Game after game, week after week Graham Arnold has been repeating the same statements in the post game press conferences. "This team is still a work in progress", "we have not seen the best out of this team" and "Perez has still got more to show". Then after the stunning game in Adelaide we suddenly hear those words every Mariners fan has wanted to hear from the coach "That was champagne football".
What has changed in this game?
The team that played against Adelaide United on the weekend was the same squad as the previous weeks with a slight reshuffle of the front third. Was this reshuffle the difference in the teams? Was Daniel McBreen so great compared to Kwasnik? I don't think so. Matt Simon and Daniel McBreen certainly put in 100% at the front, both were willing to track back into the Mariners half when required and as usual Matt Simon ran the himself into the ground. I swear if you sent Matt Simon out on a horse ride the guy would end up running back with the Horse on his back. He can run the legs off anything!
Given the front two were just as good as previous weeks was the difference in the back four?
The back four were again as solid as they come (excluding the extra time period). They became a little brittle at the end of the game but given they had been defending for 91 minutes in conditions we have seen this week in NSW, I can certainly excuse the early clock off. I mean seriously would any of us want to stand out in the middle of Blue Tongue this week for even ten minutes running up and down? Add to this that two of the back four spent most of the match haring up and down the touch lines, how Pedj and Josh kept running all the way into the final moments of the match is beyond me. Yet again Rose showed pure class coming forward and driving into the 18 yard box, this was the same Rose we saw that day in New Zealand claiming two goals. But these two guys have been doing this all year, so no change here. With the fullbacks terrorising the Adelaide defence there was still no way through the centre pair of Zwaanswijk and Wilkinson. These two guys must be close to the best centre back pairing in the league this year.
So this just leaves one part of the team. The Midfield diamond. This is where the polish came from and this is where the team has been building throughout the season.
As any married or engaged man will tell you, there are 4 C's when looking at diamonds. Thos being Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carats.
When examining a Football Midfield Diamond there are also 4 C's to consider. Those being Command, Confidence, Composure and Conditioning.
Command - This is the ability to see the play unfolding in front of you and conveying the instructions and directions of what the midfielder sees to his team mates on the fly. This is not just about having vision, as vision without implementation is just potential, this is about having vision and the ability to have others implement your vision.
Confidence - The belief that what you are trying to perform will come off and is the best option at this moment in time. There is absolutely no point in a midfield diamond being able to see what needs to be done but not believing they can pull it off. This confidence has been growing over the last month for the Central Coast Mariners diamond, ever since they dominated the Brisbane midfield the confidence and self belief has been growing. In Adelaide they knew they were going to dominate the midfield and so they did.
Composure - What's the point in having vision and self belief if you do not have enough composure to withstand pressure. This pressure can come from both external and internal sources for a midfield diamond. Opposition players are always going to pressure a midfielder, they are going to charge the man with the ball, if they don't then they shouldn't be on the field. The diamond has to be composed enough throughout to absorb this pressure. Even more devastating can be the internal pressure from team mate criticism for not delivering the ball they wanted. Those strikers can get very upset if the ball does not land where they want it in front of the goal. However often this happens though a good midfield diamond should stand up to such pressure and keep moving forward without doubt causing them to second guess they're play. Diamonds are forged under pressure and this is no different in football.
Conditioning - A player can have as much Command, Confidence and Composure as they like but if they are not fit enough to play at the top level of football they will just be another spectator in the stand or worse still, a keyboard hero writing a blog :). This was one of the huge differences that appeared in the game against Adelaide. The Mariners appeared to have superior conditioning, this is all credit to the training staff and Andrew Clarke for making the Mariners squad so fit. Not only has Clarke been able to keep the players on the park but now that the season is heading into the real heat of the Australian summer, the players seem to be able to run for 90 minutes in weather that would see most heading for a cold beer.
So have the Central Coast Mariners midfield diamond achieved the 4 C's?
Well if the game against Adelaide is any indication and in particular the first half, you better believe it!
Best of all Arnie thinks they can get better still, personally I can't wait to see it f they get better than this.
