The first of the A-League previews (thanks to those on the Adelaide United forum who provided feedback and comments):
Ins
Mark Birighitti, Sasa Ognenovski, Daniel Mullen, Alemão, Scott Jamieson, Cristiano
Outs
Robert Bajic, Milan Susak, Richie Alagich, Bobby Petta, Shaun Ontong, Dez Giraldi, Bruce Djite, Nathan Burns.
Likely Formation
Galekovic
Alemão – Ognenovski – Costanzo – Cassio
Dodd – Diego – Salley – Pantelis
Cristiano – Agostino
A very possible alternative formation is a 4-2-3-1 with Sarkies playing as attacking midfielder, Diego dropping back to become a deep-lying play-maker and Agostino or Cristiano playing up front depending on whether the opposition is more susceptible to the strength and aerial ability of Agostino or the greater mobility of Cristiano.
Another possible variation is to have Jamieson start at left-back with Cassio being pushed into midfield.
Strengths
Probably the best defence in the league. The competition for the two starting centre back positions will be fierce with the pairing of Ognenovski and Costanzo being outstanding during the Asian Cup while club captain, Michael Valkanis, will be eager to get his starting place back after basically missing the whole of season three. Add Cornthwaite to the mix and you have selection dilemmas that other coaches can only dream about.
Cassio, one of the league’s best full-backs, is now backed-up by the returning youngster, Scott Jamieson while new Brazilian signing Alemão will be looking to replicate the consistency of his Brazilian counterpart at right-back. It is a defensive four that is shaping up to be one of the most solid and attacking in the league.
The other major strength is that the team has no real weaknesses as the club has proven talent in midfield and up front. The midfield looks very balanced compared to other clubs. While Sydney is strong in the centre but weak on the flanks and Queensland has the opposite problem, Adelaide has the luxury of quality on the flanks with Dodd, Spagnuolo and Pantelis while Salley provides the steel so that the likes of Diego and Sarkies can provide the guile.
Djite and Burns are gone but the actual consequence of their loss may be overestimated by those that do not follow the club. The pair only combined for 9 goals last year. The club had to do without Djite for most of the season due to injury while Burns did suffer second year syndrome. The pedigree of Cristiano, a starting forward in the Dutch top flight for several seasons while also being a consistent scorer throughout his career, suggests that he is more than capable of making up for the loss of the two Australian youngsters.
Weaknesses
A critical weakness, which may not become apparent until later in the season, is the depth of the squad in midfield. While the club can certainly fill a strong starting four or five in midfield, losing anyone of their midfielders, particularly Dodd, Salley or Diego, could prove to be significant. Losing two or three will make things very difficult (although this applies to every A-League team due to the small squads). With two more spots up for grab before the 23 man team is complete, this weakness still can be resolved.
Adelaide may also be able to handle injuries better than other clubs due to the versatility of their players. Dodd can play as an attacking midfielder or as a striker as he showed during the ACL. Sarkies has played on the flanks for the Olyroos while Pantelis has previously played in central midfield. Their squad depth will be fully tested this year as they are the only club that needs to balance A-League and ACL commitments.
If Adelaide plays with two up front and four in midfield, I think the team may struggle in bringing the ball out of defence which may result in a lot of long-balls. Salley is excellent at shielding the back four but his passing game is suspect. He can put his team under pressure by giving away the ball cheaply. Having Diego as a deep-lying play-maker will solve this problem as this will give the defenders two short-passing options. The other factor is that having Agostino up front could encourage long-balls directed at him as the target man.
Probably the only major concern is lack of depth up front although there is no lack of quality in this department. The aging and injury-prone Agostino bagged 4 goals in 7 starts last year and certainly has the ability to be a leading striker in this league. I’ve already commented on the pedigree of Cristiano. The club should really be looking to sign a young striker in the mould of either Burns or Djite.
Key Players - Costanzo, Diego, Dodd and Cristiano.
Breakout Player To Watch – Scott Jamieson – He is still only 19 and is able to play at left-back or in midfield. The youngster already has raps from Agostino. I’ve never seen him play but hopefully he has potential as the Australian national team is very light on the left in terms of depth.
Season Outlook - I think finals football would be the minimum expectation. Given the squad, the club should really be aiming for a return to the ACL and entry through the league is a real possibility given the strength of the team.
2 Comments
July 11, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Jamieson looks and sounds promising. Despite the bad rap the English coaching system receives from TWG and others (not unjustly), being with an English Premier League club until 19 does indicate a decent amount of talent. I was happy with the thought of him standing in while Cassio was injured before I found out Cassio has made a full recovery.
Adelaide did have the tendency to overburden Burns and Djite when they were playing, treating them as the ‘go-to’ options when they needed goals despite the rest of the squad possessing the ability to do the same (apart from Salley). I agree with the comments re depth in midfield, and up front. While Costanzo can play there, his knee(s) won’t hold up. Having another player that is able to keep the short passes going and make up for Salley’s deficiencies would be desirable… I just wonder at how wise releasing Ontong was, despite his desire for playing time. I’m not sure Fabian Barbiero can step up, he looked half a second off the pace last year. Dodd up front wasn’t the greatest option, either, despite his hattrick against Vietnamese opposition in the ACL.
Adelaide were also talking about a 2-year plan at the start of last season, so I wonder how long these signings were in the works – and whether they expected Burns and Djite to move on (I think they did).
July 12, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Burns moved to AEK Athens