Sky Blue View: Round 2 v Roar, Part 1

The Opponent: Brisbane Roar

Last Meeting and Result: 22/09/13, 4:1 (L)

Last A-League Meeting and Result: 28/03/13, 3:1 (L)

Form: LLLLW

Sky Blue preView

Sydney head into Round 2 on the back of a 2:0 win. There were signs of life in this team and there are also good signs in Sydney’s new structure and attack.

The thing that impresses the most is defence. Seb Ryall and Nikola Petkovic looked confident, assured and controlled in their display. They were easily able to dispatch everything the Jets threw at them. Brisbane should provide a much tougher test though, especially with Berisha and Franjich being potent attacking weapons. The real bonus for Sydney last week was a clean sheet.

Moving on to midfield, we should look to remain the same. Abbas, Thompson and Carle did well to control the middle, with Abbas in particular providing a new dynamic in attack. With Brett Emerton returning, the only question will be whether Frank Farina brings him straight in or on the bench. Most fans I know will probably hope that he’s on the bench, myself including.

I still think we have some question marks in our attack. Joel Chianese seems a bit out of place but hopefully he’s worked more with Alessandro Del Piero during the week to get the combination going. It must be said that Chianese’s run combined with Del Piero dragging opponents away needs to be an important componentt of Sydney’s counter attack.

This game will provide a better indication as to where Sydney is in terms of their development. It’s not a game they should fear. They would have gained confidence in the way they defeated Newcastle  and I for one think it’s not a bad idea to put some loose change on a Sydney win.

Prediction: Win. HT 0:1, FT 0:2 (W)

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