Opinion
Round 11 was a terrific weekend of football to watch, much of it end-to-end stuff.
There were plenty of goals scored, which only added to the spectacle. The game between Perth Glory and the Newcastle Jets featured eight goals, and there could have been more still but for the fact the Jets were utterly uncompetitive.
Let’s take a look at all five games that were played in Round 11 of the A-League.
Key talking points
(Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Coach of the round
Tony Popovic took a gamble starting Chris Ikonomidis on the substitutes bench, but it paid off, with the Glory claiming a 6-2 win.
Coach under the pump
Ernie Merrick is under pressure. I hate to say it – if it were up to me, I would keep a coach of his vast experience, but unfortunately I won’t have a say.
Who was a standout?
Even though his team lost, Harrison Delbridge was outstanding for Melbourne City.
Honourable mention
Diego Castro scored a brace and was a pivotal part of Perth Glory getting all three points.
(AAP Image/Tony McDonough)
Biggest impact off the substitute bench
Milos Ninkovic changed the game to help Sydney FC not leave the game empty-handed, as his presence was enough to help his team claim a point.
The Western Sydney Wanderers – wonder why? Rather, why not?
Facts and figures
The one-all scoreline wasn’t a clear indication on the balance of play, with the Wanderers having a lot more shots than United. Western Sydney had a total of five shots on target to Western United’s three. United’s only shot on target in the second half was an equalising goal to defender Aaron Calver.
Points of difference
The Western Sydney Wanderers were better prepared than Western United, but they weren’t clinical enough in the final third. They controlled the game and responded to the criticism of their coach Markus Babbel in the media.
Who made their team better?
Western United showed a lot of character to come away from this game with a point. It was a team effort, with perhaps Aaron Calver the standout, while for Western Sydney Wanderers it was tough to go past Keanu Baccus. As per usual, Alessandro Diamanti made Western United a better team, the Western United captain leading from the front.
Trials and tribulations
It’s difficult to comprehend that Western Sydney Wanderers came away from a game with a point when they should have claimed all three points on offer – at least according to the stats. There was a total of 13 shots for Western Sydney Wanderers to Western United’s three.
(Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Nix aren’t after a quick fix
Facts and figures
The Phoenix controlled the game with a total of four shots on target to Sydney FC’s two. They went into the half-time break with a 2-1 lead, which they unfortunately relinquished due to an own goal by captain Steven Taylor. Wellington finished the game with a total of eight shots to Sydney’s four.
Points of difference
When analysing who the better side was, Wellington had four shots on target whereas Sydney scored from both of their shots on target.
Who made their team better?
Liberato Cacace made many marauding runs forward, powering down the left flank. David Ball and Jaushua Sotirio didn’t stop trying, while for Sydney FC Milos Ninkovic made a big impact off the substitutes bench.
Trials and tribulations
It’s difficult to tell that in a game that finished two-all neither team wanted to drop all three points and both sides wanted to save the game, so to speak.
Victory’s derby delight in a real dog fight
Facts and figures
It was a great game of football to watch, worthy of being played anywhere in the world. Victory had a total of six shots on target to City’s two. Jamie Maclaren and the rest of City’s attacking players were rather ineffectual.
Points of difference
There was plenty of pressure coming into this game on Melbourne Victory coach Marko Kurz, while the pressure on Erick Mombaerts was for Melbourne City to stay in contention for the premiers plate. The game was controlled for the most part by Melbourne Victory. It’s fair to say that Kurz outcoached Mombaerts.
Who made their team better?
Harrison Delbridge nearly single-handedly got Melbourne City a point out of the game. Leigh Broxham was inspirational for the Victory, while Elvis Kamsoba didn’t stop working – you could see both of them valued their spots in the Victory line-up.
Trials and tribulations
There has to be credit given to Ola Toivonen to score a brace despite appearing to have suffered an injury. Delbridge tried to will his City teammates to comeback, but even he found the hill to tough to climb.
(Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Goals galore in pulsating clash
Facts and figures
Liam Reddy has played the most games of any goalkeeper in the A-League, notching up his 289th appearance in the A-League. Remarkably the Newcastle Jets had 51 per cent of possession despite the four-goal thrashing. The Jets also finished the game with more shots than the Glory, 11-10.
Points of difference
The Glory played as a team from start to finish, putting in a good shift. It’s fair to say the Jets weren’t at the races.
Who made their team better?
The majority of Perth Glory players made sure their team played better, in particular Diego Castro, James Meredith and Bruno Fornaroli.
Trials and tribulations
The final score was 6-2 in favour of Perth, with every Glory player performing out of their skin. At the end of the day most people will remember the game for the wrong reason, and that’s that the Jets were deplorable – their players didn’t put in a shift.
Central Coast claim vital win
Facts and figures
Central Coast had four shots on target to Adelaide’s five. The Mariners dominated possession with 59 per cent, which led to them having eight shots compared with United’s 14. There was a total of four yellow cards in the game, three of which were to Central Coast players.
Points of difference
There was no doubt the Mariners were the better team in the first half Adelaide appeared unprepared for the game. The second half was more of an even contest, with Adelaide clawing their way back into the game.
Who made their team better?
Milan Duric scored an incredible, freakish goal to make the score 2-0 in Central Coast’s favour before half-time, but the game wasn’t over, as Ben Halloran scored early in the second half.
Trials and tribulations
It was a reasonably one-sided game in the first half, with the score 2-0 at half-time. The game could have gone either way in the second half, but in the end the Mariners hung on to claim a 2-1 win.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Despite the short nature of his tenure as a professional manager, Arne Slot has established himself as arguably the most impressive manager outside of…
Everton won the Merseyside derby 2-0, with Toffees supporters taunting Liverpool after the game at their home ground Goodison Park.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have blasted a hole in Liverpool's Premier League title challenge as Everton powered their way to a priceless derby…
The real concern comes down to football's growing trend of big corporations taking up slices of the world game at the expense of smaller teams.
Round 25 was a weekend of football that had plenty of action. There were five games due to the Central Coast Mariners vs Adelaide…
Arsenal fans were outraged that Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson got off scot-free for this challenge in the Gunners' 5-0 win.
