The big - and only winners - from last weekend were Sydney FC and Perth. The former confirmed they are still a strong chance to make the top six, whilst the Glory affirmed their intention in wanting a top two finish. The direct battle for one of the last two spots in the finals sees Melbourne Heart host Sydney, whilst in-form Newcastle Jets take on all-conquering Brisbane Roar...

Friday, 16 March 2012

Melbourne Victory - Wellington Phoenix

The Melbourne Victory's chances of making the finals were officially quashed last weekend, when the side failed to get a point against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium. Despite another loss, the club's directors have confirmed coach Jim Magilton will remain in charge fo the side, and can cull any player he sees fit. And that has already occurred, with veteran Tom Pondeljak set to leave. And with Carlos Hernandez's position tenuous at the club if media reports are to be believed, he will need to fire. The Blue and White will not to suffer another loss at home, after their embarrassing 3-1 loss to Newcastle a fortnight ago at AAMI Park.

Wellington were tipped to finish last, but have a serious chance of causing an upset in the finals. And their fightback last weekend against Melbourne Heart showed they intend to make it tough for all their opponents. With many people talking up their attacking quartet in Dani Sanchez, Paul Ifill, Tim Brown and Chris Greenacre, it has been the likes of Ben Sigmund and Andrew Durante in the defence who should have praise heaped on them, as they have the second-best defence in the competition.

The stats go against the Phoenix, as they have lost both encounters this term, and have not beaten the Victory in Melbourne in four years.

Prediction: Melbourne Victory 2-1 Wellington Phoenix

Saturday, 17 March 2012

Central Coast Mariners - Adelaide United

The Premiers Plate could be awarded as early as this weekend if Central Coast beat Adelaide and Newcastle defeat Brisbane. But if the Mariners are to receive as early as this weekend, they will need to play far better football than they have shown over the past two months. Having had their 11-point buffer cut down to just two, the Yellow and Navy need to start getting results - and fast. One win in eight matches - and none in their past five - does not spell goo signs for a team that could win a title. Tomas Rogic was preferred to Mustafa Amini against Perth, but how will Graham Arnold see this one, considering both were involved in Olyroo duties midweek?

Adelaide's attention has been squarely turned to the Asian Champions League, but it was refreshing to see the Reds bring some of their attacking flair they showed against Bunyodkor to Suncorp and face Brisbane. Unlucky not to have come away with all three points after dominating for long periods, John Kosmina will be aiming to get a win against another ACL side. 

Adelaide have not beaten CCM in their last four matches. they have played in Gosford. 

Prediction: Central Coast Mariners 2-0 Adelaide United

Newcastle Jets - Brisbane Roar

Newcastle were expected to easily dispose of a rattled Gold Coast United outfit last week, but the Queensland side had other ideas. Luckily, Nikolai Topor-Stanley was able to rescue a late equaliser and snatch a point. Now, the Jets have a tough finish to the season, as they host Brisbane and face Sydney FC next week. Gary van Egmond has gotten this side to play some attacking, exciting football, led by his strikers Ryan Griffiths and Jeremy Brockie. Ruben Zadkovich will also return from suspension, aiming to lift the side. 

The same expectations were placed on Brisbane against Adelaide United, but it was the Reds - who had returned from a flight to Uzbekistan - who took it to the Roar for most of the match, and were unlucky not to steal the three points. Without Mitch Nichols, the Queenslanders looked a shadow of themselves, but luckily for Ange Postecoglou, he will regain Henrique from suspension. 

Newcastle's record at home against Brisbane is dismal, having failed to beat the Roar in five attempts. The match has also been brought forward a day to accommodate for the visitors' Asian Champions League trip to Japan.

Prediction: Newcastle Jets 1-2 Brisbane Roar

Melbourne Heart - Sydney FC

Melbourne Heart need to learn to defend tooth an nail, especially in the final 15 minutes, if they are to pose a serious threat to any side in the finals. And facing one of their likely opponents last week in Wellington, the Heart conceded a goal with 10 minutes to go after Eli Babalj gave the home side the lead. This will be coach John van't Schip's final game in charge of the team at AAMI Park, so the players will want to send him off on the best possible note. Having also never lost to Sydney in their five meetings means the Heart fans will have full confidence of extending this run to six.

Sydney had a rare thing last week - a win. It was only a slender 1-0 victory over their opponents' cross-town rivals in Melbourne Victory, but it was enough to keep them in contention for a finals spot. The Sky Blues sit one point behind the Heart, and a win here would shoot them into the top six. 

In the minds of the MHFC players will be their 4-0 romping of the Sky Blues at the SFS - now Allianz Stadium - earlier in the season. As well, the Red and White are unbeaten in four.

Prediction: Melbourne Heart 1-1 Sydney FC

Sunday, 18 March 2012

Gold Coast United - Perth Glory

The Gold Coast have certainly given teams a run for their money this season, and this was the same when they faced Newcastle last week. Daniel Bowles hadn't read the Jets' script, as he opened the scoring during the first half. But the side showed enough defensive signs that they could scrap out an unexpected win, but conceded late to share the spoils. 

Perth are in an interesting position at the moment. Hit hard by injuries to Liam Miller and Jacob Burns, and without the services of Mile Sterjovski and Adam Hughes due to signing new contracts abroad, Ian Ferguson could be in somewhat of a pickle as he looks to field a strong and competitive outfit a fortnight before the finals. But a confidence-boosting 1-0 win over Central Coast Mariners will surely lift the mood of the team going into this one.

Perth have beaten GCU twice this term, and not conceded a goal to them. 

Prediction: Gold Coast United 2-0 Perth Glory

SoccerAnchor's Kieran Francis analyses Brisbane Roar's disappointing performance against FC Tokyo, in their first fixture in this season's Asian Champions League midweek.

As the rain tumbled down at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday night, Australian football fans watched eagerly as Brisbane Roar made their first foray into the Asian Champions League. After incredible domestic success, Brisbane were expected to flourish on the continental scene.

Their opponents FC Tokyo competed in the J-League 2 last season; the Japanese second division. The club's qualification for the ACL wasn't courtesy of league position but a win in the Emperors Cup; the Japanese FA Cup equivalent.

How could a team from the Japanese second division possibly compete with the reigning Australian champions?

Whether it was because of nerves, complacency or just not being good enough, Brisbane were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by a stylish FC Tokyo side, who played football that was reminiscent of the Roar during their unbeaten run.

Brisbane held off FC Tokyo until just before half-time when a wicked deflection off Roar's Eric Paartulu fell into the path of Yuhei Tokunaga and his cross was bundled home by Tatsuya Yazawa. Soon after half time, a clipped ball from Masato Morishige sprung the offside trap and Naotake Hanyu's shot was parried into the path of Ariajasuru Hasegawa,who gave the Japanese an unassailable lead.

It was evident early in the match that FC Tokyo's Serbian coach, Ranko Popovic, had done his homework on Brisbane's game-style. The first fifteen minutes consisted of his attacking quartet pressing hard on the Roar defence in a bid to win back possession. This is a tactic that A-League clubs have used this season to stem Roar's passing game from the back. The difference in the application by Popovic, is that he employed the tactic in bursts.

For fifteen minutes at the start of each half and the last ten minutes of both halves, FC Tokyo harassed Brisbane's defence when they were playing out of the back. Outside of those times, the Japanese side sat back and played on the counter. It wasn't a coincidence that they enjoyed periods of dominance and scored both goals in the periods they were pressing.

When A-League clubs have used the pressing tactic on Roar this season, they have fast run out of legs in the second half. It was ingenious by Popovic to use this tactic in the way he did because it's also the time that players are settling in or mentally switching off.

FC Tokyo employed their standard 4-2-3-1 formation. It is a dynamic formation that operates in a way that is much like Brisbane's set up.

In the same way that Roar's Shane Steffanuto and Ivan Franjic provide the only attacking width, FC Tokyo used their full backs, Kosuke Ota and Tokunaga to bomb down the flanks and be options out wide. Tokunaga provided the assist for the first goal and Ota was heavily involved down the left flank.

Instead of having one defensive midfielder protecting the back four, like Paartulu, FC Tokyo employed two; Hideto Takahashi and Ariajasuru Hasegawa. The duo protected the defence stoically and consistently denied Brisbane star Thomas Broich any time on the ball. Hasegawa even got himself forward to tap in the second goal after a quick counter-attack.

In front of the screening midfielders, Popovic deployed a dynamic attacking quartet that rotated positions with one being a striker and three sitting in behind. The number 11, Kazuma Watanabe was generally the lone striker but when he dropped deep to receive the ball, one of Naohiro Ishikawa, Hanyu or Yazawa which drop on to the shoulder of the last defender. This was emphasised by the first goal when Yazawa, who spent most of his time behind the striker, scored from close range.

This fluid formation complemented the first touch and passing skills of the Japanese club. The rotation of the four attackers in addition to the width created by the full backs, pushed Brisbane defensive line deep for long periods of the first half. This was reflected in the 54% - 46%  possession advantage that FC Tokyo enjoyed. A statistic rarely achieved by Brisbane's A-League opponents.

The Roar lined up in their standard, rigid 4-1-4-1 formation. With two central defenders and deep defensive midfielder, Brisbane's formation allows the full backs, Franjic and Steffanuto, to penetrate down the flanks, much like we saw from FC Tokyo. The steadiness and transition from defence to attack is provided from Paartulu and Massimo Murdocca. The attacking half  run primarily by Broich and the absent Mitch Nichols with A-League top goalscorer Besart Berisha positioning himself on the last defender. Extra width is provided by wide players such as Rocky Visconte and Henrique, who cut inside when the full backs overlap.

Almost none of this went to plan in the first 60 minutes because of the tactics designated by Popovic.

Franjic and Steffanuto were forced to sit deep in their own half because their defensive counterparts, Ota and Tokunaga, continually attacked down the wings. The few times Franjic got forward down the right were either ended by the covering defensive midfielders or he was forced to cross the ball under intense pressure.

The transition out of defence from Paartulu and Murdocca struggled to be fluid because of the Japanese' tight marking of  Broich and ineffective performance of Visconte and Henrique. Lone striker Besart Berisha did not complete a pass or have a shot a goal in the entire first half. His only impact was a successful tackle late in the first half and his few touches of the ball resulted in him being forced off it. The Albanian striker got visibly frustrated because of this and was involved in a number of incidents off the ball.

After a poor first half with not one effort on goal, Brisbane's second half was much improved. The Roar supporters must hope that this improvement was because of a gain in confidence and change in approach. It just as easily could have been because FC Tokyo could sit back with a second-half lead.

Brisbane's familiar dominant passing game returned in the second-half with Broich the architect. Coach Ange Postecoglou used the German ace in a much deeper position which negated the isolation he suffered when on the ball in the first half.

Throughout the past 18 months in the A-League, Brisbane have been famous for passing the ball around with the opposition pinned in the own half. The first time this happened was 62 minutes into the game. This shows how much the Roar struggled to maintain possession before the second goal.

In the first half, Brisbane desperately needed a striker to hold the ball up for Broich and the wide midfielders. Unfortunately it seems that lone striker Berisha is only capable of poaching goals and this was shown by the zero passes he completed in the first half. When playing in Europe, Berisha scored 27 goals in 90 games which is far below his A-League record of 17 goals in 22 games. Against quality defenders in the ACL, Berisha may struggle to replicate his domestic form.

Postecoglou has been unwavering in stating that Brisbane will not change their rigid formation in any game. With the quality of teams and tactics in the ACL, this could become their downfall if not rectified.

It doesn't get much easier for the Roar with an away trip to Chinese side Beijing Guoan on March 20 followed by a fixture in South Korea against Ulsan Hyundai a fortnight later. How they respond on these two away trips will define their Asian Champions League campaign.

The early Group G leaders, FC Tokyo, will welcome Ulsan Hyundai to the Japanese capital in a match where both teams will be looking to get their second win of the campaign and take a significant step towards qualifying for the knock-out round.

The race for the top six lost another candidate last week in the Melbourne Victory, as Newcastle grabbed a vital away win in Victoria. Are the three points assured this week when they meet Gold Coast? Central Coast, Brisbane and Adelaide played midweek Asian Champions League encounters. Will the players have recovered in time to claim the three points?

Friday, 9 March 2012

Newcastle Jets - Gold Coast United

Newcastle stunned everyone at AAMI park last, as the Jets grabbed a shock 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory, including two goals from youth team captain Jacob Pepper. Not known for their strong form on the road, Gary van Egmond's side took their possession-based football across the Murray River and it worked a treat. And five wins in six games means everyone understands the game plan and how to execute it. The only concern for the Novocastrians is Ruben Zadkovich is suspended, meaning Taylor Regan will come into the side. 

Gold Coast may have lost 2-0 to Wellington, but there is no shame is crossing the Tasman Sea and coming away without a point. Mike Mulvey conceived a game plan which seemed at times to trouble the Phoenix, but the players know they are on show for a future contract. A lot looms over their heads, after everything that has happened in the past few weeks at the club.

The Jets at Hunter Stadium should secure their spot - seemingly - in the finals with a win.

Prediction: Newcastle Jets 2-0 Gold Coast United

Saturday, 10 March 2012

Melbourne Heart - Wellington Phoenix

It was only three weeks ago that Melbourne Heart were on an eight-game losing streak, and haven't things changed dramatically since. Two 1-0 wins were followed up with a 1-1 draw against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium last weekend, but it could have been a loss had Mohamed Adnan converted his 92nd minute penalty. Clint Bolton once again came to the rescue of the Heart, and kept the side in pole position to secure a top-six berth. 

Wellington had a relatively task of beating Gold Coast last weekend, getting a 2-0 win. Two victories in a row without conceding means the New Zealand-based outfit is still aiming to claim a top-two finish, meaning a home final. Tim Brown and Dani Sanchez are the lynchpins in midfield, and if they fire, providing quality balls to Paul Ifill or Chris Greenacre, watch out.

A draw is an outcome which would suit both sides, but the Heart are aiming for a win.

Prediction: Melbourne Heart 1-1 Wellington Phoenix

Sydney FC - Melbourne Victory

The Sky Blues would have felt very hard done by as they conceded extremely late against Central Coast Mariners to draw proceedings. Luckily for Sydney, results went their way, meaning one team had fallen too far behind them in the race for the finals. But they are not quite there, as they too, require either Newcastle or Melbourne Hear to falter. Brett Emerton hosts Socceroo team-mate Harry Kewell at the SFS for the first time, making for an intriguing battle. How will the Harbourside react to CEO Dirk Melton's sacking?

The Victory are realistically out of the finals - but mathematically still in the hunt. Requiring three wins, and Newcastle, Melbourne Heart and this weekend's opponents not to get a solitary point means the Blue and Wite can all but focus on 2012/13. Kewell was both a hero and villain last weekend against the Jets, as he scored but missed a penalty. Carlos Hernandez will also miss due to suspension, as will Matthew Kemp, after he abused coach Jim Magilton after being substituted. 

A win would mean so much more to Sydney, as Melbourne are playing for pride, but the Victory may want to help out their cross-town rival and get a draw, like the other two encounters this season.

Prediction: Sydney FC 2-2 Melbourne Victory

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Brisbane Roar - Adelaide United

Two teams who were involved in midweek Asian Champions League matches face off, and both had differing results. 

Brisbane hosted FC Tokyo, and were taught a footballing lesson. Only losing 2-0 to the Japanese side, the Roar will gain a lot more from the results, and are fully aware of what it will take to progress past the Group stages. Last weekend, Mohamed Adnan had the opportunity many young players dream of: to win the match with the final kick of the ball, but his penalty was saved by Clint Bolton, meaning the points were shared against Melbourne Heart.

Adelaide had a long-distance flight to Uzbekistan to take on Bunyodkor, and came away from the encounter with a 2-1 win. But their match against perth Glory was one to forget. Despite going down 2-0, the Reds had Fabian Barbiero suspended for four matches - the remainder of the side's A-League campaign - for an ugly off-the-ball elbow on Dean Heffernan. 

The Roar - and Besart Berisha - will be aiming to repeat their 7-1 antics from earlier in the season, and should get maximum points on Sunday.

Prediction: Brisbane Roar 3-1 Adelaide United

Perth Glory - Central Coast Mariners

The two teams who have been most affected by the Asian transfer market are Perth and Central Coast.

The Glory have lost Adam Hughes and Mile Sterjovski to Chinese clubs, but it was seemingly not felt last Thursday, as the Western Australians secured a 2-0 win against Adelaide. The outfit are still in with a chance of a top-two finish, being only five points off Brisbane. And with Shane Smeltz and Liam to return to the first-team, Ian Ferguson regains crucial pieces in his line-up, which can cause havoc.

CCM have had to travel to China midweek to face Tianjin Teda - getting a scoreless draw - and now have to travel to WA. As their coach Graham Arnold says, "that's football". And their once-stranglehold on the Premier's Plate is under threat, as the Yellow and Navy have been dropping points recently. Had Troy Hearfield not scored in the final minutes last week against Sydney, the side would have lost. No Royston Griffths, as he has moved to Guangzhou. 

Perth have not beaten Central Coast the last three times they have hosted them at nib Stadium. But the Frequent Flyer miles accrued by the visitors may prove too much.

Prediction: Perth Glory 2-1 Central Coast Mariners

If you thought Gold Coast United dominated the headlines last week, then you had another thing coming this week, as 'Glitter FC' remained firmly entrenched on everyone's lips. But it was the action that did some talking, as only Sydney managed to win on the road on the weekend. League-leaders Central Coast Mariners failed to beat bottom-placed Gold Coast midweek, but have a chance to rectify this as they taken on Melbourne Heart.

Friday, 24 February 2012

Newcastle Jets - Adelaide United

The loser in this match can all but kiss their chances of making the Finals goodbye, if results go against them. Newcastle and Adelaide may have met only met 30 days ago in Bathurst, but haven't things changed since. The Jets went on a three-game winning streak, toppling Brisbane at Suncorp, and Sydney quite impressively at the SFS. But the Novocastrians came crashing to Earth last week against Perth, losing 2-0. Ben Kantorovski could make a return from Olyroo duty -depending how well he recovers from jet lag - and Labinot Haliti is ready to go.

Adelaide shot themselves in the foot last weekend by failing to get a win at home to Sydney FC. Despite having one of the best attacking combinations in the league, coach John Kosmina opted to use Sergio van Dijk alone up front. The Reds may have suffered somewhat from having to play Persipura in an Asian Champions League qualifier last Thursday, but there can be no excuse this time around. 

Newcastle at home have been quite good this term, so look for them to keep their Finals chances alive.

Prediction: Newcastle Jets 2-1 Adelaide United

Saturday, 25 February 2012

Sydney FC – Wellington Phoenix

Sydney are looking to win three matches in a row since January 2009, which is staggering considering the quality of players at the Sky Blues. With two 2-1 results in the past fortnight, the harbourside outfit have put behind them the Newcastle trouncing. Moving into the top six, a win against the Phoenix would leave them level with their opposition. 

Wellington will be keen to end their two-game losing run, having been beaten by Central Coast and Brisbane in  their last two fixtures. The Phoenix sat in second position before meeting the two beforementioned sides, but have now slid down the table, and could be sucked into the battle for the final two Finals spots. The New Zealanders will be hoping they can replicate their 4-2 win from December over the opposition, but will be missing playmaker Daniel Sanchez. Captain Andrew Durante and vice-captain Tim Brown will return for Ricki Herbert, as they have served their suspensions. 

The Sky Blues have the imperious record of not having lost to Wellington at the SFS since November 2008, and will be aiming to extend it.

Prediction: Sydney FC 2–2 Wellington Phoenix

Gold Coast United – Melbourne Victory

Gold Coast United have failed to stay out of the headlines over the past week, and former coach Miron Bleiberg was shown the door. Mike Mulvey may have taken over for their midweek clash against Central Coast, but GCU could not get a win nontheless. Despite having a 3-1 lead thanks to Chris Harold, Ben Halloran and Mitch Cooper, 'Glitter FC' conceded twice to earn a 3-3 draw. The side will also have some confidence going into this match, as it was only at the start of the month they claimed a last-minute draw against the Victory in Launceston. 

Melbourne Victory battled valiantly, but could not get the points against Brisbane Roar last weekend. A brace from Harry Kewell illustrated that he is starting to show some of the brilliant form he has displayed in the past for Leeds, Liverpool and Galatasaray. But the star player has been the only avenue to goal for the Victory, as Archie Thompson has not hit the back of the net in six outings. 

This will be GCU's third match in a week, and fatigue could start to kick in, especially as the team is very young. The Victory could pounce and get a positive result.

Prediction: Gold Coast United 1–2 Melbourne Victory

Perth Glory – Brisbane Roar

Perth have been quite solid at home recently, having claimed three wins and a draw in their last four outings. The Glory corrected a 2-1 loss to Sydney FC from a fortnight ago by defeating Newcastle Jets 2-0, with Billy Mehmet and Adam Hughes scoring. Perth seem to be the only side that can realistically overtake the Roar on the table, but will be requiring more victories - and Brisbane to slip up - in order for this to occur.

Brisbane are back - and in a big way. Three wins in a row showed they are still the team to beat. A brace from Besart Berisha and a penalty converted by Henrique helped the Queenslanders to beat a spirited Melbourne Victory outfit last weekend. Rocky Visconte and Matt Jurman are also in line to return to the first XI, meaning coach Ange Postecoglou has options in all parts of the field. 

The Glory at home are strong, and a 3-3 draw last time the two teams met at nib Stadium is a point in case. 

Prediction: Perth Glory 1–1 Brisbane Roar

Sunday, 26 February 2012

Melbourne Heart - Central Coast Mariners

FINALLY...Melbourne heart fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the side claimed their first win of 2012, ending an eight-game winless streak against Gold Coast with a 1-0 win. It certainly wasn't pretty, but an ugly win is still a win. Captain Fred returned to the Heart midfield, and his influence was immediate, as he was the one who instigated Eli Babalj putting the ball into the back of the net. The big question for coach John van't Schip revolves around whether Craig Goodwin will keep his spot in the line-up, or will Aziz Behinch replace him, as he and Mate Dugandzic and Jason Hoffman are back from Olyroo duty.

The league leaders may have gotten four points from their last two games, but they have looked far from convincing. The 2-0 win over Wellington last weekend was followed up by a 3-3 come-from-behind draw against bottom-placed Gold Coast. Tomas Rogic has been instrumental in Mustafa Amini's absence, and he has worked well alongside Matthew McGlinchey and Daniel McBreen in midfield. Also back is Mat Ryan, as the defence has not been the same since his absence. Also slotting into the back four will be Oliver Bozanic. 

The Heart are yet to beat Central Coast, and many will feel they had their best chance to do so last time the sides met, but lost 1-0 in the 89th minute.

Prediction: Melbourne Heart 0-1 Central Coast Mariners