Round 22 of the A-League capped off what has been a horrid period for Sydney FC, as the Sky Blues sensationally fell outside of the top six for the first time all season.
A form slump of incredible proportions, Graham Arnold’s side have failed to muster a win in the A-League since Shane Smeltz’s late winner at Parramatta Stadium on 16 January, a dry patch spanning seven league games. In the process, equalling their second-longest run without victory in the league.
A sign of things possibly looking up emerged from the side’s incredible victory over Chinese money-bags Gunagzhou Evergrande in the Asian Champions League last Wednesday, however a 3-0 destruction at the hands of Bruno Fornaroli and his Melbourne City team brought the Sydney faithful swiftly back down to earth. But what is it that has caused this previously inconceivable slump for last year’s grand finalists?
Defensive nightmare
All season, Arnold has employed his infamous defensive style, with a distinct aim to consolidate possession, soak up pressure and catch the opposition out on the counter. For large stretches, this was an effective method. Sure, there were the bore 0-0 draws with the likes of Brisbane Roar, but all in all, the club was getting results.
Then January came, and the moment that all Sydney fans had been dreading for some time finally came to fruition: young starlet Alex Gersbach was sold. Not only was the club to lose one of its brightest young talents in some time, it would also lose security and depth at the back. The full-back positions used to be a given, with either Gerbach, Grant or Ryall more than worthy options. However, with the loss of the 18 year-old, resources have started to stretch. Jacques Faty found himself in the midst of a form slump, with regular errors and bookings costing the club points.
Seb Ryall, a natural right-back, has found himself playing in the centre, leaving the vulnerable youngster Aaron Calver and versatile Iraqi Ali Abbas to fill the void out wide. All of a sudden, Matthew Jurman has been greatly relied upon as the team’s primary defensive outlet, and he has regularly impressed. But there have been a few occasions when the former Brisbane Roar man has been off this game – an unfortunate own goal in an error-filled display on Australia Day against Melbourne Victory as well as multiple mistakes that were punished with goals against their cross-town rivals City spring to mind.
Not to add the lottery which is goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic, this newly-found defensive fragility has destroyed any hope of the team displaying the defensive security that Arnold has always relied on, consequently causing the manager to change his ways and move towards a more open game plan, as seen in the past few weeks.
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Out of action captain
Alex Brosque seems to be one of those rare players who continues to improve with age, and was easily on the verge of one of his greatest ever seasons in 2015-16.
That was until injury struck.
BREAKING | Alex Brosque injury update – https://t.co/EQvSRLipbu #SydneyIsSkyBlue pic.twitter.com/XVO4Np2mmD
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) March 7, 2016
A troublesome hamstring has restricted his involvement since the week where it all began to go wrong. The impact that Brosque has on a team has always been underrated. His tireless work ethic in defence, intelligent runs in attack and clinical finishing (most of the time) seem to go relatively unnoticed. His impact, in fact, only seems to come to prominence when he is not on the pitch. The former Socceroo is a sure factor in Sydney’s goalscoring struggles and one that does not look to be immediately resolved, with the club announcing that the 32-year-old is set to miss at least another six weeks in the last few days. It is clear that no one has really stepped up into the void left behind by Sydney FC’s club captain.
Misfiring strike force
In an opposite scenario to that of last weekend’s opponents Melbourne City, Sydney find themselves in a real crisis when it comes to finding the back of the net. As previously mentioned, the loss of captain Brosque and Arnold’s defensive mindset surely has not helped with things, but it is shocking to observe their tally of just 27 goals in 22 games this season.
That is exactly half the amount City boast, leaving Sydney third-bottom overall, just one goal ahead of cellar-dwellers Central Coast Mariners. Of all the things that Arnold is not directly to blame for, this point certainly can be drawn down to his inability in the transfer market. Replacing record goalscorer Mark Janko with a player that the Mariners, of all teams, considered surplus in Matt Simon was never going to end well.
Legendary A-League goalscorer Shane Smeltz continues to age, and it seems his effectiveness is waning by the week, and youngster George Blackwood seems a few years away from being first team quality. None of these players by any stretch are undeserving of holding a place in the squad, however the roster simply lacks that overseas, clinical injection that the likes of Fornaroli or Besart Berisha offer to their respective clubs.
ACL Distraction?
With the riches and plaudits on offer in the Asian Champions League, there is no blaming a club to strive for continental glory. However, the risk of greater success in this competition having a serious impact on the league campaign is a serious one.
It is probably too early to say whether Sydney have fallen victim to the distraction of the ACL, but one thing is for sure: for a team already struggling when it comes to depth, playing resources are now running thin as a result of these added fixtures.
Is it time for Arnold to go?
The short answer to these calls, which are slowly rising from the woodwork, is no.
Sure, Arnold has made mistakes in the transfer market, but most of these recent results have been the fault of the players, not the coach. He has tried to make the best of what he has; his experimentation in recent weeks has resulted in many positive signs, with the team reverting to a more entertaining brand of football. And the rewards for this should not be far away, if the players can begin to eradicate some of the silly errors that have cost the team in recent weeks.
Because ultimately, a handful of these dropped points have been self-inflicted, with the players themselves making the silly errors that have cost the club points. In the end, sometimes the players themselves must take responsibility, not just shift the blame to their coach.
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