WSW vs Melbourne City Friday 7:40 3rd April

[NewConvert]

Let's be honest, WSW are playing for nothing but that really just allows them to be as free as possible. We were in the same position mid last season and we also got results.

We didn't play well tonight yet still get a draw. Terrible conditions didn't help, but we do definitely need to improve our fluency.

That goal from Harry was exactly what we needed to see from him after a few weeks of promising but wasteful attacking moves.

 

I don't think so. Their A-League campaign has been shot but not their ACL campaign which remains alive. Hence they are now going to use the A-League as practice for their ACL.

[Jovan]

We have massive issues. Can't see us winning again this season.

Melling has been a big loss and Koren Kennedy huge let downs.

[AaronAV11]

can't wait for Chapman and safuwan to replace retre and clisby, but how do we fit Melling in? He deserves a start but I like the current midfield of paartalu, Germano and mooy.

[Jovan]

Drop Eric for Germano.

Play Melling Mooy and Germano the anchor.

[Heart_fan]

Drop Eric for Germano.

Play Melling Mooy and Germano the anchor.

I think this would be ideal.

Eric is really adding nothing at this point. Dissapointing.

[NewConvert]

First thoughts:

Defence holding steady even though Tando had a couple of brain fades he still remains my first choice keeper. My brother and I had a discussion regarding Retre and Clisby, where I contend that Retre is not worth pursuing with because he has too many basic errors in his game and at this stage of his development those flaws should not be there. Clisby has a terrible first touch but otherwise can position himself well and be accountable ( and yes he does get caught out of position but I believe that is because he is following the game plan and a turnover does hurt). the question becomes whether the coaching staff can remedy his first touch.

Paartalau did show up at times but not for the full 90 minutes. Player problem or coaching problem or a bit of both?
Germano not as influential as last week but a solid if unspectacular game none the less.

Koren, I felt he played a good game but not marquee standard. He pressed and defended well, passed and had a couple of shots.

Kennedy - I thought he did well, he did drop back and pressed but the rest of the team has not worked how to use him to his best ability. A lot of high passes which he brought down to ground and team mates but opposition teams are not giving him time or space. It does not help that City players do not have the skills to make accurate passes to him at either head height or at ground level.

Mooy - what a work horse. Very good around the ground. However I do believe his weakness is the set shot which often does not hit the target but as we saw tonight he remains the better option compared to Ramsay or Clisby. Next week we should try Koren or Dugandzic.

Novillo - exciting to watch and a great goal but needs to be more team oriented. As i said elsewhere, there is a reason as to why his football has not progressed in France.

Williams had little impact when he came on but worked himself into the game a little bit. Poor overall.

Dugandzic - no impact at all.

Ramsay - must have nightmares about the LB position. Clisby was better.

JVS - not sure what he was attempting tonight. Certainly the team has real problems in the wet as well as in the heat. To put it concisely the team has problem with the weather. JVS I am looking at you. The team also has problems with accurate passing. Surely skill sessions are required over the pre-season.

Another impression that I got tonight was that neither side played as a team for the whole match. In a way it was more like individual duals between players

[True Until I die]

 

Let's be honest, WSW are playing for nothing but that really just allows them to be as free as possible. We were in the same position mid last season and we also got results.

We didn't play well tonight yet still get a draw. Terrible conditions didn't help, but we do definitely need to improve our fluency.

That goal from Harry was exactly what we needed to see from him after a few weeks of promising but wasteful attacking moves.

 

I don't think so. Their A-League campaign has been shot but not their ACL campaign which remains alive. Hence they are now going to use the A-League as practice for their ACL.

 

On that note, I would say if western Sydney could get through the acl group stage and even the round of 16, then I would call the season (post acl 2014 and club wc) a sucess

[Heart_fan]

Let's be honest, WSW are playing for nothing but that really just allows them to be as free as possible. We were in the same position mid last season and we also got results.

We didn't play well tonight yet still get a draw. Terrible conditions didn't help, but we do definitely need to improve our fluency.

That goal from Harry was exactly what we needed to see from him after a few weeks of promising but wasteful attacking moves.

I don't think so. Their A-League campaign has been shot but not their ACL campaign which remains alive. Hence they are now going to use the A-League as practice for their ACL.

On that note, I would say if western Sydney could get through the acl group stage and even the round of 16, then I would call the season (post acl 2014 and club wc) a sucess

It is definitely great warm up for the next ACL rounds, but I do stand by the comments that they have nothing to play for in the HAL which reduces the pressure in these games.

They have noticeably increased their attacking movement and threat. This just seems to have come from being much more free to play than they were, which has very clear parallels to us mid last season.

It may not look like it, but this is a game that getting a point was actually a better result than I expected. It's not a game we usually get anything from when we are expected to win.

[hakz7]

We always seem a different side when we play away. Aloisi's curse still affects us in a way. We don't fail to control the ball this badly when we're at home.

I still believe we'll beat Wellington but fail to pick up a win in the last two games.

[SF33]

For what it's worth, I noticed Clisby seemingly hack it blindly forward a lot last week. Didn't notice it as much this week, probably because everyone was doing it, given the conditions.

 

When we look at this game/result in the context of the season, there's two ways to look at it (for me at least) that are sort of related and sort of unrelated:

 

1. As much as the season has been an up and down grind and the team has at times been wildly disappointing, considering the individual talent at its disposal, it's still already by far the most successful Heart/City team in my time as a member (and that's pretty depressing in itself) and I find myself getting just a tiny bit excited that we're likely to be involved in the finals, even as I'm trying to fight it off.

 

2. This is a great opportunity, in a league that even more than usual, doesn't have a stand out team, for someone to catch fire in the last month, sneak into the postseason (to borrow a US term) and come out of nowhere to beat some much more highly rated teams to win the championship. That could be us and considering the personnel that we're starting to assemble and have to come back in the next week or two, perhaps it should be us. But for us to build up any sort of confidence to string a few wins on end in the finals, we need to be winning and looking good doing it. The past two results haven't done a lot for that.

 

Still, we're a point ahead of Brisbane over the past fortnight and with an away game against Adelaide, along with home games against Victory (twice) and Newcastle, along with two AFC games (and one to come after the final round of the A-League season) for them to come. Six games in sixteen days and six points from their final A-League games would be a decent result, nine would be pretty incredible, considering Brisbane's upcoming workload. So one point could well be enough for us to scrape into finals (without considering what might happen to Perth). But I think we should aim higher and, even if we don't look perfect, I'd like to go in to the finals from here on a seven game undefeated streak and I'd like to get 5+ points from these last three tough games.

Edited April 3, 2015 by SF33

[wombegongal]

Big Eric is only struggling due to the counter attacking nature of our game now and the inability of his team mates to retain the ball. His game isn't being a quick workhorse who covers a lot of ground its winning the long ball in the air and being the deep lying midfielder to whom you can recycle the ball. In short our current game plan totally negates his influence. He noticeably rarely turns over the ball and finds team mates with defensive headers. Vastly under utilised currently and will continue to be until we have more players on the park around him that can hold onto the ball.

[n i k o]

Well Niko you got your wish and Ramsay is on. I guess a proper left back.

 

Maybe I was dreaming that Clisby has been part of a defence that has helped us to 3 clean sheets in a row.

I made a statement that Clisbys touch has been the worst out of all the players over the last two games. Since when the fuck did I say my wish was for Ramsey to come on. Go back to bed silva.  

It's almost lunch time here Niko.

 

Well Ramsay is the alternative left back.

 

Clisby has no more bad touches than most of our players in the squad. That is my argument with you. So I guess we  will agree to disagree on that one.

It may be lunch but I still stand by you going back to bed

 

Going for a drink mate to celebrate our point. Hope to catch up with you as you have obviously had a few

FYI as a comparison:

Clisby successful pass rate tonight- 66% success pass rate; last week-68%

Paartalu successful pass rate- 77% success pass rate; last week-77%

Every other player over the last two games has bettered Clisbys passing by considerable margins. For goodness sake even Retre was 79% tonight and up in the high 80% pass rate last week.

Happy drinking.

[ForestHeart]

Thought it was a handy point last night , WSW were the better team for the majority , we'll play finals , Perth will not.

[belaguttman]

Clisby's problem is his tackling. He goes to ground too often without winning the ball and this leaves us exposed, particularly if he has pushed up

Edited April 3, 2015 by belaguttman

[Kiro Kompiro]

Big Eric is only struggling due to the counter attacking nature of our game now and the inability of his team mates to retain the ball. His game isn't being a quick workhorse who covers a lot of ground its winning the long ball in the air and being the deep lying midfielder to whom you can recycle the ball. In short our current game plan totally negates his influence. He noticeably rarely turns over the ball and finds team mates with defensive headers. Vastly under utilised currently and will continue to be until we have more players on the park around him that can hold onto the ball.

 

Big Eric is struggling because he has the movement of a draught horse and consistently over or under hits 5 metre passes.

 

You're right about him being the only one who can actually direct a header to a team mate, something that in 6 years of football no-one else at this club has mastered, so I guess that is worth a  4 year deal

[Parrot]

 

Big Eric is only struggling due to the counter attacking nature of our game now and the inability of his team mates to retain the ball. His game isn't being a quick workhorse who covers a lot of ground its winning the long ball in the air and being the deep lying midfielder to whom you can recycle the ball. In short our current game plan totally negates his influence. He noticeably rarely turns over the ball and finds team mates with defensive headers. Vastly under utilised currently and will continue to be until we have more players on the park around him that can hold onto the ball.

 

Big Eric is struggling because he has the movement of a draught horse and consistently over or under hits 5 metre passes.

 

You're right about him being the only one who can actually direct a header to a team mate, something that in 6 years of football no-one else at this club has mastered, so I guess that is worth a  4 year deal

 

 

Correct. When he played in the Champions League for Brisbane Roar Big Eric looked so far out of his depth it was not funny. The opposition with their leg speed just toyed with him. 

[Luke]

This game proved 6th place should be no where near finals 

[SF33]

This game proved 6th place should be no where near finals 

 

And what happens when at least one of the teams above us looks absolutely awful at some stage over the weekend (which seems to happen every week)?

[drewmelbcity]

Well Niko you got your wish and Ramsay is on. I guess a proper left back.

Maybe I was dreaming that Clisby has been part of a defence that has helped us to 3 clean sheets in a row.

I made a statement that Clisbys touch has been the worst out of all the players over the last two games. Since when the fuck did I say my wish was for Ramsey to come on. Go back to bed silva.

It's almost lunch time here Niko.

Well Ramsay is the alternative left back.

Clisby has no more bad touches than most of our players in the squad. That is my argument with you. So I guess we will agree to disagree on that one. It may be lunch but I still stand by you going back to bed

Going for a drink mate to celebrate our point. Hope to catch up with you as you have obviously had a few FYI as a comparison:

Clisby successful pass rate tonight- 66% success pass rate; last week-68%

Paartalu successful pass rate- 77% success pass rate; last week-77%

Every other player over the last two games has bettered Clisbys passing by considerable margins. For goodness sake even Retre was 79% tonight and up in the high 80% pass rate last week.

Happy drinking.

I don't rate clisby at all, the only thing going for him is that we are not bleeding goals atm.

[belaguttman]

 

I don't rate clisby at all, the only thing going for him is that we are not bleeding goals atm.

 

Well he is a defender, that is his job

[drewmelbcity]

I don't rate clisby at all, the only thing going for him is that we are not bleeding goals atm.

Well he is a defender, that is his job

Actually I believe the dry up has been the improvement of kisnorbo and the addition of jaliens. I still think that clisby gets caught up field to often and that he adds nothing to the attacking third, that is my opinion though people will think differently.

[belaguttman]

 

 

I don't rate clisby at all, the only thing going for him is that we are not bleeding goals atm.

Well he is a defender, that is his job

Actually I believe the dry up has been the improvement of kisnorbo and the addition of jaliens. I still think that clisby gets caught up field to often and that he adds nothing to the attacking third, that is my opinion though people will think differently.

 

I agree, he does. He commits to a tackle, slides in and misses the ball and someone has to cover but the whole team is defending better - we are keeping our shape better, our CBs are better p[ositioned better and we have a keeper who knows how to keep goal. Clisby is a part of that defence

[jw1739]

 

 

 

I don't rate clisby at all, the only thing going for him is that we are not bleeding goals atm.

Well he is a defender, that is his job

Actually I believe the dry up has been the improvement of kisnorbo and the addition of jaliens. I still think that clisby gets caught up field to often and that he adds nothing to the attacking third, that is my opinion though people will think differently.

 

I agree, he does. He commits to a tackle, slides in and misses the ball and someone has to cover but the whole team is defending better - we are keeping our shape better, our CBs are better p[ositioned better and we have a keeper who knows how to keep goal. Clisby is a part of that defence

Since the Asian Cup break we have played 11 matches and conceded just 11 goals. Clisby has taken part in 10 of those matches.

[strider]

We're ganna win the league!

[drewmelbcity]

I don't rate clisby at all, the only thing going for him is that we are not bleeding goals atm.

Well he is a defender, that is his job Actually I believe the dry up has been the improvement of kisnorbo and the addition of jaliens. I still think that clisby gets caught up field to often and that he adds nothing to the attacking third, that is my opinion though people will think differently.

I agree, he does. He commits to a tackle, slides in and misses the ball and someone has to cover but the whole team is defending better - we are keeping our shape better, our CBs are better p[ositioned better and we have a keeper who knows how to keep goal. Clisby is a part of that defence Since the Asian Cup break we have played 11 matches and conceded just 11 goals. Clisby has taken part in 10 of those matches.

Barring the game against victory and against west Sydney the other week our defense has been sound. Including and correct me if I'm wrong but the most clean sheats along with a couple other clubs.

[n i k o]

Just an observation, I'm about 80% sure Koren says to Mooy to fuck off after he shoots from distance over the crossbar. Mooy was open in the middle of the front third by himself and isn't happy Koren didn't pass to him.

Edited April 4, 2015 by n i k o

[CALZALOL]

Just an observation, I'm about 80% sure Koren says to Mooy to fuck off after he shoots from distance over the crossbar. Mooy was open in the middle of the front third by himself and isn't happy Koren didn't pass to him.

Didn't notice this but have been noticing tension between these two for quite some time now (in particular when a passing opportunity and/or call for a pass is snubbed), I put it down to white line fever and that they actually get along off the pitch.

[Tony999]

Just an observation, I'm about 80% sure Koren says to Mooy to fuck off after he shoots from distance over the crossbar. Mooy was open in the middle of the front third by himself and isn't happy Koren didn't pass to him.

Yes! I pointed that out earlier. To me it was clear he said: "Ma (which is a typical balkan slang word when expressing yourself) fuck off".

[strider]

Just an observation, I'm about 80% sure Koren says to Mooy to fuck off after he shoots from distance over the crossbar. Mooy was open in the middle of the front third by himself and isn't happy Koren didn't pass to him.

Yes! I pointed that out earlier. To me it was clear he said: "Ma (which is a typical balkan slang word when expressing yourself) fuck off".

We're not ganna win the league with that attitude!

[Parrot]

 

Just an observation, I'm about 80% sure Koren says to Mooy to fuck off after he shoots from distance over the crossbar. Mooy was open in the middle of the front third by himself and isn't happy Koren didn't pass to him.

Didn't notice this but have been noticing tension between these two for quite some time now (in particular when a passing opportunity and/or call for a pass is snubbed), I put it down to white line fever and that they actually get along off the pitch.

 

 

Simple really. Koren didn't expect to be made to look third rate by a City midfielder. 

[japiedog]

 

 

Just an observation, I'm about 80% sure Koren says to Mooy to fuck off after he shoots from distance over the crossbar. Mooy was open in the middle of the front third by himself and isn't happy Koren didn't pass to him.

Didn't notice this but have been noticing tension between these two for quite some time now (in particular when a passing opportunity and/or call for a pass is snubbed), I put it down to white line fever and that they actually get along off the pitch.

 

 

Simple really. Koren didn't expect to be made to look third rate by a City midfielder. 

 

I've notice the lack of "friendship" between them as well

[n i k o]

Just an observation, I'm about 80% sure Koren says to Mooy to fuck off after he shoots from distance over the crossbar. Mooy was open in the middle of the front third by himself and isn't happy Koren didn't pass to him.

Didn't notice this but have been noticing tension between these two for quite some time now (in particular when a passing opportunity and/or call for a pass is snubbed), I put it down to white line fever and that they actually get along off the pitch.

 

Simple really. Koren didn't expect to be made to look third rate by a City midfielder.

I've notice the lack of "friendship" between them as well

There's probably a host of reasons why such as Mooy playing in Korens position, Mooy being the dominant player for the team and also on pitch issues. There's been times when Mooy hasn't passed the ball to Koren in open areas or dangerous position but opted to do more himself.

[Murfy1]

Not a very entertaining game (apart from the goals), but at this point in the season it's all about results. Getting a point after falling behind to WSW in Western Sydney is a good point, especially since WSW played a very good game against Perth in Perth last round and thumped Brisbane 4-1 in Brisbane the round before that (further with Juric rejoining the likes of Castelen and Takahagi, WSW are starting to have a decent starting XI).

 

 

The first half was sloppy from Melbourne City. WSW were given too much time and space to freely move the ball up field into their final third, and they regularly put pressure on us and pegged us back, and the pressure eventually told with the goal.

 

Retre had a poor game, and IMO Clisby had an ordinary game. With the way Melbourne City set up, to play with wingers and width, the fullbacks need to be better and more influential, and I agree with others who say the fullback positions have been an ongoing problem for Melbourne City. However I give ample credit to Clisby and Retre for their performances in recent weeks, as they have done their primary job--defending-- admirably (hence the cleansheets). Also, Clisby is more of a centre-back than a LB, and while Retre is a proper utility he's more of a midfielder/wide player than a RB, so both get credit from me for doing a job in the fullback positions. But all up it's very clear why the club was so eager to sign a fullback like Franjic, as the club could really use real quality in at least one of the 2 fullback positions.

 

The issue of fullbacks directly relates to service for the striker Kennedy, as Clisby and Retre didn't get up field and provide crosses or cutbacks for the striker. Novillo and Koren also didn't provide a single cross onto Kennedy's head. The rare instances Kennedy has got proper service he's made things happen, as seen with his goal against Adelaide and his very good header on goal before Germano got his tap in against Brisbane. Against WSW when Germano was RB he played some very good crosses towards Kennedy, so hopefully the team plays the right personnel that can provide service to Kennedy from wide areas (I really think the plan was for Duff and Kennedy to play together, and Kennedy's influence has been lessened by Duff being unavailable).

 

I'm now sure possession is crucial for Melbourne City to play better. I believe we'll only see the best of out all of Melbourne City's main players--Koren, Kennedy, Novillo, Mooy, Paartalu--when the team keeps more of the ball. So cutting out the wayward passing we saw a lot of in the first half is crucial. In the 2nd half, when both Mooy and Koren were in midfield, the team kept the ball better, and I believe those extended spells of possession helped make the game more equal in the 2nd half.

 

 

The main positives for me of this match were:

 

- Novillo. He's proven he's quality, and I believe he'll only get better with more time in the A-League. Sign him up

- The defence. Conceded 1 goal, but didn't concede from open play (4 games without conceding from open play), despite an off performance or two from players in the defence. Very happy with the likes of Kisnorbo and Jaliens

- Kennedy, Koren and Mooy all played 90 minutes, and Novillo is almost fully fit and capable of playing 90 minutes. If all of Melbourne City's key players can play back to back matches (something that hasn't really happened before due to injuries, international call ups, etc.), the way Victory have Berisha, Finkler, Khalfallah and co. playing together game after game, then I'm sure that we'll see more out of Melbourne City's key players. And I've got a feeling that the starting XI is starting to settle at just the right time, at the pointy end of the season  

 

 

So overall a useful point. But the performances simply must improve, and there can be no excuses at this point of the season for sloppy 45 minutes periods of football. All players need to lift for the remaining matches, because they are playing not just to make the finals, but to try and earn contracts for next season and beyond as well. 

[Judge]

Koren. Vs. Mooy. There is Friction Koren , signed as marquee but really playing second fiddle to Mooy who regularly picks up man of the match, and is more involved in the game and also been selected for the Socceroos, is having a good season. Where as Robbie came back from injury , has found Mooy playing his position very well, so why would JVS change a winning formula Rob came with high credentials and should be able to play a number of positions, he really needs to lift for the finals campaign. There are lots of teamates who dont get on , but both should be professional enought to play for the team, ive mentioned before players overlapping not getting return balls from both Aaron and Robbie so both are equally guilty of this , so put your differences aside for the Club otherwise it could cost us dearly in the finals.

[Luke]

Not a very entertaining game (apart from the goals), but at this point in the season it's all about results. Getting a point after falling behind to WSW in Western Sydney is a good point, especially since WSW played a very good game against Perth in Perth last round and thumped Brisbane 4-1 in Brisbane the round before that (further with Juric rejoining the likes of Castelen and Takahagi, WSW are starting to have a decent starting XI).

 

 

The first half was sloppy from Melbourne City. WSW were given too much time and space to freely move the ball up field into their final third, and they regularly put pressure on us and pegged us back, and the pressure eventually told with the goal.

 

Retre had a poor game, and IMO Clisby had an ordinary game. With the way Melbourne City set up, to play with wingers and width, the fullbacks need to be better and more influential, and I agree with others who say the fullback positions have been an ongoing problem for Melbourne City. However I give ample credit to Clisby and Retre for their performances in recent weeks, as they have done their primary job--defending-- admirably (hence the cleansheets). Also, Clisby is more of a centre-back than a LB, and while Retre is a proper utility he's more of a midfielder/wide player than a RB, so both get credit from me for doing a job in the fullback positions. But all up it's very clear why the club was so eager to sign a fullback like Franjic, as the club could really use real quality in at least one of the 2 fullback positions.

 

The issue of fullbacks directly relates to service for the striker Kennedy, as Clisby and Retre didn't get up field and provide crosses or cutbacks for the striker. Novillo and Koren also didn't provide a single cross onto Kennedy's head. The rare instances Kennedy has got proper service he's made things happen, as seen with his goal against Adelaide and his very good header on goal before Germano got his tap in against Brisbane. Against WSW when Germano was RB he played some very good crosses towards Kennedy, so hopefully the team plays the right personnel that can provide service to Kennedy from wide areas (I really think the plan was for Duff and Kennedy to play together, and Kennedy's influence has been lessened by Duff being unavailable).

 

I'm now sure possession is crucial for Melbourne City to play better. I believe we'll only see the best of out all of Melbourne City's main players--Koren, Kennedy, Novillo, Mooy, Paartalu--when the team keeps more of the ball. So cutting out the wayward passing we saw a lot of in the first half is crucial. In the 2nd half, when both Mooy and Koren were in midfield, the team kept the ball better, and I believe those extended spells of possession helped make the game more equal in the 2nd half.

 

 

The main positives for me of this match were:

 

- Novillo. He's proven he's quality, and I believe he'll only get better with more time in the A-League. Sign him up

- The defence. Conceded 1 goal, but didn't concede from open play (4 games without conceding from open play), despite an off performance or two from players in the defence. Very happy with the likes of Kisnorbo and Jaliens

- Kennedy, Koren and Mooy all played 90 minutes, and Novillo is almost fully fit and capable of playing 90 minutes. If all of Melbourne City's key players can play back to back matches (something that hasn't really happened before due to injuries, international call ups, etc.), the way Victory have Berisha, Finkler, Khalfallah and co. playing together game after game, then I'm sure that we'll see more out of Melbourne City's key players. And I've got a feeling that the starting XI is starting to settle at just the right time, at the pointy end of the season  

 

 

So overall a useful point. But the performances simply must improve, and there can be no excuses at this point of the season for sloppy 45 minutes periods of football. All players need to lift for the remaining matches, because they are playing not just to make the finals, but to try and earn contracts for next season and beyond as well. 

 

fuck me