AkCity FC At The FIFA World Club Cup

Yeah, new.

2015 FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP

Auckland City play a friendly vs. Yokohama 6 pm tonight NZT:

http://www.aucklandcityfc.com/news/article.asp?ID=1531

Some of the players trained on Wednesday afternoon, others were held up in Hong Kong and trained for the first time yesterday.

"The identity of Auckland City FC's opponents started to take shape last night when Sanfrecce Hiroshima defeated Gamba Osaka 3-2 in the J.League Championship final, first leg. The second leg is due to be played on December 5.

"It was a typical final both teams were very respectful of each other both teams have good players. Gamba were looking to get hold of the ball a bit more, Hiroshima were happier sitting a bit deeper and counter attacking, which is how they normally like to set-up.

"It was a very competitive game but the red card incident meant the game became more Hiroshima than what it looked like being in the first 60 or 70 minutes. It was a good opportunity to see both teams in a competitive game and we've got our thoughts about that so we'll see what happens." Tribulietx said.

One change could be forced on Tribulietx ahead of the Yokohama FC friendly. Captain Angel Berlanga is touch and go after a hamstring niggle sustained in the Canterbury United game while Mario Bilen continues his return to fitness after an ankle injury picked up in the ASB Charity Cup final win over Team Wellington in early November.

"Angel is going to be a matter of time to see how he goes. He's got a small injury and its only 10 or 11 days after it happened so it could be a late call for us.

"Mario is looking good. He played a pretty decent game on Sunday. He went quite well in the first half quite but he got a little knock and in the second half he was a bit sore. But I think there's going to be no problems in terms of his ankle," he said.

At 10 degrees celsius Yokohama not only provides an ideal location to acclimatise to the rigours of playing a J.League opponent after recent humid conditions in Auckland, but it also offered a chance for the players to reacquaint themselves with global media interest since last year's jaw-dropping performance in Morocco...."

Tribulietx video interview:

http://www.aucklandcityfc.com/news/article.asp?ID=1534

The J-League champions will only be decided after the second leg of their final tomorrow on December 5.

They then play Auckland City in the FIFA World club preliminary play-off on Thursday 10 next week.

Crazy scheduling....

Will be hard for the newly-crowned Japanese champions to get back up for the game next Thursday after such a short interval and all the celebrations of becoming J-League champions..

AUCKLAND CITY VS. J-LEAGUE CHAMPIONS CLUB WORLD CUP:

LIVE SKY SPORT 1 THURSDAY DECEMBER 10 11.30 PM (replay 6 am Friday)

any more warm up games before next week?

1-1 draw with Yokohama last night:

http://www.aucklandcityfc.com/news/article.asp?ID=1536

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/domestic/74732290/auckland-city-draw-with-yokohama-fc-in-club-world-cup-warmup-match

So Auckland will play newly-crowned J-League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Thursday.

Sanfrecce drew the home leg yesterday 1-1 of the J-League final to win 4-3 on aggregate after their 3-2 away win vs. Gamba Osaka mid week, their third J-League title in four years:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/football-soccer/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=11556693

An interview with Ivan Vicelich also in that article.

Hiroshima only narrowly beat Auckland in the 2012 Club World Cup 1-0

Horoshima vs. Auckland City kicks off at 11.45pm NZST on Thursday 10 December on Sky Sport 1 with the winner qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals against African champions TP Mazembe, a team Auckland City FC defeated 3-2 in the fifth place match in Abu Dhabi in 2009.

Bring on Barca!

Here's a preview of Auckland Citys game and a bit of history of the tournament

Squad lists for all teams competing:

http://www.fifadata.com/document/FCWC/2015/pdf/FCWC_2015_SquadLists.pdf

Hiroshima's 23 man squad are entirely Japanese apart from one Brazilian striker, Douglas and one 35 year-old Croatian midfielder Mikic. Seven of their squad are aged 30 or more.

TP Mazembe have only six players from their own country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo - the other 17 are from other African countries, enticed using their annual revenue of 13 million Euros.

If Auckland beat Hiroshima and African champs Mazembe, then they will play River Plate from Argentina who still have Javier Saviola playing for them (turns 34 this week). River Plate's 23 are all Argentinian, apart from four Uruguayans and a Colombian. Light on current internationals.

Guangzhou Evegrande, the Asian champs from China, have only six foreign players - though five of them are high-profile Brazilians including Robinho and Paulinho (ex Spurs). Coached by Big Phil Scolari.

Saviola is usually a sub and is playing really bad. He hasn't been able to score even 1v1 situations or tap ins. I don't see him starting in any of the CWC matches. The real goal scorer ir Mora, who is a great player and probably will leave to Europe as the CWC finishes.

Still River has been playing pretty bad. Has lost its form from the Copa Libertadores. I can see ACFC even drawing with them, kind of what happened with San Lorenzo last year. Still, I think Auckland won't be capable of beating Sanfrecce.

Kiwitea St open house tomorrow night for Club World Cup TV broadcast 

- see www.aucklandcityfc.com latest.

AUCKLAND STARTING ELEVEN:

Hiroshima start with an all Japanese eleven, omitting their two top goalscorers and dropping their only two imports to the bench, the Brazilian Douglas and the Croatian veteran Mikic.

Lets hope it backfires on them...

One of the big problems of teams from NZ is that we are so ver poor with how we receive the ball. Our body position is always so poor. Watching Auckland and it would seem like there isnt a single player who is capable of receiving on the half turn or with a view to go forward. 

Iwata is just awful, he can't stop anyone. Hope to see something more from Lea'alafa, Joao Moreira and de Vries

Burfoot on the bench. The most talented player in the squad and the only one that can change a game!

Bring back Tamati Williams, both goals were Spoonley's fault

Spoonley having an awful match. 

Cracked me up how the commentator was saying he could 'hear the collective groans all the way from Auckland' - Either ACFC have loud fans or there are a lot more of them actually watching this match than I suspect. 

Hudson Wihongi looking composed on the ball and some good passes/holding play, and Lea'alafa looks very lively, certainly runs hard and has quick feet - even if he has been somewhat isolated.

"It's all over now, baby blue..."

A shame that Tamati Williams decided to leave to chase a pro gig in the Netherlands that never eventuated.

It's not that Hiroshima are all that good either.

They have the perennial problem of Japanese sides of being easily physically intimidated.

A team of the stature of the J-League champs should have been able to retain more possession and mount more threat on Auckland's goal too.

Without Spoonley's two goalkeeping errors, the game would actually have been quite even.

So we are back to normal in the CWC. Poor defending, GK making mistakes, playing really slow and just expecting that a player (Lea'alafa, de Vries) will eventually go through the entire defence to score a great goal. Is hard to believe that most of these players were in the team last year. Spoonley, Iwata and Joao Moreira were extremely poor. Sadly, this ACFC was no competitive at all.

Jacob Spoonley. 

Seventy odd percent possession is a crazy stat for an amateur team to hold over the bet team in the j league.

In fact, only five of the starting eleven were regular starters for Auckland in the last tournament (Spoonley was second choice keeper for all but the last game, Kim and Moreira were injured and didn't feature, Lea'Alafa, Hudson-Wihongi and Alvaro are new to the squad).

Several players have moved on or were unavailable (Vicelich, Williams, Irving, Payne, Tavano, Milne, Pritchett etc.) 

The stars just aligned last year for the team, they played above themselves and the opposition failed to take them seriously so were undone.

I can't help thinking that the Phoenix would have had a good chance of beating Hiroshima.

From what Hiroshima showed tonight, I think the Phoenix are a better side all round.

Just noticed that one of Auckland's better attacking players in the Club World Cup last year, Fabrizio Tavano, a Mexican-New Zealander aged 22, is currently on loan from Auckland City to major Mexican club Tigres UNAL and has been playing in their reserves this year:

http://www.transfermarkt.com/vincenzo-tavano/profil/spieler/324589

That's the kind of quality they were missing this year.

Vicelich, Payne, Williams and Irving were also influential last year

Despite that it was two soft goals and spoonly should have don't better. You're right the Phoenix would have won that.

Hudson Wihongi did look composed but to be honest the Japanese were not really pressing and gave him and the defenders plenty of time. 99% of his passes were sideways with only one/two forward passes of any distinction and both of them went to the wrong team!

It was like watching the current Man Utd play - loads of possession but no actual forward movement or shots on goal!!

I thought they gave a good showing . 

Two big keeper error's ...

maybe they miss a strong forcefully runner in Midfield ( Tim Payne).

You can probably forgive ACFC a little though because they haven't spent 500 million on players.

Well, that was disappointing.

We lacked that little bit of bite and when we misplaced a pass or it didn't have enough weight on it, Hiroshima were on it and away. They played very wide, their wingers probably exchanged numbers with the linesmen they were out there so often.

Micah looked exciting but just couldn't be brought into the game enough.

Shame about the first once, looked iffy but a well worked set piece straight off the training ground. The second took a deflection and that's just the way the game is.

Pleased with TAHW in midfield, big future there for him if he wants it.

Takuya didn't have his best game, but getting up with a cut open head and a busted cheekbone and carrying on - yes, we'll have some of that spirit in buckets please.

Fair point but I do think its a valid criticism though! ACFC over the last couple of years, although great in possession, have still looked forward but this team seems to play very 'crab' like and would rather keep the ball for another few minutes than actually try to score a goal!

Well, that's how we play against a superior opposition - Waitakere on the other hand....!

Also, how far have United fallen that ACFC being compared to them is an insult. Blimey.

I think its a fair comparison to be honest. Its not about money or players or even where you play or what league you play in, its about the style of play! And quite frankly ACFC along with United have become boring to watch!

I'm sure that Auckland will win the league this year and 'probably' the 'O' league so it will be 'job done' for Ramon but a few more attempts at goal would be good - that's all I'm asking.......

Well, if Adelaide win their home play-off match they'll be in Group F of the Asian Club Cup along with SHiroshima, and we'll get to see how THEY fare against them.

Shame All Whites teams can't keep possession for more than 3 passes, huh?

From Sanfrecce Hiroshima to WaiBOP next game.... kinda sums up where we're coming from.

haven't seen the game but based upon these comments it would appear against the J league champions (which is a bloody good league recognised as being well above the A league), Auckland had 70 per cent of the possession and lost because of a dodgy former Phoenix Keeper?

Don't look at the possessión. Actually it was Dordevic playing the ball to Berlanga, to Hudson-Wihongi and so on and so on. ACFC was really poor, can't even remember a shot on target or a good situation either. Sanfrecce was the best team on the park by doing so little.

It ended up being 63% I think, at one stage it was in the 70's but the only good thing about that possession was that SFC didn't have the ball. Whenever SFC got a sniff they looked like they were going to score. They were much faster and much more accurate that ACFC.

Just watched AK City game again and its plainly obvious Auckland City  had no plan B. Sanfreeece attack minded to start with but once they got the goal they resorted to plan B, you only have to look at Ramon's body language to see with 20 minutes to go he had no idea what to do about it.The back four were woeful and the chap up front Moreira should of been replaced just after halftime by Tade, he has more energy and makes good runs that may have unlocked Sanfeece's  defence.I won't mention Spoonley poor chap and whats Darren White been doing preseason Training at KFC. I Cant remember Ramon giving Sanfreece any credit after the game just kept mentioning the 63% possession they had well Ramon 200 passes backwards or sideways isn't a goal .Hawkes Bay worked it out as well sit back and hit on the counter. Bottom line ACFC were not good enough and dead set boring but good to see three Kiwis starting 

That's the thing with ACFC is that while they have possession stats in their favour, it's never dangerous. I would think the ACFC back 5 would dominate the most touches. If that's the case and you only put up 1 shot, you can't rave about how good you are. This is typical of the Declan Edge syndrome.

Hiroshima did what HBU did and let them have the possession in the parts of the pitch that don't hurt them and then await the mistake. All you have to do is have your defensive system sound and shuffle left to right. Gone are the days were Hogg and Pritchett would get around the sides and ACFC would beat you with pace and ball speed. The ball speed is dreadfully slow so you can slide across and you never get beaten.

Ramons style of play does work but the personnel need swapping out for players that can get the ball on quicker and have pace. Micah is that type of player but lacks the service.