Nobody really expected the Phoenix to beat Sydney anyway, right? Not over there. Even when it was 2-1 it should have been 4-0 to the Sky Blues, mostly it’s just cool that we got a goal out of the whole thing – sitting at the top of the table they don’t concede a lot of those, only nine all season and one was scored by Alex Flippin’ Rodriguez. His first A-League goal! Pretty sure it counts as a scorpion kick as well.

But, yeah. 3-1 by the end of things and that’s four games without a win. The Phoenix were completely erratic in the first thirty-odd minutes and were lucky not to be down more when they finally found a foothold. God, some of the defending was atrocious. There was no Marco Rossi and while Ryan Lowry threw himself into a few endearingly brutal tackles, his positioning was schizophrenic and you can for damn sure say that about the fullbacks as well. They knew they had to get forward for width but the team couldn’t hold the ball in the midfield so they were constantly caught out of position.

Take a look at the second goal. It starts off okay here, the defence is mostly in a strong line with the midfield poised to protect them. Except… Jacob Tratt is like 30 metres away from safety. That… is not ideal.

Then Alex Brosque does something clever, dropping into the middle to collect the ball and sucking Lowry in with him. Lowry probably woulda been better off holding his position and letting Rodriguez deal with the dude running away from goal but instead both of them almost collide into each other as Brosque flicks the ball back into the space he’s created… space which two quick passes then leave Rhyan Grant with all the unnecessary room needed to flip a searching one into the box.

Generally, the idea is to hold a defensive line parallel to the goal… not perpendicular.

On replay you can actually see Grant signalling with his hand to Brosque to drop in and show him an option, he’s pretty much calling the play from the start and it’s he who gets on the end of it once Bobo and Brosque have done their things.

Then Bobo buries a simple header climbing above two defenders and that’s that. Watching it over and over, you can focus on the work of the Sydney attackers and it’s absolutely brilliant stuff. The movement and the vision, not to mention the speed at which they get it all done. However you watch the same replay focussing on the defence and you might as well chuck the Benny Hill Theme over top of it.

To be honest, the first goal wasn’t any better. Heaps of room down the right flank, which Roddy then had to sprint over and try cover (he couldn’t catch up so effectively he was out of the play) while Tratt stumbled slowly into the middle. Tom Doyle came inside to defend but he doesn’t have a winger outside him in this formation so all he did was give Grant a free header. These guys don’t seem to trust each other at the back – either that or they don’t know what they’re meant to be doing.

The real loser here is Andy Durante. He’s had enough good games this season to show he hasn’t lost it but you’d have to say (please don’t kill me here, it’s painful to write these words) he’s had more bad ones than good lately. At first that seemed like something to highlight in more detail but for now he gets the benefit of the doubt because the thing about defending is that if one joker makes a mistake then everyone suffers. There are enough mistakes around him to let the dude off amidst the chaos.

They got better as the game went on but the damage had already been done, playing against the best defence in the league and all. The Nix forwards looked as likely to get sent off as they did to score, even after they pulled that one back for 2-1, and when the third went in early in the second half the steam went out of the game. The most exciting thing that happened after that was a crowd proposal (she said yes). It’s one thing to know that you’re probably gonna be watching a defeat going into things, it’s another thing to then stay up to midnight seeing it happen.

This wasn’t a game which they would have circled on the calendar, a point or more would’ve been pure bonus. The problem was that they also went and lost 3-1 on the weekend at home (New Plymouth, anyway) against Western Sydney, a team right there with them in the mid-table muddle. Before that they braved the heat in Adelaide for a 2-2 draw which came after Jamie Maclaren scored an 87th minute winner at Westpac. Strange thing is, their defence is great at Westpac. It’s everywhere else that they’ve struggled:

At Westpac Stadium: 3 goals conceded in 7 games

Not at Westpac Stadium: 26 goals conceded in 12 games

At Home But Not At Westpac Stadium: 5 goals conceded in 3 games

In Australia: 21 goals conceded in 9 games

The Nix have slipped back to eighth on the table. There are eight games to play. If they’re gonna make the playoffs, and that has to still be the goal, then they’ve simply gotta stop dropping points at home and they’ve gotta fix a defence that’s leaked eight goals in three games. First step is obviously Marco Rossi returning from suspension, that’ll help immensely. The Italian has started all six games in which the Nix have kept clean sheets. His partnership with Durante, and with the 200-match Glen Moss in behind them, remains the strength of this team (even accounting for some erratic Durante form). Durante’s one yellow away from a suspension of his own, btw.

Other than that, it looks like it’s all down on the coaches. Look at Chelsea over in the Premier League. A year ago the thought that David Luiz could be one of the best defenders in the division would have been laughable but not only has it happened but Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta (who to be fair was one of the better ones amidst the Mourinho Meltdown) have been almost as brilliant. A strong system where everyone knows their roles, firmly instilled by a strong manager. That’s all it’s taken. The Nix have the players, they just have to figure it out and stop this thing where they run all around chasing the ball and reacting to stuff, rather than trusting themselves and each other.

After all, what steadied this team and got Greenie & Buck their jobs was not some blistering run of form – it was avoiding defeats. They turned some losses into draws and managed to put away the odd battler or two in the process (three of their five wins have come against ninth placed Central Coast). The 3-0 win over the Victory is the only highlight result they’ve had all season – five wins in 19 games, mate.

It gets better. Not only do Sydney have the best defence but they’ve scored the most goals too, the buggers. Home games against Melbourne City and Perth Glory (in Auckland) should offer more opportunities, though the trip to Brisbane in between ain’t traditionally a happy one. Six points from three games would probably have the Nix back in the top six going into their week off in mid-March (brace yourselves for some more Stupid FFA (c) as round 23 is split across two weeks to accommodate the Asian Champions League but the Nix have their game in the second week (away to WSW on March 19) despite the following week having to host Newcastle while the All Whites play home and away in a FIFA match window).

Time to get on the defensive.

Who Are Ya!? – Alex Rodriguez scored a goal against West Ham at Eden Park once. It was in that preseason tour, the Nix won and he scored. A sharp finish from the edge of the box if memory serves (and it might not). 64 games it took him to get his first A-League goal, 63 and a half technically. Here’s hoping the next one comes quicker.

Undercover Brother – Okay so Roly Bonevacia got dropped to the bench against Sydney. For the sake of sanity, let’s just assume that he was being protected for more important games because otherwise… no, don’t go there.

Chin Up, Son – This article was gonna be about Kosta Barbarouses leading a disappointing haul of transfers (Rossi’s been a success, Kosta and Fink not so much) but then the shambles at the back happened and the focus shifted. But Kosta didn’t play well again in Sydney, you’re on notice for next week, bro. Come on matey and give us something else to focus on again (in a good way this time).