When Melbourne City midfielder Javier Cabrera swung over a cross at Bankwest Stadium on Friday, Wanderers coach Markus Babbel should have run onto the pitch and headed it clear.
It’s an absurd suggestion of course, so why are we so quick to blame coaches every time something goes wrong?
There’s no doubt the VAR’s decision to award a penalty in the 55th minute of Western Sydney’s 3-2 defeat to Melbourne City on Friday night changed the complexion of the game, just like there’s no doubt Babbel will be in hot water for speaking so candidly about the call.
And while it’s clear VAR decisions are turning A-League fans off the competition, it’s also clear Football Federation Australia are unwilling to do anything about it.
They’re eager to curry favour with FIFA for Australia’s various World Cup ambitions – including our bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup – so there’s no way they’ll criticise one of FIFA’s pet projects even if it costs the A-League fans in the stands and viewers on TV.
(Nigel Owen/Action Plus via Getty Images)
But maybe Melbourne City’s game-changing spot kick isn’t the best way to make the point.
Robbie Fowler is seventh on the list of all-time Premier League goal scorers, so when youngster Jordan Courtney-Perkins failed to convert a first-half chance in Brisbane Roar’s 2-1 defeat to the Phoenix in Wellington, perhaps Fowler should have injected himself into proceedings and shown him how it’s done.
Or when Jay O’Shea slalomed through the defence before firing high over the crossbar. Or when Aiden O’Neill thundered a skidding half-volley just wide of the far post.
Can you spot the theme here?
Marco Kurz is under the most pressure after Melbourne Victory’s 3-1 loss to his former club Adelaide United at a packed Coopers Stadium, but it wasn’t Kurz who failed to shut down Michael Maria for Adelaide’s second goal.
Nor was it Kurz who opted not to close down Kristian Opseth for Adelaide’s opener or track the in-form Riley McGree not once but twice, allowing the suspended Olyroos star to ultimately decide the game.
But it will be Kurz who gets the blame.
(Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Perhaps that’s as it should be. After all, coaches are figureheads paid to make decisions that affect the outcome of matches.
Maybe that’s why Roar coach Robbie Fowler singled out two of his regular starters in Tom Aldred and Macaulay Gillesphey over a couple of glaring defensive lapses in Brisbane’s loss at Westpac Stadium.
Fowler has largely avoided pointing his finger at players for good or bad so far this season, but there’s probably only so many times you can throw yourself on a live grenade.
And the test for Fowler will surely come on Saturday afternoon when his Roar side host the Central Coast Mariners at Suncorp Stadium.
He’s already shown his willingness to make changes to his starting XI – see Brisbane’s rotating wing-back situation for proof – but five points from six games has left the Roar fans wanting more.
And that’s pretty much the nature of football fandom worldwide.
Only one team can ever be crowned champion, which generally leaves fans of every other club looking on with envy.
And in Europe, where managers are paid millions and accept that they’ll be sacked no matter what their results, that’s probably a decent trade-off.
But as much as I’m not exactly crying into my cornflakes over the plight of A-League coaches – they sure as hell get paid a lot more than me – I sometimes wonder if they don’t occasionally cop the short end of the stick.
When teams win trophies we’re quick to laud the players for their on-field performances.
Lose a few games, though, and it’s invariably the coach who’s the first name on the chopping block.
That’s football for you. It does make you wonder, though: who on earth would want to be an A-League coach?
Fadida
Roar Rookie
They are wing backs. They are expected to get up and back and provide width in the last 3rd. If they aren't wing backs they are fullbacks, which means they play with a flat back 5. Which they clearly don't. If the central midfield 3 are expected to get in wide attacking areas it's no surprise they are "making a hash of it"
invicta
Roar Rookie
I'm confused. Most systems with 3/5 players in front of the keeper require one wide player to overload the defence. Not sure if you call courtney-perkins or mcging a wb, fb, mid, winger or other term but one of them must get forward. Neither of them are suited to the role. Hingert could help but his end product is poor. I thought o toole can put decent crosses in and would be worth another go.
Waz
Roar Rookie
“In a 352 you play wingbacks” You make that statement as if it’s coverred in the laws of the game, which it’s not. In a 352 you CAN play wingbacks but it’s been out of favour with many coaches because of the workload it puts on the two wide players. Fowler has clearly deployed full backs to the two wide positions both of whom tend to stay wide and often quite deep so they’re not “wing backs”. In this case the attacking burden shifts to the three central midfielders who appear to be making a hash of it for some reason.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
In a 352 you play wing backs. England do it in 2019. Roar do it in 2019. Unfortunately they recruited the wrong players to do it. If the players don't understand the game plan it's because the coach can't teach it, or it's a poor plan. Could be either by the look of it
Nemesis
Guest
I also attended every single Melbourne Victory ACL match at home when Muscat was coaching & the one thing I noticed was he did not have his belligerent outbursts in the technical area at match officials. This was, in my opinion, due to Muscat understanding there are cultural differences when playing in Asia that need to be respected. Even in his pre-match & post-match conversations he was always extremely ambassadorial with his comments about the Asian opposition. Complete opposite to the boorish attitude that Graham Arnold takes to Asia.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
Nem - it’s a bit off topic here I know but I’ll continue the ACL theme. I watch as much ACL as I can consume and get to games...even been to watch SFC a couple of times. My comment agreeing on the subject of indifference with Mr Muscat was more about his demeanour than anything else. If he was a teenager I often get the impression he’d be standing there saying “not bovvered”. Mind you I did enjoy their battles against Shanghai last season. I know they finished up losing heavily away but they put on a really good show. I’d still say KM came across as feeling “oh well, that’s life” maybe he is a pragmatist and I’m mis-reading it.
anon
Roar Pro
How much do A-League coaches get paid?
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Agreed Tyke. An over reaction in my view. Just as irritating as an old fashioned clanger from a referee with nothing more than eyes to make the call.
Nemesis
Guest
Muscat's indifference towards ACL as a coach is a myth perpetrated by people who don't watch Melbourne Victory & don't watch ACL. The facts are, apart from 2019 ACL, when MVFC failed miserably, Muscat had 3 ACL campaigns and his results were fine: 2014: Missed Ro16 on Goal Difference 2016: Finished 2nd in the Group. In Ro16 drew at home, lost 3-2 away 2018: Missed Ro16 by 1 point 2019: FAILED COMPLETELY In 3 out of 4 ACL campaigns, Kevin Muscat's teams never lost a home game in ACL. In fact, MVFC's home record in Asia is probably as good as, if not better than, any other ALeague team. So, there's no problem saying Muscat was tactically naive in Asia, or the team simply not good enough - particularly in Away matches. But, to suggest he was indifferent about ACL is factually incorrect & lazy analysis.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
I was told this by someone who knows Corica very well. So far, so good for him.
Nemesis
Guest
Which youth players? On Saturday vs AUFC, my choice would've been Carrigan instead of Donachie. Lesiotis instead of Basha. Kirdar instead of Brown. Push Lauton into Right Back instead of Roux, then have Josh Hope playing higher up the park where Lauton was playing.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Courtney-Perkins was unlucky to miss on Saturday too. O'Toole's hardly had a go, pre-season maybe but hard not to agree, he'll probably be released when his contract expires along with the boy from Toowoomba (Bowles). Then we'll have a complete non-Qld starting lineup, attracting yet even more local fans to Suncorp.
Mark
Guest
I think criticism of Muscat’s approach to the ACL is a bit unfair. Victory’s ACL performances flowed with the quality of the squad. Muscat got Victory to the group stages the year after the double, and the following two campaigns were progressively worse reflecting the declining quality of the squad. I’m expecting a very short campaign this time around, since Victory will need to win away to get to the Group Stage, and they are yet to win away in Asia in any of their campaigns to date. It is a very good question to ask why Sydney’s all conquering sides of recent years haven’t done better in the ACL.
Mark
Guest
The last para says it all. People who only watch football on TV really don’t understand the impact it is having on the game.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
I'll need surgery to remove it
At work
Roar Rookie
Haha Redondo, I hope that comment is tongue in cheek.
At work
Roar Rookie
I definitely don’t like the offside calls, if the linesman isn’t physically able to call a mm or cm offside call then I don’t think VAR should be doing so. But I do think VAR get calls wrong sometimes, they’re the non black and white subjective calls which are just being re-referree’d. My biggest gripe is the impact it has on the sport in general, which isn’t suited to a stop start nature. And now once a goal is scored people clap and then turn to the big screen to wait and see if the VAR is going to allow it. VAR sucks all the passion out of scoring a goal.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
There's my point
Waz
Roar Rookie
O’Toole has been rubbish. Next stop NPL. And I think you’re paying too much importance to the formation - good players, or bad, are just that irrespective of the formation. And a modern 3-5-2 plays with 5 at the back and 5 at the front with the 3-2 meant to overwhelm the opposition defence with the assistance of one of the wide men. The concept of a “Wing-back” running up and down the park is soooo 1970’s. The failing over the first four games was to convert the many chances they created, had they have done that we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The last two games has seen the defence leak goals. And do it rather inexplicably (not challenging for the ball for example). Fowler’s challenge is two fold - does he and his players understand the game plan (it doesn’t look like it to me), and does he and his players remain confident?
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt Mr Muscat came across as indifferent to the ACL. Mind, I thought the same about Mr Arnold too.