Round 10 of the A-League served up another batch of water cooler talking points for Monday morning.
Does Muscat have any choice but to play with a ‘false 9’?
New Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat has come under fire for recent results where they have dominated games, created a plethora of chances and come away with nothing more than a point.
The 4-2-2-2 system is seen as the scapegoat as pundits think that Muscat needs to play with a recognised striker.
The game against Perth Glory on Friday followed a very familiar pattern with the Victory carving out several opportunities with no end product.
It took a strike from distance from left back Adama Traore and a neat piece of interplay finished by Gui Finkler to see off the Glory at AAMI Park, lifting the Victory to fourth on the A-League ladder.
Muscat has been adamant about sticking with the system he adopted from Ange Postecoglou and not folding to pressure from media and fans. But does he actually have a choice?
The Victory’s squad contains an abundance of attacking options but not one of them would be considered a traditional No.9 or lone striker. Pain, Troisi, Barbarouses, Nichols, Finkler, Nabbout; all attacking midfielders and wingers.
Archie Thompson may be able to play the No.9, but in recent seasons he has been used as a winger for club and country so it might take time to find his feet in the new role.
Family matters in Perth
There was a reported dressing room bust up between Perth coach Alistair Edwards and skipper Jacob Burns after the latter was an unused substitute in his return from suspension for the Glory on Friday night.
Clearly unhappy, Burns made a comment post-game suggesting that he wasn’t given a run because his last name wasn’t Edwards – referring of course to coach Alistair Edwards giving his sons, Ryan and Cameron, a start and run off the bench respectively.
Does Burns have a point or is he just a disgruntled footballer not happy about being on the outer?
Both Edwards boys have clearly shown potential this season – they’re definitely not out of their depth at A-League level – but Burns offers Perth something that won’t be measured in pure statistics. That is, the ability to intimidate and get under the skin of opposing players and subsequently being the player that opposition fans love to hate.
Whether Burns deserved a start or not doesn’t excuse his actions though. The leader of the club needs to air his grievances in a much more private setting.
Does Burns have a future in Perth? Would another A-League club gamble on him?
Foreign centre-back invasion a mixed success
Let’s call it the Patrick Zwaanswijk effect. The big Dutchman came to the Central Coast Mariners, stabilised their defence and ended up being a huge reason for the Mariners lifting their first A-League championship last season, nurturing Trent Sainsbury along the way.
So like lemmings, a host of A-League clubs used this blueprint and went foreign centre-back shopping. Looking for a European centre-back, 30-plus, with European experience.
Victory went with Chilean international Pablo Contreras, who has shown too few signs of his quality with his decision-making at times coming under scrutiny. He lacks speed and has had several disciplinary problems so far this season.
Marcel Seip was supposed to be the man who filled the big boots of Zwaanswijk. He has failed to find his feet, not even being able to secure a regular starting berth for the Mariners, with youngster Zac Anderson often playing alongside Sainsbury.
We probably haven’t seen enough of William Gallas for the Glory to pass judgement as yet.
But having splashed the cash, Tony Sage and co would want to see the Frenchman showing all his class on the pitch when he returns in three weeks, helping Michael Thwaite marshall Perth’s young troops around the park for the remainder of the season.
Kew Jaliens has arguably been the most impressive of the foreign centre-backs.
He’s been good if not spectacular and he does have a yard of pace that the others don’t. He looks calm on the ball, can pick a pass and has the speed to recover against sharp opposition strikers.
Nikola Petkovic doesn’t fit the age bracket but he otherwise fits the mould, and has also been good for the Sky Blues this season.
Have Adelaide United turned a corner?
After a tough week for Josep Gombau, his side turned in a complete performance against the A-League champions on their home patch.
We didn’t see the late game fade outs that we’ve become used to. Instead, Jeronimo was able to add an exclamation point on the win with a fourth goal in the 90th minute.
Is it just one game or is it a confidence builder that could send the Reds on a run?
Is it all over already for the winless Heart and Phoenix?
Sitting three wins outside the top six a third into the season, yet to win and down on confidence, Melbourne Heart and Wellington Phoenix surely can’t make the finals, despite what Ernie Merrick says.
Howlers from renowned finishers Jeremy Brockie and Harry Kewell over the weekend gave a snapshot to their seasons where poor finishing has cost them.
Both teams will identify Friday 27 December as a must win game when they clash. Is John Aloisi under pressure again?
Sydney double header an exercise worth pursuing
It was brilliant to see W-League champions Sydney FC take on Melbourne Victory in a grand final rematch preceding the Sydney FC v Melbourne Heart game on Sunday afternoon.
It’s not always possible due to schedulingb but wherever possible the FFA and the clubs should be working towards gaining exposure for the W-League and Youth League and lifting their profile.
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