Michael Mifsud

[Tony999]

Give it a rest. With a decent coach even The Hoff would be a superstar.

[HeartFc]

Mifsud has scored goals everywhere he has played. What a coincidence he turns to shit at Heart.

Yes everywhere. Malta.

[Jestr]

Mifsud has scored goals everywhere he has played. What a coincidence he turns to shit at Heart.

Yes everywhere. Malta. Give it a rest.

I'm just as cut as you he fuked it up by hitting GK in the chest, we could have scored but poor bastard runs like a man possessed trying to get in a position to score.

It's not his job FFS

He gets no service and can't do it all.

How many chances willo or gol gol messed up too

At least he didn't blast it wide

He will score

[HeartFc]

Did you guys watch the same game???

[Jestr]

Did you guys watch the same game???

Love your passion!!!!

[kingofhearts]

I'm with ya Heart FC regardless of service the blokes a hack, goes to ground too easy and can't finish, over defending him.

 

Would put gol gol over him tbh

Edited November 15, 2013 by kingofhearts

[n i k o]

His positives are that he's energetic and he has speed but negatives are that he has no dribbling quality shown so far to pass defenders and needs to have balls played to him while running at the goals. So far that has happened not even once this season as far as I can remember.

[alexiano]

He's been unlucky on a call offside (when not) and reactive kick to GK. he looks the good and hope that next week he breaks the seal. He's got good movement and purpose.

[n i k o]

Found it amusing that when I typed mifsuds name in spell check was trying it change it to mif dud lol

[[LIBBA]]

He's been unlucky on a call offside (when not) and reactive kick to GK. he looks the good and hope that next week he breaks the seal. He's got good movement and purpose.

Can't agree more.

Shame most retards will jump on him and pretty much blame all our problems on him.

[n i k o]

Have to agree that anyone that does think he is our problem can only be retarded

[HeartFc]

He's certainly not our main problem, but he's still a problem.

Everyone was blowing their loads over this cunt a few weeks ago (no idea why) and so far he looks average at best. I'd say anyone who gets excited over a Danny De Vito look-a-like from Malta would be the retard but hey we all have our own opinions.

You can crap on about service but at the end of the day he's had plenty of chances to score (including an absolute sitter tonight) and he hasn't.

Edited November 15, 2013 by HeartFc

[Tony999]

He's certainly not our main problem, but he's still a problem.

Everyone was blowing their loads over this cunt a few weeks ago (no idea why) and so far he looks average at best. I'd say anyone who gets excited over a Danny De Vito look-a-like from Malta would be the retard but hey we all have our own opinions.

You can crap on about service but at the end of the day he's had plenty of chances to score (including an absolute sitter tonight) and he hasn't.

 

You shouldn't really make fun of peoples appearance. Yes, he was shit. But name one player that was actually good?

[HeartFc]

He's certainly not our main problem, but he's still a problem.

Everyone was blowing their loads over this cunt a few weeks ago (no idea why) and so far he looks average at best. I'd say anyone who gets excited over a Danny De Vito look-a-like from Malta would be the retard but hey we all have our own opinions.

You can crap on about service but at the end of the day he's had plenty of chances to score (including an absolute sitter tonight) and he hasn't.

 

You shouldn't really make fun of peoples appearance.

John 8:7

[n i k o]

I guess what's really surprised and disappointed me a little about him so far is given his height and speed and all this stuff about him being the Maltese messi, I expected him to be technically better on the ball. Only once tonight did he get the better of a defender and then his shot went no less than 5 metres too high of the goal. And that's about the only time this season I can remember that he has done this. Majority of the time he has been pushed off the ball and failed to pass someone. I want the guy to do well and I still think he can given the right service, but that in itself is concerning in that he seems that he's not very adaptable unless the ball is on a string for him. Given though, our general style of play doesn't do his strengths any justice.

[Embee]

The guys scored goals in practically every league in the world he's played in, and for the record, that's not just Malta. He's played in the English Championship, Norwegian Top Division (foreign player of the year) and obviously ripped the Maltese League.

 

For those saying he's shit, how the hell is he meant to do anything with the service he is getting? We're bombing the ball long, or we're playing wide as all fuck and CROSSING to him in the box, CROSSING to a 5'5 striker, I mean seriously, what the fuck.

 

If Malta can supply him with enough chances to score a goal every other game (Malta, who win a competetive game every 20 years) then it's an indictment on our tactics that we can't do the same, let alone get anyone else to score.

 

Yes, the one he missed last night was a bunny and is absolutely shocking but it's pretty much the only real chance he's had all season and I blame JA's tactics for that.

[HeartFc]

Well with a name like that we wont be seeing you criticize him anytime soon.

[MaliMate]

Was more dirty on the fact that he was smiling and seemed happy after the game. Obviously just here to boost his bank balance, couldn't give two fucks about the club.

Bring back Jos the Boss.

[belaguttman]

It's hard to criticise any individual player when they all need to share the responsibility for our abject performances

[samardzija]

I'm pretty sure Tadic was getting cruicified on here last season after his first couple of games, but for some reason most are defending Mifsud because he has a 'proven record', and 'scored goals everywhere he has been'.

[Embee]

Well with a name like that we wont be seeing you criticize him anytime soon.

 

I just call it like I see it mate, try playing the ball, not the man.

His miss was atrocious, but if you expect him to have any sort of serious impact this season with the style of football we're playing then you're going to be dissapointed.

Edited November 16, 2013 by King Malta

[Caddy]

Well with a name like that we wont be seeing you criticize him anytime soon.

As a person of Maltese descent, I will say that I'm pretty disappointed with his output so far. Not ready to write him off yet, though.

[jw1739]

IMO it's quite wrong to "blame" an individual player such as Mifsud. Doesn't really matter who you're playing the ball to, or whether it is a short pass or a through ball. As soon as you put it in the air you make it more difficult for the receiving player to control. Unless it is the one-in-a hundred pass that sits up at the right height for a volley he's probably going to have to make two touches of the ball to get it where he wants it.

 

Keep the ball on the deck and you minimise this problem.

 

Another thing we are doing with monotonous regularity is play the pass on the wrong side of the attacker going forward. We put it nearest the defender, giving him more chance of cutting it off.

 

Next point, the further the player has to run before receiving the ball the less likely he is to do something with it. Shooting requires body position, particularly control of the centre of gravity, and the further the player has to run the less likely he is to have his balance right for shooting. The AFL is full of examples like this - how many times does a player play on and then blaze wide of goals when the best option is to mark and take the shot for goal?

 

So, while the long through ball has it's place in the game, IMO it's pretty fundamental to keep the ball on the deck and mainly use shorter passes to build though midfield.

 

So far this aerial long ball stuff has virtually ended the careers of Alex Terra and Josip Tadic. Let's not add Michael Mifsud to the list.

[heart_fan10]

Needs to have a partner up front to work with

4-4-2

[Heart_fan]

Needs to have a partner up front to work with

4-4-2

At this stage what we have isn't working, move to that system and try it. You play to the strengths of your squad afterall.

 

Unfortunately, I think it's just not in JA's ability to mix it up like that though.

Edited November 16, 2013 by Heart_fan

[belaguttman]

As we can see with our existing formation, it isn't an issue with a formation as such. 4-4-2, 4-3-3 etc are static nominal descriptions of a dynamic process, the problem is with how we use our formation, the latitude that players are given by the coach to move on the pitch and when they move that determines how much support Mifsud has in the front third

[The Aardvark]

Not a fan. I said it after the Brisbane game, but for a striker who was signed to purely finish, he isn't up to it.

 

Last night he finally registered a shot on target, unfortunately straight into the keeper from point blank range.

 

Sure he gets shit service, but when he does get I he makes nothing of it. He almost always takes the ball on the outside of his defender, meaning he has to shoot across the defender as the angle is narrowed. This may be the passers fault, but it happens too often for mine.

 

He goes down with the slightest touch, and regardless of whether this is from his size or just softness it kills us cause when he gets the ball he can't hold it and never wins a free for ending up on the ground.

 

His crossing is shit. Wing might be a position he could be useful in, but he skies all his crosses. And whenever he tries to dribble he dribbles straight into an opponent.

 

Don't get me wrong, he does present for the ball, he does have zip and he does have a good cv, but for a player who was recruited to give us composure, control of the ball and finishing ability in the front third he is yet to show any of them.

[Peter]

The man had one shot which went straight at the keeper. A player in his position should be getting three to four chances a game. Not just the one. Mifsud is not our biggest problem. He needs service. All of our strikers have been given flak for their lack of goals.

The problem lies in the system we are playing. It simply does not work.

[Semper Cor]

The man had one shot which went straight at the keeper. A player in his position should be getting three to four chances a game. Not just the one. Mifsud is not our biggest problem. He needs service. All of our strikers have been given flak for their lack of goals.

The problem lies in the system we are playing. It simply does not work.

 

It's this. It's quite simply this.

[belaguttman]

 

The man had one shot which went straight at the keeper. A player in his position should be getting three to four chances a game. Not just the one. Mifsud is not our biggest problem. He needs service. All of our strikers have been given flak for their lack of goals.

The problem lies in the system we are playing. It simply does not work.

 

It's this. It's quite simply this.

 

If everyone else is scoring but Mifsud then I'd say that we'd bought the wrong player

[Murfy1]

 

 

The man had one shot which went straight at the keeper. A player in his position should be getting three to four chances a game. Not just the one. Mifsud is not our biggest problem. He needs service. All of our strikers have been given flak for their lack of goals.

The problem lies in the system we are playing. It simply does not work.

 

It's this. It's quite simply this.

 

If everyone else is scoring but Mifsud then I'd say that we'd bought the wrong player

 

 

And no one's scoring for Heart this season. Just as our strikers were scoring very few goals, and were taking very few shots, because they weren't getting many chances last season.

 

The bigger problem is how the team is playing under Aloisi. Mifsud's quality is not the problem (his quality might become an issue, if we start creating enough chances for him, and he doesn't put them away, but our problem now is that we're not creating chances in the first place).

[Semper Cor]

That's the way I see it.  I also try not to get persuaded by the stats as well.

 

According to this:

 

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/aleague/matchcentre/matchstats/Melbourne-Heart-v-Western-Sydney-Wanderers-Hyundai-A-League/3105

 

One may interpret the Heart being a lot closer than how the game played out.  The reality is Heart only had half-chances despite the dominant possession, the better chances went to WSW.  The scoreline could quite easily have been 2-0 or even 3-0 in WSW's favour.

[Murfy1]

 

Sunday, November 17, 2013, 00:01 by  Kevin Azzopardi

Malta captain Mifsud likely to add to his 101 appearances

 

Malta captain Michael Mifsud is set to add to his 101 international appearances after being named in the 20-man squad for Tuesday’s friendly match against Faroe Islands at the National Stadium (kick-off 7pm).

 

With Mifsud now based in Australia following his move to A-League club Melbourne Heart in September, his participation in Tuesday’s friendly, Malta’s final outing for this year, had been placed in doubt amid suggestions that the 32-year-old may not be keen to undertake the long-haul trip to Europe and back to appear in a warm-up match.

 

All doubts were allayed yesterday as Mifsud was named in the squad after declaring his availability for the match following talks with Malta coach Pietro Ghedin.

 

On Friday, Mifsud played the full 90 minutes as Melbourne Heart suffered a 2-0 home defeat to FC Sydney.

 

 

 

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131117/football/Malta-captain-Mifsud-likely-to-add-to-his-101-appearances.495097#.UoiuNNJkOeQ

Edited November 17, 2013 by Murfy1

[hakz7]

Won't be surprised if he scores a brace for Malta then misses a sitter on Sunday. If he isn't jet lagged and actually plays, that is.

[kingofhearts]

By him a one way ticket. Don't want this hack to come back

[Parrot]

I expect him to come good, but not with the shit long ball game that is being played to him 99% of the time.

However, it also is worth comparing his misses to the quality finishes from Adam Taggart last week and this week when he scored 3 goals. 

 

We would have scored NONE.
 

 

 

[mattyh001]

 

 

 

The man had one shot which went straight at the keeper. A player in his position should be getting three to four chances a game. Not just the one. Mifsud is not our biggest problem. He needs service. All of our strikers have been given flak for their lack of goals.

The problem lies in the system we are playing. It simply does not work.

 

It's this. It's quite simply this.

 

If everyone else is scoring but Mifsud then I'd say that we'd bought the wrong player

 

 

And no one's scoring for Heart this season. Just as our strikers were scoring very few goals, and were taking very few shots, because they weren't getting many chances last season.

 

The bigger problem is how the team is playing under Aloisi. Mifsud's quality is not the problem (his quality might become an issue, if we start creating enough chances for him, and he doesn't put them away, but our problem now is that we're not creating chances in the first place).

 

 

This.

 

Okay time for some stats.  we know that from the ratios on Leopold Method that 318 goals last A League season were scored inside the box (1875 shots at a ratio of 5.9 shots per goal) and 58 from outside the box (1520 shots at 26.2 shots per goal).  Thats around 85% of all goals from inside the area.

 

I have added a few other links that show the figure is in the ball park.

 

onto this season, Heart sit worst in the A League for (a.) balls into the box and (b.) shots actually on target.  is it any wonder we're not scoring?!?!?

 

of course, the second point above can be put in some way to Mifsud being poor.  

 

but then again so has everyone else.

 

i hardly see how Mifsud has actually gotten any decent service since we are not getting balls into him where he is more likely to score (as per the first point above).  i thereby wonder how people can blame him for not getting goals. particularly given that Mifsud had a late start to the season and has played more games away than at home (since Heart have such a shit time playing away).

 

to lay blame at Mifsud's feet seems rather harsh.  it seems like everyone is expecting him to do it off his own back and in areas where he is more unlikely to score.

 

 

http://leopoldmethod.com.au/shoot-on-sight/

http://leopoldmethod.com.au/a-league-analysis-round-1-5/

 

http://john-dewitt.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/goals-goals-goals.html

http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/percentage-of-goals-scored-from-inside-outside-the-18.1505812/

Edited November 17, 2013 by mattyh001

[Red or Dead]

Realistically, this is what Aloisi plays: 4-2-1-2-1

 

You have 7 players (inc. keeper) defending, three players running around in the midfield and 1 player attacking! That 1 player attacking is 5"4' so when Aloisi's plan is for his defensive 7 to bypass the 3 midfielders by kicking it long to our lone striker then you know that Mifsud will struggle!

[billyheart]

The way we're playing currently, it just doesn't suit Mifsud and his play. its either long balls from the back or working it down the wings ending in a hideous cross that he'll never beat a defender for.
I think our season is at the point where we must start GolGol at the 9. Of all the options he'd hold the ball up the best and can get on the end of a cross.
I still think Mifsud has what it takes to be a prominent goal scorer in this league. Id love to see him alongside a central GolGol buzzing around off all the loose balls. he'd be far more dangerous. And who knows we might even score a goal!

[belaguttman]

Mifsud is having to come too deep to pick up the ball, he looks like a better box player. Things may improve if Kewell can spare some time from the golf course to play as a 10 but the movement and positioning of the whole team is the problem, not just a static nominal formation