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Here is a summary of the most prominent water cooler talk about Round 9 of the A-League.
Brisbane’s brilliant Besart Berisha
The hottest property in the A-League again showed why with a double in the early game on Friday night. If you believe the rumours almost every A-League club has one amazing Albanian on their Christmas list but it is Brisbane at the moment who are reaping the benefits.
The Roar definitely weren’t at their best on Friday but an erratic tackle from Tarek Elrich resulting in a Brisbane penalty and then pure persistence from Brisbane’s lethal striker were enough to take three points home from Cooper’s stadium.
Adelaide again played well but were unable to take anything from the match.
A frustrating situation for the Red’s fans but you feel that if the Adelaide board persist with Josep Gombau his playing style may bear fruit in the latter part of this season which will prepare them for season 10 of the A-League.
Youthful Perth condemn the Phoenix to another away loss
The distance derby as it has been tagged resulted in a 4-2 victory to the Glory on Friday night. Credit to both teams who went out to win the game and as a result the game was open and attacking.
Spectacular for the neutral but maybe not so for the football purist. Perth flyer Sidnei bookended the scoring opening with a bullet before rounding out the scoring when his powerful shot was spilled into the net by Phoenix stopper Glen Moss.
In the absence of the long-toothed Burns, Gallas and the now departed Pantelidis, Perth put out a starting line-up with an average age of 22 which speaks volumes as to what Alistair Clarkson is trying to input in the West.
Wellington however are still yet to pick up a win this season and it doesn’t get any easier when the rampant Roar visit the Cake Tin next weekend.
Harry’s return encouraging for Heart
Harry Kewell got 20 minutes off the bench for Melbourne Heart as they drew with Western Sydney 1-1 at Wanderland. Heart were at least competitive in this game, something that they have failed to show at numerous times this season, although they were under the pump for most of the game.
A point further emphasised by a rare dominance of possession for the Wanderers.
Tactically John Alosi got it right by playing more directly and limiting the threat of Western Sydney’s swarming, pressing game. Tactics implemented to sustain confidence gained from the point against Adelaide.
The Heart recorded an A-League record 18th consecutive game without a win but if the last two weeks are anything to go by a win may not be far away.
Mariners march on as Sydney streak ends
Sydney took the Cove on the road with a trip to Gosford looking for a fifth consecutive win against the premiers on Saturday night. The Mariners ground out a 1-0 result thanks to a neat back heel from Daniel McBreen who returned to the starting line-up.
Marcos Flores was uninspiring in the number 10 role and in the absence of Alessandro Del Piero Sydney decided to play without a number 10 instead adopting a 4-5-1 formation with Nick Carle as the holding midfielder.
Ranko Despotovic worked hard for the Sky Blues but was largely ineffective in his first start for the club. Sydney will welcome back ADP ASAP as they look to get back to winning ways.
A-League’s 1000th showcases everything the A-League has become
Goals, saves, controversy, momentum swings and a team winning against the odds. The A-League’s 1000th game between the Jets and Victory provided a fantastic spectacle and was a great example of the standard of the league.
On the purpose built rectangular stadium at AAMI Park both teams showed attacking intent and displayed young Australian players that have been produced through the National Youth League.
This game proved that there is no such thing as a formality in the A-League. On paper Melbourne Victory should’ve won this comfortably but a plucky Newcastle were up for it and were good for their win.
Nathan Burns broke his goal scoring duck with a brace and James Troisi scored for the home team. Congratulations to the FFA and the fans for 1000 A-League games.
Simulation rears its ugly head again
There were several games over the weekend that had examples of simulation or diving if you like. None of them resulted in incorrect penalties or sending offs but credit must go to the A-League referees.
There have been several howlers from the referees so far this season but credit where credits due. In most cases the referees in question would simply ignore the appeals and didn’t even feel the need to be dishing out cards. Well done to the referees and well done to Osama Malik.
The Adelaide defender bluntly told reporters after the game that he made the most of the contact when questioned about a penalty claim late in the game against Brisbane.
It must be said that it could be difficult for the South American players who come to our league where they are maligned for trying to win a free kick with theatrics. In their home countries this is seen as an art but it is frowned upon in Australia.
The Australian public would like to see more skills and less spills.
Quick fire Questions
Are A-League crowds a concern?
An average of 12,000 for the round. Big crowd pullers Sydney FC and Brisbane and low crowd pullers Heart and Phoenix were all away which is probably a good indication of an average A-League round.
Does the A-League need to address concussion?
When Scott Neville was introduced to Kew Jaliens’ knee Fox Sports commentator Andy Harper expressed the idea of a free substitution to assess a player who may be suffering from concussion. What do we think?
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