CCM vs CFG

[Tevor]

The heat f**ked us.
Not having Nizzy f**ked us.
Travelling on the day f**ked us
our touches were a little short or a little far.
The switch just wasn't working.
Will say Kaltek is killing it .
Danny is looking confident in goals.
Hall did well in the DM role.
Storm is having his best season in years.

They went to Melbourne yesterday I seen the players posting views from their rooms. Didn’t help though.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

It may effect your team worse as the method of your attack may be more restricted. E.g Counter Attack is a lot more explosive, if you are more tired at the end of a game you'll be less explosive.

Noting we are percieved as a second half team aswell, I don't see how heat isn't more of a factor to our team.

That theory doesn't stack when we had our greater dominance second half.

Also it was the players saying they felt they were better suited to the heat than City, not me.

Fatigue didn't kill any of our second half counters I saw. A great save by Glover against Ruhs. Far too many over hit balls. Multiple offsides and a poor ball by Jok... otherwise we actually looked like we could at least take a point in the second half.

 

[crock]

I don’t think there’s any doubt City have more depth on their bench. I spent the game watching and stuffing my face with bbq but 1-0 seemed like a reasonable score line. Not embarrassed by any means but not enough to split the points either. Bring on victory.

victory will be a really massive game for us huge test considering they will be hurting after their loss in a game they really should have won so we need to put our best home peformance of season so far to beat them

 

[Forum Phoenix]

I don’t think there’s any doubt City have more depth on their bench. I spent the game watching and stuffing my face with bbq but 1-0 seemed like a reasonable score line. Not embarrassed by any means but not enough to split the points either. Bring on victory.

You think we lost because of City's greater depth? City should have been four up at half time. We lost that game in the first half. Mostly due to unforced errors and sitting far too deep from the get go. Not 30 or 40 minutes in when tiring.

Monty was fuming. And rightfully so. Garbage first half. And you can blame the heat if you want. But city made their passes and won their duels and dominated us as a result.

 

[Huddo]

That theory doesn't stack when we had our greater dominance second half.

Also it was the players saying they felt they were better suited to the heat than City, not me.

We did, but we didn't capitalized on that dominance second half.

As for what a player says, ill always take it with a touch of suspicion, noting the angle the have, not that they're lying, just don't think a good player will ever blame the conditions.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

We did, but we didn't capitalized on that dominance second half.

As for what a player says, ill always take it with a touch of suspicion, noting the angle the have, not that they're lying, just don't think a good player will ever blame the conditions.

We didn't. But it wasn't because of fatigue. Ruhs was just on, he wasn't tired. Jok wasn't tired. Hall was the player who had every right to be tired, but instead he helped take control of the mids and put the through ball on a tee.

Re players. they weren't blaming the conditions. They were saying due to Vanuatu trip they thought they were better conditioned and it would help give them an edge.

For me this fixture is surely an issue mentally now. Or maybe as some suggest it is the way we tactically line up against them. Whatever the case, no arguing that whatever we're doing doesn't seem to work. Our record against them away is a pretty serious issue now.

And the heat stuff, it was f**king terrible conditions, professional football games in the Australian summer should not be scheduled before 7pm. End of. BUT, we were poor from the whistle, and got better the later the game went on. So hot as it was, I don't think there's any point arguing that fatigue was the issue.

 

[Josho Howe]

My thoughts - holy f**k it was hot. Unbearable even in the shade.

Typical Melbourne away performance. What do we need to do to get this Melb curse to go?

 

[Forum Phoenix]

My thoughts - holy f**k it was hot. Unbearable even in the shade.

Typical Melbourne away performance. What do we need to do to get this Melb curse to go?

I think we genuinely need to do something.

We just don't seem able to play anywhere near our level when we line up against them.

Except in pre season. Which is only pre season. But we beat them twice in games with less pressure.

 

[Ancient Mariner]

We simply lost this game because we had no midfield. First second and last.
Or lack of depth there is an issue, Monty needs to get some game time for kasalovic and/or Bayliss. It is clear we need therm.
Dan made a reasonable fist of it, better than his last try, but he is our starting RCB.

Was impressed by the heart and determination shown, but it was uncoordinated and careless.
Was also impressed by Tulio. He seemed to be trying to fill the holes left in too many positions and cooked himself.

What I have found worrying:
Cummings seems to have lost his Mojo since Qatar.
Dor Jok. I watched a fair few of his games last season in the Academy side. What I saw from Joe was very similar to his cameo today. Maybe I have missed something. Yes, he scored a lot of goals, but anyone leading the line in that team would have scored a heap.
I stand to be corrected, maybe I missed his good games.
We have some great and very dangerous attacking players but there does not seem to be an understanding developing among them. After this many games I would have expected something. More one-twos and coordination.

 

[midfielder]

Mixed Nizzy and Balard

 

[Big Al]

Loosing Niz so late took away our only player composed on the ball who can handle the pressure and dribble around it.

Triantis is a good defensive option to kill a game but is to young and inexperienced to play the midfield roll we need. As @marinermick says we don’t play a defensive mid type of game but Triantis instincts are to be to far back and to close to the CB’s for what was needed. He is a good ball player when facing forward but in the midfield you need to turning a lot more and he isn’t comfortable with that yet.

Dan came a lot further forward and cut off a lot of attacks as well as being more positive on the ball. Pitty when he has a bad game it’s usually a few mistakes. I think he’s given away that type of penalty before at least once.

I felt Monty’s tactical mistake was having Tulio so high up. We needed his skills on the ball but he was up as a second striker instead of slipping further back. Just needed that today but wasn’t done.

The game was so stop start once you are up it’s easier to play the 15min sections and we like a rythem.

We ignored Koul as well today and kept going the other side or to long.

Much better second half but still not great but in that heat can’t blame them.

We will be better on NYE

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

Even from that short highlight package that first half definitely wasn't Dan Hall's greatest, more than capable of bouncing back I'm sure he'll turn it around for NYE.

 

[Corsair]

Cummings seems to have lost his Mojo since Qatar.

Cummings is a class above and has realized it, once Garang is gone he's probably going to start to feel lonely... we're incredibly lucky to have him. I hope Mariners culture can keep him with us a bit longer.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

We simply lost this game because we had no midfield. First second and last.
Or lack of depth there is an issue, Monty needs to get some game time for kasalovic and/or Bayliss. It is clear we need therm.
Dan made a reasonable fist of it, better than his last try, but he is our starting RCB.

Was impressed by the heart and determination shown, but it was uncoordinated and careless.
Was also impressed by Tulio. He seemed to be trying to fill the holes left in too many positions and cooked himself.

What I have found worrying:
Cummings seems to have lost his Mojo since Qatar.
Dor Jok. I watched a fair few of his games last season in the Academy side. What I saw from Joe was very similar to his cameo today. Maybe I have missed something. Yes, he scored a lot of goals, but anyone leading the line in that team would have scored a heap.
I stand to be corrected, maybe I missed his good games.
We have some great and very dangerous attacking players but there does not seem to be an understanding developing among them. After this many games I would have expected something. More one-twos and coordination.

Yeah I'm not really too worried about the understanding between our attack moving forward personally Ancient. We saw some terrific link play against the scum. And I think Tulio is the real deal. Silvera continues to look good. Ruhs is always dangerous and unlucky not to score - plays like he was reared by grizzly bears - but he's a great young talent imho. And at last Benni was finding some form. He was actually my 3 points today. and of course our scoring rate has been excellent until today.

Our attacking issue were as you rightly pointed out mainly linked to midfield distribution and zero control. Triantis kept losing it or giving it away under pressure and Steeley against City in our 442 couldn't close get near them and neither of them is a play maker exactly. And to be fair there was also plenty of poor distribution by Danny and our backline, which really didn't help. For me it's the ease with which City smothered us and how we can get so tentative against them. We stop moving and completely run out of ideas when they put us under any real pressure. And I was disappointed by the high volume of mistakes. We don't just do that in the heat. Sides who manage to pressure us hard make us panic. And that aspect of todays game wasn't at all knew. Like the vast space in our midfield.

Anyway back on attack, it took long solo runs by our wingers to give us any penetration. Cummings, Tulio, Silvera and then Kuol were all isolated and easily swamped. We don't play with a hold up man and prefer to play out from the back. So except when City sit back, give the ball away and or we manage to break very quickly, we really do struggle don't we. Bottom line, whenever we have a good game in midfield, we seem to win. So I think you're bang on there.

Do also agree CD has been a little off. But main problem for mine is that the Cum Dingo now has a lot of attention. Nearly always double teamed and closed down. Defenders know he can shoot but aren't scared to come close or dive in to smother him because he's not the fastest or trickiest.

But all that said, fact is when it comes to City, our form seems to go out the window...

Jets head to head vs City is 17 to 14. It makes no logical sense that their record is so much better against City than us. We have to be getting something wrong. Even if it's all just in our heads.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Kuol has made me laugh for the first time since the game. Love that family.

 

[JoyfulPenguin]

My 321:
3: Vuka
2: Beni
1: Kaltak
Special mention to Cameron Windust, I thought he looked very composed when he came on and showed he deserves more minutes.

 

[turbo]

Jets head to head vs City is 17 to 14. It makes no logical sense that their record is so much better against City than us

At face value and zero research I’m going to suggest the jets good patch didn’t coincide with City’s rise like ours has. Not mention quite a few years where we were really bad. That sort of thing can really skew the stats.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

Go back last 3 years. Head to head City and Jets = Even.
Last five years. City shade it by two.

 

[Wombat]

That Ranga for city is an absolute grub ?

I wondered was Prince Harry was doing.....