WestSydneyFootball.Com Round 12 A-League Preview

An outstanding 2-0 Sydney Derby win last week kept the Wanderers in the top 4 and this Friday they have a chance to drag Adelaide United even closer to the chasing pack. Against a Sydney FC outfit who turned in the worst performance of the season in one of the most important matches of the season the result was what the Wanderers deserved and they need to step their game up again if they want to take on the high flying Reds. Tony Popovic has a dilemma on the bench with Aaron Mooy and Mark Bridge both having claims to starting positions. Iacopo La Rocca and Shannon Cole respectively being the obvious choices to drop back to the bench. Hersi has grown in stature this entire campaign and his goal started the Wanderers on their way and he will have to be shut down by Adelaide. Ono put in his best performance of the season last week and will look to build on it by becoming an even more dominant force. The Wanderers morale is high, they fear no-one and Popovic has created an nigh-impenetrable unit that defends from top to bottom. If they win this match they will be title contenders.

Adelaide have been scoring almost at will lately. They have not been held scoreless all season and their last 4 matches involved more 3 or more goals being scored for a total of 10 goals scored. Their defensive record on the other hand is not as impressive, conceding 6 goals in their last 4. This could signify a team more intent on attack that holding to a rigid defensive structure, or alternatively a defensive unit prone to lapses in concentration. Last week was a simple 3-1 victory although the scoreline could have ended 3-3 if not for a dodgy offside and the stellar work of Eugene Galekovic. Adelaide also have a full complement for John Kosmina to select from and Bruce Djite will likely start up front. If the Wanderers resistance holds Adelaide to a goal or less this is a very winnable match for the Wanderers, especially if they can continue to score more than 1 goal per match. This is a typical irresistible force vs immovable object fixture and is very hard to pick.

Prediction: 2-1 Wanderers.

Brisbane Roar sacked their manager Rado Vidosic during the week. Even if his new title is 'Technical Director'. For whatever reason, this proven squad of champions have performed badly this season. Mike Mulvey is the man selected to take over from Rado and rescue their season, and that starts with this match. Brisbane have only Do Dong-Hyun out of action and we should expect an attacking lineup intending to take control of the match. If this is via the same possession based play, counter-attacking, or simply direct fast play isn't as well understood. Berisha still has 5 goals this season, as many as Heskey and Del Piero but there are doubts to his fitness. Broich can't have lost his talent so quickly either. A Brisbane win could put them as high as 5th.

Perth Glory scored a pressure reliving 3-0 victory over Newcastle, with Smeltz getting on the scoreboard with a late penalty. Perth have only Evan Berger unavailable. The win was their first win in 5 rounds. The Mehmet/Smeltz combination experiment is dead, expect Smeltz to start to lead the line with high pressing, and Mehmet the battering ram late in the match. Travis Dodd is finally showing the form that lead Glory to sign him in the first place, and Vukovic is one of the better keepers in the lead. Incredibly, despite their recent form, a win could jump them up to 3rd. Brisbane at home, new manager, should be a high scoring match between two teams with very different attributes.

Prediction: 3-3 Draw.

Wellington Phoenix have come under fire recently for so called "Dullball" turning away thousands of potential supporters. Ricki Herbert is under pressure because he's done precisely nothing of note the entire time he's been coach of Wellington and there is agitation for change. A huge blow is the loss of talisman Paul Ifill for surgery on an ankle injury, Brockie comes back from his injury. Wellington have been inconsistent, 1 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses in their 4 recent matches. There is never a good time to face the league leaders but this could be very bad for Wellington. They aren't playing very well, their tactics aren't impressive, their structure is lacking. Jeremy Brockie and Stein Huysegems have 10 goals between them no-one else apart from Ifill has even two goals to their name. Unless both Huysegems and Brockie fire it could get ugly.

The Mariners are sailing high, riding the crest of their 8 game unbeaten streak (wins in all but the 2-2 draw with Victory in Round 7), and have turned in two impressive, by the book 2-0 victories. Admittedly they only faced Newcastle and Heart, but you can only beat whoever the draw puts in front of you and the Mariners have done that as often as anyone else in the competition. Mile Sterjovski returns from injury, and may start from the bench in favour of Mitchell Duke. Central Coast are one of teams best suited to playing away in Wellington. They are compact, intelligent on and off the ball, work smartly as a group but have the ability to play harder if required. Arnold will keep them tight at the back to avoid any quick surprise goals and will look to keep the ball away from the home team. Wellington's form is unpredictable and all teams eventually put in a less than stellar performance and I doubt even the Mariners are immune from this. If Wellington turn up like they did against Newcastle earlier in the season and the Mariners have suffered from the trip there could be an upset. It's just not that likely a scenario. Mariners to continue their march to the minor premiership.

Prediction: 2-0 victory.... to the Mariners.

Two teams desperate for points in this encounter. Newcastle head home after a punishing 3-0 loss all the way in Perth, and with turmoil regarding their ownership still creating a nuisance they will claw and scrap and fight and pry their way to points by any means necessary. Newcastle lobbed up in Perth with one of the worst defensive performances in recent years, giving away a goal to slack marking at a corner, a back pass to a keeper that turned into a through-ball for Dodd, and then a bad challenge for a penalty. If they defend like that again even Sydney FC has a chance of scoring in this match. Gary Van Egmond started well, but talk of how tight the league is will only protect him so much before the simple accumulation of losses turns into speculation regarding his future. He needs three points.

Sydney FC. What to do about Sydney FC. After their 0-0 draw with Heart, then a 2-1 win in Wellington, they went right back to their usual pattern of pure incompetent, disheartened, no imagination, no fight and no result on the board. The first ever SFS Derby ended in a crushing 2-0 loss that sent a chill right through the entire club and supporter base of Sydney FC. Of all the teams they could possibly face in this match they could be considered lucky. If Newcastle are desperate for points, Sydney FC will be rabid. Until they can lift themselves off the foot of the table they will continue to be the laughing stock of the entire league as years of arrogance comes crashing back down on their heads from rival supporters. Both teams are defensively woeful. Both teams have a marquee who can create, Sydney FC possibly have the better team on paper but what good is it when they can't put it together on the pitch?

Prediction: 2-1 Newcastle.

For the second week in a row a big city derby is being played out in the A-League. Last week it was the Sydney Derby. This week it will be the Melbourne Derby and it will be the last match of the round. Melbourne Heart are struggling in 8th place, although their recent form is average, 1 win, 1 loss and 2 draws from their last 4. Last week they came up against a far superior Mariners outfit. Josip Tadic should be in the squad and will have to play a big game to help his team to a point or 3. A lot has been said of the Heart lacking 'identity', and unfortunately this has extended onto the pitch. They don't really have much of a specified gameplan, some continental passing style is espoused by is rarely delivered on the pitch.

It seems like only yesterday that Victory were celebrating a magnificent come from behind win but the truth is that was 6 rounds ago. Victory come into this match on the back of a draw with Brisbane at home, a 4-2 loss in Adelaide and two good wins. Their form is hardly setting the world on fire although they continue to adapt and improve under the Ange System. Victory have a full strength squad to choose from but need to get their defensive structure setup correctly to enable their short passing game to establish itself without fear of being hit on the counter or losing possession high up the park. Flores practically quit when he returned to Adelaide, they need more from their star player. Melbourne are far better on paper, Ange should be able to coach his team to victory, but as we all know a Derby is never predictable. Yet I still try to predict it?

Prediction: 2-0 Victory.