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  • 10 Man Wanderers Succumb 1-0 To City

    mack

    By mack

    Artiz Borda's red card left the Wanderers in a deep hole they were unable to overcome, after Ivan Franjic hammered a thunderbolt to open the scoring.

    With the new year came a new formation for the visitors, with Tony Popovic under pressure to produce results, he elected to play a somewhat unusual 4-4-2 formation, with Mitch Nichols & Nico Martinez taking up a fluid attacking duo, with Jumpei Kusukami, Jaushua Sotirio, Bruno Pinatares & Kearyn Baccus making up the 4 man midfield. Ex Sydney FC goalkeeper made his debut for the Wanderers.

    20 minutes into the game and the home side were in front. From a corner, Kearyn Baccus was first to the ball but he only managed to find Ivan Franjic lurking on the edge of the penalty area. The fullback attempted an audacious side footed first time volley on his right foot. It swerved like a missile into the top corner of Janjetovic's goal.

    Unfortunately for Popovic, his formational innovation was short lived. After half an hour Borda was given his marching orders. With the ball out on the left flank, Borda marked up Fornaroli, and Borda made contact with his elbow into the strikers head. The referee judged it worth a red card, and Borda left the field as his opponent remained prone on the turf.

    The rest of the game was marked by Melbourne's inability to punish the Wanderers with a second goal, and the Wanderers trying in vain to force an equaliser. The best chance for the Wanderers fell to substitute Lachlan Scott, who had a ball fall nicely at his feet, only to see his snapshot on the turn fly just wide of the post.

    Popovic will be forced to make a chance to his defence once again, with the likely result of Robbie Cornthwaite & Jonathan Aspro playing together in central defence. It remains to be seen if Popovic will stick to his new strikerless formation against Sydney FC.

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    Edinburgh

    One thing I can't understand is....

    Cornthwaite did one dodgy backpass and got banished for half a season while we have been forced to watch borda **** up week after week after week and there he is on the team sheet again.

    I didn't understand it while it was happening and it's even harder to get my head around it now after how well he played last night.

    This 100%.

     

    In that match with the dodgy backpass I originally thought it was Borda's error because he had already made several too short passes before then, he was terrible that night and I expected him to be dropped instead of Cornthwaite.

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    TheSweeper

     

    One thing I can't understand is....

    Cornthwaite did one dodgy backpass and got banished for half a season while we have been forced to watch borda **** up week after week after week and there he is on the team sheet again.

    I didn't understand it while it was happening and it's even harder to get my head around it now after how well he played last night.

    This 100%.

    In that match with the dodgy backpass I originally thought it was Borda's error because he had already made several too short passes before then, he was terrible that night and I expected him to be dropped instead of Cornthwaite.

    Popa wouldn't drop him he is a foreigner with a 2 year contract , he was hoping Borda would improve but he never did . It would be admitting he ****ed up another foreign recruitment so he persisted . Best thing is he gets 3 weeks and gives cornflakes a chance to win the spot.

    .Hopefully Cornthwaite has made steady improvements in the 5 years since he left the a league which is possible for a central defender from age 26-31

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    Wanderboy

     

     

    One thing I can't understand is....

    Cornthwaite did one dodgy backpass and got banished for half a season while we have been forced to watch borda **** up week after week after week and there he is on the team sheet again.

    I didn't understand it while it was happening and it's even harder to get my head around it now after how well he played last night.

    This 100%.

    In that match with the dodgy backpass I originally thought it was Borda's error because he had already made several too short passes before then, he was terrible that night and I expected him to be dropped instead of Cornthwaite.

    Popa wouldn't drop him he is a foreigner with a 2 year contract ,

     

    He dropped Pinatares. A foreigner with a 2 year contract.

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    braad

     

    IMO our second half was better than last weeks game vs Perth taking into consideration our lack of a man, our lack of a striker and the absolllllute flogging the players copped in the first half (they had 78% possession)

     

     

    Agreed that our second half was much better, I was temporarily heartened by it. But I had to ask myself why we can't seem to find the fighting spirit unless we are under the pump, being put to the sword by the opposition, down to 10 men etc. That's passive/reactive play, and we aint going to win the plate nor the toilet seat playing that way. As my sister said last night, where is this aggressive, fighting spirit in the first half? In the first 10 damn minutes?

     

    We have talented individuals, we have potential. But, we aren't going to move up the ladder by chasing our opponents game in-game out. Unless we take hold of the match and dictate the flow of the game, combined with actually converting our shots on goal, we will be 8th this season. 

     

    Sounding negative, but I am ever hopeful - if we can get in a striker with bonafides, work on defense - we've got a chance. But unless we work on the team gelling on the pitch, it will all be for nought.

    It is definitely an issue. That mentality obviously comes from the need to play better being at 10 men, but I think there are issues within the team which stop the attitude and mentality being that of hungry fighters/winners.

     

    I am possibly wrong but I think it has a lot to do with Jumpei. He is worse than I thought possible from a foreign player. He doesn't defend and it exposes whatever side he is on (I.e. Clisby or Neville/Hammil), which makes our whole defence vulnerable. Then when in possession he is ineffective. He is dispossessed often, or makes incomplete passes. That means he is almost a hole in our midfield, as he's only really "effective" if he has an overlapping player, but that's usually a full-back, which can weaken our defence for counters - which happens a bit with his ineffective passing/turning over of possession.

    That all has a flow on effect of enabling our opponents ball time and field space. Rather than us controlling a game we are chasing holes in our structure, dropping the teams and players confidence. We can't press and chase when our side is unbalanced. It is hard to build pressure and momentum when players can't trust the defence to be solid, or the attack to maintain possession and pressurise the opponent.

     

    Yeah there are a lot of little niggly issues and no player is perfect, but last night (imo) we saw 3 of 4 major issues solved/potentially solved with our second half structure. (The fourth is a striker)

    - A good keeper who is confident and a good/effective communicator

    - When we plugged the hole of Jumpei (both when he swapped sides with Nico, and when he was removed permanently). I believe sotirio is better as he at least has a defensive game. If both are going to lose possession up field, might as well have the one who runs and defends. If we got Bridge back it would strengthen that side of our structure a lot, or maybe utilise Antonis in a wide position?

    - and when Borda was replaced with Cornthwaite

     

    The issue with Jumpei is exacerbated in that his opposite mid/winger is either Nico or Nichols, both who are so much better in attack and defence. He's a fish out of water.

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    toonarmy

    Well said brad. And with Neville back next week, hammill will move to the bench and this will give is our best back 4.

     

    Jumpei should start on the bench and come on with 15-20 to go. That's his only value now - he cant see out a strong 70 let alone 90

    Link to comment
    EmMac

    Yep good post Braad. Agree totally on Jumpei. He is a liability at the moment for all the reasons you noted in your post.  Hadn't considered the issue of his teammates having to work extra to neutralise his mistakes, regain formation balance (I learn alot from these forums on tactics/formation/positioning etc...).

     

    No doubt we played better in the second half without him.

    Link to comment
    BrightSpark

    I was prepared to cut Jump-High some slack but since a few early games when he seemed a possible he is now not only a poor mans Romeo but a pauper's Romeo. I actually would play Sotirio in his spot from here on in (when we have a striker, otherwise looks like Sotirio is our 'false 9').

    I'm seeing a few comments comparing Jumpei to Castelen, but I think that's a bit unfair.

    One player played for their National side, and the other is our +1 ACL player.

     

    And for the record, in his first season at WSW, Castelen only scored 2 goals. (Excluding his own goal in the Derby).

    And both of those weren't until March of that season.

    Believe it or not, Jumpei has already scored twice in the first half of this season.

     

    I'm not saying that Jumpei > Castelen, or that he's not frustrating to watch.

    Just that he's of to a better, less injury prone, start than the Dutchman's 1st season. :ninja:

     

    And that he wasn't responsible for either the goal against us, or being down to 10 men last night.

    Link to comment
    Neverbloom

    I was saying Jumpei was $h1t when we signed him. I'm glad people are finally seeing through a few nutmegs and incomplete flashy dribbling and realising that he is a waste of the +1 spot.

    i must admit i was fooled and i actually thought he was going to be good

    Link to comment
    BrightSpark

     

     

    I was saying Jumpei was $h1t when we signed him. I'm glad people are finally seeing through a few nutmegs and incomplete flashy dribbling and realising that he is a waste of the +1 spot.

    i must admit i was fooled and i actually thought he was going to be good

    And I must admit, I hope he proves both of you wrong. :P

    Link to comment
    Erebus

    Mate he was barely a squaddie in a mid to low J-League team for the last 2 years. How anyone could think he would light the A-League on fire of the ACL is beyond me.

    Popa should have splashed the cash to get an Asian marquee of some sort. Asian squaddies are no better than local players so its a waste of a spot.

    Link to comment
    Prydzopolis

     

     

    I was saying Jumpei was $h1t when we signed him. I'm glad people are finally seeing through a few nutmegs and incomplete flashy dribbling and realising that he is a waste of the +1 spot.

    i must admit i was fooled and i actually thought he was going to be good
    And I must admit, I hope he proves both of you wrong. :P
    As you stated before, he is the Japanese Castelen. He just needs to focus on what he does best, great at beating the first player & just needs to focus on delivering a final ball (which he seems unable to pull off the majority of times). Something that was the issue with Castelen 90% of the time he was with us but in that 10% showed why Popa signed him & why he played for the Dutch national team. The other issue is that he doesn't have the ability to run up & down the wings for 90 minutes. Bring Sotirio on for 50-55 minutes to run the defence ragged & then bring Jumpei on to run at tired legs. I have noticed over the course of the season he looks baked as the temperature has risen, like a fish out of water at times.

     

    The question we need to ask is whether Popa made the right call bringing in a +1 for the ACL campaign? Would we have rathered going for visa player from Europe (Castelen, Hersi) who we couldn't use in the ACL or bringing in a player that could be vital to progressing in the ACL? I guess we will have to see how we progress in the ACL to see whether that was worth it?

    Mate he was barely a squaddie in a mid to low J-League team for the last 2 years. How anyone could think he would light the A-League on fire of the ACL is beyond me.

    Popa should have splashed the cash to get an Asian marquee of some sort. Asian squaddies are no better than local players so its a waste of a spot.

    If we used him right, I think he could light the A-League up. Right now we aren't getting the best out of him & he isn't producing enough on the field.

     

    You are kidding yourself if you think we have the financial capability in Australia to bring the best players in Asia to Australia. They are so well paid & so well sought after that it would be near impossible to bring those quality players here unless you have an Ono type situation (injured badly, hadn't played for 18 months, nobody thought he could play at a top level again and nobody wanted to touch him with a 10ft pole)

    Link to comment
    BrightSpark

    Mate he was barely a squaddie in a mid to low J-League team for the last 2 years. How anyone could think he would light the A-League on fire of the ACL is beyond me.

    Popa should have splashed the cash to get an Asian marquee of some sort. Asian squaddies are no better than local players so its a waste of a spot.

    Mate, I agree with you that he is not at the level of a marquee. But then again, he wasn't signed as one.

     

    My argument is that he is not $h!t. And I look forward to him proving as much. :xnod:

     

     

     

    I was saying Jumpei was $h1t when we signed him. I'm glad people are finally seeing through a few nutmegs and incomplete flashy dribbling and realising that he is a waste of the +1 spot.

    i must admit i was fooled and i actually thought he was going to be good
    And I must admit, I hope he proves both of you wrong. :P
    As you stated before, he is the Japanese Castelen. He just needs to focus on what he does best, great at beating the first player & just needs to focus on delivering a final ball (which he seems unable to pull off the majority of times). Something that was the issue with Castelen 90% of the time he was with us but in that 10% showed why Popa signed him & why he played for the Dutch national team. The other issue is that he doesn't have the ability to run up & down the wings for 90 minutes. Bring Sotirio on for 50-55 minutes to run the defence ragged & then bring Jumpei on to run at tired legs. I have noticed over the course of the season he looks baked as the temperature has risen, like a fish out of water at times.

     

    The question we need to ask is whether Popa made the right call bringing in a +1 for the ACL campaign? Would we have rathered going for visa player from Europe (Castelen, Hersi) who we couldn't use in the ACL or bringing in a player that could be vital to progressing in the ACL? I guess we will have to see how we progress in the ACL to see whether that was worth it?

    Mate he was barely a squaddie in a mid to low J-League team for the last 2 years. How anyone could think he would light the A-League on fire of the ACL is beyond me.

    Popa should have splashed the cash to get an Asian marquee of some sort. Asian squaddies are no better than local players so its a waste of a spot.

    If we used him right, I think he could light the A-League up. Right now we aren't getting the best out of him & he isn't producing enough on the field.

     

    You are kidding yourself if you think we have the financial capability in Australia to bring the best players in Asia to Australia. They are so well paid & so well sought after that it would be near impossible to bring those quality players here unless you have an Ono type situation (injured badly, hadn't played for 18 months, nobody thought he could play at a top level again and nobody wanted to touch him with a 10ft pole)

    He was signed as a ACL +1.

    Part of the problem he has been having in the A League is that he is pushed around by bigger defenders (which is then ignored by the A League refs).

     

    This won't be a problem in the ACL.

    Link to comment
    Stokz

    Or an ageing superstar like say Honda. A similar role to Shinji... Craft and guile and let others (like Sotirio) do the hard yards...

     

    I think he is out reach for HAL. 

     

    Next stop CSL/MLS.

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    Zelinsky

    Andres said end of October that Jumpei would improve by 25%, and that we'd see the best of him in from January/February onwards.

     

    Would be nice, I am really looking forward to that, but I won't hold my breath. Looks like the heat is getting to him, he is outmuscled, outwitted, and still shoots like a girl.

     

    Comparing Jumpei with Castelen is an insult to the Dutchman.

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    Uskana

    Andres said end of October that Jumpei would improve by 25%, and that we'd see the best of him in from January/February onwards.

     

    Would be nice, I am really looking forward to that, but I won't hold my breath. Looks like the heat is getting to him, he is outmuscled, outwitted, and still shoots like a girl.

     

    Comparing Jumpei with Castelen is an insult to the Dutchman.

    I think if Jumpei puts 2 performances in where he gets a hat-trick in each match he will have over taken the Dutchman.

     

    Need to get over Castelan. If he played like he did in that semi final more often fair enough. But in reality our entire front line has become Castelan this season. Great in the middle of the park with no end product.

     

    Castelan turns are as useful as Popovic quoting the possession stats. In our game, the only thing that matters is goals.

     

    I'd much rather we "regress" to the first 2 seasons where we were more ruthless, tighter shop, much more successful and unbelievably more entertaining to watch.

    Link to comment
    BrightSpark

    Andres said end of October that Jumpei would improve by 25%, and that we'd see the best of him in from January/February onwards.

     

    Would be nice, I am really looking forward to that, but I won't hold my breath. Looks like the heat is getting to him, he is outmuscled, outwitted, and still shoots like a girl.

     

    Comparing Jumpei with Castelen is an insult to the Dutchman.

    'Shoots like a girl'?

    You mean like Kendal Fletcher?

    https://mobile.twitter.com/wswanderersfc/status/810357975328112640

     

    I'd be happy if the men's team were scoring regularly (and celebrating) like that. ;)

     

    And I wouldn't say the Jumpei to Castelen comparison is so much insulting, as it is embarrassing.

     

    On a net goal basis, Castelen scored 1 goal (2-1) in his 1st season.

    So unless Jumpei scores an own goal in the Derby, he has a better 1st season so far than the Dutchman. :ninja:

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