Opinion
Round 18 was an exciting one to watch: there were 20 goals and only one team that kept a clean sheet. In three out of four games where a team claimed three points, the winning team had less possession than their opposition. There were two draws that both had a final scoreline of 1-1.
Check out who made the cut.
Formation: 4-3-3
Young was arguably the most important player on the pitch as he made four saves in the opening 21 minutes. He made three of those four saves within the space of three minutes: the ninth, 10th and 12th minute, to be exact.
Despite Western United taking the lead in the third minute through Noah Botic, they have Young to thank for keeping them in the game, as he made some difficult saves. He helped Western United keep the momentum up and ultimately win the game 3-1, with the only goal conceded by him from the penalty spot.
Roux was everywhere for the Central Coast Mariners, literally! He provided the assist for the only Mariners goal of the game in the 12th minute, with James McGarry scoring the goal to give them the lead against Wellington Phoenix. He cleared a shot from Yan Sasse off the line in the 39th minute, when the game was in the balance.
Da Silva showed why the Melbourne Victory recruited him for the second week in a row. He worked hard at both ends of the pitch, as he curtailed Adelaide United attacks and won the penalty in the 77th minute that gave them a 1-0 lead. He has a presence on the pitch that’s infectious as he displayed leadership qualities.
Aldred has worked tirelessly to endeavour to get the Brisbane Roar into the top six all season. In what had been a turbulent week for the club off the pitch, with a change of coach and the loss of their best player, Jay O’Shea as well as Scott Neville through injury, Aldred stepped up to the plate.
After threatening to score throughout the season, he scored what may be a season-defining goal in the 28th minute, thanks to a pinpoint Carlo Armiento corner.
Risdon was a welcome addition to the Western United starting 11, as they were unable to claim any points in the previous two games in which he was unavailable to play. In Round 18 he worked hard when in possession, making marauding runs down the left-hand side and was solid defensively.
He provided the assist for the opening goal of the game from a corner, which Noah Botic headed into the back of the net in the third minute. Risdon summed it up well: “We believe in ourselves.”
O’Neill does his job in an unassuming fashion as he displayed in Round 18 against Sydney FC. He tracked back and was good on the ball. He had 83 touches and he had a passing accuracy of 86.2 per cent, which showed that he could also help Melbourne City control the tempo of the game.
He created three chances and won possession on eight occasions, which showcased the work he did when City didn’t have the ball. He summed up the coaching philosophy of Rado Vidosic up well: “What we aim to do is to keep scoring goals.”
Nieuwenhof was involved in two of the four goals that the Western Sydney Wanderers scored. He made inroads into the game by winning the penalty that gave the Wanderers a three-goal cushion. To put the game beyond any doubt, he was rewarded for his hard work as he scored the fourth in the 61st minute.
Schneiderlin played a key role in the Wanderers’ 4-0 win over Macarthur FC. He was involved in the second and third goals. He provided the assist for the second goal scored by Romain Amalfitano in the 37th minute, then he took the responsibility to take the penalty in the 56th minute to give his side an unassailable three-goal lead.
He led by example and it’s a credit to the club for recruiting him.
Tilio played with freedom and appeared to be getting back to his best. He played a part in two of the three goals scored by Melbourne City.
(Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
He scored a stunning goal in the 13th minute that was world class, as he made a marauding run from his own half and the finish was the icing on the cake, a cracking strike from outside the box. He then provided an assist, as he cut the ball back, which was a relatively easy finish by the standards of Jamie Maclaren that made the score 3-1 in favour of Melbourne City, just two minutes after conceding a goal, with the goal scored in the 30th minute.
Maclaren was in the mood to score goals again. If you’re a defender, there’s nothing much you can do about it! He broke the deadlock in the third minute, with the assist provided by Florin Berenguer; it was a header from a pinpoint cross. He then made the score 3-1 in the 30th minute thanks to great lead up work by Tilio. Maclaren appeared back to himself, as he was back to scoring goals.
Borrello scored the opening goal of the game, in the third minute with a classy finish. He had 10 touches in the opposition box and 16 passes in the final third at a passing percentage of 87.5 per cent, which is remarkable. He also showed that he has the capacity to impact the game without the ball as he won possession on five occasions.
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