Big blue anarchy
Goals, drama and incident. And, of course, refereeing controversy. It’s now becoming par for the course in the Sydney FC-Melbourne Victory derby and Saturday’s latest six-goal episode continued the narrative. Referee Strebre Delovski “almost lost control of the match” according to Victory forward Kosta Barbarouses, following a comedic penalty awarded as Sydney’s Seb Ryall tumbled to the ground. Ryall, not for the first time, did himself little credit with some insolent interaction with inadvertent offender Gui Finkler. Of course correct and incorrect decisions from match officials come and go over the course of the season, or even over the course of 90 minutes. But what is clear is that with a win Victory could have put 10 points between themselves and Sydney, a margin which would have left the Sky Blues’ premiership hopes effectively extinguished. With two quality rosters, and a match perhaps given extra edge by the added hype, the derby rarely falls to deliver. Victory may arguably possess the best attacking and midfield personnel in the league, but with eight of the past 12 “Big Blues” ending in draws a finals match between these two would likely be decided a single moment of inspiration.
Roar on the move
For the first time since early last season Brisbane Roar have strung together three wins in a row. Their run of form is certainly a million miles from their championship-winning glory days – headlined by that record-breaking 36-match unbeaten run in 2011 – but they are undoubtedly showing glimpses of the kind of high pressing, up-tempo ball movement and attack-minded full-backs which marked that era. The mid-season break certainly seems to have helped the club put aside their self-inflicted tumult. Striker Jean Carlos Solorzano has now scored five goals in his past six games, while Thomas Broich is rediscovering some of his creative artistry and now boasts a league-high six assists. Finding a replacement for the irrepressible Besart Berisha would test any club, but firstly Henrique, and now Costa Rican Solorzano have started to partly fill that considerable void. The weekend hamstring injury to Solorzano is a thus a significant blow, although Henrique is set to resume full training this week. However, the upcoming month could prove pivotal for the Roar with key matches against Victory, Perth Glory, and, potentially, Urawa Red Diamonds in the offing.
David against David
Rarely has there been a contest between teams as out of form as Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers. Indeed, statistically there has never been such a match-up. With just a win apiece from their combined 30 games this season, never have two teams taken the field in the A-League with such a poor combined win ratio. And of course not just out of form, but troubled off the park too. The seismic ructions at Newcastle Jets – the level of which is almost unprecedented in the A-League – have been well documented, but all is also not well at Wanderland. Their troubles on the field have been clear to see, but so too off it where the PFA allege inappropriate treatment of players. A pay dispute at the Fifa Club World Cup was viewed dimly by Wanderers management and four players have “agreed termination” in the past month alone. The modest fare on offer in Saturday’s 1-1 draw was to be expected, and ultimately it is probably the Jets who will take more from the result having lost four of their five past outings. For the Wanderers, it is a case of two steps forward, one step back after the resilient win over the Phoenix six days earlier. Just a few months back the Wanderers defence were consistently able to remain strong against the best Asia had to offer. Yet on Saturday they were unable to hold out for five minutes against a club that could only currently be described as dysfunctional.
Top six set?
Brisbane moved into a finals position with their win over Central Coast Mariners tipping out Melbourne City from sixth place. It is easy to imagine the same top six teams contesting the finals series. Rarely in the A-League’s 10-season history has there been such a gulf between the top and bottom sides. The gap from the summit to the basement currently sits at 26 points, even though we are only just past a third of the way into the competition. The same number of points separated top and bottom after all 27 rounds last season, that in a year when Brisbane Roar were runaway victors.
Small is beautiful
The National Soccer League’s erratic nature and varying membership helped produce exactly 100 different venues in its 37-year existence. The gloriously monikered Brendan Foot Supersite Hutt Recreation Ground played host for Wellington Phoenix’s home fixture on Saturday and took the A-League’s tally to 37, although many of those have been one-offs due to temporary ground unavailability. Nine of those venues have been in New Zealand and the Phoenix were rewarded for their latest travelling roadshow as a healthy 9,232 – marginally higher than their season average – piled in, with their usual home unavailable for three games due to the Cricket World Cup. That the venue is just 20 minutes from Wellington helps attract the match-day regulars, and Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick was certainly singing the praises of a “boutique stadium”, musing over the value of smaller venues and the atmosphere provided in comparison to their invariably sparsely filled home.
