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Vote for Pablo

Look, it’s been injuries. Or the coach. Or the boardroom. Or, apparently, the difficulty the players are having in finding a conveniently located coffee joint.

Nov 16, 2015, updated Nov 16, 2015
Pablo Sanchez of Adelaide United reacts after scoring the second goal for his team against Melbourne City in April. AAP Image/Ben Macmahon

Pablo Sanchez of Adelaide United reacts after scoring the second goal for his team against Melbourne City in April. AAP Image/Ben Macmahon

Will there be another reason after this Sunday’s home match against Newcastle if the Reds continue to be winless this season?

And if United is victorious, what will be the reason for the turnaround?

What is certain is plenty of goals are flying in… at the wrong end. You might have noticed from recent columns that I like talking about match statistics. And though that’s been done mainly to mock people who read too much into possession percentages and pass completion rates, some really matter.

Goals matter and after Friday night’s 4-2 loss in Wellington, the Reds have conceded 14 times in their last four games.

Perhaps even more concerning is how those goals have been conceded.

I’ve been quick to jump on examples of defenders losing the ball when they try to play their way out of difficult situations rather than taking the safer option of booting clear. That’s simply because I doubt they have the ability to carry out Catalan school soccer in its purest form. Few teams do.

But that hasn’t been the common theme over the last few weeks.

Actually the only common theme is defensive error.

We’ve seen the offside trap beaten, defenders allowing forwards (who are onside) to get goal side of them and opponents left unmarked in dangerous positions.

I don’t subscribe to the theory, advanced by an influential 20th century Italian soccer journalist, that the perfect game ends 0-0 because both teams defend effectively. Nevertheless, nearly all of the 14 goals scored against United in recent weeks could have been prevented.

It’s not always the fault of defenders or keepers when opponents are scoring but it’s hard to blame anyone else for the first two Wellington goals on Friday night.

The first – from a long ball over United’s defence – should have been easily dealt with by centre back Osama Malik or goalkeeper John Hall. But Malik hesitated and Phoenix’s Roy Krishna got past him and scored.

The second wasn’t much easier to watch. As a pass was played forward to Krishna on the home team’s attacking right, Malik gambled on intercepting the ball when he wasn’t favourite to get there first. The United defender missed which allowed his opponent to get free and set up the goal.

And I truly hate to say it, because I don’t like singling players out, but Malik has been at fault in other matches this season too.

Which is odd for two reasons: he’s an experienced player who’s been one of the first names on United’s team sheet for several years; and he began the A-League season with an excellent performance against Melbourne Victory at Adelaide Oval.

Coach Guillermo Amor may have been showing his players that reputations count for nothing by dropping midfield maestro Marcelo Carrusca for the Wellington game. He might spend this week thinking about whether he omits Malik for the Newcastle match on Sunday.

Adelaide United's Osama Malik tackles Phoenix'€™s Jeffery Sarpong in the A-League football match at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (AAP Image/ SNPA, Ross Setford) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Osama Malik tries to tackle Phoenix’€™s Jeffery Sarpong on Friday. Photo: AAP

In the run up to today being the tenth anniversary of Australia’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup tournament, there has been a lot of discussion about how Guus Hiddink would keep even the Socceroos’ top players guessing about whether they’d be picked. It worked – he got the best out of them.

Club soccer is different as matches are much more frequent. But a coach can still use team selection to keep players on their toes.

One positive for the Reds in the last two games is they’ve looked better going forward and two chaps who haven’t lost form this season are Sergio Cirio and Craig Goodwin. Both operated in the front three against Wellington; both contributed to some fine attacking play.

But I have to return to another question I’ve asked before: why don’t we see more of Pablo Sanchez?

The Spanish forward had an excellent strike rate last season and, despite only getting a few minutes off the bench on Friday night, he again showed why.

Late in the game, Goodwin received a pass inside the penalty box and on the attacking left. Sanchez was at the near post but in a flash he darted to his right so quickly that he cut across three Phoenix defenders. None of them picked him up so when the ball came over, the diminutive goal sneak’s header was unchallenged.

There was some luck involved because the ball was deflected after Goodwin struck it – one of the TV commentators even mentioned it was one of the easiest goals Sanchez has ever scored.

That, however, ignores how intelligent his movement was. And yes this is how decent forwards should operate. But plenty don’t.

If nothing else United’s unintentional generosity might have been timely for Wellington Phoenix.

It was the Kiwis’ first home match since Football Federation Australia made it fairly clear it doesn’t see a long-term future for a team in New Zealand. Many, if not most, in the crowd of 13,654 (the highest for a game in Wellington for more than five years) turned up to rally for the club. Perhaps enjoying a six goal match might inspire more high attendances.

But any more benevolence will increase pressure on Amor. Last week I argued the coach needs time and my view hasn’t changed. I just hope the club’s decision makers are patient too.

In the meantime, can someone open a nice cafe near Ridley Reserve?

Paul Marcuccitti is InDaily’s soccer columnist. He is a co-presenter of 5RTI’s Soccer on 531 program which can be heard from 11am on Saturdays. 

Manton St Tales is normally published on Mondays during the A-League season.

 

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