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. 

Heart 1-0 Wellington: Match Analysis

This match was an open and exciting encounter between two clubs with very contrasting styles; Heart, with their 'total voetball' sensibilities  and Wellington, with a counter-attacking brief that emphasises speed and power. The first half was dominated by the hosts, who were able to create a handful of outright chances, without closing the deal. The Nix fought back in the second period, with renewed energy and aggressive substitutions. Credit to both managers for a game that served as a laudable example of and to Australian football. 

4 points on Brisbane 1-1 Wellington

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

Gold Coast 1-1 Wellington: Match Analysis

This was a match between two clubs with broadly similar systems; 4-2-3-1's, but vastly different interpretations. Gold Coast and Wellington had spells of dominance, with the biggest influence on ascension being the performance of the respective fullbacks; it's no coincidence Gold Coast's best spells during the game coincided with Traore overlapping and attacking Paston, while Wellington's advantageous passages of play coincided with Muscat advancing into midfield.

Wellington Phoenix 2011-12 Season Preview

Wellington are another club to have undergone an off-season meltdown (in contrast to Newcastle, this occurred in the boardroom, not the dugout). Foundation owner Terry Serpios was compelled to sell his stake in the club to a consortium of local businessmen. Unfortunately, this happened too late to enable manager Ricki Herbert to embark on any meaningful recruitment campaign. The Nix reached the minimum complement of players just days ago, and it's going to take some time before the new signings gel.

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.