I’m here in Wellington looking forward to tomorrow night’s clash between the Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix.
I can’t wait.
Here we have the Victory, with a solid three point lead at the top of the table, playing the Phoenix, who scored back-to-back wins for the first time in their history. Granted, they won the second against a 9-man Newcastle Jets side, but the wins have brought them to 15 points, just two behind fourth-placed Central Coast Mariners. A win tomorrow night and some lucky results in the other fixtures this weekend, and the Phoenix may be in the top 4. Another first?
What’s more, they have Fred to do it with. Fred, the little Brazilian who was so sorely missed after he left the Melbourne for greener pastures in the MLS, has signed on with Wellington for a six-week stint. If he can ignite the Phoenix the way he did the Victory in season 2, a finals spot is well within grasp of the New Zealanders.
Melbourne, meanwhile, has a commanding lead at the top of the table but has three matches away from home, against the current numbers 6, 7 and 8 on the table. The Victory has already proved itself to be a class above two of its upcoming opponents (5-0 against the Newcastle Jets and 4-0 against the Perth Glory), and I believe that if they perform as well as they have been, they will be able to pick up wins against all three.
But tomorrow night is shaping up to be a very interesting match. How much will Fred invigorate his new A-League side? Will the Victory defence be able to contain his threat, as well as the ever-dangerous Shane Smeltz?
My tips for the weekend:
- Melbourne Victory to thump the Wellington Phoenix. I’m tipping a two goal win, but expect goals from both teams.
- Sydney FC to lose to Queensland Roar. Sydney appear to be in all sorts of trouble at the moment, and if Queensland can echo last week’s second half performance against the Glory, they’ll take home three points.
- Perth Glory to beat Central Coast Mariners. Perhaps not the wisest tip, but it’s coming down to the wire for the Glory. They’ve put in a few good games this season, and I’m hoping they have one this weekend again.
- Newcastle Jets to draw with Adelaide United. Last year’s Grand Final winners are propping up the table with Perth and need a win, but I don’t see it happening this weekend.
ps. Any fellow Victory fans in Wellington to see the game, let me know. I’ll buy you a beer.
Melbourne played what was arguably its best game of the season last night, fighting back from a goal behind to beat Adelaide United 3-2 and reclaim first place.
After a series of bad results and without Archie Thompson, Ney Fabiano and Carlos Hernández, the Victory were undoubtedly the underdogs last night. But they produced a great performance and certainly deserved the win.
It looked like it was going to be another bad night when Cristiano dived in the box and won a penalty from Matthew Breeze. Travis Dodd tucked the goal away, putting Adelaide up, against the run of play.
Melbourne had looked the more likely side to break through up until then, and continued to dominate the game after going down a goal. Matthew Kemp was particularly good in the first half, pushing forward with strong runs against his former club.
The Victory came out of the break and were again the dominant side. It paid off after 5 minutes, when Cristiano needlessly (some might stay stupidly) knocked Rodrigo Vargas down in the Adelaide box. Kevin Muscat made no mistake from the spot.
Cassio scored with a brilliant free kick in the 68th minute (brilliant kick, but why didn’t Theo try to save it?). Again, Melbourne down against the run of play. But credit to them, they kept going. Evan Berger in particular played a magnificent game. He doesn’t have silky technique, but I admire his speed and commitment. That paid off last night, when he was brought down by Robert Cornthwaite in the box, giving Melbourne its second penalty. Again, Kevin Muscat made no mistake.
(Why didn’t Cornthwaite get another yellow? A foul like that in the box certainly deserves it. Adelaide should have been down to ten men.)
Back to 2-2, Melbourne still kept going. Then, in the 84th minute: a mad scramble in the Adelaide box; a shot stopped by an Adelaide defender’s hand (another thing missed by Breeze); a bicycle kick by Tommy Pondeljak, missing the target but landing nicely for Billy Celeski, who nudged it in to get his first goal for the Victory and put Melbourne ahead at long last.
Excellent stuff. Even after going up, Melbourne did not resort to ultra-defensive tactics, as they have been prone to do in the past. If Danny Allsopp had made more of it, he could even have made it 4-2 in the final minute. But alas, 3-2 suffices. A win for Melbourne, back to the top of the league – and they’ll remain so if Sydney FC doesn’t win tonight.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwAEhA7tmIk[/youtube]
***
MVFCBlog will be a bit quieter in November, as I’m heading to New Zealand for a four week holiday. You know how it goes. I will be at the Wellington vs Melbourne game on the 28th though. If you’re there, send me an email.
Meanwhile, check out some of the blogs in the sidebar if you’re looking for a blogger’s perspective on the A-League.
