It’s hard to put into words a game review this week when the result and performance seem to matter little.
Like the rest of the football community, my thoughts and best wishes go out to Juande and his family. What happened on Sunday was confronting and you never want to see a fellow professional, let alone another human being, hurt in such a horrific way.
I witnessed something similar when I was playing in South Korea with Jeonnam Dragons. It happened at training when my teammate slid in to win a ball back and got his foot stuck under his body. His foot ended up facing the wrong way, either breaking or dislocating his ankle. Like Juande, he was forced to wait close to 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive, laying his body bare for the world to see.
A lot has been made of the lack of ambulances on scene, and while the rules were followed, it makes sense to me that at a professional sporting event there’s one on site. With so many people in attendance, it would make life easier for all involved to have one stationed at the ground for players and spectators alike, in the off-chance there is a need to get someone to the hospital urgently.
It was heart-warming to see the United and City medical staff work together to give Juande the best possible care and make him as comfortable as possible during the wait. Player and staff from both sides were visibly shaken, and hopefully there’s no lasting effect, although something of that nature can be emotionally draining.
All I will say about the performance is that I thought it was positive. Taking it to the best team in the league would have resulted in all three points on another day. The reaction after the halftime break was probably the only concern. Adelaide needs to be ready for a reaction from a team as good as Melbourne straight after the break. You would have taken that result before the game, and under the circumstances, it’s a very good point.
A win is a must this week against a struggling Roar. A usually defensively sound team, they conceded four goals in the second half against the Jets. Brisbane lined up with a back four and changed to a back five at halftime; that, combined with some uncharacteristic individual errors, led to a poor showing. I’d be shocked if they don’t line up with a back five this Saturday.
The biggest problem they have is that they can’t score. No goals in three games. It shouldn’t be a surprise considering they have no recognised striker in their squad. They have the smallest squad in the league and need reinforcements desperately. Former Red, Nikola Mileusnic, is probably the most dangerous attacker in the squad but has missed the last few with injury. They need his pace if they are to cause him any problems this week.
I hate writing teams off, but Adelaide will win.
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