A-League – Adelaide United v Western United – Apr 30, 2021
The present is confusing. The future is confusing. And the past is confusing. That’s my takeaway from Friday night’s game at Coopers Stadium.
Let’s start with the present, since we’re already here. The game ended a scoreless draw. Both sides ended up down a man, Western United the worse off there having played an hour with only 10. They also should have won the game, the majestic Alessandro Diamanti playing a breathtaking pass under pressure for Dylan Pierias to score.
Then VAR had a look. And we’ve all seen this movie before.
Andrew Mangan on the Arseblog Arsecast podcast talks about his mistrust of VAR; how it now actively looks for reasons to disallow goals. People with better technical knowledge than me point out the frame rate of the VAR cameras – and the angles used – are not good enough to accurately allow anyone to make an assessment of whether a player was offside by a micro-millimetre.
Fans worldwide are ready for VAR to essentially f**k right off.
Rather than the ‘clear and obvious’ decisions it was meant to help referees with, it’s now a Kafka-esque layer of bureaucracy inserting itself into every nook and cranny of our football-following lives, like a perverse version of Clippy, the old Microsoft paper clip. It looks like you’re trying to enjoy a soccer game. Would you like me to disallow a goal for…reasons?
And here’s the kicker: no-one is accountable. And as ever with referees, no-one from within is allowed to say anything (which is not necessarily their choice – and there must be frustration in the group because the silence is very easy to perceive as arrogance, and I just don’t buy the argument referees are largely ego-driven).
So we have on-field decisions being made not just out-of-stadium but interstate because… we don’t know why; and when we ask for an explanation we get tumbleweeds. The result is a beautiful move and well-taken goal by a side on the road and a man down ruled out.
In his post-game press conference Western United manager Mark Rudan had a partial solution. “I wouldn’t mind them coming in here…and explain themselves. The guys in the VAR booth, explain why you’re making the line the way you are.”
Before finishing with, “it’d be good for us coaches to know.”
Ouch.
Look, my team benefited from all of this. It was a “a point we were lucky to get”, Carl Veart said, while also lamenting the fact VAR continually steals headlines from what has been a genuinely good A-League season so far.
Somehow a system has been created and implemented to improve the game overall and critical decision-making in particular, and it’s failing. It’s now sucking the joy from the game and apparently no-one has the ability – or recourse – to do anything about it. And here in Australia, I’m not sure the sport can sustain it. How do you attract new fans when existing supporters feel the game they love has been inherently, and needlessly, undermined?
(Having written that I now have a nagging suspicion I heard someone else make the Microsoft paperclip comparison already, but I can’t find it anywhere in my usual reads. Just note any credit might be someone else’s)
*****
As for the past, I’m trying to recall how it got so bad VAR was ever considered in the first place. This disallowed goal for England at the 2010 World Cup is usually one of the examples given, and rightly so.
But correcting something this blatantly obvious is a million miles from fuzzy still screens with dotted lines painfully positioned at sleeve tips, or toes, or noses. Honestly, it’s like watching your elderly GP type details on their computer.
I wanted VAR as it was originally proposed. I was wrong. And maybe I was naïve, because in hindsight it was always destined to become a monster.
*****
Now, the future.
We had a glimpse, as brothers Mohamed and Al Hassan Toure waited, nervous energy and youthful determination, ready to come onto the pitch. They joined young forward Kusini Yengi who had earlier replaced Tomi Juric.
And there it was: the club’s future. Young, mobile, powerful and slightly frantic; the excitement quotient with these three is almost limitless.
Except it’s not the future, not really. All three players will leave or be sold – hopefully to clubs overseas and not other A-League teams – probably before we know it. It’s not the future at all, rather a moment in time. A brief window we may look back at wistfully in years to come.
These are players people would come to watch. Their stories are worth sharing on a human level, not simply football.
Which is why it’s so critical the game wrests back some control and a start is leaving VAR behind. We want people to come and enjoy the game. To see young talent shine, and players like Alessandro Diamanti show their world-class skills.
And as confusing as the past, present and future may be, sport’s inherent optimism will keep us coming back.
*****
This week’s tweet was written with one eye on the injury time melee on the pitch, wondering if I would need to include that too, so if it feels a little hollow…what’s different to normal? Sorry. You’re welcome.
A-League – Central Coast v Adelaide United – Apr 1, 2021
A-League – Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers – Apr 10, 2021
A-League – Adelaide United v Macarthur FC – Apr 14, 2021
They say it’s the hope that kills you, but I’m starting to think it’s the missed chances.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. We pick up this adventure as Adelaide United visit the Central Coast where the soccer gods and their mischievous script writers upped the ante. Having only recently squeaked past the Mariners at home via three fortunate penalties, in Gosford the home side is awarded two spot kicks.
And Adelaide’s man of the moment, Joe Gauci, saves both.
One analysis of 100,000 penalties over 10 years suggests the probability of a single save is 17.57%. It doesn’t list the likelihood of two in the same game, but it must be dramatically reduced. Watching a young keeper, fresh off a headline-grabbing performance, save two pens is outrageous. The Cult of Joe keeps growing.
But with the highs come lows, and a fumble by Gauci allowed Central Coast to score the winner after coming from behind. It ended our six-game winning streak, and it was a frustrating way for that to happen. Deflating though it was, it wasn’t a traumatic loss. There was a lot to like, and a lot to learn from this one. Provided the coaching team and players identify and work on those elements of our rapidly developing game it was one to take on the chin, dust ourselves down and move on.
*****
Back home we faced two teams we’re fighting for finals places. And those missed chances really came to the fore. They haven’t killed us, but we’d do well to heed the warning.
What I’m really enjoying about the season is the feeling we’re learning something about this Adelaide United side. Carl Veart’s still such a young coach, and through circumstance and external forces we are a club looking to field local talent for reasons as pragmatic (read: financial) as they are cultural.
Part of this learning is watching how the side responds to opposition tactics here at Hindmarsh. As I write we’re second on the ladder by a point, and for all intents and purposes ahead of schedule. Our attacking threat is now clear, and teams arrive here ready to sit deep and hit on the counter. Veart’s job then, is to build a side capable of overcoming these stifling tactics, and to develop his in-game management to respond to what’s happening.
Playing through packed defences has been problematic – see Perth and Sydney as examples – and against Western Sydney it was noticeable how we added to our attacking movement. Ryan Strain was eye-catching with his runs inside from right back. Ben Halloran was staying out wide, drawing defenders and creating space. He’s positioned for a run to the goal line, or a cross from out wide, with Strain pushing right into the penalty area.
For Juric’s goal, the ball came to the right from a central area. Strain played it across to Halloran who then drove forward, while Strain stayed back in a position that would allow him to drive into the box if Halloran needed a release ball. The defenders watch Halloran’s wider, more advanced run and space opens up for Strain to attack. It’s a nice evolution of what we’ve been doing and shows Veart adapting to the individual qualities of the players in the squad.
Last night Strain levelled up, and rather than simply adding to attacks around the area, seemed confident enough to take the ball on runs through midfield. As Macarthur’s structure transitioned from a back 3 to a flat 5 – with wingers tucking in alongside the centre halves – United’s right back simply roamed forward using the space their backtracking created.
With Halloran and Goodwin out wide – on the left he was working the inside channel, allowing full back Joshua Cavallo a more conventional overlapping role – and Juric and Mauk in the centre, the visiting defenders had a lot to try to negate. Juande typically stays back as a one-man screen to Adelaide’s centre backs, as their wider teammates join our forward movement.
Even down a man after D’Arrigo was sent off against Western Sydney, Veart’s side utilised a nominal 4-4-1 formation which gave us a defensive solidity with the option of width in attack if the right moment was there. It’s a sign of a manager trusting his team can show their smarts as required.
Further evolution can be seen in our increased aerial attack, looking to use Juric’s height and strength – he opened the scoring with a smart, cushioned header against the Wanderers, and took advantage of a pinpoint ball from Goodwin and – Macarthur’s defenders falling asleep – to head the opening goal last night.
But it’s his position in Adelaide’s build up play that really caught my eye. This shot is typical of what he was doing.
Juric is a man living offside. He was constantly a foot or two ahead of the central defenders, watching his teammates like a hawk. There were hand signals to wingers and fullbacks with the ball when he was offside, or not ready. But when he saw the moment, he stepped back to play himself onside and then sprung into action, taking off on a run, ready for a pass and the chance to go one-on-one with the keeper.
It was almost exhausting to watch, but showed a side working on ways to beat stacked defences. From Strain’s coming inside and hitting the area, to the aerial crosses into a centre forward, to that same player looking to create his own counter attacking chances, Adelaide United is a side finding alternatives to simply trying to pass the ball through defenders.
It won’t always work but it’s really pleasing to see the team’s capabilities develop, especially as expectation increases.
But having worked so hard to create chances, we need to be better at taking them. Across these two home games there were some poor touches, miscommunication and pretty glaring misses – two weirdly similar chances from an acute angle in each game with a virtually unguarded goal in front of the Red Army spring to mind – which, if taken, really change the complexion of a game and force visiting teams to open up in search of goals.
And ultimately that could be our best bet at getting through stubborn opponents: taking our chances and forcing visiting teams to play a more expansive game, creating space our players can really exploit. As it is we’re adding to our attacking arsenal and developing into a team equipped to take the game to opponents who want to stifle us.
As we sit in second, with 4 points from these two games, it’s really not a bad place to be.
*****
Limerick time, and there’s two for the two home games. Double sorry and you’re welcome.
A-League – Adelaide United v Sydney FC – Mar 28, 2021
It’s amazing how a game can go for over 90 minutes, but the result can hinge on a split second.
A literal split second.
Looking for six wins in a row, Adelaide United returned home after back-to-back road trips as a team in form. So much so, captain Stefan Mauk was happy to publicly declare there were goals in his side.
“We know we’re gonna score every game so its just about making sure we defend well”.
Sydney – predictably enough – got the memo and – predictably enough – were resolute. Teams are coming to Coopers and taking the home side’s attacking threat seriously. Like Newcastle before them, Sydney were quick to get numbers back, and looked to release to Kosta Barbarouses on the break to score.
United responded by pushing hard. With width coming from Ben Halloran, Craig Goodwin and the overlapping Javi Lopez and Ryan Strain, the growing-in-confidence Kusini Yengi was rampaging through the middle. His relentless work rate was clear watching at the ground, but even then, Opta really underscored how busy he was.
But despite recent results and all the attacking potential, Adelaide couldn’t find the killer pass. Sydney were canny enough to make things difficult, and United were taking a beat too long to move the ball around. A fraction more speed to the passing may well have created the space we needed, but the required zip to break through wasn’t quite there.
An early – and worrying from Carl Veart’s update – injury to Lopez saw a reshuffle with Josh Cavallo moving to left back and new arrival Juande debuting in midfield. Deep in midfield. Had Jordan Elsey and Mikael Jakobson been whispering Shakespeare’s sonnets to each other, the Spaniard may have been impressed – or wondered what strange English we speak in Adelaide.
An intriguing first half ended 0-0. The most revealing stats were Shots and Shooting Accuracy.
Sydney 3 and 66.67% respectively.
United? 8 shots. A miserable 12.5% accuracy.
The second half evened things up. Overall Adelaide still looked more likely to score, but weren’t putting the same amount of pressure on Sydney. Most of the play was now taking place in midfield, and both teams were showing signs of mental fatigue with passes missing the mark or being intercepted more frequently.
While Juande sat deep in the first half, he appeared more comfortable in the second and was effective in breaking up passing moves – an experienced head with a sense of where to be when. I was dubious about his signing, but on this first game he seems match fit and ready to go. He’s also someone whose experience will be a great teacher for D’Arrigo, Caletti and Cavallo.
Possession and shot stats demonstrate how much more even the second half was, with Sydney levelling shots at 14 each for the match and lifting possession to 45.1% for the match, up from the first half’s 36.8.
And it was here we would see how well Mauk’s side could defend.
A home of crowd of 8451 became increasingly involved as the game edged towards its conclusion. The closer to 90 minutes we got the more this one would hurt to lose. And all it takes is a split second.
Eventually an Adelaide attack ended with a penalty awarded. From the stands its hard to tell, but I honestly thought VAR would overturn this. The screen at Coopers isn’t great for replays, and it all looked a bit …fortunate.
But it stood, and Goodwin stood over it. Adelaide 1-0.
Now the crowd was really up. And now Sydney upped the ante. The attacks came swiftly, lots of width used to try to catch Adelaide’s last line out and create room. Two minutes after the penalty, Gauci makes a save.
And breathe.
Then in the 89th minute Sydney play the ball out right to Barbarouses in space, he puts in a glorious cross for Patrick Wood and…somehow, Joe Gauci sticks out his right hand and sends it over the bar. Holy shit. The sheer volume of the noise inside Coopers. It was one of those moments where a stadium of people saw something, recognised it was good and responded appropriately, but until we saw replays we didn’t know quite how good it was.
It was a stunning save, and one he had no right to make. No time to think, no margin for error. A striker almost on top of him, and Gauci has had a moment he’ll remember for a long time. The instant reaction from teammates said it all.
Then – having seen out six minutes of added time – Shaun Evans blew the whistle and Jordan Elsey made a beeline for his keeper, embracing him. Hopefully on behalf of 8500 people.
“…it’s just about making sure we defend well”.
It was impossible to know how Mauk’s words from just a few days ago would be so prescient. But here we are. The solitary goal was hard work, but this mixed bag of a team in terms of age and experience stood up defensively.
Adelaide United is now sitting second on the ladder.
And it was made possible by a literal split second – a save of the year contender from a young goalkeeper.
*****
I really wish I had time to re-do this week’s limerick and make it all about Joe Gauci, but (self-imposed) rules are rules. Sorry and you’re welcome.
A-League – Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets – Mar 5, 2021
As this game kicked off Adelaide United were sitting fifth on the ladder, Newcastle tenth, with just two points separating them. The Jets had a better goal difference: minus 3 to our minus 4, but Adelaide had a game in hand.
Will the real favourite please stand up?
In games like this it’s usually the home side, but this is soccer: a sport designed to make it simultaneously difficult to score, but where it can also happen in the blink of an eye. The so-called underdog is one slip, ricochet or poor tackle from a goal at any time.
And it started with the home side scoring first. Not six minutes on the clock and a blind, slightly panicked Steven Ugarkovic clearance landed at the feet of D’Arrigo in the Newcastle box. His first A-League goal was composed, very well taken, and looked like a platform for United to go on and score a few.
But Newcastle wasn’t having that.
Their wary approach to defending stepped up a notch after the goal. Here’s a picture I took at 7.17pm according to my phone, making it about 12 minutes into the game. The ball’s being played down Adelaide’s right, and we haven’t left our half yet. Count the line of Newcastle defenders.
It’s effectively a back 6, with 2 midfielders looking to add support. This is what Adelaide had to find a way through. The visitor’s pattern was set: defend deep, hit fast on the counter using Valentino Yuel’s pace. The onus was on us to use our possession well, and then be ready for rapid attacks.
Except…the goal actually came when the Jets pushed numbers forward. Once they backed themselves they looked a tidy unit, and comfortable on the ball.
Ugarkovic tried to hit a freakish equaliser; a lofted, outside of the boot effort hitting the crossbar. In time-honoured tradition the TV commentators talked up the shot, while conveniently overlooking the fact Delianov had it covered and would have made the save had the ball dropped under the bar.
‘It just wouldn’t dip enough’, says Robbie Slater on Fox Sports, completely ignoring the massive gloved hand about to prevent it going into the goal if it had ‘dipped enough’. It’s one of those (endearing? I don’t know) quirks those of us who come to soccer from other sports have to get used to. It was a good attempt. It was 100% never going to be a goal.
That came a few minutes later. The Jets worked some space, and bang, there it was – a bolt past the keeper at the near post. Slater says the keeper should have saved it, but man it was struck hard and pure. Sometimes you’re just beaten, and all credit goes to Connor O’Toole for that one. A beautifully taken goal.
From here the game fell into a weird limbo. Newcastle’s natural tendency was to sit deep, but their goal had come from getting numbers forward – and they didn’t seem certain of which tactic to follow. Halloran smashed a shot against the post, a Newcastle header came off the underside of the bar, and Craig Goodwin in his first game at home since returning to Adelaide hit a typically glorious free kick against the post, though I suspect (as per a few paragraphs back) Jack Duncan in goal had it covered anyway, and watching the highlights back only makes me more certain.
Goodwin did the damage soon after, stealing the ball from Ugarkovic amidst sustained Adelaide pressing, and showed his quality by coolly slotting a goal that was harder than it looked.
And that’s what I took from a pretty even, if tactically unsure game. Goodwin returning has given us a balance we were lacking, adding a touch of class to a promising – and potentially very exciting – young side. Halloran and Goodwin on the flanks offer hard running, crosses, and the ability to cut inside and join the fun in the box.
The game needed someone to step up and win it. Goodwin’s natural talent, ability, and comfort back at Coopers Stadium meant he was able to do just that.
*****
Right. We need to talk about Stefan Mauk.
His willingness to go down in the box is there for all to see, and it’s become a problem. He should have seen a second yellow card and been sent off last night.
It’s another quirk of soccer: not awarding a penalty, but also not penalising a player for going down too easily in an attempt to win one. Sometimes it has to be one or the other. As always it’s at the referee’s discretion (I think I’m right in saying VAR can look at the penalty decision, but doesn’t have the power to investigate a yellow card, just red card incidents) but this looked clear from the stands.
All I can think is referee Stephen Lucas felt Mauk’s first yellow not long before was in fact soft, and he didn’t warrant being sent off for two middling offences in the space of 10 minutes. I also wonder if Lucas and VAR were penalty-shy after the Central Coast game. I don’t blame them.
Still, I hope Carl Veart has a quiet chat with him. If he stays on his feet the penalties will come, because he causes defenders real problems in the box. He doesn’t need the theatrics.
*****
Limerick time? Sure. Sorry and you’re welcome.
A-League – Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners – Feb 19, 2021
‘Controversy over the penalty’ said Adam Peacock on the broadcast. There’s 30 minutes on the clock and Adelaide United’s first soft penalty is upheld by VAR, before Tomi Juric equalises.
Controversy over the penalty.
Oh how little we knew back then.
As I write this, the morning after the night before, I’m going to ignore a lot of the main talking points. They have been – and will be – done to death. Refs, VAR, dives, horrendous tweets at players, the worth of the A-League as a whole: a seemingly innocuous 6.35pm kick-off on a Friday night has provided plenty to unpack.
So leaving that for others to dissect, let’s start with Alou Kuol’s goal. It was an absolutely wonderful piece of vision, understanding and skill finished off by the hottest young player in the league. Genuinely breathtaking, and one of my favourite goals I’ve ever seen at Hindmarsh. It’s up there with Fabian Barbiero against the Roar, Qu’s chip, Leckie versus Pohang Steelers and Bruce Djite’s goal against us for Gold Coast (remember that? Remember them?!)
Hopefully it doesn’t get completely overlooked in all the noise around the game.
Beyond that there’s the sheer, utter conviction of Carl Veart. Facing the league leaders, on a losing streak, he’s backing his side. That much is clear as United open this game with an impressive – almost muscular – period of possession. With the day’s heat just lingering, it was a chance to run Central Coast bit ragged, letting them chase the ball around Hindmarsh.
A week ago this United side lost 4-0 to the A-League’s newest team. They’ve conceded more than any side so far this season. They are a work in progress, a project youth, and still a great unknown. Maybe even more so after last night.
So to see them start in such an assured style is really pleasing. The coach is backing his boys, and crucially they’re taking the baton and running with it. And look, this is no peak Barcelona tiki taka. There’s a similar DNA though. Pass, move. Pass, move. Players demanding the ball on the ground, and Caletti and D’Arrigo quickly pressing Mariners players if it’s lost. You have to make all that possession mean something though, and as Central Coast started to grow into the game it happens.
It’s a dreadful moment for Jordan Elsey. But keeper Delianov walks over, slaps the hands-on-knees defender on the arse and says (I’m guessing) let’s get on with it. Again, this is the attitude fans want to see.
Half-time comes and it’s 1-1. As ever, soccer is subjective, because Mariners admin and I were watching a different game it seems.
The second half is a blur of chaos, one of those games sport occasionally throws up where form, ladder, expectations and all rationale is chucked out the window. It’s like Loki has taken over scriptwriting. Like everyone involved has taken a lick of a crazy totem on the way up the tunnel. In the stands people are simply shaking their heads and laughing.
And it ends 3-2 to Adelaide. Somehow.
The gnashing of teeth had already started, once the whistle goes it simply intensifies. And through it all one basic thing has been overlooked. @AUFCNEWS has it right.
Central Coast hung on in the first half and were gifted a freak goal – as well-taken as it was by De Silva.
Their second half was better, especially the one spectacular moment of quality from Kuol. But with that came a whole lot of Matt Simon shithousery – his hip and shoulder on López in particular was a spiteful piece of play from a footballer who’s always capable of descending to thuggery in the blink of an eye.
So forget subjectivity, let’s look at stats from the official app.
Overall the Mariners had less possession, a hundred less passes with lower passing accuracy, gave away more fouls, had a lower tackle success rate, 4 yellow cards to 1 and a red card after the final whistle. Anger at VAR and losing to three soft penalties is absolutely fair – we would all be furious, and #sokkahtwitter is full of neutrals who are – but get past that and the Mariners were not as good as they think they were.
All topped off by them having more shots and a better shooting accuracy. Still they couldn’t win. At its most simple: if they played as well as people are claiming, they would have won this game.
Instead United have 3 points, Juric has 3 goals, and the first game of the weekend has given enough talking points to last the rest of the week.
Controversy over the penalty? How innocent were we back then.
*****
Limerick time. I mean, what else can you say? Sorry and you’re welcome.
A-League – Adelaide United v Perth Glory – Feb 5, 2021
An unseasonally cool evening at Coopers Stadium saw Perth come from behind to defeat Adelaide United 2-1. It was a hard loss to take, demonstrated by the players all slumping to the ground on conceding the deflected winner. There was a sense of inevitability about the result though – not because United were bad, but because an experienced (and yeah, I mean old) side was allowed to get away with a fair amount of niggle and in the end they suffocated us.
Meanwhile, we see yellow for winning the ball in a tackle.
But it’s not (all) about the ref. Once we had the lead the players and coaching staff knew exactly how this game would go.
“We built pressure in that second half”, said Perth coach Richard Garcia. “Adelaide gave us that little more room, but I think that’s due to us keeping the ball so well.”
And this is apparent in the possession stats.
We just couldn’t hold on in the end. Perth have some canny operators, and the leeway afforded by the officials when not in possession played a part.
From the start United’s midfield didn’t offer the visitors as much space as previous games. Carl Veart’s tactics to combat Perth’s dynamic forward line saw players sat deeper, leaving Tomi Juric isolated up top, with Stefan Mauk sitting around the halfway line. Our wingers came narrow to tuck in closer to D’Arrigo and Caletti, and through the first half were alert and diligent in doing so.
This appeared to give us a 4-4-1-1 shape, almost becoming 4-5-1 if Mauk came back deeper to close down space as Perth built from the back. It worked too: Castro, Fornaroli and Keogh weren’t overly threatening. D’Agostino was everywhere though, defending on Perth’s right side, then taking possession and looking for Castro, or cutting in to work through United’s backs.
It was his defensive actions that initially caught my eye. He was quick to put a hand on the shoulder when United threatened to break. It became apparent quickly this was a systematic approach to break up Adelaide attacks.
So Perth’s tactic on losing possession was to grab shirts, pull players and put hands over shoulders. They were cynical in this too – relentless and looking to do it on the referee’s blind side. As frustrating as it is for supporters, a ref can’t blow for something he doesn’t see.
What is also meant was a chance at a numerical advantage. If through a challenge they created a turnover, these methods could prevent United’s players from being in a position to get back to defend. Perth were looking to hit us quickly with both more players and more space available.
Being able to get through the first half up a goal was really pleasing.
And then that second half.
Losing Mauk and Halloran to near exhaustion and injury hurt us, but seeing Diego Castro drop a bit deeper to avoid some of the congestion and create space to put in some dangerous passes was a bigger factor to my mind. Like the West Indies’ golden era fast bowlers: if one of his passes doesn’t create a chance to score, another one will.
Veart acknowledges Perth were the better side and laments his team’s lacking “that bit of experience and I suppose…football smarts”.
But this is the season Adelaide United is primed for, and probably expecting. A young manager and a young side will see ups and downs. It feels like I could contextualise every loss like this, looking for the positives and any growth shown, because its where we find ourselves.
More than anything it’s a chance for a young coach and a young side to start building something. Losing to Perth again sucks. Losing to a side who use AFL tagging tactics and get away with it sucks. There’s a lot to look forward too though; and developing the football smarts Veart wants to see is a big part of that.
****
There was also some social media shithousery going on after a Stefan Mauk halftime interview came back to bite him and saw Perth’s Neil Kilkenny more than return serve. It’s one of those things fans at the ground miss happening, and aren’t necessarily aware of the subplot it adds to the second half of a game.
Added to VAR reviews – when being at the ground leaves you feeling out of the loop – and there’s some work for all stakeholders to do to make sure being at the game is the full experience it should be.
These aren’t easy issues to solve, and not any one group’s responsibility, but we need to be attracting more fans to games – not leaving those who do make the effort feeling disenchanted with the experience.
****
Limerick time. This fell together quite quickly when we were up and needed some tweaking after losing the lead. As always, sorry and you’re welcome.
A-League – Brisbane Roar v Adelaide United – Jan 30, 2021
A few months ago I did something I’ve done a thousand times before: made a coffee, poured some milk in a small jug, then grabbed the jug and took it to my desk. Except I didn’t.
What actually happened was I picked up the jug and for some reason dropped it on the tiled floor as I turned.
Something I’ve done thousands of times without thinking had somehow gone wrong.
Last night against Brisbane, United goalkeeper James Delianov went through something similar.
Dylan Wenzel-Halls hits a curling shot, Delianov is in position and reads the flight of the ball, and then…spills the milk. It’s rough, but it comes with the territory. Delianov’s a goalkeeper, which in and of itself renders him slightly crazed (I mean, would you?!) in the same way professional chefs all have a manic (read: scary) air about them – and I say that as an ex-waiter.
For a few reasons, his mistake really doesn’t bother me too much.
It Wasn’t Fatal
It happened in the 78th minute and Brisbane were up 2-0. You could argue Nathan Konstandopoulos’ late goal would have made it 2-1 and changed the last 10 minutes but I’m not buying it. We hadn’t looked particularly fluid going forward – something Carl Veart acknowledged post-game – so to my mind this goal didn’t cost us the game, or lose us points. As much as Delianov may rue this one, it cost us goal difference but not much else.
Positioning
As I said, he was in the right position to save this. I’ll take a goalkeeper who makes an occasional mistake while correctly positioned over one who’s constantly caught out, or scrambling to make saves. I don’t want a keeper with a show reel; that would demonstrate some skill, but also the fact both he and the team as a defensive unit have problems. I’m happy with a safe pair of hands. Someone who reads the game well and commands his area. Delianov so far is much more the latter than the former.
Eugene Galekovic
One of the A-League’s greatest ever keepers is back at AUFC as the club’s goalkeeping coach.
As I really fell in love with the game it was Galekovic who illustrated to me how critical positioning was to a successful goalkeeper – another example of how being at games changes the way you understand it from watching on TV (and that’s not a criticism of broadcasts, which by necessity follow the ball). I used to spend portions of home games watching his movement: when he’d leave his line to be an option for defenders (far more frequently from the Gombau era), when he’d move back to protect the goal, and the subtle steps to either side to be in the optimum position to deal with any incoming shots, like this moment against Melbourne City.
He made so many saves look so straight forward, it took me a while to realise it was him asserting as much control over the situation as he could. Goalkeeping – especially if you’re coming from sports that don’t feature it as a defined position – can look entirely reactive. Really watching the sport at the ground and you start to see how good keepers aim to influence what happens around the goal.
Eugene Galekovic is the man who will review the game with Delianov, and continue working with him. I always felt United was in good hands with Eugene between the sticks. Now I feel our young keepers are in great hands with him back at the club.
I expect he’ll tell the young goalkeeper to take this one on the chin, learn from it and get on with things.
After all, like my mishap in the kitchen, some things aren’t worth crying over.
A-League – Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory – Jan 23, 2021
A 5-3 defeat isn’t always necessarily a terrible thing. If there’s an acknowledged gulf in class, scoring three can give the underdog some heart. Sides decimated by injury or in heavy rotation due to a congested fixture can find something to build on. It’s a score line suggesting defensive frailties, freak lapses, and moments of individual brilliance. Or all three.
Adelaide United’s 5-3 loss away to Perth on Wednesday was bad, especially having been 5-1 down into injury time. Was it terrible? The home game against Melbourne Victory would provide better context.
And there was a spark about United from the outset, snapping into tackles and intercepting passes. It was the response Coopers Stadium wanted to see after the midweek loss and quickly had the crowd onside. It’s a universal truth across sport: you may have spilled the tea or shit the bed in your last game, but show clear intent and fans get behind you again instantly.
The midfield again left a lot of space in which the opposition could play. More obviously than in the game against City, Veart had players hard on the sideline ready for a ball from defence. This stretches the pitch for the opposition by giving them more ground to cover, a sort of inverted Pagan’s Paddock.
Whereas in AFL the space was created by moving players away from the area, in soccer players can create more by making the playable area of the pitch bigger. Broadly the offside rule means the defenders dictate how much the forwards can push goalward, so using width is one way to attack. It does come with risk though. The space infield can be exploited by a counter-attacking opponent if their movement off the ball is sharp, and their passing incisive.
[This is precisely the sort of thing we need TV coverage to show and explain better to give casual viewers and people new to the sport a clearer idea of what’s happening. This is not an A League-only observation either; but honestly in Australia we battle a perception the game’s boring, nothing happens, and it all looks the same. None of this is true, but somehow broadcasters need to step up if not for the sport itself, then for the value of their own product].
For most of the first half the tactic provided an advantage to Adelaide. Caletti and D’Arrigo looked comfortable breaking up Victory attacks through the middle and we looked more likely to score as a Victory side playing only its second game of the season – and who lost import striker Rudy Gestede after just 10 minutes – slowly worked up to the game’s pace.
The big concern was not taking the chances created. Mohamed Toure and Tomi Juric were making runs and working hard, but not quite on the same page when it came to the final pass. In the end it was decided by a Toure goal which came from new recruit Javi López passing beautifully in front of him from right back. Denis Pagan would have been proud.
He still had a lot to do but kept his cool to the point even the world governing body was tweeting its approval.
So how bad was the 5-3 loss to Perth?
Certainly not panic-inducing. A young team will see results ebb and flow like this across the season. This was an impressive performance: the commitment, the focus, and maybe most importantly, backing up three days after playing Perth away to win a game which kicked off in 37.2 degree heat.
Melbourne Victory aren’t up and running yet, but all you can do is beat what’s put in front of you. So in that sense, job done.
*****
Just to give further context to the loss to Perth: they lost on Saturday away to Western United. So a team we drew with (0-0) beat a team we fell to (5-3) with a score line of 5-4. Results may get more consistent, but it’s a way off yet.
UPDATE: For more on this game, Emma Kemp in The Guardian is calling it ‘the maddest game in A-League history’ while Ed Kavalee has gone with ‘game of the decade‘.
*****
This week’s limerick starts existential, ends underwhelming, and probably isn’t actually a limerick at all. But like I said, I give myself moments after the whistle to post these. Sorry and you’re welcome.
A-League Round 2
A-League Round 2 – Adelaide United v Melbourne City – Jan 3, 2021
One of soccer’s biggest challenges in gaining mainstream traction in Australia is simply communication. Casual viewers – especially coming from AFL and NRL – are confronted with formations, positions and tactics which are generally not well explained. If we can give more context to what they’re watching they’ll have a better experience, and one of the quickest ways to provide that context is to simply compare soccer with what they know.
Adelaide United and Melbourne City gave us a chance to look at full backs.
Despite having the same name, a soccer full back plays a different role to the position in Australian Rules and Rugby League. Put in AFL terms, they sit in a back pocket position on the pitch, but play more like half-back flankers. They’re primarily defenders, but expected to get forward and support attacking moves. While different formations and tactical approaches will dictate their exact role, they’re usually running machines who tread a path up and down their side of the pitch.
City’s left full back is Scott Jamieson. He played for United when he first returned to Australia in 2008 having played for Bolton’s reserves in England. Since then he’s wanderered (literally) around the A-League, dependable but also dependably hot-headed at times. There’s few moments of joy in soccer like seeing an ex-player red-carded against you. Jamieson provided that at Coopers Stadium – and much more importantly, the advantage in numbers was decisive in the end.
The first of 2 goals was a direct result of the free kick; a well-worked move with Juric scoring his first for the season. The second was Mauk finding space with City’s defenders oddly static. It was enough to seal the deal over the highly-fancied visitors. With City a man down, United attacked with more confidence. Manager Carl Veart was happy to credit the fans for lifting his players, but I think there was a shared sense of belief swirling around the pitch and the stands for the last 20 minutes or so. In a stadium like Coopers, players and supporters feed off each other’s energy.
Even before the red card there was something about the way United came forward. Despite not scoring, the movement to create opportunities got progressively more pleasing to the eye. With Dukuly and Halloran swapping sides regularly, balls down the wing meant the City full backs had to be mindful of who was there, and the likelihood of the attacker stepping inside to shoot. It looks like a continuation of the style we saw at the end of the last season as Veart worked to unlock attacking approaches not favoured under previous manager Gertjan Verbeek.
Towards the end of the game City brought on another ex-Adelaide United full back in Scott Galloway, one of many people – players, coaches, and administrators – who’ve moved between the two clubs. It’s a weird relationship and one we try not to think about too much as it can lead to all sorts of existential questions about the nature of clubs, fandom and soccer in Australia.
The contrast between Jamieson and Adelaide United’s young full back Noah Smith was instructive. Channel 7’s Lucas Rinaldo making the point:
Smith was very good. He looked calm and composed, even early on when despite Adelaide’s midfield three leaving a huge amount of space centrally – Mauk pushing high with D’Arrigo and Caletti sitting back to screen – City were counter-attacking down the wings and trying to feed Jamie McLaren on the break. Behind Smith, James Delianov once again looked composed for a young keeper. What I really liked though was the fact it didn’t all go entirely to plan. In the second half City – now a man down – put a high press into action, and it caused problems for our defenders.
Again, in AFL terms this would be forward line pressure. Think of the passages where small forwards swarm defenders trying to move the ball. The hassling, haranguing and tackling looking for a turnover the likes of Peter Vardy and David Rodan could do so well. It’s high-energy, but can also be high reward.
United were trying to play the ball out from the back – controlled, deliberate possession and movement on the ground. City’s press made it difficult, and there were a few moments we were lucky not to concede a goal having over-played the situation. To win 2-0 is always good. To win 2-0 with some clear areas to work on is even better in my book.
Rinaldo’s right too: this will be glossed over as supporters focus on attacking players. This is not soccer-specific either; just ask an AFL supporter how many defenders have won the Brownlow.
And if there was a game for an AFL supporter to come to, this was it. Iranian referee Alireza Faghani is always happy to let play go. Rather than soft free kicks and yellow cards, he lets the players get on with it and often gestures for them to get up off the ground as he moves on to follow the ball and pays every advantage he can so the game flows. His consistency felt a little bit off in this game, but his spirit and approach are so good you get over it quickly. So for AFL (or even NRL) fans who complain soccer is soft – thinking of Johnny Warren’s famous ‘sheilas’ – Faghani is the man you want in the middle. Contact is part of the game and he knows it.
He is strict though. He’s hot on dissent and will quickly show yellow to any player crossing the line verbally. Mauk talked himself into a card in the first half, and in the second it was Jamieson. It was needless, and meant when he bundled over Dukuly later, he knew a second yellow was coming and barely looked at the referee as he turned to walk off the pitch.
And while Mauk played well he needs be more aware. Like his opposite captain, he should do better because there is no excuse to earn a yellow card for dissent from a ref who famously takes no shit from players.
In the end Jamieson’s hot headedness cost his team. While in red, we saw a young full back stay focussed and have a game to remember for the right reasons. And again, Adelaide United’s kids impressed.
*****
I wasn’t go to do this again, but last year started summarising Adelaide United games in (smart arse) limericks. They’re not great, and the only rule I had is they had to be tweeted out within minutes of the game.
The opening lines popped into my head watching this game, so…here you go. Sorry. You’re welcome.
A-League Round 1
A-League Round 1 – Adelaide United v Western United – Dec 28, 2020
In the hours before Adelaide United and Western United kicked off the new A-League season, I took a quick look at my Twitter timeline. As always, #sokkahtwitter was attempting to eat itself alive. Fans and journalists in perpetual dispute, seemingly kept apart by the opinions on the game which brings them together in the first place.
Not enough marketing, claimed the fans.
Where’s the coverage, screamed the fans.
Why don’t you care like we do, demanded the fans.
The answer presented seemed entirely reasonable. Essentially, just because you don’t like what coverage there is – in quantity, quality or both – doesn’t mean there’s no coverage at all. With links provided as evidence that yes, some actual journos had written actual articles and they ran on actual news sites.
As ever, #sokkahtwitter would have more to say once the games, as it were, began.
Come kick-off and the sense of a league in transition really took hold. Starting the season with a game scheduled for later in the round (Covid interrupting the last days of the year as it did the bulk of it) on the pitch it played out as a typical early season game.
Played on a non-soccer ground? Check.
In front a modest crowd? Check.
With a typically A-League sprinkling of experience, journeymen and youth? Absolutely.
But here’s where the future looks brighter than many seem to feel. The kids put in. And they are the future of the A-League. As Football Australia (formerly Football Federation Australia) and the clubs work out how an independent A-League will run, as a transition to a winter season still sees soccer in the (much-reduced) shade of the Big Bash, and as questions continue about how Western United are really building a fanbase by playing everywhere and not yet settling anywhere, watching Yaya Dukuly, the composed James Delianov in goal, and Ayom Majok on the pitch is what matters.
Wi-fi issues in the last third of the game sent me back to Twitter to follow along as I turned things off and on again, and what do you know? Still not enough for #sokkahtwitter. Too slow, too boring, players are crap, blah blah blah. Great sunset though, apparently.
Connectivity sorted, I watched the game as it ended 0-0. Adelaide will be the happier of the two sides with that – as Carl Veart pointed out, it’s a point on the road. Like a man with other things on his mind he didn’t even mention the sunset.
Honestly, it’s just great to have the A-League back. On paper it should be a maturing product about now but it keeps getting curiouser and curiouser, and it feels as if this already-impacted season will add more layers to the intrigue.
I’ll take the performance this young team produced. I’ll take the hope it provides. And I’ll take the transitional vibe at an administrative level the league will have to get through in the short term. Because there’s something here worth caring about.
And if the optimism ever gets too much, I can always dive into the ever-stormy waters of #sokkahtwitter.