First week nerves strike Sydney FC and Melbourne City in A-League season...

First week nerves strike Sydney FC and Melbourne City in A-League season opener

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Sydney FC had to mount a fight late in the first-half to earn a draw at home against Melbourne City last weekend.

In a game that produced few major talking points, both team’s displayed the uneasiness and rust that can accompany an opening fixture of the season.

Graham Arnold always likes to throw in a curve ball or two throughout the campaign. In Round 1 of this season, his surprise was to start Brandon O’Neill alongside Milos Dimitrijevic, with Mickael Tavares on the bench. Young guns Andrew Hoole and Chris Naumoff were away on national youth team duty, but Alex Brosque, Filip Holosko and Milos Ninkovic all started the game.

The first games can sometimes be a bit of a buzz kill and this was no different. It started-off slowly while Sydney FC and Melbourne City looked to gain control of possession in the early parts.

The Sky Blues managed to settle into a decent passing rhythm and were able to move the ball around well, with Dimitrijevic controlling most of the action. But unfortunately for the team and the fans, possession means nothing if no scoring opportunities are created. This was the case for Sydney.

The hosts continued to control the ball, but fell away when it came to creating opportunities. Jacques Faty was having a decent game, until he gave away possession cheaply in Sydney’s defensive third. This allowed Wade Dekker to capitalise, coolly slotting the ball past Vedran Janjetovic to put Melbourne City in the lead.

In Faty’s defence, he received a poor pass from Dimitrijevic and truth be told, the Serbian’s better option was to clear the ball up the line. Faty was under immediate pressure with his options at a minimum.

This took the wind out of the squad and the faithful around Allianz Stadium. While Graham Arnold’s tactics revolve around keeping possession, there are times in the game when a good old fashioned clearance is the best option. Players, especially those with the experience of Dimitrijevic, need to make better choices. You can possibly chalk this up to being Round 1, but mistakes like this can be the difference in winning trophies at the end of the season.

Having conceded the goal and feeling the brunt of the responsibility, Faty’s confidence dropped. He made further errors throughout the game, but fortunately none which gave any extra advantages to Melbourne City. With the first-half drawing to a close, Sydney began to regain some composure, yet it still looked like a goal would not be forthcoming.

Three minutes were added to first-half injury time and it was in this period where the Sky Blues got lucky. In the final minute of the half, Brandon O’Neill played a good through ball to Alex Brosque, who chased it down and beat his marker, before crossing to marquee man Holosko. The Slovak tapped home  a simple finish and the crowd came alive once again.

Holosko celebrated conservatively, running to Brosque to show his appreciation for the assist. As he ran back to halfway for the kick-off, he made a heart shape with his hands and placed it over the Sydney FC crest on his jersey and showed this to the fans. It was a remarkable gesture for a man playing his first A-League game for the club, going a long way to indicate how well he has settled into the setup and the city.

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The second-half came and went. Like last season, by the game’s end the Sky Blues had completely overrun Melbourne City.

The team created a number of excellent chances in the latter stages. George Blackwood had an excellent opportunity to seal the win late in the game, but his header went straight at City goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson. In fact, just about every attempt from the hosts was hit straight at Sorenson.

While Sydney’s overall performance improved in the second-half, individually some players made too many errors, which luckily were not costly. Rhyan Grant, Dimitrijevic, Faty and Milos Ninkovic were players that all did not play to the best of their potential. But again, most of the errors these players committed could probably be excused due to first game rust.

While Sydney did not exactly set the world on fire, there were definitely signs of evolution.

The most visible change in Arnold’s evolution came with Sydney’s interchanging front line. Brosque and Holosko were constantly switching flanks and in part this was the reason Sydney scored. The new arrival showed his pace and skill on several occasions before coming-off with what looked to be a hamstring strain.

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The only thing that could potentially be concerning is the pace of the Sky Blue front three. Brosque and Shane Smeltz are no spring chickens and on a few occasions, City’s defence easily outpaced them when the chase was on for a through ball. If Arnold wants speed in the attack, then at some point Hoole and Naumoff will have to feature as starters, at the expense of one or both of the current pair.

The good thing about this game is that it is only Round 1. While preseason is about getting tactics prepared, players working off rust as well as playing the required minutes to improve fitness, the first game is about working out the nerves and excitement for the players. It is a bonus if you can start the season with a win, but a point earned can be just as pivotal.

Some fans believe the Sky Blues are in for disappointment this season, but the game on Saturday night showed that there is much to look forward to in the oncoming months.

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