3 points on Brisbane 3-1 Victory

First off, Happy New Year to you all - hopefully your holiday hangovers are a distant and fuzzy memory. 

Brisbane returned back to winning form, halting a worrying run of five matches without a win, by easily disposing of a disorientated Victory. Mehmet Durakovic has his fair share of detractors, but this was easily his worst tactical performance against a title contending team yet. By contrast, Ange Postecoglou was masterful in the dug-out, completing bamboozling his counterpart, by tailoring his system to exploit key weaknesses. 

4 points on Wellington 2-0 Brisbane

Brisbane's fall from grace continues unabated then, with a shocking two-nil defeat away against a resilient Wellington outfit. This was always going to be a tough fixture, especially with such an arduous travel schedule involved, but no one seriously expected such a definitive scoreline against the visitors. This match was notable in a tactical sense for the slight tweaks both managers made to their respective sides. 

Brisbane 1-2 Heart: Match Analysis

A clash of the titans. The two most innovative sides in the A-League era, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Heart, fought for supremacy at Suncorp Stadium; if not quite a title deciding event, it will certainly be looked back upon, with far greater reverence, as a turning point in the evolution and growing sophistication of Australian football. The reigning champions Brisbane, reeling from the unexpected end of their record-setting 36-games unbeaten streak, were keen to demonstrate they are more than just a Thomas-Broich-and-Friends ensemble. Heart on the other hand, have been one of the most tactically fascinating teams in the the A-League. This was their chance to lay down a marker to the other clubs in the league, that they have finally realised their potential. 

8 points on Sydney 2-0 Brisbane

It's almost like the sky is falling. After a record-setting unbeaten streak, the reigning champions tasted defeat for the first time in 3,240+ minutes of football, bending the knee to none other than...Sydney FC? How in blazes did Lavicka manage that? With clever use of pressing, a dawn sacrifice to the weather gods and more than a dollop of good fortune. 

4 points on Brisbane 1-1 Wellington

Here are 4+ tactical points on Brisbane's one-all draw with Wellington.

Victory 2-2 Brisbane: Match Analysis

Melbourne Victory turned in a heroic defensive performance after going down to ten, and then nine men, within the space of half an hour. The manner of the goals tells the story of this match, with Brisbane scoring from two set pieces, and Archie Thompson displaying his clinical edge, bagging a brace.

This match might very well be the turning point for the seasons of both Brisbane and Victory. After that blunt performance, the reigning champions are now faced with the prospect of playing teams that sit all eleven men behind the ball, while Durakovic might finally realise that in the short term, the Navy Blues will be better served playing the way Merrick intended his squad to.

Addendum to Besart Berisha

PM recently analysed the 7-1 thrashing Brisbane dolled out to Adelaide.

ADDITION:
That isn't to say Berisha is a 'simple poacher' - that dubious honour belongs to none other than Shane Smeltz, the A-League's own Michael Owen. To again use the Torres metaphor, Berisha's pace and aggression was used to push back the Adelaide centre backs to expand the space between the Red's midfield and defence, something Smeltz isn't capable of.

Brisbane 7-1 Adelaide: Match Analysis

Un-f**king-believable. Brisbane produced a virtousic performance with a display of football that was at turns scintillating, exhilarating and utterly crushing. Brisbane's raw speed of movement, passing and thought, their creative flair, their disciplined and determined pressing; this was the beautiful game at its most elegant and elemental, a full realisation of football as an ideal. Brisbane were almost mechanical in their precision, and provided a demonstration of the merits of subordinating the individual talent to the expression of the collective.

Because of the sheer disparity in quality, it's hard for PM to analyse this match from a tactical prism - Brisbane won because of their superior style of play. Yet there are points of interest concerning Coolen's tactics and Postecoglou's line-up, most pertinently the decision to break up the McKain/Susak central defensive axis and shift Susak to right fullback, as well as the decision to field Caravella out of position on the left with the return of Levchenko to the double pivot.

Brisbane 3-0 Gold Coast: Match Analysis

This was a frenetic contest between the two bitter Queensland rivals. Miron Bleiburg did his homework, learning the lessons from Central Coast's and Sydney's previous defeats to the Roar. Despite the unflattering scoreline, Gold Coast had quite threatening periods of play, especially in the first half, and are justified in feeling unlucky to concede three against their neighbours. The first goal was a case of weak defending at a set-piece, while the third goal was a result of carelessness in possession. The second goal was a fantastic effort by the Oranje; a superb through ball by Murdocca coupled with a determined run and clinical finish by Berisha. It was Rigters however, who was culpable in his defending.

Queensland Derby Preview

Later tonight will see the flamboyant Miron Bleiburg take his Gold Coast squad to face the reigning champions Brisbane Roar in the Queensland Derby.

Sydney 0-2 Brisbane: Match Analysis

Saturdays's match between the Sky Blues and the Roar was initially a close fought contest. Lavicka altered his tactics and his starting XI from last week's City Classico against the Victory, trying to implement a more energetic and positive style. Initially, it seemed to work, but the fast tempo necessitated by the high press tired Sydney, and Brisbane were able to seize the advantage later on.

Brisbane Roar 1-0 Central Coast Mariners: Match Analysis

Brisbane produced an exciting display of attacking football, based around rapid passing, positional interchange and incisive movement. Although the Mariners weren't exactly dominated, Brisbane saw the majority of possession and scoring chances. Matt Ryan and temporary skipper Zwaanswijk turned in stubborn performances to deny the hosts a number of seemingly definite goals.

Brisbane Roar 2011-12 Season Preview

Last season, Ange Postecoglou redefined Australian football. In doing so, he led Brisbane Roar to an impressive Premiership/Championship Double, while going 28-games unbeaten. At one point, the city of Brisbane had a record equal to European Cup holders Barcelona. You'd think, having reached the top, the only way for Brisbane to go would be down. Especially given the A-League's infamous Champions Curse.

A-League Pre-Season Form Guide

FourFourTwo AU put together a useful guide to the club's results in offseason. These results should probably be taken with a grain of salt; obviously clubs were still making signings, players were still coming back from injury, and managers were giving some youngsters experience - so it's unlikely that clubs consistently sent out their strongest available line-up, or even played in their preferred style.

Nevertheless, there's still utility in seeing how many games clubs lost, how many goals were conceded, and who has scoring form going into the regular season. It should be noted how notoriously unrealiable pre-season results are as predicators of regular season success; in the 4 seasons in which the A-League held a Pre-Season Cup, only one of the Cup winners went on to become Premiers or Champions. Quick summary below.

True dawn of the false nine? A Brisbane Roar Preview

Brisbane Roar will undoubtedly be given very short odds to continue their rampant unbeaten streak and repeat their Double triumph. But with the rest of the A-League equipping themselves to combat Brisbane’s dominance and possession football, how will Ange Postecoglou keep the Men in Oranje one step ahead of the chasing pack?

Brisbane has publicly proclaimed their aspiration to become ‘Barcelona on a budget’, by implementing a mobile short-passing game to unlock rigid defences. Last season, Postecoglou was fortunate to be able to call upon the services of two hard-working and predatory central strikers; Reinaldo and then Solorzano. However, their departures present Ange with an intriguing tactical conundrum; the opportunity to implement a false nine.