Going to Adeladie with another re-jigged defensive line was always going to be tricky. Not quite 3-0, flick the telly off with 5 minutes to go sort of tricky though. A 3-0 away loss via some rather weird decisions from a ref who appeared to be receiving envelopes with cash inside them from the FFA on Boxing Day? Yeah, righto.

I don't usually like to dwell on referees, yet given the circumstances surrounding the Phoenix, I certainly can't overlook any anti-Phoenix conspiracy. Like all good conspiracies, it makes sense. Keep that in mind over the next the few weeks, no need to dwell...

I'll also get all the anti-Christmas vibe stuff out of the way. Manny Muscat inexplicably opened his foot to slice the ball into the Nix goal just before half-time - known as the worst time to concede a goal. Albert Riera picked up two yellow cards and both could be seen as worthy of a yellow, the fact that the second yellow came after Roly Bonevacia had some sprigs driven into the top of his foot however made you wonder.

Glenn Moss fumbled a shot which he would want to save 9/10 times, that it bounced in front of Moss made it a little tricky. 

Apparently it just wasn't meant to be.

There were a few tactical things that stood out from Ernie and his coaching staff which made things interesting and saved me from post-Christmas depression. This started when the team line-ups were shown and Vince Lia was named at centre-back with Manny Muscat at right-back. When the game got underway though, Lia pushed into the mid-field with Riera with Muscat slotting in alongside Andrew Durante and Jeffrey Sarpong sliding into what looked to be right-back.

This was very fluid though, hence it caught my eye.

Sarpong now looks more useful in a wide position and his work on defence was admirable as he smartly stayed disciplined, maintaining a back four. When the Nix held possession, Sarpong could fire forward which would enable Muscat to push wider, thus giving the Nix a back three. 

Other times Lia would move into centre-back. This usually happened when Muscat was flying high or if Durante was creeping forward, either way the Nix usually had plenty of bodies back. Having a back three is also a lot easier when Lia and Riera set up shop in the middle of the park.

Troy Danaskos also makes any shift to a back three that little bit easier. Danaskos started at left-back and was stable (unlike Tom Doyle he didn't recklessly bomb forward). 

I said last time around that Sarpong was one of the more interesting players in any kiwi sporting franchise at the moment. This was taken to a new level against Adelaide as Sarpong stayed wide on the right, doing shuttles up and down that sideline, showcasing a high work rate and a few nice touches. We didn't see enough to think that Sarpong had 'arrived' in the A-League, just more tinkering from Ernie to try get the best out of Sarpong.

What impressed me the most about Sarpong was the work he did defensively. Ernie gave him a simple job and Sarpong put in the effort to do that job, sure he got turned a few times but the effort and intensity was there.

It goes without saying that you've gotta take your chances. Roy Krishna missed a sitter while Bonevacia and Sarpong both fired long-range shots. While I liked the work of the attacking players, the issue of a lack of potency up front still remains. Krishna, Bonevacia and Michael McGlinchey are all capable of scoring goals, they just can't be relied on as go-to options.

We now host Central Coast Mariners on Thursday evening - not much time to ponder this loss which is perfect. The Mariners are currently last on the table and the Nix are in desperate need of a swashbuckling performance at home to finish off 2015 (a year of craziness) in style.

At least each game has me (and maybe you as well) wondering how Ernie is going to approach each game tactically.