Melbourne Victory handed Brisbane Roar a footballing masterclass, destroying the league leaders 4-0 in a performance worthy of the title ‘reigning champions’.
From the first whistle the Victory were a better team, taking full advantage of errors from the Roar and showing strength, speed and skill across the park, leaving Brisbane floundering for the remainder of a game in which they looked absent for 90 minutes.
Two goals to Kosta Barbarouses, as well as strikes from Besart Berisha and Fahid Ben Khalfallah gave the Roar their equal worst defeat in A-League history.
Brisbane’s makeshift defence finally succumbs to pressure
Questions have been raised from the beginning of the season as Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi elected to play a defensive combination of Daniel Bowles and Jade North. While initially it was due to injuries, the continuation of this combination once James Donachie returned from injury was an interesting decision. However, the players have repaid the faith, with veteran Shane Stefanutto also regaining his place from Corey Brown at left back.
Yet this game proved to be the undoing. Bowles was found to be out of position on many occasions, unable to contain the lively former Brisbane Roar player Berisha, while Stefanutto was handed a lesson by the electric Barbarouses. Stefanutto’s lack of pace was there for everyone to see, as the rampant Melbourne Victory ran past the Roar as if they did not exist. The fact that Aloisi also decided to not have a defender on the bench shows a certain lack of depth in that areas in the clubs current injury position.
Melbourne Victory’s midfield a step above
The trio of Rashid Mahazi, Oliver Bozanic and Gui Finkler exposed problems within the Brisbane squad, and highlighted a tactical error on Aloisi’s behalf. Faced with the proposition of a field group of midfielders, Aloisi elected to give Javier Hervas his first start, alongside Corona and Matt McKay.
This proved to be a flawed decision as the first two goals within 15 first half minutes were due to Hervas mistakes, gifting the Victory a two goal lead in the easiest of circumstances.
Another question raised by this team selection is the fact that Steven Lustica, who has not put a foot wrong all season, as well as the in form Dimitri Petratos, were left on the bench for Hervas. After this performance it would not be surprising to see Hervas spend a few weeks on the bench. For Aloisi it will be a case of what could have been, should he have looked towards other players from the start.
On the other hand, the Victory midfield was a step above. The high pressing game utilised by the Victorian team left Brisbane’s midfield as odds, unable to contain Mahazi and Bozanic’s dominance across the centre of the park. Brisbane were then unable to get a grasp on the game, leaving them lost throughout the game. The pure speed and skill of Melbourne made the Brisbane team look lethargic and old, and finally started to show that life without Mark Milligan and Carl Valeri does have a silver lining.
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The champions are back
Melbourne Victory are officially back in title contention. They blew the Roar out of the water and showed signs of being back to their best. The entire squad, from a debutant defender to the high flying forward line ripped Brisbane to shreds. In fairness the first two goals were gifts from Brisbane, and that created a strong foundation to push on.
Brisbane looked tired from their game last Sunday in New Zealand, while Victory were strong from the start. Everything Melbourne tried came off, from nutmegs to flicks over the head, Finkler and Ben Kalfallah still look to be trying to outdo each other for the Asian Champions League position in the squad and this only adds to the squad’s competitiveness across the field.
Victory now looks to the big blue against Sydney FC next weekend with the winds in their sails. Seven goals in two games makes for an imposing proposition to play against, as the Victory look to climb the table.
For Brisbane they return to home comforts, with Adelaide travelling to Suncorp Stadium. This game represents a key moment in Brisbane’s season, as the recovery from such a woeful performance is key to the realising the mental power of teams across the league. For Brisbane the next seven days represent a huge test for the team.
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