For Melbourne, Hernandez is again available for selection. It will be interesting to see if Hernandez comes straight back into the team, which will probably be the case, and if so, who will be the unlucky midfielder that will be dropped from the team that destroyed Perth. Bredner and Pondeljak are likely candidates for the chop.
If you keep Pondeljak and allow Hernandez to come back in, will it be a case of too many cooks in the kitchen? Given that Thompson also has a tendency to drop deep and help with the build-up play, will there be too many creative players trying to make things happen such that they will get in each other’s way? But Pondeljak was outstanding against Perth with his incisive and intelligent through-balls and linkup play. His late runs into the box were also well timed and he could well have ended up with a few goals.
Bredner came in as the second defensive midfielder although he was given the licence to get up the park. Lopez seemed to have the more defensive role. Bredner basically played as almost a box to box midfielder, a role that is seemingly dying with increasing specialisation in midfield roles, and he provided balance to the Victory midfield. His performance also makes him hard to drop.
And then there is the question of whether Hernandez should come straight back into the team. The general consensus is that the Costa Rican is an automatic selection and has been in great form this season. While Hernandez has been playing well, I thought Victory’s play without Hernandez was much better than the performances I have seen with him (of course, the fact that the team was playing the hapless Glory was a big factor). I say this because Hernandez has a tendency to hold up the ball and slow down the play. With Pondeljak, the attack seemed to flow quicker before the defence was allowed to set itself as Pondeljak tends to play the ball earlier.
Some Victory fans may find this argument to drop Hernandez rather puzzling but I think they should review the game against Queensland. There were two main reasons why Melbourne looked lacklustre and failed to break down the Roar: 1) too many long balls which Moore was able to deal with and 2) when they did try and play it on the ground, they moved the ball quite slowly and allowed Queensland to setup their defence. When Hernandez went off, they actually played better and created some genuine chances. This was because they started to move the ball earlier (I’m not talking about early as in long balls. I’m talking about the midfielders passing the ball with their first or second touch before advancing themselves to provide an option).
So there you have it, the team should stay as it was.
1 Comment
October 16, 2008 at 10:08 am
Hernandez has to be a certain starter, when he returns from suspension. Only reason the Victory played better without him against the Roar was Tiatto was allowed to kick the crap out of him and thus reduced his influence. He is a quality midfielder and ranks as one of the best imports to grace the A-League in its short history, but I am just a tad biassed.