R 4: City vs. Newcastle, Fri 30 Oct, 7.40 pm, AAMI Park

[gundam]

El Tuna is brilliant.. the use of is body to hold up the ball against the bigger central defenders and also he has a few tricks up his sleeve to make himself some space.

Sorensen's distribution by his feet is absolutely rubbish.

JVS out. His substitutions lost us the game, didn't even attempt to bring back control after we were constantly giving the ball back to the other team.

[Tony999]

Last night for me was one of the most disappointing loss ever. When we had Aloisi as coach and lost, l wasn't upset as it was expected. But with a team like this we should be disposing a team of hacks like Newcastle comfortably. Felt gutted last night and still feel it today.

[n i k o]

It's suprising sorensons distribution was poor, last week he was putting the ball on a dime. 

Edited October 30, 2015 by n i k o

[rass]

Blaming the substitutions for the loss, or saying they were the turning point, is utter crap.

Definitely not defending JvS, I think he must go - he doesn't have the killer instinct to win it all.

...But those goals were coming as soon as the second half kicked off. I messaged a mate about 3 mins in saying our midfield is stuffed, especially Mauk. Amazing considering how dominant he was (and the others too) in the first half.

We were completely out played in the second half. I have never seen us so lifeless. Only Tuna tried upping it but the midfield was gone by then and he had no-one to work with. I actually think JvS was thinking he would bring on Dekker for Tuna to give him a break when we had established a 3 goal lead. Lol, talk about having no idea where your players are at physically and mentally - he should have seen that coming.

I think it's more accurate to say JvS's choice of personnel on the sub bench was more critical than the subs themselves. 

[KSK_47]

 

...But those goals were coming as soon as the second half kicked off.

Absolutely. I made a comment at half time that although we played really well, we were starting to lose concentration. Then as soon as the second half kicked off you could see we were in trouble. The subs were just the nail in coffin 

[n i k o]

I'd have to totally disagree rass. For sure the players are also responsible for their performances but the subs without a doubt were ordinary. Both Gameiro and Dekker didn't provide the cover defensively that Williams and Kuzi did, respectively. The moment the subs were made Newcastle had much more success up our wings. All their goals came from crosses coming from the wings. Add on top of that a change they made in the midfield and it allowed them to control the play much more than they were in the first half. 

And if we really look at it:

1. Gameiro foul leads to the first goal.

2. Dekker penalty leads to the second goal.

3. Gameiro foul leads to the third goal.

4. Miller sub in midfield, even though he's a defender, which leads to the kid misplacing nearly every pass and being changed mid game to right back! 

Now a lot of this is plain bad luck, I thought Gameiros tackle was well timed against Hoffman and the penalty was questionable but our subs lost us the game. 

 

 

[Shahanga]

I don't understand the game like most on here but why instead of trying to hold onto the ball did we sit back and try to defend the game out. Also not that we miss him anywhere else but we miss Paartalu defending set pieces and the high ball into the box

actually you understand plenty. Our current problems are:

1. Chapman now has to pull his weight at set pieces and he's just terrible. Gifted Jets 2 goals tonight due to his "white men can't jump" approach to heading.

2. I think neither Mauk or Melling are fit enough to play 70minutes (let alone 90).  In my view Both need to be dropped until they are fit.( at their age they have no excuse). Certainly you can't start both and not even have one midfielder on the bench (bizarre selections). 

[Chez]

What an absolute disaster. Haven't felt this low since that awful game against Pheonix on Boxing Day a couple of years back which I think was Alosi's last game as coach. No leadership at all from Sorensen and Kisnorbo. This season is a marathon and I'm sure we'll turn it around but when you're as inconsistent as that you'll never with the league.

Only positive of the night was having Ivan Maric sitting next to active tearing his mullet out over the disaster on the pitch. At least he now knows how I've felt watching Richmond in September. 

[Dunkos]

the game was ours, JVS tactic in the second half was to sit back. Newcastle changed up at half time quite rightly - JVS has no idea how to change.

JVS biggest failing - playing players out of position! 

 

[n i k o]

I don't think JVS wanted to sit back, it was more a combination of factors that made us look like that. 

[Shahanga]

I don't think JVS wanted to sit back, it was more a combination of factors that made us look like that. 

I agree.  Actually sitting back at 2-0 up at home is a decent strategy & the default one for most gaffers.  

The problem seemed to me (having just watched a recording of the game) is that our midfield were out of juice.  Even then we still would have won if we could defend balls in the air.  Those 2 headers Chapman let in were just crap.  Can't believe how Teflon he is on this forum to be honest.  If that had been Jack Clisby people would be planning public floggings.

[jw1739]

I agree.  Actually sitting back at 2-0 up at home is a decent strategy & the default one for most gaffers.  

But how many times has it worked for us? We look vulnerable even when we're 4-0 up.

[SF33]

I'm just numb to it all, at this stage. I can't muster outrage; the best I can do is a sarcastic laugh at what an embarrassment it is to support this team.

[Shahanga]

But how many times has it worked for us? We look vulnerable even when we're 4-0 up.

Very true.  Its because JVS doesn't know how to set a team up to defend.  Every one goes on about this and that as his weaknesses, but to me this is his No 1 problem.

 

[n i k o]

I agree.  Actually sitting back at 2-0 up at home is a decent strategy & the default one for most gaffers.  

The problem seemed to me (having just watched a recording of the game) is that our midfield were out of juice.  Even then we still would have won if we could defend balls in the air.  Those 2 headers Chapman let in were just crap.  Can't believe how Teflon he is on this forum to be honest.  If that had been Jack Clisby people would be planning public floggings.

It's so much simpler to see a passing error or getting beaten one on one though than to judge whether someone has poorly defended a ball in the air. Most people only see two players jump in the air without judging whether or not they are performing adequately in this area. When people see chapman they see someone who can play the ball at his feet and when compared to Kisnorbo he looks bloody good in this area.  

[SF33]

Very true.  Its because JVS doesn't know how to set a team up to defend.  Every one goes on about this and that as his weaknesses, but to me this is his No 1 problem.

 

Agreed. How many times have we read posts in match preview threads, when we come up against a sub-par opponent (at least, on paper) and the general consensus is "they'll park the bus and we'll struggle to score"? Well, if the league decided all of a sudden that teams would get four points for a clean sheet, I still reckon we'd struggle to get 0-0 results. We are incapable of protecting our goals/leads and the only way we ever manage to keep the other teams out is if we bang in five or six and our goalie doesn't have to do anything all game. If the ball spends a decent amount of time in our defensive half, we will be scored on. It's as simple as that and it has been for as long as I can remember.

[Kiro Kompiro]

I agree.  Actually sitting back at 2-0 up at home is a decent strategy & the default one for most gaffers.  

The problem seemed to me (having just watched a recording of the game) is that our midfield were out of juice.  Even then we still would have won if we could defend balls in the air.  Those 2 headers Chapman let in were just crap.  Can't believe how Teflon he is on this forum to be honest.  If that had been Jack Clisby people would be planning public floggings.

I've made that point a couple of times already.  Its is THE most important point of all.

For all the keyboard analysis, blaming Chapman's heading, Kisnorbo's distribution, the full backs and Sorenson, there was nothing wrong with them for the first 30 minutes, was there?

What  changed was that the midfielders and the wingers stopped to a walk and the Jest shut Mooy out of the game.

I can see what JVS is trying to do and he is under pressure to do it from the owners.  Play high tempo, high energy from the kick off, press them in their half, play nice one touch football.  The issue is that not even Barcelona does that for 90 minutes.  Its often done in 15-20 minute bursts.  The tempo is then slowed down for 10-15 minutes. 

This however is not what JVS is doing.  He leaves nothing in the tank, and then relies on the subs to provide the energy.  So he brings on Gameiro and Deker to play wide.  Except the biggest issue was in the middle more than out wide, but he didn't have Paraluu to bring on so he brought on Millar to RB, and Retre to shore up the middle.

Wait till summer comes and we play in the day.  Yes, we have played the same way.

[Kiro Kompiro]

Agreed. How many times have we read posts in match preview threads, when we come up against a sub-par opponent (at least, on paper) and the general consensus is "they'll park the bus and we'll struggle to score"? Well, if the league decided all of a sudden that teams would get four points for a clean sheet, I still reckon we'd struggle to get 0-0 results. We are incapable of protecting our goals/leads and the only way we ever manage to keep the other teams out is if we bang in five or six and our goalie doesn't have to do anything all game. If the ball spends a decent amount of time in our defensive half, we will be scored on. It's as simple as that and it has been for as long as I can remember.

Defending isn't just about the back four though.  The first player a full back has to get past is the opposition winger.  The first player a playmaker has to beat is a central midfielder.  How well do we rate Kuzi, Gameiro, Dekker's and Williams defending?  Mauk, Partaluu and Mellings defending?

We all fap on about Fornaroli's determination to compete all over the pitch but its an indictment on the above players that the striker last week was putting in tackles at LB!.

 

[cadete]

I did not watch the match that closely so my analysis cant be that great but I remember saying early on to my mate next to me than Mooy had man whose sole job was to man mark him. It didn't obviously appear to be a real major problem until the second half.

I also think its been clear from the start of the Season that Kisnorbo has gone a season to far and is too slow, normally I dont care about my CB's being too slow as it often cant be combatted by experience, an ability to use their height and calmness but his never been that type of CB more of the Heart on His Sleeve type.

if anything his ability to knock in a headers in more of an asset to the team than his defending now.

Edited October 31, 2015 by cadete

[Kiro Kompiro]

I did not watch the match that closely so my analysis cant be that great but I remember saying early on to my mate next to me than Mooy had man whose sole job was to man mark him. It didn't obviously appear to be a real major problem until the second half.

I also think its been clear from the start of the Season that Kisnorbo has gone a season to far and is too slow, normally I dont care about my CB's being too slow as it often cant be combatted by experience, an ability to use their height and calmness but his never been that type of CB more of the Heart on His Sleeve type.

if anything his ability to knock in a headers in more of an asset to the team than his defending now.

His tackle in the box saved a goal.

IMO he is being scape-goated at the moment.  I don' have his stats but if I did I think we'd find his passes hit their target, and many went forward to the feet of the midfielders.  Also the guy is a beast when it comes to winning balls in the air at both ends of the pitch (although where the ball ends up after is a different matter).  A CB that can score as well.

[mjake1234]

His tackle in the box saved a goal.

IMO he is being scape-goated at the moment.  I don' have his stats but if I did I think we'd find his passes hit their target, and many went forward to the feet of the midfielders.  Also the guy is a beast when it comes to winning balls in the air at both ends of the pitch (although where the ball ends up after is a different matter).  A CB that can score as well.

I would also like to see some stats on Kisnorbo. I agree that he is a very solid defender but my impression is that his clearances are appalling with MOST of them going to the opposition.

[SF33]

His tackle in the box saved a goal.

IMO he is being scape-goated at the moment.  I don' have his stats but if I did I think we'd find his passes hit their target, and many went forward to the feet of the midfielders.  Also the guy is a beast when it comes to winning balls in the air at both ends of the pitch (although where the ball ends up after is a different matter).  A CB that can score as well.

Clearly the pick of the back four, I would have thought (though that's not saying much). Both last night and for the season.

[Shahanga]

His tackle in the box saved a goal.

IMO he is being scape-goated at the moment.  I don' have his stats but if I did I think we'd find his passes hit their target, and many went forward to the feet of the midfielders.  Also the guy is a beast when it comes to winning balls in the air at both ends of the pitch (although where the ball ends up after is a different matter).  A CB that can score as well.

He was one of our best in that game.  Be the first bloke I'd pick every week if i was gaffer.

[Murfy1]

Just watched the replay. Long post incoming.

 

·         The match was too similar to the FFA Cup loss to Perth. Nervy second half, with a very youthful side, that pretty much surrendered and couldn’t fight back against an opposition team full of experienced A-League players. If yesterday was a one-off it would be bad, but it's even worse that it's possibly a pattern 

·         Dekker did well in his first A-League match on the wing (scoring against Sydney), and he produced good wing play against Heidelberg (especially with his first touch, 1-2 with Mooy and assist for Bruno for our 1^st goal). But it has to be conceded now that Dekker is not a winger, and his general play on the wing isn’t good enough. If we’re going to use a young attacker it would be better to go with our out-and-out winger Zinni, or the very technical Espindola who can cut inside. I hope though that now with Gameiro, Kuzi, Williams and soon Novillo returning to fitness we don’t need to rely on lots of young forwards anymore

·         To be fair Williams only played 40 minutes last game, and JVS did say pre-game that Williams certainly couldn’t play for 90 minutes. I would have liked to see Williams play a few more minutes, but IMO Williams wasn’t very important to the team by the 55^th minute

·         Agree having no midfielders on the bench is stupid. Need to have either Paartalu or even Trifiro on the bench, as a midfield sub could have reenergised us in the centre of the park

·         I don’t think personnel changes in the second have were as important as tactical changes (or the lack of tactical changes). We should have set up more defensively in the second half to slow down the game and hold the lead. The team should have changed from their gung ho 4-3-3 formation with 2 attacking midfielders to either 4-4-2 or even 4-5-1 and packed the midfield, and had players in position to help provide defensive cover down the flanks. Some personnel changes might have helped a tactical change, but IMO a tactical change itself would have been far more important. Overall though the issue is a serious lack of game management and pragmatism, which is disappointing and stupid when the attacking football tactics obviously weren't working in the second half. We’ve shown little game management in our club history, and we seriously need to improve at grinding out results

·         Fully agree Chapman needs to be a lot stronger in the air. He doesn’t even need to win headers, he just needs to contest more and put off opponents when they try to head the ball. Right now he's barely contesting when defending in the air

·         Kisnorbo doesn’t provide enough leadership for someone who wears the armband. Personally I hate captains who “lead by example”. IMO it’s only doing half the job of leading. Kisnorbo is one of only two starters from the Melbourne Heart era (the other player being Williams), and the team feels too Melbourne Heart with Kisnorbo expected to be one of the experienced players/leaders in our team. I wouldn’t mind seeing if a fit Hughes could settle the team more and provide more leadership. I don’t even think Kisnorbo is one of our worst players, but like with Velaphi and Sorensen I think we might have an upgrade on Kisnorbo with Hughes, so I would like to see Hughes get a run

·         JVS’ post-game comments were interesting and shows that he’s not completely clueless (although of course you can legitimately disagree with his comments). He pointed out that in the second half the team: failed to keep possession (dominated the ball in the first half with +56% possession, then had 44% in the second half), were too slow to take free kicks and the team didn’t open up (spread out) around the park when it got the ball (and hence we kicked it long time and again and coughed up possession). Also we generally “stopped playing”, with less intensity in attack (created a lot less) and less intensity in defence (we “went through the motions” defensively and didn’t apply enough real pressure on the ball. 29 tackles, interceptions and clearances in the first half, compared with 21 in the second half [bizarre lack of defensive events from a team that had so little possession in the second half]).

·         Interestingly JVS completely ignored psychology/mentality and focused solely on tactics in the presser (perhaps focusing on what he can more immediately change and control). He said the team simply needed to keep the ball more (if we keep the ball more we aren’t chasing shadows and tiring ourselves out), not play long, open up when we get the ball and take free kicks quicker. Contrast with the Jets, where the coach gave the players "a rocket" at half time and spoke about "commitment" and emotions and got a response. TBPH I don’t care whether a coach focuses on emotions like Mourinho or focuses on tactics like Guardiola, as long as they get a reaction from their players and get the job done, and with our second half the coaching staff completely failed to get a reaction out of our players.

 

 

Where to from here? We need more leadership, on and off the pitch, and we need to play smarter, especially in the second half when we're trying to close out games. A few personnel changes might be beneficial as well, and those changes should be on the cards with multiple players returning to fitness before next week's match against Adelaide.

[Murfy1]

A-League: More of the same from Melbourne Brittle as City implode once more

Michael Lynch

October 31 2015

 

Melbourne City might, in an alternative competition, think about changing their name to Melbourne Brittle.

No matter how comfortable they ever seem to look in a game, John Van 't Schip's side rarely look as though they can be guaranteed to put their opposition away, even if they are a couple of goals to the good and in control of the game.

It was a familiar story for City's long-suffering fans, who turned out at AAMI Park on Friday night for their clash with surprise early season pacesetters Newcastle Jets.

The latter arrived in town having won two of their opening three games, and while most pundits were pleased for new coach Scott Miller and delighted to see a club that had become something of a basket case begin to get its act in order, no one seriously expected the Novocastrians to stay in such a productive groove.

And those opinions seemed justified in a first half where the visitors were played off the park. City romped to a two-goal lead through Aaron Mooy and Stefan Mauk, the latter finishing off an intricate passing move that displayed the best of what City can offer, and it looked all over bar the shouting.

Mooy was pulling the strings in midfield, City were rotating the ball well - at least for the first half hour, anyway - and the Jets rarely threatened. If anyone had predicted, correctly, at the interval that there would be another three second-half goals most punters, given the option, would probably have lumped on a 4-1 or 5-0 scoreline by game's end.

But that, of course, would have been to ignore City's famous capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It would also have underestimated Newcastle's growing powers of self-belief and commitment, forged by those two early wins, an off-season of turmoil and uncertainty and faith in a hard-edged young coach who commands the respect of the dressing room.

When Ben Kantarovski, thrown into a more attacking role as a result of a half-time reshuffle - one that Miller tactfully described afterwards as containing an "honest" self-appraisal by his players - headed home just before the hour mark this match was very definitely on.

A palpable sense went round the ground that the Jets might well get something out of the game, so often have regulars seen and endured City's capacity for implosion.

And it was entirely in keeping with the hosts' fate that the game hinged on two penalties, one given, one ruled out.

With City and Van 't Schip screaming for a spot kick for a foul on Corey Gameiro as they clung to a 2-1 lead, referee Jared Gillett ignored the home side's pleas.

At the other end, when a hopeful cross in from the right by former City utility Jason Hoffman struck Wade Dekker on the arm and bounced out for a corner, the assistant referee raised his flag, Gillett pointed to the spot and Milos Trifunovic calmly netted the equaliser.

It is not just games, but seasons, sometimes jobs, that can hinge on decisions such as that and on one unfortunate result.

The spotlight will inevitably fall, once again, on the Dutchman in the hot seat at the City Football Academy after this defeat - not so much because of the scoreline but because of the way it occurred.

There is always pressure in football, so Van 't Schip is under no more than the average coach in the competition. And he is well used to it, having taken charge at big clubs such as Ajax and also worked as assistant manager during a World Cup and a European championship of the famously fractious Dutch squad. 

But he would not want to preside over many more such fadeouts during the rest of the season, especially if the well-fancied City, who look to have a stronger and better balanced squad than in previous seasons, are battling to make the playoffs.

City will strengthen for the midweek clash with Adelaide.

Aaron Hughes, who has been missing all season, should be available to play at least some sort of role, the Northern Ireland international veteran having recovered from injury and regained fitness. Robert Koren, the Slovenian playmaker sidelined for the past few games, may also come back into consideration, while there could also be a return for French winger Harry Novillo, another who has missed this season through injury.

Van 't Schip could only lament Gillett's inability to find in favour of his side at a critical point of the match, and also rail at his team's inability to continue dominating a game they should have had wrapped up long before the interval.

"At 2-1 we should have had a clear penalty, again," the coach said. "It's the third one we didn't get this year, clear penalties. I don't know why it is the case ... it's unbelievable when you see it happening, when he's not brave enough to point to the penalty spot. It's not consistent in how they are making their decisions, it's very frustrating.

"We stopped playing. Going two up after 30 minutes, then we were not playing the game we did in the first 30 minutes. We started to play long. We gave away our possession. We didn't open up. We start from the back, we try to get the ball going around and into the midfield, but that didn't happen. We started taking too long with free kicks, then every ball goes long. We continued with that in the second half. We were not able to change it.

"We were not jelling with what we were doing in the first 30 minutes. We were pressing and creating chances out of good football. We should have made the score bigger than 2-0. 

"If we stop playing football we are vulnerable. I tell them to play freely and keep on looking for solutions on the pitch. There is too much of a difference in the past two games. It has happened when we have experienced players on the park too."

 

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/aleague-more-of-the-same-from-melbourne-brittle-as-city-implode-once-more-20151030-gknj7q.html

[NewConvert]

I just finished watching the game. Prior to it I had read the comments on this forum and I was expecting Sorenson to have had poor distribution, Chapman to be poor in the air and the team to have run out of juice.

What I saw was that after Mauk collided with Boogard and was severely winded he faded completely out of the game only to show up in the dying minutes. With him gone the dangerous forward thrusts evaporated. I felt that the first goal was because Melling was out of position and did not defend well enough. Chapman needs to do more in the air and he better be told that. I didn't think that Sorensons distribution was as bad as was made out to be.

Interestingly in the first half Mooy had up to three markers on him but in the second half he was left to roam. In the first half the other players had time and space to be dangerous. In the second half they didn't and were not able to control the game.

Gameiro? Why was everyone raving about him? Millar - poor game with only one positive piece of play but all others ended up being a turnover.

Kuzmanovski was pretty good and I don't understand why he was replaced.

Newcastle - people here don't give them enough credit. Carney is having a blinder of a season and City do not have any player capable of pin point delivery like he does - and no, not even Mooy can match his set pieces. They may be a low budget team but they are playing like a team. I notice that a lot of people say that we have a superior team on paper and I have always stated that the paper thing is meaningless. The club does not have a full team because there are so many injuries and then they need time to get their fitness levels and then they need time to gel with their team mates.

Hoffman - I didn't think that the club would progress with him and I still don't. He is playing better this season and that is a credit to Scott Miller.

JVS - well this loss should be attributed to him because of team selection and his unerring ability to contract players that are either injured or become easily injured. I seriously hope that he does get replaced asap because it would send a message to the players, the fans, the media and the rest of the a-league that CFG will not tolerate mediocrity. If CFG waits till seasons end, maybe Merrick will be available.

 

[belaguttman]

I'm just numb to it all, at this stage. I can't muster outrage; the best I can do is a sarcastic laugh at what an embarrassment it is to support this team.

Yeah I feel the same, I have no passion or strong emotional connection to this franchise.

[belaguttman]

There is always pressure in football, so Van 't Schip is under no more than the average coach in the competition.

 

should read "There is always pressure in football, and Van 't Schip is no longer even an average coach in the competition."

[japiedog]

after i left the match , i noticed 2 Melbourne City membership passes nailed to a tree

 

I quickly grabbed them, you never know when 2 need two rusty nails

 

just about sums up my feelings on the tripe served up last night

at half time I said to my mate that we didn't deserve a two goal lead

5 minutes into the second half we both mentioned the change in momemtom, so it was obvious for all to see

 

 

 

 

[n i k o]

Alright own up, who was this that's interviewed at the start of the vid   

 

[Jimmy]

Pretty sure that was KD. 

[kingofhearts]

Alright own up, who was this that's interviewed at the start of the vid   

 

http://forum.melbournefootball.com/topic/1197-nerd-watch/?page=8

Wrong thread

[Murfy1]

Melbourne City defender Ben Garuccio laments collapse against Jets

 

November 1 2015

David Davutovic

 

MELBOURNE City full-back Ben Garuccio lamented his team’s “terrible” and “unacceptable” collapse at home to Newcastle Jets on Friday night.

Injury-ravaged City is now praying that star French winger Harry Novillo and experienced defender Aaron Hughes will return for Thursday’s trip to Adelaide United.

City dominated the first half with Aaron Mooy and Stefan Mauk’s goals putting them two ahead ahead at the break, before a rare goal from Ben Kantarovski and a Milos Trifunovic brace turned the tide and secured a 3-2 win for the Jets.

“That’s a game that should be won and would be won nine times out of 10,’’ Garuccio said.

“There’s no worse feeling really, the game was in our hands in the first half we were playing exactly to the gameplan, but in the second half we went away from that and that’s when things started to turn in their favour.

“There were cheap turnovers and that swings the momentum, in the first half they were turning it over easily and we capitalised. It flipped and they took their chances and it was just terrible.

“If we score to make it 3-1 we probably win the game, but at 2-2 the momentum swings. It happens sometimes, but it’s not good enough, there’s no excuses and you can’t point the finger at anyone, it’s a team effort.

“We’ve got to keep believing. There’s a short turnaround now and we’ve got to go to Adelaide and get three points.’’

City’s stunning collapse saw the Jets score three goals in a bizarre 21-minute second-half spell turned the game on its head and left the home side shellshocked.

Novillo will resume training with the main squad on Monday, while Hughes will be monitored after playing yesterday, as City coach John van’t Schip called for persistence.

“Hopefully we can get some players back. It looks like Harry is OK. If he’s feeling okay after a heavy session (on Friday), if he pulls up well and has a good week of training he should be in contention for selection,’’ van’t Schip said.

“Hughes is playing (a friendly yesterday) a game and if he is OK then we get two other players cleared to be able to start playing again.

“That’s again managing because they can’t play 90 minutes so it’s again seeing how to fit some players in and that’s not easy.

“You keep on working n it, it’s not that we now say we’re going to change the system, this is how we want to go forward.

“They boys that played we will analyse again and see where we can improve towards the next game in Adelaide.’’

 

http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/a-league-melbourne-city-defender-ben-garuccio-laments-collapse-against-jets/story-fnk9a3dc-1227589601683

[dr lime]

Clearly the pick of the back four, I would have thought (though that's not saying much). Both last night and for the season.

I agree he is one of first picked for me. But his strike rate when passing forward (as opposed to backwards to the keeper or sideways across a wide open back four,which is what makes his stats look better than they are..) is terrible. As soon as he starts thinking he is a #6 who can distribute the ball we are in big trouble. Go back and have a look at the last Derby, Victory know how bad he is in this regard and let us get the ball to him, then closed him down quickly and got the turnovers very very regularly. Message to Kizzy: win the ball and play a simple pass to someone else. Full stop! Having said that, someone needs to come and get it off him. Mellng and Paartalu in the last few league games have given it away way too often also.  

[The Aardvark]

Just an oh too familiar feeling coming out of that match.

 

Has there ever been a side so consistently insipid when the momentum turns against it? I think we have only ever fought back 2 or 3 times in our history.

Thought Mauk was very impressive in the first half. I've always been critical of him because from all the talk of how he is a future star he has delivered very little on the pitch. He is finally starting to repay the faith and his high energy work in the midfield has been fantastic and a welcome change from the half hearted Koren. I also really like that he is starting to take his chances in front of goal. He did die out in the second half but he has played almost every minute since the Victory game so I can understand him beginning to tire and the coaching staff should be looking to compensate for that.

Kisnorbo was respectable, Mooy was excellent in the first quarter despite playing with the closest thing to a tagger that I've seen in soccer. And Fornaroli is very hard to fault for his work ethic and ability on the ball is very impressive.

Gameiro however was crap. I know he has been out of the system for a long time and must be finding his feet but I am yet to be impressed. Poor challenges, selfish decision making and his passing and shooting have lacked finesse. I'm confident he'll be fine once he's had a bit more gamtime but he'd want to startr improving quickly because he is a liability at the moment. Dekker was also crap as pointed out by many, and should have centred to Fornalroli at the end instead of taking a very low percentage shot.

 

 

[SF33]

I agree he is one of first picked for me. But his strike rate when passing forward (as opposed to backwards to the keeper or sideways across a wide open back four,which is what makes his stats look better than they are..) is terrible. As soon as he starts thinking he is a #6 who can distribute the ball we are in big trouble. Go back and have a look at the last Derby, Victory know how bad he is in this regard and let us get the ball to him, then closed him down quickly and got the turnovers very very regularly. Message to Kizzy: win the ball and play a simple pass to someone else. Full stop! Having said that, someone needs to come and get it off him. Mellng and Paartalu in the last few league games have given it away way too often also.  

I'm probably a bit old school with sport in that sense. Especially when you're talking about a league at the standard of this one, I just want a defender that can defend, first and foremost. If he can set up attacking drives as well, that's fine and dandy, but I'd rather a defender that is excellent at stopping the opposition but is a bit dodgy when he's using it, compared to a defender that is dodgy stopping his opponent, but is good at setting up attacks. I think you can hide a defender with Kisnorbo's deficiencies a lot easier. 

[HEARTinator]

 

·         Interestingly JVS completely ignored psychology/mentality and focused solely on tactics in the presser (perhaps focusing on what he can more immediately change and control). He said the team simply needed to keep the ball more (if we keep the ball more we aren’t chasing shadows and tiring ourselves out), not play long, open up when we get the ball and take free kicks quicker. Contrast with the Jets, where the coach gave the players "a rocket" at half time and spoke about "commitment" and emotions and got a response. TBPH I don’t care whether a coach focuses on emotions like Mourinho or focuses on tactics like Guardiola, as long as they get a reaction from their players and get the job done, and with our second half the coaching staff completely failed to get a reaction out of our players.

The problem has been since day dot that JvS has not been able to translate his theoretical understanding of play into sustained, concrete performances from the team under varying situations. He no doubt understands the game from a strategy point of view but what he has lacked is the ability to get the players to perform consistently. No matter how many players we turn over and replace, JvS issues the same excuses. The problem is obvious. He lacks man management skills that define successful coaches like Merrick, Popo, Arnie or Ange. It's no accident that his win ratio is just over 30% and has been this way pretty much since he's been with us. To win silverware you need to be around 40-50%.

Edited November 1, 2015 by HEARTinator

[belaguttman]

I'm probably a bit old school with sport in that sense. Especially when you're talking about a league at the standard of this one, I just want a defender that can defend, first and foremost. If he can set up attacking drives as well, that's fine and dandy, but I'd rather a defender that is excellent at stopping the opposition but is a bit dodgy when he's using it, compared to a defender that is dodgy stopping his opponent, but is good at setting up attacks. I think you can hide a defender with Kisnorbo's deficiencies a lot easier. 

Of course the obvious answer is for Kisnorbo to pass short to a player than can distribute the ball. Mood of course would be ideal but we would miss his contribution upfield. Paartalu is the obvious choice but his passing is little better at the moment. In any case JVS is not instructing this so Paddy goes long

[malloy]

Of course the obvious answer is for Kisnorbo to pass short to a player than can distribute the ball. Mood of course would be ideal but we would miss his contribution upfield. Paartalu is the obvious choice but his passing is little better at the moment. In any case JVS is not instructing this so Paddy goes long

I think JVS is instructing this, but it appears Paddy is ignoring instructions from JVS.  During the game vs Newcastle I heard JVS instructing Paddy K to spread wide when Sorensen had possession for Paddy to wave him off dismissively.

This also occurred with Willo ignoring JVSs repeated screams for him to push up wide.

It is quite clear that JVS lacks the man management skills to either command the player and/or sell his game plan to them. 

[Dylan]

Kisnorbo has to be dropped. Can't lead for shit. Does a couple of spectacular blocks a game that look good for the cameras, but can't pass and is slow as all hell. Get Hughes in