Two multiple-goal thrashings, a second loss on the trot for the league leaders and another spineless performance from the Knights, so much for tightly congested football in the A-League!
The glut of goals and unbalanced scorelines this week probably indicates that the teams are starting to find their peak fitness, tactical awareness and skill levels. On their day any side, with the exception of the Knights, is able to produce a big effort and wipe the opposition off the turf. From here on, consistency and mental toughness are going to become deciding factors. Determined sides like the Mariners can blow away question-riddled outfits like the Glory. Overconfidence remains a problematic issue for Sydney. For the Knights, the lack of a results-based attitude is widening the gap between last place and the rest of the table: a few draws here and there might have helped. Adelaide and the Jets are enigmatic to say the least. From one game to the next it's impossible to predict which team will grace the park, the tactical supremos or the overwhelmed duds. And as for Victory, who have probably become overnight title favourites after their dominating 5-0 performance over Sydney, one wonders if the pressure of success in this sports mad city will start to build and build, negatively influencing performance and results?
At the moment, certainly, Victory is flying high and looking good. Rampaging fullback Kevin Muscat has been a large factor in Victory's success. Muscat has definitely earned an international recall, impressing even his heavy detractors (including me). Craig Foster pointed out that Muscat was always a decent player of the ball but after so many years in the English lower-leagues he became overly reliant on his tough safety game. But now we're seeing a Muscat renaissance, replete with roulettes, rabonas, rollovers and sharp penalty taking, and it's actually quite pleasurable to witness! He may not get a gig against Uruguay, but for the upcoming campaign in Asia it's hard to think of a better locally-based captain for the national team (sooky Ned Zelic? I think not). Nice work, Kev.
Archie Thompson is, of course, the other Melbourne standout. His game has great range. His pace is always a nuisance, and when he's on fire it looks like he can keep motoring all day. I've always been a touch dubious of his close-to-the-body ballwork, but at times he can produce the Midas touch. Anyone who's seen footage of his best goals for Lierse knows what I'm talking about, as do the 18,000 who attended the weekend's match versus Sydney. It might be asking for too much, but a brace against the South Americans next month would have to just about earn him the keys to the city you'd think.
I think I might wait until the conclusion of the tenth round before compiling a summary of league and player performances to date. This week demonstrated that the putative closeness of the A-League is an extremely fluid and relative notion, which makes for wonderful football but problematic analysis. I'm just going to sit back for a couple more weeks and enjoy the show!
Best of Round Eight:
Player: Archie Thompson (pictured) - a super-confident return from international duty; his pace and form must put him in contention for a starting place against Uruguay
U-20 Player: Adrian Leijer - another comfortable outing against Dwight Yorke
Coach: Ernie Merrick - bringing in Byrnes at left back to form possibly the best defensive foursome in the league; the result: a 5-0 whitewash
Match: Adelaide United vs Newcastle United Jets
Referee: Mark Shield
Goal: Hyuk-soo Seo - after a simple Carro layoff, a stunning curvaceous half-volley from even further out than last week that caught Milosevic a touch off his line
4-4-2 Team of the Week:
Archie Thompson - Tom Pondeljak
Adrian Caceres - Nick Carle - Hyuk-soo Seo - Richard Kitzbichler
Mateo Corbo - Ned Zelic - Michael Beauchamp - Kevin Muscat
Eugene Galekovic
Subs: Andrew Clark, Richard Johnson, Stewart Petrie, Scott Higgins
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