Adelaide on the march
If momentum is important in football, and it is, then things are suddenly looking brighter for Adelaide United. Friday’s resilient triumph over Brisbane Roar – overcoming a dreadful record both in the play-offs, and against the Queenslanders – has left the Reds boasting two confidence-building wins heading into the penultimate weekend of the season. It might read as a modest tally, but Adelaide have endured some hugely indifferent form since the Asian Cup break. Importantly too, they have shown plenty of signs of their old form in the past two matches. They rode their luck at times on the wide open expanses of Adelaide Oval, but the fluidity of old was there in patches. And of course finals matches involve added pressure and an intensified atmosphere, often resulting in some chaotic unconstructured football which perhaps favours the underdog; Brisbane in this case.
The Reds will fancy their chances when they meet Sydney FC against whom – unlike the other two remaining finalists – they are undefeated this season. Surely Adelaide Oval has never witnessed a goal to match Craig Goodwin’s free-kick which opened the scoring (although Brendon Santalab may have a different view on this). It was a goal that would be replayed around the world had it been scored in one of Europe’s high profile leagues. The curve and dip on Goodwin’s strike was Fifa 15-esque, and even his technique in striking the ball had a certain balletic quality that comes with certain left-footers.
Good Melbourne City leave bad Melbourne City behind
City have notoriously displayed a soft underbelly at times this season. As in some previous seasons a classy confidence-building victory was invariably followed by some underwhelming performances and yielding the occasional farcical goal. To their credit they showed a level of resilience on Sunday in the New Zealand capital just when it was needed. The match, however, was not a spectacle that will be marked as one to remember in the A-League annals. And sure Melbourne rode their luck, with both of their goals having an element of good fortune. The second one in particular entered the net only after collecting – depending on your definition – three deflections and a post.
Defensive leader Patrick Kisnorbo, who sometimes can be accused of playing hard rather than smart, was in inspired defensive form. Further up the park, Josh Kennedy boasts a record of delivering on the big occasion, and Albury-Wodonga’s finest did so once again in Wellington. Few would comfortably say there is a better midfield trio in the league than City’s Aaron Mooy, Eric Paartalu and Robert Koren, at least on paper. The latter, however, rarely looks like he has complete belief in the cause. To a degree that sense of lacking desperation remains somewhat of a recurring theme for Melbourne City. Victory will start as warm favourites next weekend, but there are few more unpredictable teams than City. Which Melbourne City side will show up next weekend remains the question to be answered.
What now for the vanquished
To paraphrase Johnny Warren, ‘football, like life, isn’t always fair’. Indeed the football justice barometer invariably oscillates wildly, particularly when it comes to the A-League and its finals series. A bloated six-team play-off became almost ludicrous this season with seventh-placed Brisbane Roar participating following Perth Glory’s failed attempts at creative accounting. The Roar, despite missing numerous players through injury, turned in an impressive and entertaining showing before eventually succumbing in Adelaide, passing on their A-League crown in the process. But it would have felt almost inappropriate had they advanced to within 90 minutes of the season decider.
Like Brisbane, Melbourne City lost more regular-season games than they won, but it is they who advance at the expense of a Wellington Phoenix side that were in the hunt for the premiership until the last match of the season. Wellington’s abbreviated damp squib of a finals campaign should not overshadow an incredible turn-around. The Phoenix were second-from-bottom last season, but under the judicious care of Ernie Merrick they have enjoyed a rare transformation. So too, their style of football has likely been the best ever played by a New Zealand team in 14 seasons of crossing the Tasman Sea to play in Australia’s national league. There is much to look forward to for Phoenix fans.
Brisbane’s future is a little more uncertain. After three titles in four attempts, an end to a glorious era was partly one of their own doing following the peculiar sacking of Mike Mulvey just a handful of matches after winning last season’s A-League title. With Frans Thijssen appointed on an interim basis, they face the prospect of again starting from scratch. And recent A-League history suggests few first-season coaches excel.
Fans vote with their feet
Crowd figures were a matter of some conjecture in Wellington and, in particular, Adelaide over the weekend. The value of moving to Adelaide Oval and its famously long down-the-ground boundaries, against the intimacy and atmosphere provided at Hindmarsh were a recurring narrative for fans in the City of Churches over recent days. The attendance of 21,000 comfortably surpassed Hindmarsh Stadium’s capacity, although many of those attending will have endured an inferior view. The figure also far exceeds Adelaide’s last finals match two years ago which attracted just 10,000. In a weekend when Adelaide’s AFL derby was also in the offing for sports fans, it is not an insignificant number.
However, things were less rosy in Wellington where the attendance barely surpassed 10,000, almost exactly the same figure as the Phoenix’s last finals home match three years ago. It is an attendance that doesn’t match the occasion, but a kick-off time of 7pm on a Sunday is not a friendly one in any city. A-League attendances are now down 4% this season. Perhaps more curious is the lack of afterglow from the Socceroos’ Asian Cup win with this season’s figures slumping by 25% since the Asian Cup, compared to 15% in the second part of last season. An all-Melbourne derby at Etihad Stadium later this week – the first A-League intra-city finals match-up – will certainly help defray the drop in numbers.
