Ernie! Pure Shambles
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Trying to predict, or waiting to see what team selections and tactics Ernie! will decide on for each game is fun. An away fixture on New Years Eve didn't disappoint in this regard as Ernie! rolled out a funky team, thanks to injury and suspension.
Vince Lia sat deep in the midfield with Roly Bonevacia to his right and Alex Rodriquez to his left.
Troy Danaskos and Justin Gulley started on either flank in the defensive line.
Kwabeena Appiah started up front.
Here we go!
After absorbing a few waves of attack from Central Coast Mariners, our Wellington Phoenix lured me into a false sense of security. There was beauty in how the Nix held on to the ball deep in the Mariners' half, passing it around, probing for opportunities, chancing their arm down the right and then swinging it back to the left.
It was attractive.
It was fun to watch.
It was semi effective.
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In truth, this 5-10 minutes of football foreshadowed what would be an incredibly frustrating night. This period was followed by more nice (in thought) passing and a worrying lack of basic skills as the Nix fumbled their way through various attacking options only for the Mariners to handle any attacking move with ease.
This game left me with a lot to ponder and the main thought that stuck with me (through a change from 2015 to 2016) was a lack of penetration that has haunted the Nix for a while now. The loss of Roy Krishna to injury before half-time played its part as he was replaced by Blake Powell, yet when opposition teams like the Mariners sit on the edge of their box with two lines of four players crowding the middle of the field, the Nix are clueless. That this is often the case means we now have some serious issues as the Nix struggle to break down 'park the bus' defences.
Yeah, the FFA Conspiracy continues as the Nix were once again forced to accept crazy decisions from an A-League referee (YELLOWS FOR A HEADBUTT). Roly was also fouled no less than eight times #SaveRoly. A lot went wrong for the Nix that they couldn't control, more interestingly a lot went wrong that they could control.
Appiah was impressive, as impressive as any other Nix player. He was quick and strong, running around like a beast and displaying an enthusiasm unseen from Jeffrey Sarpong. We were robbed of seeing Appiah and Krishna work together up front, although I don't think it would have mattered as the problem for me sat with Roly and Michael McGlinchey.
Roly gets cut down a lot so I understand it's hard for him (everyone knows it's coming so try something different). I don't quite understand how or why McGlinchey rarely ventures away from a high and wide position on the left; when he did against the Mariners he looked like he was eager to pull the strings. Not only are McGlinchey and Roly our best play-makers, hence we need them with the ball at their feet with plenty of movement around them, they can help each other.
Maybe Roly won't get cut down so often if McGlinchey is nearby, muddling the minds of the defenders. Often Roly got the ball with Lia behind him and Rodriquez on the other side, allowing defenders to pressure Roly without fear. If McGlinchey slides deeper, not only will he get more quality ball, he'll give Roly more time and space. This game saw Roly pushed deeper to accommodate the absence of Riera and I'd like to see Ernie! go one step further an bring McGlinchey back into the middle of the field where he can sit in behind the striker/s instead of roaming through the middle and out wide.
Defensively, the Nix were obviously poor. Lia is no Albert Riera and was often caught chasing the ball into wide areas, leaving his post in the middle of the field and leaving a nice space to attack into. Nor does he pass like Riera. Andrew Durante and Manny Muscat were both mediocre, right when the Nix needed them to be at their best, Gulley got smoked by Mitch Austin for the second goal and his replacement Matt Ridenton was a non-factor while Troy Danaskos had a tough night courtesy of Fabio Ferreira.
Poor defence and a shambles of an attack. All is not well.
While this sucks, I'm actually excited to see how Ernie! and the Nix deal with these troubles. Moments of brilliance have swept a lot of little issues under the rug and this loss to the Mariners should force Ernie! to test his coaching brain. Fingers crossed ya know?