This is the fifth in a series of articles from Awl Sports Blogger about sport, following on from There WAS an Aussie World Champ in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and Can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t throw? and Asian Cup Redux and Lakers are off in LA LA land.
At last soccer in Australia is starting to live up to its potential. The A-league semi-final between the Brisbane Roar and the Central Coast Mariners, has given us all a vision of what Aussie football should be like.
Vision—probably the most important word in any team sport. The vision to see how your opponent is reacting, the vision to anticipate what your team-mate is going to do next. The vision to know a team is better than the sum of its parts. The kind of team fans will want to see, want to watch on the box, want to sing and cheer for from the grandstands.
See it takes three things—the holy trinity of sport—skill, athleticism and vision. If you want to be an elite team, it isn’t enough to simply be athletic, in a sports mad country like ours down under you’re always going to find plenty of pure athletes. It isn’t enough to rely only on skill. If you simply want to back yourself to the exclusion of others then go play tennis. They’d love to have you.
What is exciting for the future of the A-league is the vision of both the players and coaches of the Roar and the Mariners, which was beautifully displayed over the two legs of the recent semi-final tie.
Roar vs Mariners 1st Leg
Brisbane Roar’s aggregate 4 – 2 victory over the course of both games doesn’t overshadow the fact that it was a very close run thing. However, they will now host the grand final and already have the premier’s plate in the bag for finishing first in the regular season. They have proved they are the new standard of excellence and excitement.
The key to Brisbane Roar success this season is the adoption of a new style of the movement and passing, not seen before in Australia, a style that has them 2 and 3 steps ahead of the opponent. Where not only does a player anticipate when the ball is coming to him, he knows where his teammates will be running to as he receives it. So the idea for the next pass is already in his mind, before defenders even realise they’re in a contest. Like a chess master playing a novice. This kind of vision and artistry in the lead up to getting that net bulging, is finally killing off the old ‘long ball’ style and creating an Aussie style that people want to see.
Brisbane coach Ange Postecoglu wasn’t the most popular manager in the land after his stints at the helm of the young Socceroo’s teams pre-2006. Unquestionably he has restored his reputation this season. Inheriting an average squad made far too comfortable under the tenure of previous coach Frank Farina, he brought a daring vision. Time for new blood, smart young players who are willing and able to learn a modern style of football.
He had to stare down his own club bosses and showed the door to previously untouchable players like Socceroo veterans Craig Moore and Danny Tiatto. But he persisted with his vision and now has turned a squad of virtual unknowns into champions. New captain Matt McKay played a pivotal role for the Socceroos at the recent Asian Cup. There is great hope the likes of Luke Devere and Mitch Nicholls might soon follow in his footsteps. You could say the Roar are an A-league version of Arsenal both in their new style of play and focus on developing promising young players, rather than buying established stars.
Central Coast Mariners have also had an outstanding season and still have a chance at revenge when they face Brisbane in the grand final having seen off the challenge of Gold Coast United last weekend. Although they have not quite had the run of results to match Brisbane, it is notable that they are the only team that has been able to challenge Brisbane’s dominance this year and play on the same level.
Similar to Roar, the Mariners have a speed of passing and movement that is thrilling to watch and which other A-league teams cannot match. It is based on the player’s superior vision, to create combinations of passes, while their opposition are playing one move at time, their bodies running at the same speed, but their thoughts always a step behind. This ability doesn’t quite run through the entire squad quite like it does for the Roar and so the Mariners rely heavily on the influence of playmaker Patricio Perez. However, where the Mariners are superior is in their more adventurous use of their fullbacks Josh Rose and Pedj Bojic, whose surges forward from deep, are thrilling sights to watch.
Now around the time Ange Postecoglu was considered an unfashionable coach, his Central Coast counterpart Graham Arnold was just about Australian football public enemy number one. Arnold was in charge of the Socceroos for our first ever Asian Cup in 2007, a campaign that could be best described as a disaster.
To say that Arnold is also now reformed as a coach is a bit of understatement. Some might of thought his appointment this season would usher in an orgy of long ball football, but this is far from the case. The Mariners team are still very tough, particularly in defence, but rather than being just physical their play this season is filled with purpose. Big, mobile strikers like Matt Simon, the outstanding play of goalkeeper Matt Ryan and the incredible spirit of team unity cast the Mariners like an A-league version of Chelsea.
Once and for all the tired argument of results vs style is being killed and buried before our eyes. In the A-league now, style is getting the results. If we keep on in this way we might soon have a league that can both attract new fans and provide a breeding ground for our national team. Not only has Brisbane captain Matt McKay become a key player for the Socceroos this season, the FFA was booking the Sydney Football Stadium, an hour from the Mariners home ground out of fear if Central Coast hosted the grand final, there wouldn’t be enough seats in Gosford to meet ticket demand!
For me it probably is the greatest shame that Central Coast did not win the hosting of the grand final. Then maybe a few people at Sydney FC would finally see how to actually get some fans interested in football. Get some vision happening …
This series follows on with My Take on the Triangle Offense.