Summary: Heidelberg United have comfortably beaten their rivals in South Melbourne during Friday night’s round one derby. South’s struggles in their attacking half have yet to be solved over the off-season, an issue the away side were able to capitalise on, gradually dominating possession throughout the clash.
Starting Lineup:
Last year, to put it simply, was not an ideal year for South. Debates about whether we were in a period of transition or decline were conducted weekly, only aggravated by few answers to a plethora of questions on and off the field. The year was concluded with a higher league position than the 2018 season, albeit not a particularly impressive feat, but with various strategic and player issues that needed to be straightened out. With coach Esteban Quintas and his coaching staff retaining their positions over the off season, and a squad overhaul, there was hope that these players were handpicked for either a particular strategy, or to at least pave over the holes that were so often taken advantage of in prior seasons.
To go up against such strong opponents so early, in my opinion, was unideal. Some may see it as a way to gauge where we currently sit in terms of quality, but for such a new squad, it has the capacity to impact morale, and as we learnt from last season, momentum is so important for success in football. As Heidelberg have had a few of their core players over the last few years depart, including Luke Biles and Steven Pace, there was the possibility of going up against a squad which may in a period of transition itself. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. As soon as they found their footing, the away team ran away with the game.
South started the match in a similar way to last season; leading off with highly aggressive runs, playing wide and using pacey wingers to either feed the ball to our number 9, this year being Harrison Sawyer, or cut in and strike for themselves. Within the first fifteen minutes of the game, new signing Lirim Elmazi had established himself as an aggressive, but stable defender. A series of fierce lunges that cut out oncoming attacks in the midfield was instrumental in our hold over play during the early stages, mainly brought about through counter attacks. A second, consistent central defender was something I had my eye out for in the off season, and, despite the final score, there were glimpses of a solid partnership with Jake Marshall, who had returned for another season at South. New signing Daniel Clark drifted into defense at times also, providing more opportunities for the full backs, Norton and Koroma, to push up and down the wings.
In terms of midfield, out wingers consisted of Nick Krousoratis and Gerrie Sylaidos, a pair of quick, adeptly skilled players that could create space while going on runs. Returning South man Chris Irwin played a more central role in this game, opting to set up play and drift to the left side when Krousoratis would make his own runs into the box. Replacing both Milos Lujic and Billy Konstantinidis, Harrison Sawyer found himself in South’s most precarious position. Possessing a physicality in between the two, early signs showed a classic number 9, dropping at times to set up wingers, alongside giving them a powerful option in the box. However, South’s main issue in the first half came with feeding him the appropriate balls.
Our best opportunity came in the 13th minute, when skipper Bradley Norton let off a drifting cross into the box. The ball continued past Sawyer, but his presence puts off goalkeeper Chris Theodoridis, who can’t get hands to it. Unfortunately, the oncoming Gerrie Sylaidos had little time to react, and the ball bounces off his knee and over the bar. While Norton had some success delivering crosses on the left, a lot was left to be desired on the right. In particular, a few from Sylaidos and Koroma sailed over Sawyer, unable to punish the multiple mistakes Heidelberg were making to kick off the counterattacks. Despite being an aggressive side in their own right, South’s wide playing style allowed for large areas of space to be utilised in the center, which was often opted for by Sylaidos and Irwin. Heidelberg were still making moves in their own right, but a slightly improved confidence in the back meant that panic wasn’t instilled every time we lost the ball. A few shots from Irwin and Krousoratis added little more than psychological impact to their opponents, but nothing that would give us a tangible lead in the game.
It was in the 29th minute that the most compelling set of buildup play was seen, and it was by the home side. A wide ball played from the centre is caught by Sean Ellis, who is able to pass the ball to the oncoming Josh Wilkins. Closing into the box, Wilkins is able to evade Irwin before laying off a cross. The ball was low and hard, but a diving effort from Lucas Derrick produced an unstoppable shot, a bouncing header that was bundled past Clarke on his left side. Alongside a yellow card dished out to Elmazi for a strong tackle, and South’s momentum faltered. They were unable to convert their aggression into anything, and struggled to finish the first half.
The distance between Sawyer and the rest of the South squad was exaggerated in the second half through the increase in long balls hammered from defensive positions. When the balls weren’t cut out prematurely by Heidelberg defenders, the aerial contests were won by Sawyer himself, but rarely was someone hanging around in central midfield to help clean up straggling balls. While being comprised of new signings, the issues that plagued us last issue were still being identified, an inability to play the ball at the feet, opting for long balls that technically gifted midfielders could do nothing with. On the rare occurrence where we did play compelling football, chances were unable to be finished.
The best opportunity to equalise came in the 53rd minute, where good buildup play between Clark and Irwin culminated into a great pass slipped in between the Heidelberg centre backs and into the path of Amadu Koroma. A heavy touch, alongside a rapidly advancing Theodoridis led to a golden opportunity snuffed out prematurely, and one that would prove costly. More ineffective crosses and an ever advancing Heidelberg meant most of the second half was just trying to hold on. But by the 84th minute, we seemed tired, and the away team weren’t stopping.. Alamzi’s pass from defence is snuffed out by the Heidelberg midfield, and quickly clipped over the South defence to Dusan Bosnjak. Clark, who had come way off his line to stop the attack, had the ball lobbed over him, sailing and landing in the back of the net. Once again, South could do nothing more than stop Heidelberg’s oncoming advances, but only until the 90th minute.
After a few failed long balls and faltering build up play, Heidelberg are able to gain possession and bring the ball into attacking territory. Substitute Amar Abdullah dances past a few South defenders before setting up a cross. It’s weak, but makes it to the back post, where it was neatly tucked into the bottom corner by Derrick for his brace.
While a round 1 defeat is not a clear indicator of an entire season’s outcome, a similar match was played out in round 1 of last season against Bentleigh Greens, in which faltering levels of aggression and poor attacking vision led to several opposition goals in the later stages of the match. Several key players were also absent from this match, and their presence in future matches may be the missing ingredient to Puth’s current issues. Compelling football is not an impossibility from the lineup South has secured, but it’s a matter of stability, strategy and longevity.
Notable players: Lirim Elmazi, Chris Irwin
South Melbourne FC: 0
Heidelberg United FC: 3