A-League 16/17 – Round Five – Flying High

BRISBANE ROAR 1 MELBOURNE CITY 0

WELLINGTON PHOENIX 2 NEWCASTLE JETS 0

SYDNEY FC 2 MELBOURNE VICTORY 1

ADELAIDE UNITED 1 CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 2

PERTH GLORY 2 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS 2

Brisbane Spring The Counter

It’s been a long time since anyone at Brisbane Roar muttered anything about ‘philosophy’.  It was Ange Postecoglou’s footballing philosophy that put Brisbane Roar on the map and it was a reference to philosophy that was given for the abrupt sacking of championship winning coach Mike Mulvey.

But from the days of Ange Postecoglou five years ago to John Aloisi today, Brisbane Roar have always been a team associated with attacking flair and a possession based playing style.

When Tim Cahill and Melbourne City came to town, Aloisi and the Roar squad took five years of expectaction and turned them on their head by playing a counter attacking game of football where the team sat deep and let City come at them.  The ploy worked as the Roar shut out Melbourne City from having a single shot at goal.  The Roar took their chance when they had it with Jamie Maclaren scoring in back to back games and buring a chance near the edge of the penalty area.

It was a third consecutive win for the Roar and the best they’ve played in some time.  The win moves them into second on the table.

News and Notes

• Wellington Phoenix finally broke their duck and got their first win of the season thanks to a brace from Roy Krishna.  I’m beginning to think the win by the Jets over the Roar was an outlier and that they will become basement dwellers as the season rolls on.  As for the Phoenix, I suspect they will be one of the sides scrapping it out for the sixth spot in the finals.  Despite the slow start to the season they are very much in with a shout if the Mariners, Jets, Wanderers and Adelaide all continue in their current vein of form.
• Although Melbourne Victory haven’t had a terrible start to the season by any means, something seems slightly off about a side that was once red hot favourites for the season.  A sign that they are out of sorts from this round – Besart Berisha missing a penalty and then laughing it off.
• Adelaide losing at home to the Mariners really drives home the point just how much they’ve been struggling this season.  The side already had tissue thin depth and now they are without Henrique for a number of weeks due to injury.  It’s hard to see where the goals will come from.