Back to the drawing board for the Roar

Qld Roar just lost this evening - beaten 2-1 by Melbourne Victory. I was at the game at Suncorp Stadium with a few others, & was not impressed by what I witnessed. The result is a fair one (just), & Melbourne just about deserved the win. Qld were just underwhelming & so subdued. Goalless at halftime, Qld let in 2 goals in the second half, managed to pull one back via Marcinho, but Melbourne hang on for the win. Me & the others left the stadium in the 85th minute to beat the mad rush that would come after the final whistle.

Bad performance, bad result. And not just that, the referee was blind, as well. Quite how he failed to see Muscat's handball & award a penalty, was a mystery. Had Qld been given a penalty & scored from it, it would have been 2 goals apiece. But honestly, not getting the penalty shouldn't be an excuse for the loss. Qld shouldn't have to depend on a refereeing decision to get a result.

Any other possible excuses for losing? Missing key players? OK, perhaps they did miss Moore & Tiatto. But both players have been absent before & Qld previously managed to cope with their absences. So why couldn't they cope now? Bottom line is, Qld simply weren't good enough this evening. They didn't show their forms of the past few weeks (don't know why). That's a reason why they lost, & they got to get back to the drawing board. Because visiting next week are Sydney FC & it will not be any easier against them. In fact, harder, for Sydney FC are the form team of the A-League & probably with the best squad in the league. If Qld repeat this evening's performance against Sydney, Qld will lose by a few goals.

Qld coach Frank Farina claimed that Qld did well until they were caught with a sucker punch on the counter-attack. He's right regarding the sucker punch, but wrong in thinking Qld did well. They were uninspiring, never showing their normal game & it's really back to the drawing board.

The main thing, really, is that Qld Roar need to get back to maintaining sustained periods of possession. They gave the ball away too many times against Melbourne. They should also stop hoofing long balls aimlessly to the forwards. Qld are better at playing short passes & they've done that in some of the games which they played well & won. Qld also need to create chances (which they can do if they keep possession). They didn't create enough against Melbourne, & never looked likely to score more than the one goal that they did get.

So, after the A-League matches played yesterday & this evening, Qld Roar still tops the ladder. But that could change when bottom side Perth Glory play Central Coast Mariners tomorrow. The Mariners will get back to the top with a draw or a win. Of course, I hope Perth beats the Mariners. Huh, having to resort to relying on others to do the Roar a favour. Not good. Qld Roar must buck up & pull their socks up to recapture their good form of the past few weeks. And fast!