Victory is Melbourne’s … for now
Only an unthinkable turn of events can stop Melbourne Victory from officially collecting the Premiers’ Plate in next weekend’s concluding round. Boasting a three-point margin over Sydney FC, plus a hefty seven-goal advantage, Victory fans know a surprisingly long six-year wait for silverware is finally on the verge of ending. It also means a first trophy as a coach for Kevin Muscat. It will mark a milestone moment for a man for whom coaching credibility seemed unthinkable just a few short years ago when his surname was almost a byword for x-rated tackling.
The Victory, however, only saw off a Brisbane side that included several Youth League personnel thanks to perhaps the most contentious penalty awarded in Brisbane since Jarred Gillett officiated an A-League grand final. Melbourne’s form heading into the finals series has been indifferent for a team at the top of the ladder. There has been plenty of grit over recent weeks, but only infrequent glimpses of their famed attacking swagger. It is something the Victory will likely need to rediscover if they are to claim a third championship.
Sydney’s Achilles heel
Twelve hours up the Hume Highway the Victory’s oldest rivals have their own issues to contend with. By any definition Sydney FC are flying in attack. Alex Brosque and Bernie Ibini are in career-best form, or at least close it. Marc Janko is, by his own admission, enjoying the best spell of his career for many years. In reserve is the A-League’s second greatest goalscorer, Shane Smeltz. Quirkily, Sydney have now scored 31 times in 13 matches away from home this season. The Sky Blues have, aside from one or two notable exceptions, been scoring goals for fun since the break for the Asian Cup. However, the other end of the field must be a concern for Graham Arnold, who remains ever the pragmatist. Having conceded four against Brisbane a month ago, the Sky Blues this time managed to concede three against the league’s weakest side. His players will undoubtedly pay for their defensive generosity on the training paddock this week.
Jets look to fly over new pastures
There are far greater concerns for the vanquished Jets. In an attempt to fertilise the scorched earth in Newcastle, club owner Nathan Tinkler mixed with local fans at Friday’s match with all the natural bonhomie of a bloke with his gaze fixed to the pokies for the afternoon at the Gateshead Tavern. Supposedly it was the first time Tinkler has attended a home match this season. Regardless of his manner and self-confessed lack of passion for football, the local boy made good has, like most Novocastrians, a passion for his home city. And Tinkler has made it clear he is backing Phil Stubbins as coach. Stubbins has been through a tougher campaign than almost any A-League coach, yet has maintained his equanimity throughout (publicly at least). The Jets will likely claim the wooden spoon, although one wouldn’t rule out a win in Brisbane next Friday against a side who bizarrely will take the field less than 48 hours after touching down from a midweek visit to Beijing. Stubbins’s hugely inexperienced side turned in another admirable showing against Sydney. There are some promising sprouts now shooting from that barren ground.
Inglorious Perth machinations
What a week for Perth Glory. It started with myriad denials and suggestions of appeals and court challenges. Then came the resignation of chief executive Jason Brewer, complete with an ‘it was all me’ statement. His exit seemed a variation on Basil Fawlty blame-shifting at its best. Crowds have been poor this season considering the team’s league form, and there is a major disconnect between the club and the local football fraternity. Heap on top the salary cap breach – arguably the biggest stain on the competition during its 10-year history – and with the prospect of a low-key squad next term, it is impossible to imagine things improving off the field in Perth. Only with a change of ownership can serious improvement be made. Thankfully for Glory fans there is hope of a credible saviour in the shape of Nick Tana – the magnetic owner from the club’s ground-breakingly successful NSL stint. On the field, credit to Perth players for their aptitude under duress in defeating Melbourne City, a week after suffering their worst defeat of the season. Sure luck went their way, not least of all being drawn this weekend against a team with a notoriously soft underbelly, but the Glory side showed impressive resilience in their first match since all hope of a finals berth had been extinguished.
How do you solve a problem like Marcelo
Adelaide have now won just two from seven without marquee player Marcelo Carrusca, as opposed to 11 from 19 with the Argentine in the side. Fortunately for the Reds, Carrusca is set to return from a three-week absence with a quad injury. His inventive flair has been sorely missed in that time. A recurring theme this season among analysts has been Adelaide’s supposed lack of killer instinct in attack. Certainly they lack the kind of prolific No9 boasted by the likes of Victory and Sydney yet their season goal tally is comparable to most of their play-off rivals. At the other end of the park Nigel Boogaard claimed an unwanted record for most A-League send-offs when he was marched in the second half at Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday. The otherwise impressive defender has now been dismissed six times, averaging one dismissal every 30 A-League outings. The previous owner of the mantle was one K. Muscat.
