R25, City v Adelaide, Saturday 13th April 5.35pm, Lucky you're at AAMI

[Heart of Melbourne]

25 minutes before kick off and barely 1000 people in the stadium 

[kingofhearts]

Essendon have won, don't kill my vibe city

[XxCiTySeNxX]

Good to see the tight ass free loaders showed up and our members didnt yet again.

[dconder13]

Bored

[KSK_47]

Fuck this is so boring. But we are definitely going to win this

[haz]

Zzzzz

[Harrison]

Why not play De Laet at LB and Delbridge at CB? 

[kingofhearts]

Have we lost yet

[Tony999]

20 hours ago, Afif Adam said:

Nux is shit now, Bautheac On the Right Krishna on the left Macca upfront 🤤..2019/20 is our year 

Rumor Bautheac is going MV

[playmaker]

21 minutes ago, Harrison said:

Why not play De Laet at LB and Delbridge at CB? 

This manager is cooked, that's why

[belaguttman]

A lot to play for, the usual choke.

Where's the evidence of the supposed cultural change?

[citypool]

Why aren’t we happy about the amount of fans in the active end? Who cares if they were cause of free tickets we need fans!

[AXIOM]

How are we playing? 

[Tony999]

6 minutes ago, AXIOM said:

How are we playing? 

Like Barca

[Mr MO]

How’s new fan favourite Berenguer going? Still slipping and losing possession playing against real opposition.

1 hour ago, XxCiTySeNxX said:

Good to see the tight ass free loaders showed up and our members didnt yet again.

How’s that freeloaders? Have I missed something?

35 minutes ago, citypool said:

Why aren’t we happy about the amount of fans in the active end? Who cares if they were cause of free tickets we need fans!

Active is empty, do you have your TV upside down?

[Mr MO]

Isaias is a dog, always diving and provoking.

[Mr MO]

Must win game but we substitute like for like without changing our defensive idealess midfield structure - enlighten me Warren Joyce with your strategic mind?

[Shahanga]

“I can’t understand why the members don’t want to see our team play”

[dconder13]

3 minutes ago, Shahanga said:

“I can’t understand why the members don’t want to see our team play”

Who said that

[Shahanga]

1 minute ago, dconder13 said:

Who said that

Google sarcasm 

[dconder13]

16 minutes ago, Shahanga said:

Google sarcasm 

Never heard of it

[Jovan]

15 minutes ago, dconder13 said:

Never heard of it

Google or sacasm?

[moops]

I just got home from work and just watched the highlights. It looks like everyone forgot their shooting boots and we had most of the chances, Baccus featured heavily as well.

Is this the gist of the game?

[Afif Adam]

Sat in the supposed freeloaders section second half and I can confirm the atmosphere was better..

- shocking game, we can’t seem to finish despite showing “spirit”

[JMSTEP123]

55 minutes ago, moops said:

I just got home from work and just watched the highlights. It looks like everyone forgot their shooting boots and we had most of the chances, Baccus featured heavily as well.

Is this the gist of the game?

We had plenty of good chances but Adelaide defended tightly and compactly. We lacked any creativity to sneak our way through and Baccus/Griffiths had more luck barging through. 

[moops]

12 minutes ago, JMSTEP123 said:

We had plenty of good chances but Adelaide defended tightly and compactly. We lacked any creativity to sneak our way through and Baccus/Griffiths had more luck barging through. 

Cheers mate, who were our subs?

[Afif Adam]

Forum is officially dead 

[jw1739]

Overall an intriguing match between two sides who illustrate that neither deserves to be in the "finals." Or perhaps that "finals" should be a proper play-off group restricted to the top four. Without Schenkeveld IMO the defence held together reasonably well, but looked all over the place as the first half progressed - how we survived, goodness only knows. Our midfield is totally sterile, and other than Berenguer the forwards looked toothless. Sorry, but Harrison isn't up to it based on this performance, and likewise Maclaren doesn't deserve marquee status. FFS someone should be working on players such a Griffiths, Baccus and Brattan to teach them when and how to shoot.

The referee seemed to find a free-kick in every single tackle made by a City player.

My feeling is that Joyce was prepared to take a draw, otherwise he would have brought on Najjarine to shake things up a bit with 20 to go.

For the casual observer this was not a game to encourage anyone to commit to City or to take an interest in the A-League. Disappointing.

[JMSTEP123]

18 minutes ago, moops said:

Cheers mate, who were our subs?

McGree, Wales and Narjarine

[belaguttman]

Positives:

3 more games until this season is over

 

A game that encapsulates everything wrong with Joyce's football:

This was a 6 pointer so Joyce starts 3 defensive minded midfielders.

We're so used to playing without a striker that we just ignore Maclaren and give him no service

Poor use of subs, too little too late. Why were our attacking players on the bench for most of the match?

Berenguer has had his only half of reasonable football for the season

We're playing at home and our MOTM is our own keeper

No atmosphere on TV,  just the sort of crowd atmosphere that FFA and ground security have spent years working towards

No cultural change, just when we need to step up, we go missing

[Mr MO]

1 hour ago, jw1739 said:

Overall an intriguing match between two sides who illustrate that neither deserves to be in the "finals." Or perhaps that "finals" should be a proper play-off group restricted to the top four. Without Schenkeveld IMO the defence held together reasonably well, but looked all over the place as the first half progressed - how we survived, goodness only knows. Our midfield is totally sterile, and other than Berenguer the forwards looked toothless. Sorry, but Harrison isn't up to it based on this performance, and likewise Maclaren doesn't deserve marquee status. FFS someone should be working on players such a Griffiths, Baccus and Brattan to teach them when and how to shoot.

The referee seemed to find a free-kick in every single tackle made by a City player.

My feeling is that Joyce was prepared to take a draw, otherwise he would have brought on Najjarine to shake things up a bit with 20 to go.

For the casual observer this was not a game to encourage anyone to commit to City or to take an interest in the A-League. Disappointing.

I agree.

If Joyce wanted to win this one he would have put more creativity in the side from the start or earlier in the match. The subs made no impact if you still leave 3 boring midfielders and 4 defenders behind the ball.

I’ve had my concerns about the Maclaren status from the start but we get reminded on how many goals he scored for Brisbane, hence he should be marquee - Nothing wrong with him as a player but I still think City as a club should aim higher, find a player who can tee them up for Jamie every week.

Edited April 13, 2019 by Mr MO

[Harrison]

Our most dangerous player is De Laet and he was plonked in the centre of defence where he can’t do anything but defend and go up for the odd set piece. He should’ve been at LB.

It’s sad that our best attacker is a defender but that’s the reality. And when the coach ‘hides’ him in the centre of defence, he is to blame.

De Laet would’ve won us this game. I’ve got no doubt. We were crying out for some quality in the final third and we had none. 

Massive opportunity wasted. 

[Mr MO]

6 minutes ago, Harrison said:

Our most dangerous player is De Laet and he was plonked in the centre of defence where he can’t do anything but defend and go up for the odd set piece. He should’ve been at LB.

It’s sad that our best attacker is a defender but that’s the reality. And when the coach ‘hides’ him in the centre of defence, he is to blame.

De Laet would’ve won us this game. I’ve got no doubt. We were crying out for some quality in the final third and we had none. 

Massive opportunity wasted. 

 I’m afraid Joyce doesn’t see it like this.

- Cleansheet

- Lots of possession 

- The lads had fun

- Beeptest plus 10km run went well this morning 

Edited April 13, 2019 by Mr MO

[belaguttman]

Does anyone have a crowd figure?

[Harrison]

35 minutes ago, belaguttman said:

Does anyone have a crowd figure?

7,720. 

Edited April 13, 2019 by Harrison

[belaguttman]

6 minutes ago, Harrison said:

7,750 or something like that. Can’t remember it precisely. 

It looked like most were in GA, presumably free Maccas tickets

[Shahanga]

8 hours ago, Harrison said:

7,720. 

Didn’t look like that on tv. 

Counting every leg twice?

[Dylan]

Well I think last nights performance shows that we have a playing group who seem to be going through the motions and starting to think beyond this season and what they are going to do personally.

Btw I think the longer the Joyce position drags on the less likely he is to stay on. If they were going to renew they would have done it weeks ago.

[Tony999]

2 minutes ago, Dylan said:

Well I think last nights performance shows that we have a playing group who seem to be going through the motions and starting to think beyond this season and what they are going to do personally.

Btw I think the longer the Joyce position drags on the less likely he is to stay on. If they were going to renew they would have done it weeks ago.

I think it's the opposite

[HEARTinator]

Yes there were thrills, spills and action but as a supporter it was as frustrating as hell. I can't fault the lads for their effort, they tried very hard and gave it a good crack. At least we didn't lose.

Both sides showed that they don't have the cutting edge that's needed to win silverware.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/city-and-reds-end-goalless-but-thrills-and-action-aplenty-at-aami-20190413-p51dwe.html

City and Reds end goalless but thrills and action aplenty at AAMI

By Michael Lynch

Melbourne City 0 v Adelaide United 0

Who says you need goals to be entertained.

Melbourne City and Adelaide United ended up scoreless at AAMI Park, but there were more close calls, near misses and dramatic moments than have featured in most A-League games this season.

With Wellington losing to Brisbane Roar on Friday night both teams knew that a win (or in Adelaide's case, even a draw) would take them into fourth spot on the ladder and in pole position to snare a home final when the play-offs begin.

So the Reds go to the penultimate week of the season fourth, with the Nix fifth and City breathing down their necks in sixth and all to play for.

City was without key defender Bart Schenkeveld but they got on the front foot straight away.

It could have been a goal apiece inside the first two minutes as Craig Goodwin, the Reds wide man, fired in a shot which City keeper Eugene Galekovic had to save inside the first 60 seconds while at the other end Kearyn Baccus hit the woodwork in the second minute.

City were in the ascendency early, fired by their back to form French winger Florin Berenguer, who has finally shrugged off injury and other setbacks to deliver the kind of threat that City hoped he would offer when they signed him.

Berengeur played wide on the left and ran at defenders, gliding past and into space to either set up shots for himself or crosses for team-mates – as he did in the 11th minute, when his dribble allowed him to set up Shay Harrison for a shot which Reds keeper Paul Izzo did well to tip over the bar.

From the resultant corner Harrison then went close, his volley hitting the side netting.

Berenguer was instrumental in creating City's next good opportunity, his pass finding Baccus  but the midfielder blasted over.

Adelaide was second best at this point, but things changed dramatically in the last 10 minutes of the first half after lanky striker Jordy Thomassen went off to be replaced by speedy substitute Nikola Mileusenic.

The latter almost scored with his first touch, bursting down the left and firing in a shot which Ritchie De Laet deflected past Galekovic on to his own post, almost putting through his own goal.

Galekovic then rescued City twice in a matter of moments after Ryan Kitto's cross caused consternation in the hosts penalty area. First the veteran goalkeeper saved from George Blackwood and then when Ben Halloran seized on the rebound he reacted quickly to stop that shot too.

Adelaide finished by far the stronger as City scrambled to keep a clean sheet until the break, Rostyn Griffiths heading off the line with Galekovic beaten.

City came close shortly after the interval when defender Harrison Delbridge's header from a Maclaren cross forced Izzo to save.  Maclaren's first time volley from distance then went just wide of Izzo's post.

At the other end Galekovic had to react smartly to gather Goodwin's snap shot after City only partially cleared an Adelaide attack.

Once again Izzo came to the Reds rescue just after the hour mark when Delbridge rose above his marker to direct a header goalwards from a Harrison free kick, the goakeeper reacting to tip the ball on to the bar and out for the relative safety of a corner.

The pace or intent never wavered as the hosts drove forward and Adelaide hung on, defedning in depth and relying on counter attacks to give them breathing space.

Maclaren, with a burst of acceleration and a shot against the post, came closest to ending the stalemate as the clock ticked down but Goodwin almost stole the points for the Reds with an 87th-minute free kick Galekovic did well to tip over.

City boss Warren Joyce was philosophical about what he agreed had been an entertaining contest.

"You have got to give them credit, they are a really well organised team. In the first half they pressed us well ... they were the better team in the first half, we were better in the second half."

Joyce is hopeful that centre back Schenkeveld, who missed the game through injury, will be fit for next weekend’s trip to Wellington, a must-win game for both teams as they chase fourth spot.