Muscat to replace Marrone

[biancorosso7]

I don't know too much about Manny, but is he exclusively a RB? Or does he possess "backline flexibility"?

[Nate]

I don't know too much about Manny, but is he exclusively a RB? Or does he possess "backline flexibility"?

He's played as more of a central defensive midfielder in recent times, I reckon he'd be a handy squad player but (hopefully) not in our first XI.

[belaguttman]

Muscat will bring some experience but his years at Phoenix have hardly prepared him for anything other than hoof ball. He'd be a versatile squad player but hopefully not first XI

[AntiScum]

I don't know too much about Manny, but is he exclusively a RB? Or does he possess "backline flexibility"?

Can play anywhere across the back 4 or as a holding midfielder has been an international with Malta in recent times. Will be a very welcome addition in my books has improved out of sight from where he was at a few years ago 

[marteaux]

Rofl at ppl downplaying this signing. Quality defender all things considered and is a more than capable replacement for Marrone - not to mention is a Melb lad.

 

Ideal signing.

[mus-28]

Played most of his time between right back and holding midfielder at Wellington, very good squad player due to his versatility. Hopefully he replaces "Mr.Versatile" Jason Hoffman, thus making him surplus to requirements.

[biancorosso7]

Rofl at ppl downplaying this signing. Quality defender all things considered and is a more than capable replacement for Marrone - not to mention is a Melb lad.

 

Ideal signing.

 

Are you suggesting a Melbourne team would sign players who come from Melbourne, or maybe even Victoria? My word.

[Tommykins]

I'd say walker replaces Marrone nicely. I doubt Muscat is signed to fill those shoes

[AntiScum]

I'd say walker replaces Marrone nicely. I doubt Muscat is signed to fill those shoes

 

I started this thread in Jan but Wellington wouldnt let him go hence the reason for the title. i tried to change the topic but i cant find how to do it.

[HeartinHobart]

Rofl at ppl downplaying this signing. Quality defender all things considered and is a more than capable replacement for Marrone - not to mention is a Melb lad.

Ideal signing.

So you'd be happy to sign him and have him play RB come round 1 next season? If so we certainly have different opinions.

[belaguttman]

Played most of his time between right back and holding midfielder at Wellington, very good squad player due to his versatility. Hopefully he replaces "Mr.Versatile" Jason Hoffman, thus making him surplus to requirements.

I'd certainly be happy to use him instead of playing Mr Versatile in those positions however these are not the only 2 options I hope. I'd certainly prefer JWalker at RB

[yelawolf]

 

Rofl at ppl downplaying this signing. Quality defender all things considered and is a more than capable replacement for Marrone - not to mention is a Melb lad.

Ideal signing.

So you'd be happy to sign him and have him play RB come round 1 next season? If so we certainly have different opinions.

 

 

no way

 

 

anyway he is a great signing if it happens, but would much rather see him play DM than RB tbh

[Deluka]

Would it be worth experimenting Walker on the left? For some reason i recall seeing Muscat playing a few times on the left, maybe i'm just delirious though...

[yelawolf]

no he can but imo Deluka mate, his best position is DM

 

 

 

~yelawolf~

[Murfy1]

If we got Manny Muscat I'd prefer him to be played at DM. He'd be 50/50 with Germano for a starting spot, with Murdocca taking the other DM spot. 

 

I don't think he is very impressive technically, but he would provide us with a lot of steel in midfield. I guess it would balance out with Murdocca also in midfield, with Muscat mainly doing the tackling and Murdocca mostly doing the possession/passing.

 

We could still also get a DM from Europe, as it was reported on April 23rd that Aloisi was looking for a striker and DM in Europe. Another Gerhardt, who would actually play in midfield, would be excellent.

 

 

I very much like the idea of cover in the DM position, so overall I'd be pleased with the signing of Manny Muscat (I can't bring myself to just call him Muscat...).

[Peter]

Hopefully if he signs he will put "Manny" on the back of his shirt, out of respect.

[Defibrillator]

If we got Manny Muscat I'd prefer him to be played at DM. He'd be 50/50 with Germano for a starting spot, with Murdocca taking the other DM spot. 

 

I don't think he is very impressive technically, but he would provide us with a lot of steel in midfield. I guess it would balance out with Murdocca also in midfield, with Muscat mainly doing the tackling and Murdocca mostly doing the possession/passing.

 

We could still also get a DM from Europe, as it was reported on April 23rd that Aloisi was looking for a striker and DM in Europe. Another Gerhardt, who would actually play in midfield, would be excellent.

 

 

I very much like the idea of cover in the DM position, so overall I'd be pleased with the signing of Manny Muscat (I can't bring myself to just call him Muscat...).

I'm curious why we always assume we need to play two DMs?? To me it's such a negative structure with so many players sitting deep and then hoping we catch teams on the break. A top solid DM with the option of distributing to two attacking AMs opens up creativity and allows a more possession based game with more precision going forward. With two DMs last year, if the sole AM didn't fire or was marked out of the game, our transition from back to front was totally fucked. We would then revert to long ball shit which didn't suit our forwards and was easily countered. This was further compounded by having a CB with no precision in passing at all. Vrankovic will fix this with maturing and game time, and I can foresee his distribution developing further. We looked so much better playing out with him.

AMs make for more exciting football, more creativity and certainly more options. If we cannot play through the middle without quality and creative AMs, I can only foresee the same shit served up again next season and we all saw how well that went.

[Red or Dead]

We were playing with only 1 defensive mid under JvS, but JA has changed that to two defensive mids - it's a sign of an inexperienced coach who goes out to not lose rather than to win!

 

Manny would be good fighting for the second CD position with Vrankovic. It'll make Vrankovic better for it too and keep both of them hungry to perform well.

 

I'm pretty sure JA will want to convert Ramsay into a Left Back so you'll be seeing:

Redmayne

Walker - Ognenovski - Manny - Ramsay

Gerhardt - - - - - - - - - Murdocca

Bresciano ©

Dugandzic - - - - - - - - Left Winger

Marquee Striker

 

Bench: GK, Germano, Garuccio/Golgol, Vrankovic, Williams

This is if Garcia leaves - otherwise replace Bresc with Garcia.

[kontra.11]

Where are you getting Ognenovski from?

[Tommykins]

Or Bresciano for that matter. Another good Melbourne lad and he can protect the back four very well.

[Dylan]

Or Bresciano for that matter. Another good Melbourne lad and he can protect the back four very well.

I'd be wary of getting bresc. From accounts I've heard the Mid East leagues arnt that physically demanding and have a bit of a reputation of being less professional. If this is true and his age is be a little worried.

[KSK_47]

 

Or Bresciano for that matter. Another good Melbourne lad and he can protect the back four very well.

I'd be wary of getting bresc. From accounts I've heard the Mid East leagues arnt that physically demanding and have a bit of a reputation of being less professional. If this is true and his age is be a little worried.

 

 

He looked very out of form during the last Socceroos match, and came off injured too. I think we need to look outside the pool of players that played well in the 06 World Cup

[Pandev]

Vranks is quality, wouldn't put him on bench, but a partnership with big Og would be awesome. Haven't had any rumors yet, but I know for a fact Og has a soft spot for Heart.

i assume, if an opportunity presents itself at the right price, he'll be with Heart one day!!! I hope it's next season.

[Jake]

Or Bresciano for that matter. Another good Melbourne lad and he can protect the back four very well.

I'd be wary of getting bresc. From accounts I've heard the Mid East leagues arnt that physically demanding and have a bit of a reputation of being less professional. If this is true and his age is be a little worried.  

Or Bresciano for that matter. Another good Melbourne lad and he can protect the back four very well.

I'd be wary of getting bresc. From accounts I've heard the Mid East leagues arnt that physically demanding and have a bit of a reputation of being less professional. If this is true and his age is be a little worried.

 

He looked very out of form during the last Socceroos match, and came off injured too. I think we need to look outside the pool of players that played well in the 06 World Cup

This is Bresciano we're talking about. He is a socceroos superstar, only 33, and would be a goal scoring midfield general for us. He will also be good for publicity, people know him, he will get fans through the gate. Only positives coming out of his signing, if it happens.

[Che]

 

Or Bresciano for that matter. Another good Melbourne lad and he can protect the back four very well.

I'd be wary of getting bresc. From accounts I've heard the Mid East leagues arnt that physically demanding and have a bit of a reputation of being less professional. If this is true and his age is be a little worried.

 

Gee i don't know about that. Playing and training in 35 degree heat round after round is pretty demanding. IIRC the game before last he was pretty much the soceroos best anyway, and he's in a league with highly succesful Asian Champions League teams and where the majority of Middle East nt squads come from (eg Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain etc), certainly teams that have caused us trouble in qualifying anyway.

Not sure where abouts the less profewssional is coming from, i'd say he'd be a great addition to our squad even now.

 

[Murfy1]

 

If we got Manny Muscat I'd prefer him to be played at DM. He'd be 50/50 with Germano for a starting spot, with Murdocca taking the other DM spot. 

 

I don't think he is very impressive technically, but he would provide us with a lot of steel in midfield. I guess it would balance out with Murdocca also in midfield, with Muscat mainly doing the tackling and Murdocca mostly doing the possession/passing.

 

We could still also get a DM from Europe, as it was reported on April 23rd that Aloisi was looking for a striker and DM in Europe. Another Gerhardt, who would actually play in midfield, would be excellent.

 

 

I very much like the idea of cover in the DM position, so overall I'd be pleased with the signing of Manny Muscat (I can't bring myself to just call him Muscat...).

I'm curious why we always assume we need to play two DMs?? To me it's such a negative structure with so many players sitting deep and then hoping we catch teams on the break. A top solid DM with the option of distributing to two attacking AMs opens up creativity and allows a more possession based game with more precision going forward. With two DMs last year, if the sole AM didn't fire or was marked out of the game, our transition from back to front was totally fucked. We would then revert to long ball shit which didn't suit our forwards and was easily countered. This was further compounded by having a CB with no precision in passing at all. Vrankovic will fix this with maturing and game time, and I can foresee his distribution developing further. We looked so much better playing out with him.

AMs make for more exciting football, more creativity and certainly more options. If we cannot play through the middle without quality and creative AMs, I can only foresee the same shit served up again next season and we all saw how well that went.

 

 

I agree a lot with what you say. I suggested that we would have 2 DMs next season simply because that is what Aloisi used last season.

 

I'd prefer two attacking midfielders. But I'm not sure our dysfunctional midfield last season was mainly because of our lack of two AMs. I think we often had very ineffective DMs, who didn't know how to help us move possession from our back third to our front third. The stereotype of Matt Thompson passing back to the keeper was all too true too often. Him and our second DM just didn't know how to pass forward often enough. Us lacking a second AM might be part of the explanation, but I don't think it explains everything. We still had four players up field (often Fred, Williams, Garcia and Tadic), and our fullbacks often pushed up to the halfway line. I mainly think that our two DMs were really ineffective at passing to these players, and combining with these players to help get possession up field. In short, I think the distribution of our DMs tremendously sucked. I think if we had two quality DMs, our formation with two DMs would work well. I also think that two AMs could work well for us, as there are multiple ways to ensure that possession flows from defence through our midfield to our forwards.

 

I ultimately think both types of midfield are largely the same, if midfield players are effective in their roles. The difference is a slight emphasis on defence in the 2 DM midfield, and a slight emphasis on attack in the 2 AM midfield, as far as I can see. If possible, I'd rather go with the attacking midfield.

 

I just hope we have an effective midfield next season that means we don't have to play hoof ball, and that we don't have a midfield with a combined age of 90+ again.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Murfy1

[Kiro Kompiro]

^^^ Sse I knew there was a reason why had Shroj.

[Hendo]

Manny would be a good squad player, versatile. Added bonus we actually need more Victorians in this team. Defensively very strong and reliable, and isn't as bad offensively on the wing as most people thing, can knock in some nice crosses. 

[LR9]

http://www.goal.com/en-au/news/4038/exclusive/2013/07/03/4090623/marrone-targets-socceroos-return

Some light reading...
 

 

His stint in the Chinese Super League got off to a false start, but Michael Marrone is hopeful his fitness problems are almost behind him

EXCLUSIVE

By Peter Davis

 

Michael Marrone is determined to win back his place at Shanghai Shenxin and challenge for Socceroos selection as he nears a return from a shin injury.

 

Marrone joined Chinese Super League side Shenxin from Melbourne Heart in January but managed just six appearances before beginning an enforced period on the sidelines.

 

The 26-year-old suffered the injury in his third game, in a challenge which earned Jiangsu Sainty's Eleilson a red card.

 

He played on for three more matches but has been out of action since April 21, and has had to endure a watching brief as Shenxin struggle for form.

 

Now nearing a return to fitness, Marrone is eager to help his team-mates avoid being sucked into a relegation battle.

 

"I've been recovering but it has been frustrating," he said.

 

"I had to stop running and have been doing rehab. I'm hopefully due back soon but it's all down to how quickly the bone can heal.

 

"After having plenty of time watching from the sidelines and watching more Chinese football games, I'm hoping when I return to the pitch I can fit in even better."

 

Despite a tough start to his career in China, Marrone is confident of adding to the one international cap he has earned to date, which came in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in February.

 

"It's [playing for Australia] definitely something I want to build on but the only way to get noticed and get called up is to be playing good football for your club, so I'm anxious to get back from this current injury," he said.

 

Shenxin, 12th in the 16-team Chinese Super League, have been on the end of some disappointing results of late, including a 6-1 home loss to Shanghai SIPG in June, and have scored just twice in their last five outings.

 

Shenxin should have been demoted after finishing 15th in 2012, but they were given a reprieve when Dalian Shide disbanded, freeing up an additional place in the CSL.

 

They reached the half-way mark of the 2013 season in a more comfortable position than last term, with eight points separating them from the relegation zone.

 

And Marrone has credited some of the club's new signings for Shenxin's improvement so far in 2013.

 

"Glancing at a few articles on the internet, people had written our team off, given that we were in [the] relegation [places] last year but this year I think the new faces added like Kieza and Yu Tao have boosted the depth of the squad."

 

Marrone's first experience of Chinese football was a baptism of fire against Marcello Lippi's Evergrande, a match the reigning champions won 5-1.

 

The two clubs meet again on Saturday, and if Marrone's impressions of the big-spending heavyweights are any indication, Shenxin are sure to be in for another tough clash.

 

"My first game was definitely an eye opener, Evergrande play great football, have a great manager and squad, the pace of that game being set by the home team was extremely high," he said.

 

Marrone also had his say on the arrival of Harry Kewell to Melbourne Heart, backing the veteran to have a positive impact on the club.

 

"Given the amount of experienced players that have been released this year, I think signing a player like Kewell will only benefit the team; he should be able to help the younger guys in the squad with all of his experience," he said.

 

But securing the top-flight status of his current club is Marrone's primary focus, a cause he will hope to contribute to when he returns to full fitness.

 

"I'm confident we can hold our own against any team in the league and because of this I don't think we will be relegated."