Asian Cup break couldn’t have come soon enough for slumping sides

Western Sydney Wanderers can’t win, Sydney FC can’t score and Newcastle Jets can’t defend (although when the latter two sides met each other, their game ended in a 0-0 draw – with Sydney dominating but not scoring and Newcastle not doing a whole lot well but somehow not conceding). The Wanderers, Sydney and Newcastle have the worst form in the competition, with only one win between the three sides in the last seven rounds. But it’s not only those three clubs that are struggling. Defending champions Brisbane Roar go into the break having suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of Wellington and have struggled to get back to the level of football that brought them so much success in the past. All four clubs will be looking to strengthen heavily during the Asian Cup break. Sydney need reinforcements after suffering four season-ending injuries and have already confirmed the signing of Senegalese holding midfielder Mickael Tavares while Brisbane Roar announced that former Wanderers right-back Jerome Polenz has signed with the club to add competition for places. Two current Wanderers players – Kwabena Appiah and Daniel Mullen – are rumoured to be moving to Newcastle and there are question marks over the future of imports Vitor Saba and Seyi Adeleke. The Asian Cup break has come at the right time for these clubs to re-group.

Perth Glory’s bogey side

Sitting comfortably at the top of the table as the league enters its January break, Perth Glory have proved difficult to beat. A combination of hard working players (in coach Kenny Lowe’s words “honest” and “blue collar”) mixed with the quality offered by imports Nebojsa Marinkovic and Andy Keogh has seen Glory lose just twice in the A-League – both of which were at the hands of Adelaide United. On top of the inaugural FFA Cup final, Adelaide also beat Glory in pre-season and while Lowe denies they are a bogey side, he will be grateful he only has to face Josep Gombau’s men once more in the regular season.

Central Coast Mariners do know how to score

Goals and wins have been hard to come by for Phil Moss’s Central Coast side but a brace from Mitchell Duke gave them both against Melbourne City on Sunday. After taking over the job from Graham Arnold last season, Moss has been trying to shift his side to a more possession-based philosophy but it has helped neither their defence nor their attack this season. Prior to their game this weekend, the Mariners had averaged the second most passes per game, behind only Brisbane Roar but needed on average 557 passes per goal. This was because the Mariners often, in an attempt to play out from the back, looked to keep control of the ball but their passing and player rotation was slow which allowed opponents to get back into shape and regain possession once Central Coast tried to pass forward through a compact defence. But against City, Central Coast did not have the lion’s share of the ball, passing only 383 times in a game where their opponents were reduced to 10 men after 58 minutes. When the Mariners did have the ball, they moved it forward quicker and with more purpose and by having a better mix of attackers on the park, they were rewarded with two goals and the three points. Food for thought for Moss.

The end of Newcastle’s back five?

When Newcastle Jets finally won a game in Round 11 against Adelaide, you couldn’t help but feel their back five approach was somewhat unsustainable. Coach Phil Stubbins had undergone a full pre-season with his new team and while the squad noticeably lacked the star quality of Perth or Melbourne Victory, a minimum expectation was to enter the season with some kind of visible plan. But that didn’t happen. From the start of the season it was clear that Stubbins was unsure of his best formation, his best approach and his best line up. Therefore shifting to a back five system after no wins in 10 games felt like a reactive decision. Yes it worked against an Adelaide side that were off their game, but against Victory, Melbourne City and Sydney FC it did not. For the second game in a row, Stubbins abandoned his starting plan at half-time, shifting to a back four to address glaring defensive and structural issues. Sydney FC dominated the first half and made use of their free players as Newcastle set up with no direct opponent to the Sky Blues’ full-backs – it was right-back Aaron Calver that was free to cross to the back post when Marc Janko’s spectacular volley was disallowed for offside.

Ernie Merrick is one of the best in the business

When we look back at the short history of the A-League, we do so fondly at the job Ange Postecoglou did with Brisbane Roar. In many ways, the Socceroos boss revolutionised the way football is played in our current domestic competition but there is also a risk of devaluing what teams and coaches did before Postecoglou’s success. Ernie Merrick is one of those underappreciated coaches. A two-times championship and premiership winning A-League boss, when Merrick left Melbourne Victory it looked like he may never be given another chance. But in his second season with Wellington Phoenix, Merrick has his side playing some of the best and most balanced football in the competition and they sit in second spot behind Perth. Tellingly, Wellington have the equal best attack and defence in the league, testament to the well-oiled yet adaptable system Merrick has implemented. Phoenix always look to dominate midfield by creating overloads in the centre of the park and attack by making quick runs in behind opposition defences. Even without key attackers Nathan Burns (Socceroos duty) and Roy Krishna (injured), the Phoenix scored three goals for the second time in a week when they beat Brisbane Roar 3-0. A Scotsman with a fantastically dry sense of humour, Merrick can be pleased with the work his side has done so far as they are on track to play finals football this season.