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Round 17 - vs Sydney - Friday Jan 31st - 7.30pm AEDT, 8.30am GMT


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Melbourne Heart has lots to prove to its new Manchester City owners

 

Michael Lynch

 

31 January, 2014

 

Manchester City's football administrator, Brian Marwood, has been watching Melbourne Heart's training sessions this week while the English club's officials hold talks with Melbourne Heart executives. But Heart remains, for the rest of this season at least, master of its own destiny.

 

Manchester City's takeover of the league's struggler holds immense promise for the future.

 

But the present is what concerns coach John van 't Schip and his players, many of whom are out of contract at season's end and desperate to prove to their new masters that they are worth a part in Heart's big adventure.

 

The Sky Blues will arrive brimming with confidence following that extraordinary 5-0 win over Melbourne Victory on Sunday.

 

Marwood, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal winger, looked on as an excited and more confident-looking group of Heart players prepared for a game that will, in a roundabout way, allow them to make quite a statement about neighbouring Victory, which has, until now, dominated the Melbourne soccer landscape.

 

If Heart can beat Frank Farina's side just days after Sydney thrashed Victory, it will be a none-too-subtle pointer to what many believe will eventually be a tilting of the axis of power in the city, as the English club's investment kicks in.

 

Still, van 't Schip wasn't thinking about that for now.

 

He was pleased with the way his team had responded to the changes he instilled as he promoted a more pressing game with a higher defensive line.

 

With Patrick Gerhardt and David Williams back from injury, the Dutchman has virtually a full squad to choose from.

 

Orlando Engelaar played for an hour against Adelaide in the 2-2 draw at Hindmarsh last weekend, and although he wasn't happy with his performance he will be better with more game time.

 

Jonatan Germano who, van 't Schip said, provides a lot of energy and aggression, is also coming good after a long time out.

 

The key for Heart in this game will be shutting down Italian maestro Alessandro Del Piero, who virtually ran the show for Sydney in its drubbing of Victory.

 

He may be 40 next birthday but the former Juventus and Azzurri star still has great vision and touch, and acts as a conductor for his team in the forward third.

 

''He's smart, he knows how to play the game, he knows where to find spaces and be important without making too many runs,'' van 't Schip said. ''If you can decide so many games when you are 39 and be so important for your team, we have to have respect for him.''

 

The coach is pleased with the way his players have reacted to his return following Aloisi's dismissal.

 

''The commitment was good coming back from a goal down, then leading 2-1 [against Adelaide]. We should have tried to keep playing going forward and not dropping back with the last goal.

 

''But I am overall very happy with the reaction of the players after three weeks … how we try to change the way of playing and making steps forward.

 

''It's not just the result, I am looking at the improvement of the team and I think there's been improvement in the last few weeks.

 

''It's come in the approach to the way we want to play, trying to get the ball back as quick as possible, to retain more possession, to create more chances and to try to defend higher up the pitches.''

 

Like everyone connected with Heart, van 't Schip is excited at the prospect of fresh investment from City, but is glad it is letting him run his own race, at least until the end of this season.

 

''I have my way of how I want to play and I don't think it's a lot different to the way they think about playing,'' he said.

 

''They are not interfering now in things. They are watching, having talks with people in the club, preparing all kinds of things for the coming months and hopefully coming years.

 

''It's a project for the long term. That's why everybody can continue the next few months in working and finishing the season. After that there will be changes.''

 

Likely teams

 

Heart: (4-2-3-1): Redmayne; Behich, Kisnorbo, Wielaert, Hoffman; Engelaar, Germano; Ramsey, Kewell, Dugandzic; Mifsud.

 

Sydney FC: (4-1-2-1-2): Janjetovic; Abbas, Petkovic, Jurman, Ryall; Dimitrijevic; Gligor, Carle; Del Piero; Gameiro, Despotovic.

 

 

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/melbourne-heart-has-lots-to-prove-to-its-new-manchester-city-owners-20140130-31pl7.html

Edited by Murfy1
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Yes Lynchy, I agree with you:

 

"The key for Heart in this game will be shutting down Italian maestro Alessandro Del Piero, who virtually ran the show for Sydney in its drubbing of Victory."

 

Stop the supply, stop the goals. Is there a Muscrat or Burnsy in our ranks or have our chaps been way tooooo nice?

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will be able to watch the first half before heading into work.

would appreciate if someone took his time to answer a couple questions. is this a big game? are Sydney any good? isn't ADP playing for them? does this game have any special meaning to Heart fans? is that sorry ass Behich going to play again? are there any considerable alternatives to Mifsud?

to expand, Sydney are a shit team that somehow has won a couple of Championships. It has chronic off-field instability, multiple ownership changes and coach changes, always with the disappointment that follows 'we are a big club and deserve to be successful'. Think of it like Chelsea without any of the positive things. ADP is playing for them and this has been good and bad: he's still a class player but the team revolves around him and he does very little defensive work these days. Last time we played at AAMI Park in the dark Aloisi era, this was maybe our darkest day when we were so unmotivated and disorganised that it made a team as obviously shit as Sydney look like Bayern Munchen. This game also featured the #AloisiOut banner that we were also featuring in our fan tweets, as well as 'Aloisi Out' chants and 'Let's pretend to score a goal' chants. It was a turning point of sorts as it was clear to everyone apart from Aloisi that nobody #believed that he could turn things around. We have unfinished business, Sydney need a good spanking from us.

Just to add looks like Behich will be playing hopefully will have a good game this week and show why he was one of best players. as for Mifspud I don't think we actually a real out and out striker. We have people that can play there but know one that can really say they are a quality finisher.

Mifsud is a real out and out striker. What the team really lacks is a centre forward. A sibon/babalj type who can receive the ball to feett with their back to goal and bring others into the attack (admittedly passing was something babalj did struggle with at times)

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Kisnorbo better not be on the fuckin' bench, way too good to be on the bench for the Melb Heart...

As for all this Mifsud talk - he's a shit cunt. But I reckon he'd do decent with someone else up forward with him, rather than a single striker.

Last 2 games misfud tried linking up with kewel.

His passing was still atrocious.

He is just totally drained of any confidence and should spend 2 weeks (minimum) in the youth team.

I believe it's all mental now for him. Harder he tries more he screws up

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In all honesty, I feel for Mifsud. It's clear that he is trying hard but it's just not going for him. Unless something dramatic happens for him where he starts banging in those goals but I think this season he would want to forget in his professional football career.

Edited by Tony999
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While I want every team to do well and the A League to grow I want to smash every we team we play from A League to the Spring Gully under 10s. Every game is a big game if we are playing for points, trophies or even a friendly I want our team to win.

 

Spring Gully Youth Premiership 2002: Yours truly

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I love game day fridays!! Knock off work and get straight to the game. Anyone have any tips of a decent place to grab a feed pre game, I'm thinking Bridge road or something cos I'll be coming straight from work. Any suggestions will be appreciated! COYBIR

Pats philly steak join on bridge road is good

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What are people's thoughts on Ticker? Like seriously...

Can't help but cringe every time that announcer screams out about how the best mascot in the A League is somehere in the building... WHERE IS HE?!?! HERE HE IS IT'S TICKER! *massive ginger comes out, hugs announcer, random camera zooming in and out of his face...* Just makes us look like a shitty AFL side tbh

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What are people's thoughts on Ticker? Like seriously...

Can't help but cringe every time that announcer screams out about how the best mascot in the A League is somehere in the building... WHERE IS HE?!?! HERE HE IS IT'S TICKER! *massive ginger comes out, hugs announcer, random camera zooming in and out of his face...* Just makes us look like a shitty AFL side tbh

 

Actually Half Cat the Mascot at Cats games is a funny fucker - A whole lot better than Ticker.

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What are people's thoughts on Ticker? Like seriously...

Can't help but cringe every time that announcer screams out about how the best mascot in the A League is somehere in the building... WHERE IS HE?!?! HERE HE IS IT'S TICKER! *massive ginger comes out, hugs announcer, random camera zooming in and out of his face...* Just makes us look like a shitty AFL side tbh

Actually Half Cat the Mascot at Cats games is a funny fucker - A whole lot better than Ticker. A used condom with a hole in it is funnier then ticker

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