A game that was built up as a first verse second A-League showdown did not live up to the expectations as Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar played out a very dull 0-0 draw at the Allianz Stadium last night .
Sydney FC had the best momentum of the game, but in saying that they failed to produce any real standout opportunities. Shane Smeltz forced an early save out of Jamie Young in the sixth minute, which was largely the highlight of the first 45 minutes.
The second-half started with a little bit more energy, but both teams were sloppy in possession and lacked creativity in the final-third. The Roar’s best chance came in the 92nd minute, when Daniel Bowles found himself with a free header from eight-yards, but from a difficult angle failed to hit the target.
Formations
Graham Arnold made two changes to the side that beat Central Coast last week, with Milos Dimitrijevic missing out through injury and Chris Naumoff dropping out, replaced by Michael Tavares and Milos Ninkovic respectively.
John Aloisi’s Brisbane Roar have made a fantastic start to the season and were able to name an unchanged starting XI to the side that cruised by Adelaide United last weekend.
Defence was the key
In a match that will not live long in the memory, defensive structure and strength from both teams was the highlight of the game.
The Roar started the match with a high press, but after 15 minutes reverted to a deeper starting position and allowed Sydney to keep the ball at the back. This was the same for the Sky Blues, as both teams simply kept the ball in the back four for a few passes, then got frustrated and looked for the long direct ball and lost possession.
In the end it looked like neither team was willing to risk looking vulnerable at the back in the push for the opening goal.
Midfield battle
Nine times out of 10, whichever team wins the midfield battle wins the game and in this encounter it was very much a stalemate.
Sydney had a clear game plan to limit the time and space on the ball for opposition playmaker Corona, who has proved to be lethal in the opening weeks with his capacity to pick out the killer pass. Matt McKay was also left frustrated on the night, as Brandon O’Neil did a superb job in keeping him quiet.
On the flip side, the hosts failed to keep control when posession came into the midfield players and therefore the Sydney back four started to look for the direct ball up the line for the wingers, or directly to Smeltz.
Lack of Conviction
Both sides were missing creativity and conviction when going forward, which is surprising considering their respective scoring form coming into the match.
In games like this, managers quite often look to their bench for an inspiration or spark when they are given the chance. But even the substitutes failed to make their mark on the game. Matt Simon replaced Smeltz up front for the Sky Blues but failed to get involved, despite throwing his body weight around and offering a lot of energy.
READ MORE: A-League – What We Learned – Sydney FC 0 Brisbane Roar 0 [VIDEO]
Sydney FC Conclusion
Sydney will remain top of the league with this result, but could be leapfrogged by the Newcastle Jets if they win tomorrow. It is still very early days in the season and it seems that Arnold will take positives out of this match, despite their lack of creativity they still created chances and on another night may have put one away.
If they can continue to be this strong at the back they will be hard to break down this season and they can build from there.
[interaction id=”563cb261737e4fee1d634f00″]
Brisbane Roar Conclusion
Away from home the Roar will probably be happy with a draw to table-toppers Sydney. They struggled to link-up the play between the midfield and the strikers in this match, which has been a key to their success in recent weeks.
But in the early matches their defence was very shaky and now with two consecutive clean sheets and a very solid defensive performance, Aloisi will not be disappointed with the result or the way his team approached the match.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
