Phoenix v Adelaide - match thread

Two games with the obviously wrong tactics in both, maybe Ricki bets for the other side?

mulligan good enough/ fit enough to go from training squad to starting??? surely some bench time to get up to pace with the league 1st??

No need to panic yet.....

Just whatever we do, drop muscat.  He got seriously found out. Were lucky not to concede a couple more goals because of him. I think Bertos needs to be out there. He creates things. Dodd needs to learn how to pass. We can't afford to have him giving the ball away 10 times each game. Kwasnik looks slow to me and just not committed or something. Got a decent team but it's just not working at the mo. Need to play 2 up front.

Oh yeah, and KEEP THE BALL TO FEET.  How hard is it to pass and move? It's so simple but so often the ball gets lobbed down...  and ends up getting intercepted by the opposition. It's just a waste and really frustrating to watch.

That was the exact opposite of the problem on Sunday.  Trying to play to feet created a goal and a couple of chances for them when the ball just stopped in the surface water and they picked it up and went aerial.

Yep you're right. But they were pretty crazy conditions. Any other day apart from when you literally almost can't pass the ball, they need to keep it to feet.   Gotta adapt to the conditions if it's a day like it was against melb.   Even in fine conditions they lob though, I don't get that.

exactly, how is playing a lobbed ball bad in weather like last sunday, its what Melbourne did to us, playing to the conditions would be a smarter call than "ball to the feet".

yeah, I agree.  Wasn't talking about that game in particular... just general play in all of their games. 99 percent of games aren't water logged like that. 

it reminds we a bit of last year, ferrante being in the midfield and having to be the attacking option, he was best when he was defensive midfielder and came right at the end of the season, problem is dodd/johnson + ferrante = 2 defensive midfielders, and if gao doesnt play what does coach do? what about daniel/ferrante or Kwasnik/ferrante in the middle of the park with smeltz and coveny up front? skuxdelux2008-08-27 12:19:45

I think Daniel was our third best player Vs Roar (After Moss and Smeltz)

Also third best vs Melbourne (After Smeltz & hearfield)

He looked pissed off when he was subbed Vs Melbourne, and fair enough too.

I think he should be getting more game time, as far as we know he doesn't have any fitness issues.

He's one player Herbert can't afford to let get disgruntled, if we lost him would be a huge blow to the team!

I agree, i would have rather had covs come on for kwasnik and leaving daniel on the left to swing in some crosses and he his interchange play with lochead is generally pretty good

Yeah definitely... Very strange.

It's interesting, there is a real split camp on Daniel.  Some people have said to me he should have been pulled earlier.

Is Costa going to get a run this season?

I suppose the conditions may not have suited Daniel that much, and bringing on covs and having kwasnik, Ricki was hoping to have more penetration up front with Kwasnik focusing his runs into the box rather than Daniel who would have being looking to get wide and cross one would assume and leave the left wing for lochead to bomb up and down with the other defenders staying back to cover.

I still would have liked some more consistent crossing, of witch Daniel is one of our best, aiming for Covs and Smeltz, arguably our best headerers.

Mulligan likley to get a run at rightbaack this week.

Hard News - Any chance you can give us a run-down of the Adelaide squad?  Would be interesting to see who we are up against.

Cheers.

Royal2008-08-27 15:51:34

i think that kwasnik and daniel should not play in the same starting xi as i feel they are a bit lazy and their work ethic is similar. compare that to hearfeild and bertos who are working hard most of the time and making runs even for no result. not saying that those two should start just an example.

I would suggest that you watch Daniel and his running off the ball - he does a fair bit

I totally agree, he switches wings and tries to get involved. He does lack pace of other options though

Not proof-read.

Eugene Galekovic - Former No. 2 to Theoklitos at melbourne, done good work for Adelaide since he moved along the coast.  Spent a season or so in portugal about 4 years ago, but never made it.
LMAO (Alemao) - Brazilian Right back, meant be a Right sided Cassio, only without the long term injury.  Has looked solid but not spectacular so far.
Angelo Costanzo - CB or DM, with Ognenovski nominated as the Centre Back pairing most likely to eat an opposing striker.  I'm a HUGE fan.
Lucas Pantelis - Came back from long term injury last season to secure a regular starting birth, slight but full of running.  Occassionally hits a ball of pure genius.  Has not been that flash so far this season.
Cristiano - Best credentialled of any of the A-Leagues imported arrivals this season (apart from maybe Hakansson). Still finding his feet in the A-League but expected to score a few once on song.
Travis Dodd - The captain.  Adelaide stalwart and and never say die player.  Dodd will run himself into the ground in a match chasing and harrying everything plus crosses well and pops in with some valuable goals.
Scott Jamieson -  19yo Youngster who has come back from a couple of years at Bolton.  Was always likely to challenge for game time, but with Cassio out has walked straight in to the side.
Sasa Ognenovski - The OgMonster.  Formerly the hairiest man in the A-league, but these days more clean shaven.  Signed for the CLogs from the VPL and immediately made a big impact.  Like many of Adelaide's staff can be a challenge in the changing rooms but HUGE on the park.  Proud owner of an 07 Retro Ricki.
The Flying Mullet - Jason Spugnuolo... weighs 50kg dripping wet but plays like someone much larger.  An attacking threat.
Paul Reid - Home from Brighton but made his names in the old Wollongong WOlves sides of the early part of this decade.  Last minute change of heart saw him sign for Adelaide rather than Perth.
Robert Younis - Signed from the New South Wales Premier League where he has had a number of good seasons most recently for APIA Leichardt.  One of the top NSWPL goal scorers.

Julian Torresan - Don't know much about him.  Late signing to cover for an injured Daniel Beltrame.
Robert Cornthwaite - Cornflake - Tall, skinny and un-cordinated yet somehow does an okay job at A-League level, even scored a few for the Aus U-23's but never made the final side.
Jonas Salley - Seal - Used to be the dreadliocked psychopath in the Knights midfield.  Once the Knights folded he went to Sydney for a couple of weeks, and by all accounts desperately wanted to join the Phoenix.  Unfortunately Adelaide demanded an answer from him days before the Phoenix were confirmed and they nabbed him.  With his time in the Victorian premier League has now become an Australian as far as the A-league is concerned.  He is in fact Ivorian.
Fabian Barbiero - Signed from the SA Premier league last season, uprisingly seeing more game time than Diego... or not

MIA
Paul Agostino - Perpetually injured Australian legend.  Could have led the Socceroos line for most of the last decade as he played in the Bundesliga but breaks if someone runs within twenty feet of him.  To quote an Adelaide fan "Ago is like finding a fiver in yer pocket - you never expect it, but on the odd occasions that it happens its a pleasant surprise"
Diego - Brazilian American, product of the US College system but still fapped over as a Brazilian master.  Didn;t convince in his first season in the A-league but stepped it up last season.  Suprising he hasn't yet played this season.
Kristian Sarkies - The original Kaz Faptafta.  Hyped by melbourne fans and supposedly hard done by because Ernie wouldn't play him.  Now struggles to get a game in Adelaide, quite possibly proving Ernie right.  Watch this space on Faptafta.

In the last two months I've seen him in four games and he has played poorly and been extremely lazy (his only play of note was the pass to Smeltz that got us our goal against the Roar).  As far as I'm concerned he hasn't done much more off the ball running than any other player, and certainly not enough to warrant a starting spot.  In my opinion, he needs to be relegated to the bench as an incentive to work hard and regain the attitude he had last season.

My starting 11 against Adelaide is:

                             Moss

Mulligan       McKain         Durante         Lochhead

                                      Johnson

                   Ferrante

     Hearfield                                    Bertos

                    Smeltz         Kwasnik

Subs:
Gao
Brown
Coveny
Daniel
loyalgunner2008-08-27 20:10:41

well I hope all those you listed LG are fit and available!

It amazes me that people don't rate Daniel. Maybe the tactics were wrong against Melb but in that first half hour everything, and I mean everything, went through Daniel. He was passing, running and switching flanks like crazy. He was quieter in the 2nd half, but if you change your tactics to play crosses and long balls why oh why take off one of our best suppliers of those balls?

I agree totally StopOut, I was staggered when Ricki took him off, esp without Leo or Chinese Geezer on the pitch.

yea i agree about the long throw ins. I'm hoping Mulligan is a bit of an expert, according to Stuff he'll be in at RB this weekend.

       Moss

Mulligan       McKain         Durante         Lochhead

                                      Johnson

                   Ferrante

     Hearfield                                    Bertos
                          Gao
                    Smeltz

Subs:
Muscat
Brown
Coveny
Daniel

How about something a bit more radical. More of an all out assault approach.

                              Moss

Mulligan       McKain         Durante         Lochhead

                              Johnson
                  
     Hearfield             Daniel                  Bertos

                                        Gao
                              Smeltz

Subs:
Dodd
Ferrante
Coveny
Kwasnik

Doubt we'll see Gao.

                              Moss

Mulligan       McKain         Durante         Lochhead

                              Johnson
                  
     Hearfield             Ferrante                  Bertos

                           Smeltz     Daniel (or Covs)

Bugger this one up front rubbish.

neck injury ???

Spine.

who? the SIS?