Six rounds into the A-League and we finally got our first win of the season! And at home too. Bloody brilliant! I moved to the South End for the second half. Quite enjoyable but I won't be there permanently. Quite enjoy my seat, although the celebration could never compare.
Anyway, a few notes about the game - if there was one. The A-League seems to be in this scrappy style rut, it's not pretty football at all (especially when you compare it to the fluency of the games in the Women's World Cup!). In Melbourne's case, it got the job done. Although are better goal chances occurred when we finally decided that perhaps the long ball wasn't going to work (credit to Craig Moore for getting to every single one - well, that's what it felt like).
I didn't see any problem with the penalty in terms of diving, but then at that point I was still ruing the crossbar! (Emotionally, I was all over the place then - woah we've made space down the right... excitement levels building... we're going to score... VERY excited... we've hit the crossbar... oh no... MASSIVE letdown... Love gets chopped... no reaction, I was still on that slippery slope of football depression... Williams points to the spot... complete disbelief, we have a chance to score and at home!!! Oh, I hope Kev's knee's alright!... Naturally Muscat takes it, calmly puts it onto the left, and we all go nuts.
I then turned very anxious - so much so that someone asked why I looked so worried. I just can't celebrate a match until the final whistle's blown. Or until I can tell that the other team has no chance (eg. last year's Grand Final at about 3-0. That match really did get ridiculous!). Perhaps standing behind the goal with the whole field in front of me brought back my old habits of concentration and focus.
I think I had good reason to be anxious. Moore's header that was saved by Vargas was still fresh in my mind. Only a few minutes after we went ahead fresh-legged Zullo hit the upright. I was probably biting my nails.
Another Melbourne attack down the right (Queensland are obviously missing Packer... he does play on the left, right?) and the anxiety subsides as we all go nuts again.
I have a bit of referee whinging to do, but I'm in a good mood, so why spoil it? Williams is the ref that displeases me the most, so naturally he was significantly annoying until the match was at 2-0 and I calmed down.
6 comments:
We were lucky.
I can hardly remember the game because at L3NT we went berserk.
The few things I remember seem to be snapshots of thegame, surrounded by emotional waves (similar to the ones you describe when you were standing at the South End) and the realisation that I simply do not understand the way we are playing at all. A wierd confused formation made of defesive midfielders (or were they central defenders in disguise)playing at every position on the ground... and a bunch of strikers :twitch:
We still defend every corner with 11 players in the box.
For the first time this season the player on the opposite wing of the ball did not cut in to the middle automatically. Hurray! we discovered the wheel!
Caceres must be getting extremly frustrated and humiliating Carlos by bringing him at the 93 minute is simply stupid.
*sigh* that's football.
Zullo's header - Moore's shot. But I have the benefit of TV.
What out for Michael Zullo and for the return of Mitch Nichols. Perhaps the best new players in the A-League.
I agree of Packer. We have a gapping whole where he would have been - perhaps all the goals so far.
John,
Like Watt, I can hardly remember any of the game. I recall ball going to Moore/Zullo and me screaming profanities. :) As I was telling Jeccy on MSN, Zullo did catch my eye (in football terms, not swooning) either last week or the week before (funny how a win makes everything else a blur) and for a few moments I was happy that the little tyke had a run. Of course I wasn't happy when he decided to try to score! :P
Watt,
When the formation was called with Broxham, Brebner and Muscat in the middle I was wondering how it was going to work. After all, the most creative of the three seems to be Broxham with his quick diagonal runs here and there.
It was very frustrating to see Tiatto winning a lot of balls in the middle of the park through sheer work-rate. Especially since we had three 'solid' players in the area too.
I absolutely love Caceres this season, he's a better player than last year in my opinion, and deserves more game time. I'm not sure what's going on in Merrick land, but it frustrates me too. Putting Hernandez on late was surely a pitiful attempt to waste time. But the man needs game time, and if Merrick wanted to waste time, then perhaps he should have been subbed on immediately after our second goal!
It was a very scrappy match. I'm only hoping it's the break we need to settle down and play some proper football. Looking at the way the A-League is going this year... I think I may be being a little optimistic.
Its time for Merrick to bite the bullet and remove Brebner from the starting XI. Too often on Friday night he was stripped easily of the ball and his passing was atrocious. We need to get both Hernandez and Caceres into the starting squad or at least one of them. Our midfield has no creativity when they aren't on the pitch.
Brebs has been unspectacular and frustrating all season. Perhaps that's why I dropped him. Mind you, my team line up is a little different these days with Allsopp's lack of form.
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