Team for next week?

Goalkeeper: Moss - hasn't done much wrong so far.
Right Back: Plodder - has easily been our best option in this position. Has done OK defensively, looks to build play and tries to push forward.
Centre Backs: Dodd and O'Dor - easily our best combination.
Left back: Lochead - sorely missed yesterday, solid defensive work and excellent going forward. Can't wait for him to be back.
Centre Mid: Aloisi - can't understand all this criticism of him. What, exactly, do the people knocking him right now expect him to do? Has been pretty sound so far.
Centre Mid: Johnson - Has been getting better and better, was easily our best yesterday.
Attacking mid: Felipe (presuming here he's fit) - the most creative player we have, absolutely has to play for us to be as threatening going forward as we'd like to be.
Attacking mid: Daniel - needs to improve his crossing and dead-ball delivery. Capable of very good things though, and his link-up with Felipe is when we're at our most dangerous.
Centre Forward: Smeltz - another one who was sorely missed yesterday. Pretty good with his back to goal, has scored consistantly and has also set up others.
Centre Forward: Coveny - gets into the team by default. We need to play two up front, and although he hasn't been overly impressive so far, after Smeltz he seems the best of the rest of the strikers.

Subs:

Goalkeeper: Paston - enough said.
Defensive cover: Old - has been far from impressive, but I see potential in him.
Attacking cover: Elrich - once he's fit, I expect some very good things from him. Was clearly short of a gallop yestarday, but showed some very nice touches.
Attacking cover: Brownlie - his season has been defined by hitting the post against Melbourne and rugby tackling the Jets player yesterday. Still I think he offers more coming off the bench than George.


el grapadura2007-10-15 18:29:05

Xactly. Don't see why he hasnt done that all alog instead of stuffing around with the formation.

It seems that some teams like to win at home and get something out of away, and stack their teams accordingly. Is Ricki doing this??

I'd like to see us being outright attackers no matter where we are playing, so 2 strikers please, this and each week

Lets also hope we get all our guys back fit after the Fiji game.

I am not a huge fan of a standard 442, but I am not sure if we possess the pace in certain areas to implement a more fluid formation such as a 433 or 4231 (Elrich could make a difference here), so a 442 is a decent option. I must say that we have played pretty well playing with the one central striker.

Not sure how much they spend on tactics during training, but would like to have seen more midfielders in the last game to reduce the space for the jets to run at us and slow down their counter attack.

long read and uve left tim brown out somewhere
as vice captain i think he needs to be starting or absolutely included on the bench. i think as the season goes on rickys decided that tim brown will play for ross or johnson pendng who breaks down first.

Hate to say it, but someone should. Ross Aloisi's lack of pace is being exposed.

yeah looks good...i'm on the fence about Aloisi, he's pretty solid but you're right he ain't quick

I get ya now. To a lesser extent he has i guess.

I agree about aloisi too. Hasnt impressed. I like Johnno more, and i like brown more. On top of that Felipe, Daniel and Elrich are better than him. (Which would make him the 6th best midfielder in the team.....) To the Fag who wrote the post about Coveny, he is a bloody good player, but shouldnt be player alone up front.
Xcellent2007-10-15 22:25:56

Ahmad Elrichis is an excellent player, who stated reason for coming to the A-League was to get back into the OZ team. Has anyone looked at the OZ midfield most playing in European top division clubs at least I can count at least nine. Yet OZ selectors still keep Ahmad in the loop.

--------------------------------------------------Moss--------------------------------------------------------------

Christie-------------------------------Dodd---------------O'Dor-------------------------------------Lochhead

-----------------------------Aloisi-----------------------------------Johnson------------------------------------

-----------------Lia------------------------------Felipe---------------------------Daniel-----------------------

G'day Xcellent

probably useful to look at the defensive midfield options, at the moment you are also comparing Ross to the attacking midfield players - who, unless there's a change in formation aren't a threat to Ross's place

I'd think that Ross and Richard Johnson's competition for places only really comes from Tim Brown, who if he emerges fit from fiji must come into contention

If we go into the CCM game with two defensive midfield players, I'd expect Johnson and Aloisi to start, Tim Brown would perhaps bring a bit more spark to centre mid, but I'd be surprised if Ricky would drop his captain (who to be fair was a bit muzzled by that suspended ban) and Richard did nothing wrong on Sunday.

what happens when Ross gets that fourth yellow might be interesting, but I'm happy to see him in the side alongside Tim Brown in due course

Yeah you see i would rather have Johnsen and Brown there. Simply because i think Johnsen is a similiar player to Aloisi but a bit quicker, a bit more accurate with the pass and a bit better with a tackle. And Brown as you said has a bit more spark. It wont happen as Aloisi's captain, but lets remember Tim Browns vice-captain too.

What i'm trying to say is Tim Brown deserves a starting chance when he's back and i think it should be at the expense of Ross Aloisi as i think Richard Johnsen has played better than him this season. Haha i'm going to make that a poll.

Elrich needs as much game time as possible.  Have him start and bring on George or Lia to replace him for that last 20 or 30 minutes

Damn I hate polls

As long we have 2 strikers on the pitch in coveny and smeltz,in a 4-4-2 formation we will win. WellArdGerrard2007-10-16 21:28:40

Elrich - Johnno - Ross - Daniel

Smellz - Covs

Felipe will still be out, Brown recovering from AWs game (I reckon)

I want to see more of lia, 30+ min. looks the goods. has he played right back? plodder really needs some backup.

Newcastle pre-season match possibly ?

i think that's right HN, definately played RB once in pre-season and from memory it was Newcastle

i donno about starting with covs up front. if we have an overly attacking formation then CCM will destroy us down the flanks. We need some genuine wide players on the right hand side in particular. here's my team:

--------------------------------------------------Moss--------------------------------------------------------------

Christie-------------------------------Dodd---------------O'Dor-------------------------------------Lochhead

--------------------------------------------------Aloisi------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------Brown-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------Lia------------------------------Felipe---------------------------Daniel-----------------------

-------------------------------------------------Smeltz------------------------------------------------------------

Subs: Ferrante, Coveny, Elrich (or Lia if Elrich is fit).

if we start brown on the right side of midfield (or ferrante or johnson) and have no wide man we will get cup up on that side, just like the last time we played the mariners. Johnson may have done nothing wrong but he is very, very slow. I don't think we can start with both him and aloisi in the middle because neither of them has any pace at all and faster teams expose us.



KTBW2007-10-18 12:35:32

I dont think Felipe will the playing from whats been said in the press or he will be 50/50 of starting maybe off the bench?

then i'd probably play ferrante in his place. He will be far more effective at AMC than being stuck out on the right :]

Lia was good last week but i wouldnt start him. Like to see 2 strikers start (Covs and Smeltz), like to see Paladini on the bench with Tim Brown and Elrich

So what is the story on Felipe's injury? Anyone out there know for certain if we'll see him this weekend?

Under a cloud according to the paper.  Check the news item on the front page

http://www.yellowfever.co.nz/show-news.asp?ID=1030