Manic Monday Win For Wanderers

27 minutes ago, StringerBellend said:

Apart from giving the pass for the winner? 
 

did we watch the same game

It looked like a blocked attempt to score, and Yeboah picked up the deflection. A reversal of the winning goal in Gosford.

Mueller sounded highly motivated in the pre game presser, and seemed displeased because he didn't start. Hope that means he'll play with fire in the belly on Friday.

Other than that: Talay has turned the nix into a Smurfs clone. His own rants and antics are a very Arnie-esque way of deflection. 

I ended up smashing my phone in vain after Hemed scored that equaliser and swearing my head off at how we dropped 2 points yet again only for the VAR to say otherwise.

Now I'm wondering if Optus will accept my damaged phone to be replaced for free 

16 minutes ago, FCB said:

It looked like a blocked attempt to score, and Yeboah picked up the deflection. A reversal of the winning goal in Gosford.

Mueller sounded highly motivated in the pre game presser, and seemed displeased because he didn't start. Hope that means he'll play with fire in the belly on Friday.

Other than that: Talay has turned the nix into a Smurfs clone. His own rants and antics are a very Arnie-esque way of deflection. 

Yes first watch thought it was a shot second watch I thought he was trying to square it, but it probably was a shot 

That’s fine, shows when you shoot even if it doesn’t go in often you get something off the deflection or save 

To me Muller looked good when he was on

The best thing was second half we played forward a lot quicker, 3-1 to us in the second half is decent 

if we are sticking with the formation (which we clearly are) just need to sort the left side a bit, I think bozza was spot on. sometimes Natta needs to come out to left back to meet his man, and a midfielder cover him. 
 

But as they say it’s going to be Eetswa 

1 hour ago, Generator said:

Anyway, that’s the sort of game (and goal from Duke!) that makes a semi-disinterested former foundation member take notice. It’s good to watch an entertaining game of A-League football that involves the Wanderers every now and again.

To be fair, both Wellington games plus the Adelaide and Bulls away have been very entertaining.

1 hour ago, FCB said:

It looked like a blocked attempt to score, and Yeboah picked up the deflection. A reversal of the winning goal in Gosford.

Mueller sounded highly motivated in the pre game presser, and seemed displeased because he didn't start. Hope that means he'll play with fire in the belly on Friday.

Other than that: Talay has turned the nix into a Smurfs clone. His own rants and antics are a very Arnie-esque way of deflection. 

The fact that he's not starting over Troisi is ******* criminal. Even more so Kamau, who's seemed to have decided that every gae this year is 'Good Bruce'. Troisi shows these tiny flashes twice a game where I'm reminded why he was so heavily sought after in 2017. But Kamau is show his quality with every touch. Muller might not be as electric as when he first arrived but he makes smart choices with every possession. It does seem sometimes that he distrusts his team mates, but I don't mind players being a bit more selfish if they're taking shots.

Of all the players in that front 6 cluster fu/ck, Troisi is the least deserving of a starting spot. Even Yeboah is showing cause to be given a dig (being our leading goal scorer and all)

2 hours ago, StringerBellend said:

Lack of consistency is the problem, not just with Var but the refereeing in general 

I don’t buy the anti-Wanderers conspiracy, most teams have been shafted by it 

 

Most teams yes - but one team does constantly seem to get the rub of the green......

Cannot believe I missed 25 minutes of that 2nd half. Stupid My Football App decided to sign itself out and took me forever to get back in. Had to uninstall and reinstall. Next thing I knew Duke hit that beauty and it was 3-3. Lucky to see the last minutes where it was insane.

BTW keep calling Yeboah crap seems to be giving him goal scoring super powers

Although non of the goals were murgash's fault, I definitely miss Lopar. 

That guy just had the ability to stop 1s on 1s

I also think McGowan is a huge liability 

Kamau and Mueller need to start over Ibini and Troisi.

What more does Kamau have to do.

So dangerous running at players, and he can actually control the ball.

Troisi I dont think he made a successful pass forward.

McGowan instills panic at the back, as the centre of the back 3, he needs to be winning just about every hopeful high ball.  And that penalty, that's amateur play.

I thought Troisi played well.  He does a lot of work.  He isn't as flashy as he was but he was working hard to get back and get the ball forward.

I'm not sure the combinations are well developed as yet - Robbo said as much in the Presser - and that is part of the issue.

I don't think it is a case of Muller v Troisi... but rotation in quick games.  Kamau seems better coming on into the game.  He didn't start well in the game he started.  Running at defenses is his thing and he makes an impact.  I suspect we extrapolate players performances from where they come on to expect the same thing if they start a game.  The first half is a very different beast to the middle of the second half.  Robbo seems to have the second half sorted - a major problem from previous seasons - but now needs to sort the first half.

I thought McGowan actually was solid.  Yep some stuff went past him but he was trying to control the middle and we didn't have a strong DM to shield the central area.  He covers a lot for Natta and the left side.  Wilmering and NAtta are excellent but inexperinced and the right side is usually the stronger for oppositions.  Devilla played more on their side but Piscopo was the other danger. Ziggy covered Tate pretty well but the left side is weaker - would improve with Tass's experience.  I thought the penalty was technically a pen but pretty soft and a pretty good dive - McGowan didn't need to go for a half tackle, though.

We need to set the defensive structure much more solidly in the opening of the game but the 2 DM's last night like to run forward, leaving us open in the middle.

Exciting game - I was ready to walk out after 7 minutes and then at half time.  Glad I didn't and glad I didn't join the few who left when Nix scored the off-side goal in the 95th minute.

While we can be happy that we got points from a position that in the last few years we never get back from I am just worried that a win like that will cover over some holes that we need to fix.  To be real we did concede some terrible goals and have done so the last few games.  Natta is an upcoming star but between him and McGowan there needs to be better talk as there were a few occasions where they both got the 'do i go or do i stay' thing wrong.  First goal was awful defence so early in the game between Natta, Mutch and McGowan there needs to be better cover they played that one two there and its not the first time, Nix did us like that in Wollongong as well and also bar a good save from Margush did it again 10mins later.  Second goal and it was a great strike but same again we were pulled all over the place with defenders staying put and Bacchus being moved around and when it came out to noone closing down Devlin who had enough time to knit a jumper before firing away with a half arsed effort from Troisi to close him down.  Sure he will never hit another ball like that in his life but we gave him every chance. Even the pen, we had 5 on 2 there and somehow they find space in the box for that pass, easy to blame McGowan but he was done like a dinner by Piscopo who is a smart player and it was some terrible defence at the edge of the box giving him time to slot that pass.  Don't want to sound negative cos it was a great win with plenty of heart shown but championship teams don't continually concede goals like that.  Do like that we are never out of a game though that is something we haven't seen for many seasons.

20 minutes ago, BoyFromTheWest said:

I thought Troisi played well.  He does a lot of work.  He isn't as flashy as he was but he was working hard to get back and get the ball forward.

I'm not sure the combinations are well developed as yet - Robbo said as much in the Presser - and that is part of the issue.

I don't think it is a case of Muller v Troisi... but rotation in quick games.  Kamau seems better coming on into the game.  He didn't start well in the game he started.  Running at defenses is his thing and he makes an impact.  I suspect we extrapolate players performances from where they come on to expect the same thing if they start a game.  The first half is a very different beast to the middle of the second half.  Robbo seems to have the second half sorted - a major problem from previous seasons - but now needs to sort the first half.

I thought McGowan actually was solid.  Yep some stuff went past him but he was trying to control the middle and we didn't have a strong DM to shield the central area.  He covers a lot for Natta and the left side.  Wilmering and NAtta are excellent but inexperinced and the right side is usually the stronger for oppositions.  Devilla played more on their side but Piscopo was the other danger. Ziggy covered Tate pretty well but the left side is weaker - would improve with Tass's experience.  I thought the penalty was technically a pen but pretty soft and a pretty good dive - McGowan didn't need to go for a half tackle, though.

We need to set the defensive structure much more solidly in the opening of the game but the 2 DM's last night like to run forward, leaving us open in the middle.

Exciting game - I was ready to walk out after 7 minutes and then at half time.  Glad I didn't and glad I didn't join the few who left when Nix scored the off-side goal in the 95th minute.

That's why I love football so many different opinions and everyone is entitled to them but amazing how people can see games so polar opposite.  I thought Troisi and McGowan were by far our worst two players.  Troisi really gave us nothing and failed to close down Devlin after making the ground to get there.  McGowan needs to be better, granted he is working with Natta who is inexperienced but of course the two DMs are going to go and push forward, we already have 5 in the back and the goals we conceded was more a case of too many in defence rather than not enough.  Just my thoughts.

4 hours ago, StringerBellend said:

Apart from giving the pass for the winner? 
 

did we watch the same game 

Maybe we watched from different angles...

Pass for the winner is a generous description. It was a deflection.

And a couple of time when we were trying to hold the lead (and hold onto the ball) and he was out into space out wide he just looked slow and lethargic.

Don’t get me wrong. I think he is a great player. But not for 90mins anymore. And probably not starting (lobs grenade and jumps into foxhole)

9 minutes ago, scarcev said:

While we can be happy that we got points from a position that in the last few years we never get back from I am just worried that a win like that will cover over some holes that we need to fix.  To be real we did concede some terrible goals and have done so the last few games.  Natta is an upcoming star but between him and McGowan there needs to be better talk as there were a few occasions where they both got the 'do i go or do i stay' thing wrong.  First goal was awful defence so early in the game between Natta, Mutch and McGowan there needs to be better cover they played that one two there and its not the first time, Nix did us like that in Wollongong as well and also bar a good save from Margush did it again 10mins later.  Second goal and it was a great strike but same again we were pulled all over the place with defenders staying put and Bacchus being moved around and when it came out to noone closing down Devlin who had enough time to knit a jumper before firing away with a half arsed effort from Troisi to close him down.  Sure he will never hit another ball like that in his life but we gave him every chance. Even the pen, we had 5 on 2 there and somehow they find space in the box for that pass, easy to blame McGowan but he was done like a dinner by Piscopo who is a smart player and it was some terrible defence at the edge of the box giving him time to slot that pass.  Don't want to sound negative cos it was a great win with plenty of heart shown but championship teams don't continually concede goals like that.  Do like that we are never out of a game though that is something we haven't seen for many seasons.

Yea our left side is a weakness that the Nix exploited a lot. Between Mcgowan, Natta and Wilmering they leave a lot of space, I think its mainly Natta getting caught out with lack of experience and its where Mcgowan should really be settling him. Where as on the other side with Gordon no one gets passed him allowing Russel more freedom and even if they do get passed Ziggy, Mcgowan is able clean up most of the time because Ziggy knows where to be.

Troisi was too far from Devlin because he was marking someone else (can't remember). Nix stretched us for that 2nd goal and no one was close enough to close down Devlin because everyone was around the 18 yard box, Troisi was the closest player but there was at least 10 metres distance. One of Ibini or Duke should have dropped a bit further.

I think Carl has mentioned why he doesn't start Kamau. In one of his pressers he mentioned that Kamau physically is a bit 'delicate' in other words in terms of fitness he is likely to injure himself if he starts and is better to use in the last 30 minutes when the opposition is tired and he can run at defenders which he is good at. We have to remember Kamau does have a history  with injury with us, so the Physio and coaches must have unanimously just said that the best thing for Kamau and the team is to have him come on on at 60 minutes.

As for Muller vs Troisi I actually am not sure why Muller isn't starting over Troisi

46 minutes ago, scarcev said:

While we can be happy that we got points from a position that in the last few years we never get back from I am just worried that a win like that will cover over some holes that we need to fix.  To be real we did concede some terrible goals and have done so the last few games.  Natta is an upcoming star but between him and McGowan there needs to be better talk as there were a few occasions where they both got the 'do i go or do i stay' thing wrong.  First goal was awful defence so early in the game between Natta, Mutch and McGowan there needs to be better cover they played that one two there and its not the first time, Nix did us like that in Wollongong as well and also bar a good save from Margush did it again 10mins later.  Second goal and it was a great strike but same again we were pulled all over the place with defenders staying put and Bacchus being moved around and when it came out to noone closing down Devlin who had enough time to knit a jumper before firing away with a half arsed effort from Troisi to close him down.  Sure he will never hit another ball like that in his life but we gave him every chance. Even the pen, we had 5 on 2 there and somehow they find space in the box for that pass, easy to blame McGowan but he was done like a dinner by Piscopo who is a smart player and it was some terrible defence at the edge of the box giving him time to slot that pass.  Don't want to sound negative cos it was a great win with plenty of heart shown but championship teams don't continually concede goals like that.  Do like that we are never out of a game though that is something we haven't seen for many seasons.

I’ve felt this way about most of our wins this season. I’m never gonna be upset about a W but it does distract from issues at hand. The fact we are sitting in 2nd place I think also gives a false reassurance cause we are not the second best side in the comp

I think we can all agree on that. We are still not getting the best out of this team and difference in teams this season is minimal, that a small improvement could have us firmly take control of games.

49 minutes ago, VedranRozic said:

Maybe we watched from different angles...

Pass for the winner is a generous description. It was a deflection.

And a couple of time when we were trying to hold the lead (and hold onto the ball) and he was out into space out wide he just looked slow and lethargic.

Don’t get me wrong. I think he is a great player. But not for 90mins anymore. And probably not starting (lobs grenade and jumps into foxhole)

 

Agree on him not looking a 90 min player. Then again if he was he wouldn’t be in the A League he’d still be in Europe

As ever great debate over a very entertaing match, i watched down the pub and found league stalwarts watching the game and actually enjoying it !

Yep Natta IS doing a grand job and gathering valuable experience but i think Tass when 100% will walk straight back in as the more experienced defender but it's great for Natts to get this time under his belt.

Wilma is developing nicely, has spent more time in opposition half in two games than all the games under Babbel.

See the point on Brucie as impact but 30 is not enough give him 45 mins

7 minutes ago, Sithslayer1991 said:

I think we can all agree on that. We are still not getting the best out of this team and difference in teams this season is minimal, that a small improvement could have us firmly take control of games.

Yep, we are a new side, manager etc it’s not clicked yet, but we are still second 

it’s going to be eetswa 

To me we are too critical of individual performances of our own players, and we ignore that the opponents aren't any better. It's the A-League. Keeping the error rate down more than the opposition is crucial.

Wellington was a prime example last night. Two defenders can't stop Ibini from putting the ball back into the box to Wilmering (kudos to Ibini), Mutch had all the peace and quiet in the world to place the header (kudos to Troisi; ever since he arrived we are actually looking dangerous at corner kicks), Nix were still celebrating when Duke's man misjudged the ball and let himself being pushed away (kudos to Duke).

That's three goals that have to bring Talay's blood to the boil. Have someone like NTS or Durant doing the defending in these situations and Nix will win the game.

As far as Mueller vs Troisi is concerned: a few weeks ago CR referred to Mueller as being a "complex person with a complex body", without going into details. He uses different language when referring to Troisi. There is no doubt that Troisi has a physical presence that Mueller does not have. At the same time we can safely assume that Mueller is the more skillful football player.

Its tough not to be critical a draw or loss would bring more pressure on the team we are barely top 6 because of all the teams with games in hand hell if Wellington did get something from us they would only be 4 points behind us at minimum with a game in hand. On the flip side winning has put us at 2nd place 6 points behind the Mariners up top.

With Perth our next opposition in 9th position with  3 games in hand for them over us its again a must win. The table is close and apart from the Mariners and Victory the table sort of lies with every team smashed in the middle. Not much is separating 2nd and 11th. 

You don't need to be a 90min midfielder/forward with the 5 subs. It's the only reason why we're so strong in the 2nd half. We change our entire front third and half the mids. With our depth it makes us dangerous. It's why players like Kamau aren't starting because he guarantees 25min of 110% against a tiring defence.

But we need to sort out these slow starts.

Muller being benched for Troisi is simple.

He had a hamstring injury that kept him out a couple of games, then when he returned he hasn't really done anything. Further to that, Troisi has better stats that make a case that he's been better this season than Muller.

Muller has no assists yet this season. Technically he probably should have one from last night (maybe, a blocked shot rebound might not be depending on the definition being used), it seems like the ball that went to Yeboah got counted as an interception by the defender in the stats. Troisi has 2 goals and 2 assists, his shooting accuracy is about double Mullers, his crossing accuracy is better, defensively Troisi is all over Muller (although you have to keep in mind Troisi has double the minutes) and the passing accuracy is very similar.

Muller has never been an attacking central midfielder. Troisi has. Muller has been until now, a left winger who cuts inside onto his preferred right foot to shoot or cross. We're not playing him like that, which is why he is struggling somewhat, even with his quality as a player.

That's why we need to change to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 and play Muller and Kamau on the wings

2 hours ago, Sithslayer1991 said:

I think we can all agree on that. We are still not getting the best out of this team and difference in teams this season is minimal, that a small improvement could have us firmly take control of games.

This season has been one of the strangest I’ve seen in any sport. Apart from the Mariners at the top and victory at the bottom, positions 2 through to 11 are an absolute lotto. The amount of change in a short space, even just one weekend, can be enormous. Apart from the Mariners, not one team has been able to maintain any sort of form beyond a couple of games. 

Well...... First time back watching a game at the new stadium last night with the family, and of course it didn't click that the Family section was alcohol free. No harm though as the game was pretty entertaining.
Things I Iearnt that don't normally translate into pixels from home:

1) Man we have a beautiful stadium. I'd love to be there when it's packed.
2) Mexican supporters are loud and a good bunch. Really helped amp up the entire atmosphere. 
3) I was really unimpressed with Ibini and McGowan as players. Even my wife laughed when Ibini tripped with an open goal (I was in the loo). McGowan seems to get a bit lost in defence? 
4) Our transition from defence to attack is sloth like when we reclaim the ball. 
5) 6 year olds enjoy the outside kids entertainment more than the game.

Yep, slow starts and gifting the opposition a goal start, that has to be eliminated !

45 minutes ago, ZachMercer said:

4) Our transition from defence to attack is sloth like when we reclaim the ball.

Whenever we had the ball in the back line or with one of the defensive mids the gap to the players in front was always massive. There were several times when one of our players put their foot on the ball, looked up and their nearest forward option was 20-30m away, which completely removes the option for overlapping runs or 1-2 passing. It looked even more obvious because the Nix liked to play a lot shorter in possession so their players always had 2 or 3 options within 10-15m.

Even looking at our goals (other than the corner) the first was a long ball into the channel for Ibini to run on to, Dukes was a long ball from Mutch and the fourth was a turnover in midfield with Kamau driving at their back line. None came from sustained possession or build up play from short passing. And that's not necessarily a criticism as we scored four goals so our attack was clearly doing something right.

Its tough isn't it I get why Robertson favours the back 3 as he wants us narrow in defense and wide in attack the wing backs do have good crosses on them but outside Duke I can't see anyone really heading the ball.

Considering the squad and the amount of attacking weapons we have the back 4 is appealing to try and get the best out of the team. Its not like the attacks aren't working with current formation but we look a bit predictable and almost one dimensional with cross after cross. Teams like Wellington and City 100% exploit the weakness in our formation in defense. 

I don’t know why the media and Talay are talking about offside rules , for as long as I soccer ( Football) has existed the offside rule has existed and it is pretty simple , if any part of the attacking players body is in front is in front of the last player he is offside and it don’t matter what part of his body is in front and the fact VAR is able to accurately determine this is great fo the game it takes away the Bullut style errors.