R5: Adelaide v CCM

[Wombat]

Faty's best game and easily our best defender. His passing is lovely....like Patrick's but always along the turf.

3 2 1 is hard this week.

3pts. Paddy. Very unlucky not to have 2 goals.
2pts. Pain. What a goal
1pt. Izzo. Last year he tried to put his boots on his hands and his gloves on feet. He was a train wreck. Yesterday he looked like a genuine keeper. So happy for him and us.

 

[dibo]

The defence still needs a bit of work - Faty does some 'moments' well (he made a number of critical interceptions and smart tackles) but he still ball-watches a little bit so players get the opportunity to drift into dangerous spaces in a way that makes me shout at the telly. McGing makes little errors here and there, but he's really maturing. But generally the back four is miles ahead of last year.

Something that was noticeable is that the work off the ball and our transitions are really starting to really take shape.

When we lose the ball, we're shifting quickly into a defensive shape that closes down space in the hope of forcing an error and then (if we can't force an immediate turnover) to nullify play.

What I found interesting was that in the first half, we spent a lot more time with a 4-4-2 in defence, with forwards staying in a more central area rather than allowing the CBs to have the ball and then crush down on the fullbacks. This is maybe because we see the threat from their fullbacks as being less worrying than what happens if they can get the ball to Isaias with time to turn. All the same, it allowed Elrich in particular to get involved in attacks where at other times we'd close him up tighter.

In the second half, we appeared to go 4-3-3 in defence (I noticed it a few times, but I can't say it was constant because I wasn't specifically looking for that) and that slowed up their attacks and we denied them passing lanes. It was more of a gamble in the middle, but Tavares and Monty did very well. They had a lot of attacks founder on the rocks of a well-structured defence.

The transition the other way was interesting too. Back in the Arnie days, we'd have the CBs split quickly and Hutch would come towards the ball centrally so Ryan would have three easy options, whilst Pedj and Rose would push up each sideline and Bernie and Olly would push up high for a fast diagonal release. This really fell apart when we had Anderson and Bosnar - they seemed both too lazy/unfit to be able to do the running required to make those easy balls available, so our possession play suffered enormously and none of our keepers had the distribution ability to get the fast counters going.

That's simply no longer the case - Faty still ball-watches sometimes in defence but he's pretty disciplined on transition, and so is McGing. And when Tavares is on we've got a 'quarterback' who can play through a press brilliantly, so we're suddenly getting quality ball coming from deep areas. I think this is what Okon means when he says we're playing the best football in the league - we're certainly up there when we're playing out nicely.

The pieces are falling into place. We're certainly not going to wait 17 games to win another game.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

It's actually great to see somebody who copped a lot of vitriol on social media and who had his position questioned by being dropped to the bench, be able to show massive signs of improvement, come back, earn his starting place again and prove himself there.
It's nice to be able to get a positive story out of that. Good on Izzo.

 

[mick]

Its a big win as it keeps us off the bottom of the table. I would imagine at half time some of the journos would have been happily penning the lastest mariners not fit for a league article until Pain blasts one into the top corner.

Across the board the whole team are getting better. Pain has shown he deserves to be a starter and Galloway will be the same but massive respect to Izzo to fight back from the tough year he had last season. Its still early in the season but I like what i see in the players and coaching staff.

 

[VicMariner]

Any journo (or anyone else for that matter) who says we are not fit for the HAL need their head examined or be investigated for outrageous bias.
LOOK AT OUR RECORD, DICKHEADS!!!!!!!!

#ProudToBeAMariner

 

[Wombat]

Not just me that posts after a couple hey Vic. Cheers

 

[Wombat]

Paolo for Mayor!

Smidge early.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Smidge early.

And he is far too important in his present role.

 

[BrisRecky]

anyone see Faty's vid on Mariners Members on FB where his talking in the change rooms...methinks he coined the new hashtag and it is
#MarinersRising

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Mariner's rising! I like it!! Good nautical theme.
We certainly sunk to some pretty impressive depths. Record breaking in fact.
Love the mariners, we even lose better than everyone else.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEKEND – CENTRAL COAST MARINERS
With their first win of the season and first win in the A-League since January, Central Coast came from a goal down to put in an impressive performance against Adelaide United.

A bad draw has seen them play just one home match in their first five games and many would not have been expecting them to get the job done against Adelaide. The team have come close, drawing twice this season against Perth and Western Sydney but couldn’t find the finishing goals.

Both teams had solid chances hit the post inside the first 20 minutes. Jordan O’Doherty whipped a ball across the face of goal only to see his effort bounce out, off the bar. Roy O’Donovan almost mirrored the effort up the other end, slotting the ball just past Eugene Galekovic only to see it smack the upright.

Adelaide took first blood in the match after Sergi Guardiola was taken out by Storm Roux in the box. The Spaniard slotted the spot kick perfectly past Paul Izzo to give himself a second goal in as many matches.

Adelaide went into the break ahead but couldn’t hang onto that lead for longer than two minutes after the resumption of play. Connor Pain found space inside Adelaide’s half and put through a perfectly lobbed ball to Roy O’Donovan who perfectly chipped the onrushing Galekovic to put Central Coast back on level terms.

It only took ten minutes to find the eventual winner with Pain again being given space. Receiving the ball well outside the box, he touched the ball onto his right foot and let go an absolute screamer, finding the top corner of the goal from range.

It wasn’t so much the individual game that made Central Coast win the performance of the weekend, but rather what it means. Having failed to get an A-League win for so long and putting in some solid performances this season, they had probably deserved a win as early as round one.

Paul Okon said after the match that he believes his team is playing “the best football in the competition.” While there might be some bias in that statement, their performances this season, compared to last are an improvement.

Whilst the club is still transitioning under Okon, there are positive signs that the woes of the last season could be behind them and that the Central Coast of old, could be on the way back.

Now sitting 8th in the competition, they’re only three points off 4th spot. Next week is a big chance for them as they take on Wellington Phoenix is just their second home game of the season. Wellington have only won once this season and have the worst goal difference in the competition.

Sauce: http://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/best-of-the-a-league-weekend-440822

 

[VicMariner]

Love the mariners, we even lose better than everyone else.

Gonna use that as a sig!

 

[ballantyne]

Did you just look at the score and decide that?

With respect, that's the most shallow analysis I've seen this season.

No, I saw Wanderers, particularly Nichols, repeatedly miss quality chances.

 

[tim...]

Yeah, but we also had some quality chances we squandered that day.

On a side note, do you only log on after a loss?

 

[Wombat]

We see Ballantyne quite often LOL.