Tactical Analysis – Adelaide United 2 Brisbane Roar 3

Adelaide United missed the opportunity to grab top spot of the A-League after succumbing to a 3-2 loss to Brisbane Roar at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.

Andrija Kaluderovic put the visitors ahead following a composed finish, and in the space of a week Eugene Galekovic went from hero to villain, following an incomprehensible goalkeeping error, before Jack Hingert capped off a horror night for the Reds as he made it three. Craig Goodwin and Pablo Sanchez netted in the second-half, though both goals proved frivolous. The win incidentally maintains Brisbane’s remarkable record in Adelaide to six consecutive away victories in front of a crowd of 10,659.

Despite the home side’s early possession it was Brisbane who tested the Adelaide goal first. Luke Brattan’s well-struck free-kick nearly crept in, but Eugene Galekovic managed to tip his effort past the post.

Adelaide slowly began to exert its dominance on the match, delivering a number of crosses whipped into the box, but were all cut-out easily by the Roar defenders. The Reds persistent high-pressing game, forced the visitors into a couple of inconsequential mistakes, as the game remained evenly poised after the opening 20 minutes.

However, it was Brisbane who drew first blood in the 26th minute. Striker Andrija Kaluderovic nonchalantly finished his one-on-one attempt into the bottom corner, following Thomas Broich’s astute back-heel to play in the Serbian.

Minutes later, the Roar thought they had doubled its advantage, however Broich was correctly adjudged to be in an offside position, when tapping home from close range.

Bruce Djite then should have restored parity for the hosts, only to have his mishit shot saved onto the post, before Craig Goodwin inexplicably failed to convert the follow-up from point-blank range.

The Reds woes were compounded once more, as the normally assured Galekovic misjudged the flight of the ball, coming outside of his area, enabling Jean Carlos Solorzano to put pressure on the 33-year-old before he punched the ball into his own net.

At the interval, Josep Gombau looked to his bench for inspiration as Bruce Kamau and Pablo Sanchez were introduced for Miguel Palanca and Michael Marrone respectively.

However, a neat one-two involving Jack Hingert and Brandon Borrello enabled the former to score his inaugural A-League goal and put daylight between themselves and its opponents. Djite then responded with a forceful shot but goalkeeper Jamie Young was equal to the task, parrying the ball away to safety.

With 20 minutes remaining Goodwin gave United some hope, after smashing in Sergio Cirio’s perfectly weighted cross. Substitute Pablo Sanchez and Djite spurned promising chances, with Adelaide desperate to take something from the clash.

The Reds continued to push on and were rewarded for its endeavours as Sanchez converted a controversial penalty. Daniel Bowels received his marching orders for pulling down Nigel Boogard, who was in an offside position with two minutes left, but it was a case of too little too late.

Formations

Adelaide coach Josep Gombau made two changes to the line-up that defeated Sydney FC 1-0 a week earlier. Tarek Elrich returns to left-back from his two-game suspension at the expense of Osama Malik, while Miguel Palanca was preferred to youngster Bruce Kamau.

Adelaide United Starting XI (4-3-3): Galekovic; Marrone, McGowan, Boogaard, Elrich; Isaias, Jeggo, Cirio; Palanca Djite, Goodwin.

For Brisbane, Frans Thijssen made three alterations to his side which trounced Central Coast Mariners 6-1. Steven Lustica surprisingly drops the bench, despite scoring a hat-trick against the Mariners. Defender Jade North was also omitted following an injury he incurred in that match, with Luke DeVere his replacement and veteran Shane Stefanutto was also excluded for Corey Brown.

Brisbane Roar Starting XI (4-3-3): Young; Bowels, Hingert, Luke DeVere, Brown; Brattan, McKay, Broich; Borrello, Solorzano, Kaluderovic.

Thomas Broich demonstrates his class

The German technician had another impressive game as he continues to find form following a lengthy injury lay-off. Broich created the opening goal with a clever back-heel, to play Kaluderovic in, who comfortably passed the ball past a rather hapless Galekovic. The 34-year-old, particularly during the first-half looked sharp and was consistently the key link between midfield and attack, causing the Reds to stay on their toes whenever he was in possession of the ball.

All things run through Isaias

In the absence of Marcelo Carrusca the Spanish holding midfielder has been entrusted with not only controlling Adelaide’s rhythm and tempo, but also creating openings for his teammates. Despite losing the match, Isaias completed more passes than his opposite number in Luke Brattan, illustrating why the 28-year-old is one of the best players in his position in the league. A necessity in the United line-up, Gombau will be hoping he can sustain a succession of solid performances, for the Reds to pose a threat in the play-offs.

Bruce Djite fruitless in front of goal

The striker had a somewhat frustrating game, where he failed to etch his name on the scoresheet for the seventh straight match. The striker blazed one of his efforts over the bar, as well as fluffing his lines when one-on-one with Brisbane’s keeper. The baron run is one of the reasons the Reds are not higher up the table with many critics raising the question: If Adelaide had a forward that scores over 10 goals a season would they be coming first on the table? It is a question definitely needing to be mentioned, as it appears there is no real accountability on the 28-year-old, given he is the only out-and-out striker in the squad.

Adelaide United Conclusion

It was a disappointing outing for the Reds who missed the opportunity to capitalise on Melbourne Victory’s shock defeat to the Newcastle Jets the day before.

Brisbane Roar Conclusion

Fatigue did not appear to be a problem for the visitors who were excellent throughout proceedings. With Perth Glory exiled from the finals for its salary cap breaches, Brisbane have now guaranteed a top six spot and certainly will be perceived as the dark horse and it would not be wrong to think that, given their experience in the final series.

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.