Pre-Season Cup Final

Nix fans are pretty damn good at staying til the team comes off

Counted four Desert storms in the crowd. And one of those is going to Egypt on Tuesday, so I miss the first two season games

Great crowd - chanting better than against CCM

While we played well there was a bit of lack of understanding in the final third of the pitch.

we rely on smeltz far to much - need a marqee striker and fast

pleasing words from Eddie Merrick

On another topic surrounding last nights game. In Aisle 25 there were some younguns up the back who were throwing bottles and whatever else they could get there hands on. There were a number of us that gave them a serve cos we had our kids there but I would hope the little

Definitely think we had more of the play, but agree that 4-2-3-1 looks better for us. We seemed to have no-hope crosses and no space to shoot last night, which was disappointing.

But still, bodes well for the season proper...

I had a bit of a challenge with that as well...

The guy I feel sorry for is Richard Johnson, his shot looked like it was going in till a last gasp  hand tipped it. A well taken shot an unexpected by everyone.

scribbler2008-08-07 10:19:01

Great performance by us, I had a feeling before the game that Melbourne were going to be the team to beat this season, and they certainly looked solid defensively despite our best efforts. They had no Archie (I think?) or Muscat though which partly explains their toothlessness and lack of bite in midfield.

Anyway, I thought on the whole we did very well to dominate possession and were unlucky to lose on pens.


Here's how I break it down:

Moss:

Excellent during normal time, claimed a couple of dangerous high balls which was one of my only concerns with him last season. Perhaps should have done better in the shootout but the Melbourne players were pretty clinical.

Sigmund:

Not sure what to think really. Looked pretty solid defensively and had plenty of pace when he did venture forward. His passing was poor though and he often didn't seem sure of the correct decision when Leo tried to draw defenders for him to overlap. I think his left footedness explains a lot of his poor passing, a right footed player would have been far more comfortable. Why didn't he play on the left and Muscat (who I think is a righty) play at RB?

Dodd:

I had some doubts about him as a CB which is why I was happy with his move to DM. Tonight he answered those doubts and more. He has shown that he is a better option to cover CB than Sigmund, and gave us a great physical presence back there, in a sense playing as Nemanja Vidic to McKain's Rio Ferdinand.

Not concerned about the penalty miss, he is never going to be a natural player technically, I just hope it doesn't dent his confidence, although I somehow doubt he's the type to let something like that bother him.

McKain:

My MotM for tonight, what a prospect this guy is! Wow is all I can say really. Not only did he utterly dominate back there but he kept cool when things did get slightly hairy and to top it off brought the ball out from the back well to initiate counterattacks. He also showed some tricky ball skills and I think even did a stylish Cruiyff turn at one stage!

Muscat:

I was very pleased with Muscat's defensive work last night. In fact I would go so far as to say he defends better than Lochhead does and looked completely at home at A-League level. Seemed reluctant to get forward though, but that is ok as I believe he is right footed (and therefore would have to cross on his left). He did show some nice pace though and thwarted a couple of Victory counterattacks that could have easily become dangerous. I would give him a contract, and should Lochhead return he could give Mulligan some solid competition!

Johnson:

I have had doubts about him, especially given his age. Tonight he looked pretty good though, putting in a solid performance at the base of midfield, winning the ball regularly and was therefore a major reason for the large amount of possession that we had. He also almost won the game for us with that fantastic long range effort, something that we need more of to be honest. Certainly gives us food for thought, I still think I prefer Dodd as my DM, but Johnson will give him a great run for the spot this year.

Ferrante:

His passing wasn't as smooth as in the CCM game where I thought he was fantastic, however he put in a tireless performance defensively, hustling the Melbourne midfield and winning the ball regularly, often in advanced positions. A guaranteed starter in my opinion, remains one of my favorite Phoenix players. Also, I think that penalty of his meant a lot!

Bertos:

A mixed game for Leo, had some dangerous breaks early in the first half but struggled to combine effectively with Sigmund. Showed good pace though and his cross for Smeltz to almost give us a winner with that header was top notch.

Gao:

In and out of the game, his shove on Kemp was stupid though and Ricki was correct to bring him off. Showed his class at various points in the match though, he is so quick and his technique is fantastic. You could tell he worried Melbourne whenever he got the ball. Could perhaps work on his linkup play with the fullbacks though, I think I like him more in the center rather than down the wings, especially as he seems to have the best shot on him out of the holy trinity.

Kwasnik:

Was hard to tell how well he played at times from where I was sitting, especially as most of his work happened at the end of the stadium. Seemed to be OK, but wasn't good enough to warrant a shift from 4231 to a 442 with one of the holy trinity missing out. However, I'd rather have him on the bench than Coveny.

Smeltz:

Poor Smeltzy, but in fairness, you never try blast the ball in a shootout. Going low for a corner is always the safest approach, especially for a clinical type like Smeltz. Otherwise, he did his job as frontman reasonably well, and as usual made the most of his best chance (that header) and was unlucky to see it saved. I hope he gets some goals soon though, it's been a quiet preseason for him.

Bench:

Daniel:

Looked terrific once he came on. Compared to the other wingers he is actually the best team man. He is really very good at opening up space for the fullbacks and because he moves around so much he is a nightmare for the opposite team. I loved the move where he skinned Kemp and then brought the ball infield for a dangerous one-two. Takes better corners than Gao does as well and generally fires up everybody.

The main positive I take from tonight is that Daniel (and his absence in the first half) must start for us. He is still our talisman and is a wonderful playmaker as well as a key scoring threat (good in the box, not afraid to shoot and great in the air). He's the kind of person we need getting on the end of Leo's crosses, and coming in from the opposite flank he is well positioned to do so.

Hearfield:

This kid looks like a great signing. He got forward from fullback properly, combined well with Leo and generally looked very dangerous. His penalty was also perhaps the most well taken of any of ours. A terrific impact player, and should provide great cover four our holy trinity. To be honest, I think he looks better than Kwasnik!

Coveny:

Very disappointed, cool penalty aside, in Coveny tonight. His control looked poor at times and he just wasn't very sharp. Definitely shouldn't be coming on at half-time, although since it is preseason I guess it's ok. To be honest he shouldn't even make the bench anymore. We now know 4231 is our best lineup, because all 3 of Gao, Daniel and Bertos should start. Kwasnik and Hearfield have shown they  deserve to be in the mix, and would be joined on the bench by either Johnson/Brown/Dodd depending on who starts at DM. Be interesting to see how Mulligan goes, I'm very happy with Muscat and think he will do a good job if Tony signs for Boro. I'm also curious to see who will be our starting DM, my money is on Dodd, but Johnson did look good tonight.

All in all though, we have gotten proper results against 4 of the stronger teams in the league. Based on performances so far we should be in the mix for the top 4. I can't wait till the first game!

Pretty good assessment. I thought Johnson did a lot of work without really being noticed doing it. Our new signings and potentil signings looked very good. With Durante back our defence will look very solid.

theprof2008-08-07 10:41:29

Talkback on the game at the moment on Radio Sport...

I left (had an offer of a lift home) and then got an attack of the guilts and wandered back in.

You can never go back, HN...trust me...

I thought I banned you for twenty-four hours.

Did anyone catch anyone shedding a quiet tear?

I agree the 4-2-3-1 seemed to flow more against CCM, would have liked to have seen Ricki switch to a 4-1-3-2 at half time though, bringing off either Ferrante or Johnson (both were very solid though) and putting Daniel on. I like seeing us play with two strikers, shows a good attacking mentality, but while we often had options on the wings with Bertos or Gao/Daniel, there weren't really enough options once they got the ball. With the three behind the front two, it would really have shown intent to go after the game, and provided more of an outlet for the wingers when they got the ball, rather than having to cross it or come back to the full backs every time. Still, I know it was only a pre-season game albeit with a trophy by the tunnel, so I can't blame Ricki for just making sure everyone had a run out. Also with the 4-2-3-1 I'd like to see Gao more central and Daniel on the left, Gao looked good on the left but i think he has the composure and passing to be a great AM in the middle, and Daniel can go past almost every wing back in the league.

All in all was a good night and things look promising, the defence looks very solid indeed, which after last season is a relief, and so with added solidity at the back, and hopefully some more firepower up front (we were what, second or third highest scorers last season?) we should definitely mount a challenge.

C'mon the 'NIX!

We were last equal scorers last year. We had a bunch of x-0 losses at the end when we seemed to loose our way a bit.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you were equal last:

Adelaide = 31
CCM = 30
Melbourne = 29
Sydney = 28
Perth = 27
Nix, Queensland, Newcastle = 25

Agree on your point though, you definitely seem to have fixed those defensive problems and adding guys like Gao, Bertos and Kwasnik to your team isn't going to hurt your goal-scoring.  I can't see nix not making the four this season.

[QUOTE=KTBW]Great performance by us, I had a feeling before the game that Melbourne were going to be the team to beat this season, and they certainly looked solid defensively despite our best efforts. They had no Archie (I think?) or Muscat though which partly explains their toothlessness and lack of bite in midfield.

Anyway, I thought on the whole we did very well to dominate possession and were unlucky to lose on pens..........................................

Great review ........ agree with all points,  Our starting 11 is going to be strong, bit a pressure on all players for starting positions now  - Thought Moss was poor in the spot kicks, never really committed himself into making a save [ 1st shot apart] but it is not easy for the keepers.

LOL, I'm with you there Jose's Dog

It was a great night, despite not winning the cup.  I thought it was an excellent and entertaining game.

Despite the penalties, it was a very enjoyable and promising game. A lot of our players put their hands up for Ricki with great performances as is the purpose of preseason.

ForteanTimes2008-08-07 11:57:44

McKain was absolute class. Thought Siggy did well in the first half, and Muscat looks a good option. He got caught out a couple of times, but by and large looked good. Should sign him.

Completely toothless up front. Smeltz is gonna have a very hard time up front on his own. Need another striker to back him up, Kwasi didn't look like a natural forward last night, and Covs did next to nothing.

Good posts KTBW, EvertonFc and axmfc.  You do save us a lot of typing.  KTBW - pretty much agree on every player.

I suspect there was some pre-season experimentation last night.  We do seem to lack a playmaker when Daniel is off; Gao didn't look like a left wing (though I'm an admirer of his skills); and Smeltz-Kwasnik didn't look like a natural duo.  Still feel our best performance was vs CCM (though haven't seen much of the games in Oz).  My starting XI would be that of the CCM game, with enforced changes of Muscat and Mulligan/Sigmund for Lochhead and Lia.

Matthew Kemp on the radio over here just giving the crowd yer props.

Was most mpressed with back four like most people have mentioned. Muscat neds to be signed. Made some great tackles and stole the ball a few times. McKain is pure class and looks very confident on the ball even if he's on the edge of his own penalty area. Dodd was solid and I can't really remember him making a mistake.

Too much of the play in the first half seemed to go through Bertos and dare I say it, it reminded me of the El**ch era apart from the fact that Leo has the skill and confidence to take on and beat his man. Something El**ch didn't do. My only concern was his final ball. A lot of his crosses were disappointing but to be fair, he really only had Smeltz to aim for. Finally, Darcy Waldegrave redeemed himself on Radio Sport this morning by mentioning that the 9000 crowd sounded like 40,000 and that it was good to actually see some atmosphere at a NZ sporting event.  The chanting was very audible on tv.