Here’s what we learned from the weekend’s fixtures…

1. We Miss Marcos
Has there ever been a more passionate foreigner to grace the A-League than Marcos Flores? We always felt Romario was misunderstood, but even the Brazilian’s thirst for goals would struggle to match Flores’ passion for the Reds. Not only does the Argentinean number 10 appear to be a true gentleman, his emotional ties seem to even extend beyond the City of Churches and into the fabric of Australian football. It was a good thing his interview with Brenton Speed on Friday night was scheduled in the early evening, presumably to minimise risk of him completely missing his following engagements. Let’s hope his interest in returning to Adelaide United is one day realised. 

2. Heart Have Arrived
They’ve promised it for so long – too long – but Saturday afternoon saw Melbourne Heart finally deliver. Three goals formed the package; an exceptional team performance the vehicle. And before this delivery metaphor completely falls apart, we’re just going to say it was a pleasure to watch. Perhaps most satisfying from John van’t Schip’s perspective will have been the maturity his young stars showed to completely dominate a match. Behich, Marrone, Hamill, Dugandzic and, dare we say it, Mark Viduka lookalike Eli Babalj were the instigators in what could prove to be a milestone victory. With Skoko and Sibon gone, and Simon Colosimo out of favour, it’s their time to steer the club’s fortunes.

3. Always Look On the Brightside…
…Of football. Or at least don’t look directly at it, as doing so for the second of Saturday’s triple-header between Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory might have been harmful. But, instead of taking cheap, unnecessary remarks such as that, we’re going to channel our inner Flores by focusing on the positives of an unremarkable encounter. So, in no particular order: the assistant referee deserves a medal or three for correctly judging what resembled a scene from a Charlie Chaplin film; the Mariners, contrary to belief, actually managed several high-quality passes, crosses and combinations; the name Jimmy Jeggo, who we’re fairly certain was a 1930’s Hollywood mobster, is fun to say; Rostyn Griffiths was outstanding; and, finally, Mustafa Amini is edging ever nearer to a starting berth. Now that wasn’t so hard after all.

4. Learning Hard Is Best
Liam Miller on the left is a waste. Liam Miller on the right is a waste. Liam Miller in the middle, however, is just right. You could almost engineer a jingle from that lyrical genius, which mightn’t be a bad option if it was to become lodged in the memory of Ian Ferguson. The Perth Glory gaffer will have hopefully heeded the evidence of Perth’s exasperating loss to Sydney, which suggests the former Manchester United man is – drum roll – far more effective in central midfield. Unsurprisingly, the men in purple became significantly more dangerous on Saturday night upon introducing proper width and moving Miller inside. By then, of course, it was too late. Now, what was it John van’t Schip said about his Heart players being afraid of taking risks? That applies to coaches too. Oh, and Danny Vukovic to central striker please.

5. Football’s Weird
So, a weekend in which England defeated world champions Spain also saw Wellington Phoenix snatch a point away to A-League champions Brisbane Roar when all odds predicted a morale boosting return to form for the home side. As Frank Lampard outscored Spaniards, the Nix proved more lethal in front of goal than a Roar side lacking a killer instinct – thus explaining the final lesson for this weekend. The way in which Wellington survived Brisbane’s barrage with a point in hand may be even less groundbreaking than this lesson – gritty defending, smart organisation and a slice of luck – but it does provide a particularly more complex headache for Ange Postecoglou, who has seen a fluke become a trend.