrival of Sydney FC star and marquee opponent Alessandro Del Piero.
Yet his body language over the opening five rounds of action has more closely resembled the Roar’s five-game losing streak last season than their eventual championship-winning form.
His tendency to try and pass instead of shoot hints at a lack of confidence but with Berisha missing against the Heart, Broich needs to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
He may even play up front as a quasi-striker with the pacy duo of Ben Halloran and Henrique either side of him given the Roar’s lack of depth in the striking department.
Of course, Broich can’t do it all on his own but no doubt he would dearly love to get on the scoresheet or at least create a goal in Melbourne in a bid to try and play himself into some form.
And with the Roar having failed to score in three of their five games this season, they desperately need to find some firepower fast.
Ironically Melbourne Heart find themselves in more or less the same position.
Josip Tadic’s highly technical volley against Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend was the Heart’s solitary goal in their past three matches and after making a bright start, they too have lurched into a form slump.
They’ll hope Socceroos stalwart Vinnie Grella can help turn their slow start around, though new coach John Aloisi has stated the former Serie A star is at least a fortnight away from featuring.
And with the influential Fred missing through injury as well, fans at AAMI Park could be set for a scrappy affair between two sides more renowned for their attempts to play attractive passing football.
Both Aloisi and fellow newcomer – at least in a head coaching capacity – Rado Vidosic find themselves under some early-season pressure following a run of poor results.
Neither man is in any immediate danger of suffering the axe, however a win tonight would at least put three points in the bank and provide some breathing space for the weeks ahead.
But while the Heart may possess several serviceable attacking players, what they don’t have is a German import destined to go down in history as one of the most talented foreign players to have graced these shores.
Right now Brisbane Roar desperately need Thomas Broich to step up and prove decisive once again.
In a clash between two sides down on their luck, the stage is set for the man known as ‘Mozart’ to once again prove his worth and orchestrate a much-needed win.