A Bridge too far for Aloisi!
Sydney scored a crucial and uplifting win today against league leaders Central Coast Mariners.
Kossie will be happy, Michael Bridges will be happy and perhaps most importantly the Sydney fans will be happy..for now!
But they haven't been struggling this season for nothing. And again there were many worrying signs as the game went on.
Sydney started on fire. Fluent attacking football with Michael Bridges touches, strength and runs causing the Mariners a whole heap of problems and giving Sydney a physical presence up front.
And doesn't Alex Brosque look a different player. He scored two missed a penalty, but generally looks a different player now he is assisting the forward line rather than leading it.
Sydney broke at pace, Juninho, Corica, Bridges and Brosque were excellent early on.
The Mariners were down and out at two nil struggling to come to grips with the inventive Sydney play.
Sydney struggled after they scored their 3rd goal, a header through Tony Popovic after just thirty minutes. They are still an old team.
Their intensity dropped. Corica, and Juninho cannot maintain the tempo, even with a competitive Kosmina in the stands.
And Ufuk Talay enabled John Hutchison all the space in the world just outside the box, not once but twice, and didn't Hutchison finish well.
The Mariners fought hard. They are probably the fittest team in the competition. John Aloisi showed enough. He nearly worked the winner late on.
And it was the Mariners tempo which continue to cause Sydney problems.
Although some basic errors didn't help their cause. And Coach Lawrie Mckinna won't be happy
Dean Heffernan gave away a penalty. What was he doing? But he's done it a few times this season. This time he let his team badly down.
No defence on the Mariners back post enabled Popovic to score with ease.
For Sydney changing Brendan Santalab, an attacker, for full-back Zadkovic,says what most think about Ruben in defence and Sydney's bench.
And Dean Heffernan skinned Santalab and the resulting free kick nearly worked a late equalizer.
John Hutchison had a marvellous game.
But there were goals, skill and action all over the park
And what a delight to see a Sydney forward hold the ball, touch other players in and generally look like a striker, a leader.
Michael Bridge may just save Sydney's season.
Time will tell but he could be the saviour on which Kossie and the fans can rely.
With the Mariners losing, and Kossie in the hot seat, its now game-on.
3 comments:
Bridges and his runs. I hope Merrick was watching. The thing about making runs is that they're generally sacrificial. You make a run to drag a defender away with you and create a space behind you. Often such runs are overlooked by the general public, you only have a great game if you score a goal. But Bridges showed the importance of movement off the ball.
Oh, and let's not forget that Heffernan had a crucial role to play in the first goal. Assuming the play had ended he was not ready for the ball to come back into play. He was the first defender against Brosque but not at all prepared for the '2nd ball.' Such laziness and lack of preparedness in someone pushing for Socceroos spot would not have done him any favours, let alone the stupidity that overcame him in conceding the penalty.
And while we're on the penalty, since when does Brosque take them? If he was given the kick so that he could get a hat trick then that's absolute bollocks from a tactical point of view. Goals are precious in football and the needs of the team should always come before the desires of a player. It's a team game, so if a penalty is awarded may the best penalty-kicker take it... often Talay at Sydney, right?
And yes, Hutchinson had a great game. Even without his two goals he was a standout for the Mariners supporting the attackers with excellent balls and good coverage of the park. The first goal was a beauty, and to think it was with his right foot! So when he finally had a chance on his left in very much a similar position he naturally made sure of it! :)
I know yu love Danny Cecilia, and I know Danny does a lot of work off the ball, but couldn't help seeing the difference between Allsopp who is said to be very fast and Bridges
Touches, ability to hold the ball up, smart runs...and loads of frustrating offside runs..whereas Danny strong runner, good worker, plays others in? not often, holds the ball up a la Bridges hmmmn not often
what do you think
Kozzie v Muscat is coming very soon!!
Well that's why I hoped that Merrick was watching! Not from a "Watch out, this is what Bridges can do" perspective, but a "Watch this, so effective, let's get Danny/Archie/Leandro/whoever's up front to do it!" perspective.
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