Congratulations to Brisbane Roar, who are by far the best football team in Australia. They have a trophy to prove it, but could Adelaide United ambush them in the finals?
It took a goal of real quality from Luke Brattan for the Roar to shake off a stubborn Melbourne Victory and deservedly claim the Premiership at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
It was fitting that Brattan should score it, for the young midfielder represents much of what coach Mike Mulvey has done in taking a talented team lacking a killer touch, and transforming them into one of the best sides the A-League has ever seen.
Brisbane’s dynamic passing football is so far ahead of the rest of the league that the only real surprise was them somehow registering six defeats in winning the league at a canter.
And it’s that statistic which should give the rest of the A-League – especially the unpredictable Adelaide United – some hope going into the finals.
Roar were all class in winning the Premier’s Plate, but they won’t look back too fondly on their Round 14 clash at Suncorp Stadium, when the Reds mugged them for a 2-1 win thanks to substitute Jordan Elsey’s late header.
It’s true that other clubs gave the Roar more headaches throughout the campaign, notably the Newcastle Jets, but if any team is going to beat them in the finals, one might reasonably hope it’s a side which espouses a similar attacking ethos.
After a decidedly slow start under Spanish coach Josep Gombau, the Reds have gradually developed into one of the A-League’s most entertaining outfits.
They were far too strong for an outmatched Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium on Friday night, and there’s surely an argument to suggest Adelaide’s foreign contingent of Marcelo Carrusca, Isaias, Fabio Ferreira and Sergio Cirio is close to the best in the league.
Ferreira’s superbly taken opening goal against the Sky Blues was more Chelsea than Dulwich Hill, while Cirio’s dinked finish for Adelaide’s second smacked of a player who has learnt a thing or two on the battlefields of Europe’s lower leagues.
Certainly the likes of Thomas Broich and Besart Berisha will be wary of facing the Reds in the finals, for no other reason than that Adelaide possesses the firepower to unsettle even the steeliest defence.
There’s one other reason A-League officials might hope that the Roar and Adelaide meet at some point in the finals, and that’s for entertainment’s sake.
For all the strides domestic football has made in Australia in recent years, one prickly issue is that the quality of football hasn’t always matched our collective enthusiasm for the game.
In fact, some games have been so boring this season that only the staunchest of die-hards have managed to sit through them without heading for the beer queue or switching the channel.
Sunday afternoon games have been a repeat offender, though fortunately that wasn’t the case in Parramatta yesterday.
The hapless and at times hopeless Perth Glory were no match for a slick Wanderers side, who belatedly recorded their first A-League win in a month against the same side they last beat in Perth.
More than the commanding performance, led as it was by the potentially Perth-bound Youssouf Hersi, coach Tony Popovic will no doubt have been relieved to see his team win again with the finals just around the corner.
The Wanderers might be in the box seat to claim a second-place finish, but whether they can beat Brisbane in a knock-out showdown is another story.
Of all the teams bound for finals football, perhaps it’s an enterprising Adelaide outfit that possesses the best chance of upsetting the Roar.
They got off to a slow start under Gombau, but the Spaniard may just have the Reds firing on all cylinders at the right end of the season.
Legro
Guest
This is a tad irrelevant but is it me? or does Enrique's head look photoshopped in that picture?
TheVolley
Guest
Yeah Ian. I'd have to agree with you. Arguing with someone who thinks that in the previous 8 years 50% of the times a double achieved is more RARE than the ONLY ONE time a team defended a title (back-to-back), is pretty much a waste of time. And we haven't even done the maths for the longest streak in the history of Australian football sports.
Ian
Guest
TheVolley - Don't get too bothered. Treat the conversations like they were with that person who shall not be named on The World Game website who supports MV- hint - the initials being DM. I don't post much on TWG anymore and it is under a different account name when I do. P.S. This site has always been a lot, lot, better IMO.
Mike
Guest
Taggart, anyone?
clayts
Guest
Again you are twisting the meaning of your own posts. "Only 1 A-League team has managed to win “The Double” twice." That was the bit of your own post I was replying to. You posted that to imply that MVC are somehow better than Roar because they won an ACL match back in 2009. You are on the brink of being childish with this. Pick a story and stick to it
j binnie
Guest
BES - If you take the last game as an example. Discounting the number of very good saves the Victory goalkeeper made you have to concentrate on the shots that were misplaced ,( according to the stats sheet). I can remember Miller mis-hitting two shots that a professional of his experience should have buried.Matt Mackay, another vastly experienced player also put 2 shots away off target and I can remember the defensive midfielder (yes the one who scored the magnificent winner) blasting a shot high,wide and handsome of the goal. You will remember the shot for he appeared to injure himself in hitting the ball. You will also note I have only cited misses by midfielders Henrique,Broich,and Petratos all had shots at goal but they too were ineffective.If you agree I think you will understand point 1 ok. My point 2 is not a new idea in football it actually has it's origin in Switzerland where a newly appointed coach to the national team decided he was going to play teams with far betteer credentialled players than his and set his team up accordingly.Defend at all costs and play on the break. This counter tactic makes it even harder for a team like Roar to convert their possession superiority into meaningful goals, The Jets have played this tactic against Roar almost to perfection three times this season and walked away with 9 points from 3 games winning 2-0 &1-0.& 2-1 at home. You will note the Roar's "goals for figure" 1 in 3 matches and that not only,proves my point 2 well,but also ties in with point 1,does it not.? Cheers jb
TheVolley
Guest
You constant obsession with when I started watching the A-League is tiresome and childish. Your reply simply show how little you understand the concept of notable records hence your obvious inability to appreciate them. This is my last post. I am arguing with someone who does not even understand his OWN statement of "common sense tells us something that occurs rarely is more difficult to achieve".
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I've never understood the fascination of an "unbeaten streak" in football, where a draw is also counted as part of the "not losing streak". During Brisbane's long streak of not losing, they never managed to win more than 5 consecutive matches. I don't know which HAL team holds the record for most consecutive WINS, but it's definitely more than 5 in a row. I know that for the first 7 matches in the 2006-07 season (this may have been before you started watching HAL?), MVFC won 7 consecutive ALeague matches. EDIT: Just located a reference source of A-league winning streaks 1. Most consecutive wins = WSW = 10 2. Most consecutive home wins = MVFC = 8 3. Most consecutive away wins = MVFC & WSW = 8
TheVolley
Guest
No Fuss. You compared MV's ACL record with Brisbane's record, after saying "All that matters is the number of trophies in the cabinet" AND disregarding Brisbane's other record. You walked into that one. Which one is it? Include records or not? Stop changing the goal posts for once. Wining a game at the ACL is nothing compared to the unbeaten streak according to your "common sense tells us something that occurs rarely is more difficult to achieve" statement.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ TheVolley MVFC's record in the ACL is poor - it's nothing I'm particularly proud of. However, my only point is, if we are comparing "best teams".. MVFC's record in the ACL is better than Brisbane Roar's record in the ACL = FACT.
Scrubbit
Guest
Winning with 3 games to spare is a greater accomplishment in shorter seasons though. Winning with 3 rounds to spare wouldn't be a big deal in a 34-38 round format.
TheVolley
Guest
@ Fuss, all of a sudden MV's ACL record is so important now - the who , what , when and how!!! Way to go with your "All that matters are the trophies in the cabinet."!! Just goes to show even YOU value records! Aren't you tired of being caught out by your OWN standards!?!?!
BES
Guest
I hear where you are coming from jb and don't entirely disagree, but you would struggle to support the statement: "The glaring inability to convert their outfield superiority into goals." when we have scored more goals than all but 1 other team in the comp and have a goal difference that is 9 goals clear of the next closest. You could also add to that argument, that other teams are well aware of how we play and all teams come to the game with the deliberate tactic to park the bus - this has not been the case against Adelaide who have certainly benefited from having more 'open' defenses to play their way through as others are still struggling to come to grips with the new, improved AU. All of the above could also be applied to your 2nd point - which is pretty much Part B of your 1st point :-)
AZ_RBB
Guest
Very little separated those teams when they met each other. The most recent BR v AU match was closely fought with many arguing that AU looked stronger for much of the game. The first two WSW v MV matches of the season were great matches in terms of tactical clashes. The third i see as a bit of an anomaly due to the weather, the scheduling and the players on the pitch. There may be no existing rivalry between BR and WSW but every rivalry starts somewhere.
Ian
Guest
The Volley and Clayts - I'm sure we'll win a game against an Asian opponent soon enough. The same way MV will win again in Brisbane at sometime as the last time they did was November 2009. But most if faced with a choice would prefer to be the holder of the Australian sporting record which may never be beaten. i can't think of too many that would disagree with that. Also won more games in the A-League than any other team. These things don't matter if you won a double way back in 2009.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@clayts If you bother to read the text rather than just jump in, you would see that I clearly stated: "All that matters are the trophies in the cabinet." Yes, MVFC & BRI both have 4 trophies. MVFC won 4 trophies in 2 season; BRI won 4 trophies in 3 seasons. Which is more challenging? Each person can judge for themselves. If we look at the home of football, we find that over 125 years of League & FA Cup competitions, on only 10 occasions (7 teams) have been able to win "The Double" of League title & FA Cup. The great Liverpool sides of the 1970s & 80s only won The Double once. The great Nottingham Forest sides of the 1970s who won 2 European Cups have never won The Double. Evidence suggests winning The Double is rare & common sense tells us something that occurs rarely is more difficult to achieve.
Catnap
Guest
Ade attack is good but the defence against roar. Is not good enough!!!
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Without doubt, the 2 highest quality, most-entertaining A-league matches this season have been between MVFC & AUFC - at Hindmarsh (2-2 draw) and at AAMI Park (4-3 win to MV). From your scenario, I see the SF winners as AUFC & MVFC. Which would mean we have the 3rd ALeague Grand Finale between MVFC v AUFC at Docklands. Now that would be a Grand Finale between the 2 oldest rivals in the ALeague - a real rivalry, not some rivalry between upstarts.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@TheVolley The fact you ask such questions suggests you only recently began your association with the ALeague. 1. MVFC won its first ever match in the Asian Champions League. 2-0 win at Docklands against Chunnam Dragons (KOR) Our current coach, Kevin Muscat scored our 1st ever ACL goal 2. In its first ACL campaign, MVFC finished 2nd in the Group. The winner of the Group, was Gamba Osaka, who won the ACL that season. 3. In MVFC's 2nd ACL campaign, the winner of our Group, Seongnam (KOR) also won the ACL that season.
Towser
Guest
Yes jb the truism of what you say became glaringly obvious in that first up ACL game against FC Tokyo & the problem still lingers. What also is a a truism though is the salary cap and under it can we recruit the players needed for the next step in order to compete with these Asian teams on a level playing field.