When Sydney FC limped off the field last Wednesday night in Japan, it was utter embarrassment for the best team in Australia.
Shellacked, trounced and hammered, they had been comprehensively outplayed by a Yokohama F Marinos side that looked slick, polished and precise from the opening whistle.
The only positive that the Sky Blues could have taken from the entire evening was the simple fact that the Japanese club had not put another two or three goals past them. Four-nil was bad enough yet six or seven was not beyond the realms of possibility.
It was brilliant football to watch and all masterminded from the sideline by Ange Postecoglou, on a typically chilly early-season evening in the J.League.
(Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
It is tough to comprehend the potential physiological and psychological effects that such a drubbing could have on a team that is just not used to losing. After 13 wins from 15 matches, 34 goals and a ten-point lead atop the A-League ladder, Steve Corica took his side on their first away Asian Champions League trip of the season.
What happened was the stuff of nightmares and while all teams have their off days and sometimes fall well behind on the scoreboard, few could have predicted such a thorough whipping, particularly to Sydney.
Post-match, people came from miles to pour salt into Sydney’s wounds. Social media was abuzz with critical commentary around the vast chasm between the standard of play set by the Japanese champions and the vacuous performance produced by the travelling team.
Criticism was not limited to the collective, with individuals cited for being well and truly caught out as Yokohama sliced and diced their way through the wafer-thin Sydney defence. It was clear that many enjoyed seeing the champs go down in such an undignified way.
Sydney FC have swaggered their way into opposition buildings for some time now, been clinical and taken the points with ease. Many fans of the victims of those trips took much glee at the Postecoglou pummelling and chuckled warmly as the so-called privileged and pandered men from the harbour city were finally brought back down to earth.
The thinking appeared to be that with a biased Sydney media backing them, a cosy relationship with the refereeing fraternity and a magic bank balance that continues to bring high-quality signings year after year, fans around the country felt that, for once, Sydney well and truly deserved to be sat on their behinds.
There was an element of surprise in the result, yet perhaps there should not have been. What Postecoglou’s men did to the A-League on Wednesday night was a little embarrassing, however, he has done that before.
After a squad clean-out at the Brisbane Roar when he took the managerial reins in 2009, the 54-year-old proceeded to choreograph what many people still believe to be the most dominant period of play produced by any Australian football team in history.
Amid consecutive championships in 2010-11 and 2011-12, Brisbane enjoyed a superb and unbeaten 36-game streak. It may have been statistically remarkable, yet it was the comprehensive dominance of possession and the surgeon-like precision with which they decapitated teams that had many beaten before they even took to the pitch.
The current A-League standard is no doubt well below that of the highly competitive J.League, however, after watching much of the Round 1 action from Japan across the weekend, it was clear that Yokohama F Marinos are indeed something special.
(Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Perhaps lamenting the state of our domestic game too vigorously is an over-reaction to a Postecoglou performance of which we should all be well aware and not surprised by in the slightest. Roar, Victory and Asian Cup history should teach us that.
Perhaps the performance said more about one of the best coaches in Asia and less about the quality of either competition.
Sydney’s A-League response to the defeat was more controlled and proficient than emphatic, with two late goals sealing the points against the Mariners on Sunday night. As the home side threw all they had the Sky Blues way, their fortress held and there was great mental strength evident after the disappointment just five days earlier.
The win will not remove the memories of the Yokohama hammering but will brush them aside in the short term and allow some confidence to be rebuilt.
However, with three games in nine days on the horizon and an ACL clash with Jeonbuk next Wednesday, Sydney’s acid test has arrived.
It will be a tough road to hoe – a road that will have Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix feeling very twitchy and hopeful of a late-season Sydney stumble.
Footyball
Roar Rookie
Have joined a rival club after that defecation effort by Sydney fc, I read where others have done the same. This league got monsterously embarrassed that night.
Val Pavlovic
Guest
The Australian players of today don’t have the technical level to carry out the tactics postecoglou wants. At National team level, a coach doesn’t have his squad week in week out . Australia’s current problem is at an individual level, mainly a poor first touch. Too much structured middle class training with cones. Put the kids back on the streets with a football.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Ange had the vision, he just couldn't get people to buy in...people who should've known better.
Onside
Guest
Sydney to Yokohama, is about 8000 k's or 10 hours flying. Takes it toll.
Nick Symonds
Guest
It was a bit tounge in cheek, yes. But the problem is the same as that of A-League sides playing friendlies against big European clubs and then having people criticise them when they lose. The comparissons are very unkind, but when A-League sides lose to Asian opposition it's even worse. So, does playing against foreign clubs do more harm than good? I think it only makes sense to keep playing them if the A-League sides take these matches seriously and are actually competitive against them. Otherwise maybe they shouldn't. At least the numbers didn't peel off Sydney's shirts like they did when Brisbane Roar lost to Philippino side Ceres-Negros. That was really embarrassing, and poor performances like that in the ACL have done a lot of damage to the reputation of the A-League.
Buddy
Roar Rookie
It’s funny you know, at no point have I personally said they are exceptional. They have played some really dreary, dull football on many occasions but they are getting the points is really what I espouse. On that basis They appear to be exceptional. It is only when you scratch the surface you see the possible soft white underbelly!
Samuel Power
Roar Rookie
Buddy, even though Sydney FC have been exceptional this season, the last month or so they have been fairly average. Sneaking over the line against teams like the Roar and Mariners. Yes they'll more than likely still win the premiers plate, but if things don't improve I can't see them winning the Grand Final, I think a 'dark horse' kinda team such as Wellington could clip them.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Perth played well and looked comfortable and in control for good chunks of that game. Run mainly by Castro.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
Deflect conversation towards the Socceroos . But Arnold failed again in the most recent Asian cup . The Socceroos were very poor . How on earth did his mates slater and co let him get away with that . So Maybe you are trying to be the victim in this instance. I suggest to Just accept the hiding and hopefully your team learns from it . I think the obvious thing is I read into the general vibe , is we can appreciate great football from Yokohama and want out A league teams to be just as good ASAP.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Yes Ange’s Roar vs FC Tokyo showed he’d put it out wide then attack from the sides into the box. FC Tokyo were mainly vertical with good technique and passing. So collectively we both improved but haven’t closed the gap.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Self belief...
Griffo
Roar Guru
Look, maybe you were being tongue in cheek, but you never know these days which is why this comment could be seen as both disingenuous and counter-productive for the ALeague. The ALeague is our league. Get on it :thumbup:
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Actually Sydney's loss had a lot to do with luck (without denying they were well outplayed on the night): For the first goal, 9 times out of 10 McGowan's interception would have come off. He got there first but the deflection favoured Yokohama. And 9 times out of 10 Wilkinson's deflection would have gone out for a corner, but it didn't this time. For the second goal, 9 times out of 10 Wilkinson would have gone safety first and put his foot through the ball and cleared it. He got to the ball first but then inexplicably left it - perhaps someone called 'leave it'. For the third goal, 9 times out of 10 Joel King wouldn't have lost his bearings and played the Yokohama striker onside right in front of the goal. He's young and stuff happens. For the fourth goal, Sydney overplayed the attack and got caught out, a function of being 3-0 down. And, 9 times out of 10 Le Fondre would have been awarded a penalty. And 9 times out of 10 the Yokohama tactics of fouling Sydney's breaks would have seen yellow cards dished out. As would the tactic of delaying the resultant free kicks. And 9 games out of 10 Barbarouses would only have been offside 8 times out of 10, not every time. On another day, 3 (possibly 4) of Yokohama's goals would have been if-onlys for Ange rather than tragedies for Sydney. And other stuff would have fallen Sydney's way too. But sometimes the cards fall all one way. On another point, is anyone else bored senseless by the victim mentality of Ange and his supporters? In the beginning everyone signed up to his vision and he had 4 years to get the national team playing his way. By the end they were doing it worse than when he started. As coaches go, Ange got cut more slack for far longer than any other coach I can think of (apart from Wenger maybe). Look at Arnold - criticism rained down on him before he even coached one national team game.
Jack George
Roar Guru
Yokohama played Champions League game one week earlier.
chris
Guest
Will it may not be mandatory, but Futsal is played by lots of elite players having a break from the winter season. I know a lot of my juniors play Futsal in summer and PL in winter.
chris
Guest
I agree! I would have liked to have seen Ange go to the WC. But if his siege mentality was so strong, why did he let outside influences determine his decision to walk? He wasn't fired, so it was his call.
chris
Guest
Fair point, but my comment was more in relation to being "outnumbered". If SFC's front 3 (2 forwards and highest midfielder), box in their back 4, the opposition can't outnumber you in the higher areas. In fact the defending team will even have a spare defender if the top 3 do their role. Were SFC effective in shutting them down? No. The skill, speed and control superiority that they had over SFC is a whole other matter.
Will
Guest
Chris. The problem is even that they outnumbered them with their fullbacks, Sydney’s front 2 were largely ineffective in pressing unless they go 4-2-4 in pressing the back 4 but even that Yokohama have the ability to play through the pressure of the press as their movement and rotations are too slick. It was a tactical masterclass from them in how to unlock Sydney’s 4-4-2.
AndyAdelaide
Roar Rookie
Tactics were mega wrong, should've set up mega defensively to try and get a draw. This is the worst result possible, negative 4 goal difference already. Sydney aren't getting out this group
Will
Guest
Make futsal mandatory for Aussie youth especially between 8 to 14, In Japan futsal is a major component of their technical ability from a young age. Our best technical players have a heavy futsal background such as Rogic, Arzani, Antonis... We have the curriculum which promotes technical ability to be perfected but maybe add futsal in their component as it can make a big difference to young players.