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01Jan22
Same Old Problems Dog Wellington's New Year
by Jeremy Ruane
Wellington Phoenix kicked off the new year of 2022 at Coopers Stadium on January 1, but the problems which have dogged them since they first entered the competition now known as the Isuzu Ute A-League haven't gone away, if the evidence of their 4-0 hiding at the hands of Adelaide United is anything to go by.
The right back role has always been one which the club has struggled to fill, and United made frequent in-roads down that flank throughout the contest. Central midfield is another area where Wellington could be stronger, while there isn't a team in the world which would turn down the presence of a clinical finisher in front of goal in their starting line-up.
All of those problems, plus the player recruitment issues they've faced, are ones which coach Ufuk Talay and the club can control in some way, shape or form, but the elephant in the room is beyond anyone's control or understanding, and is all too often open to interpretation, quite literally.
One refers, of course, to ye olde Australian refereeing decisions, in particular how there seems to be one interpretation where Wellington is concerned, and another for their opponents, especially with regards to incidents involving the Video Assistant Referee.
Such a situation was central to the outcome of this contest, with Adelaide, who were a goal to the good at the time, being awarded a highly contentious penalty soon after half-time via VAR, less than thirty seconds after an incident on the edge of their own penalty area attracted no such attention from match officials, but which left a Wellington player down in United's eighteen yard box.
First things first, however, specifically the first half action, which saw United swiftly into their stride and raiding down the left in the fifth minute through Ryan Kitto. His cross ricocheted off a Wellington player's arm to Stefan Mauk, who drilled a shot straight at Adam Paulsen.
Sixty seconds later, Javier Lopez was afforded the run of the right flank by the Wellingtonians, who nearly paid the price as his pinpoint cross sought out the head of George Blackwood. But for Tim Payne's vital header, the home team would have opened the scoring.
They only had sixty seconds to wait before doing so, however. Another Kitto run and cross deflected perfectly into the stride of Craig Goodwin, whose volley took a wicked deflection off Blackwood to leave Paulsen beaten all ends up - 1-0 after seven minutes.
The visitors looked to respond straight away, Payne heading a Ben Waine corner narrowly over the bar before Jaushua Sotirio's poor touch allowed Kitto to get back and clear his lines when the striker had been put through by Joshua Laws' lofted ball over the top.
Kitto resumed his attacking raids in the thirteenth minute, once again rampaging down the left at will - quite what Callan Elliot was doing on the park in the first half is still being determined, but it certainly didn't have anything to do with defending!
Kitto's cross wasn't cleared on this occasion, allowing Mauk to pounce on the loose ball and evade two challenges before seeing his rising drive turned round the near post by Paulsen, who grabbed Michael Jakobsen's header from the resulting Goodwin corner.
Halfway through the first half, James McGarry was fouled by Bernardo Oliveira, an incident to which referee Daniel Elder turned a blind eye. He saw McGarry's retaliatory challenge on the same player seconds later, however, and swiftly awarded a free-kick just outside the penalty area which Goodwin sent fizzing narrowly over the bar.
Goodwin and Kitto combined to good effect on the left flank in the 24th minute, with the latter's low cross inviting Blackwood to unleash a close-range effort at goal. Laws blocked it for a corner, Goodwin's delivery of which picked out Jacob Tratt. His header across goal invited Mauk to attempt to score, but he turned the sphere narrowly past the post.
Wellington produced their best move of the half in the 28th minute, with David Ball sending Sotirio to the left hand by-line, from where he whipped in a low cross to the near post. Hitherto unoccupied Adelaide goalkeeper James Delianov got to the ball just before Waine, whose momentum took him into the custodian's shoulder.
Delianov instantly spilled the ball, and was clearly not in a good way. A dislocated shoulder was swiftly diagnosed, and United's quick-thinking medical team were able to put it back in place while the 'keeper was still prone. There was no way he could continue, however, paving the way for a debut for sixteen-year-old reserve goalkeeper Steven Hall.
It wasn't long before Wellington looked to test the newcomer's mettle, with Waine just failing to make contact with McGarry's lovely angled ball over the top ten minutes before half-time. The striker then drew a save from Hall via a shot on the turn, after McGarry and Ball had combined to good effect on the left.
In between times, Clayton Lewis fell victim to Mr Elder's blind eye, the official failing to see the midfielder being hauled back by Mauk, but recovering his sight in time to see Lewis dumping his opponent on his derriere in response.
Cue an Adelaide free-kick, which Blackwood failed to exploit, seconds after which another Kitto rampage saw him beat two opponents before setting up Goodwin. He couldn't set himself for a shot, so Isaias was afforded the opportunity, one he came within inches of capitalising on via a blistering
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twenty-two yarder which left Paulsen looking on in awe.
As half-time approach, Mr Elder's blind eye was called into action again, with McGarry being fouled in the act of clearing his lines. With no whistle forthcoming, Goodwin latched onto the ball and set up Mauk for a piledriver which Paulsen did well to turn to safety.
The 'keeper then kept out a Kitto effort after the fullback completed Elliot's humiliation by nutmegging him in the penalty area. Goodwin then worked a one-two with Mauk before skying a great chance to double Adelaide's lead, while Lewis only just got away with one of the stroke of half-time as he managed to play the ball to safety while facing his own goal with Blackwood breathing down his neck.
Three players were hooked at half-time by Wellington coach Talay. Elliot was no surprise, but Sotirio and captain Alex Rufer were the others to make way as the coach looked to spark a response.
Five minutes into the second half, one of the replacements, Oskar Van Hattum, was fouled on the edge of Adelaide's penalty area by Jakobsen, landing inside the area. Needless to say, Mr Elder saw what he desired, while the VAR also kept his counsel on this occasion - a delayed replay suggested closer examination of the incident was required.
Can't do that when play is continuing, however, and there's an incident of note at the other end of the park to address! Oliveira sent Blackwood scampering down the right, in behind Payne, who recovered his ground well and forced the striker to lose control of the ball in the area.
Enter VAR, with a suggestion of a possible penalty for a foul by Payne on Blackwood after the ball had gone. You knew what Mr Elder was going to award as soon as he headed to the sideline to view the evidence … and after all the usual nonsense, and a stuttering penalty-taking run-up by Goodwin - haven't they been outlawed by FIFA? - Paulsen was sent the wrong way from twelve yards and United led 2-0 after 54 minutes.
Wellington were still reeling when Oliveira skied a great chance two minutes later, having been gifted possession by Finn Surman. Nine minutes on, and Lopez's deft back-heel invited Oliveira to dart into the penalty area and send a low cross fizzing across the six-yard box - it only needed a touch …
The visitors survived that scare, and went about halving the deficit in the 67th minute when Ball sent Waine scurrying through the inside left channel. The baby-faced assassin got to the by-line before pulling the ball back for Ball, whose shot was blocked, sparking a United counter-attack which culminated in Goodwin being denied by Paulsen at his near post.
Two minutes later, the game was up for Wellington as McGarry was completely flummoxed by Oliveira's skill as he latched onto Isaias' delicious reverse pass inside the area. The fullback felled the winger, and there was no disputing Mr Elder's decision on this occasion.
Before Goodwin executed the chance to send Paulsen the wrong way again from twelve yards, McGarry's day was done, becoming the fourth player to be substituted by the understandably unhappy figure of Talay - one wouldn't want to be a fly on the wall in Wellington's next team meeting, as one suspects there'll be a few home truths spelt out during same, in large print and with no chance of misinterpretation by those on the receiving end.
Together with Payne and Paulsen, Waine never shirked his duties for the well-beaten visitors, and deserved better fate than to see Hall beat away his fiercely struck shot on the run thirteen minutes from time.
Seconds later, Laws, with his last contribution to the match before he became the latest and last Wellington player to be withdrawn from the fray earlier than he'd hoped, sent Waine weaving his way through the inside right channel to the by-line, from where his inviting pull-back presented substitute Nick Pennington with the chance to let fly, one the newcomer spurned.
Adelaide's response saw them net a fourth goal ten minutes from time. Goodwin made in-roads down the left before picking out Mauk, whose shot was blocked by Payne. The rebound fell to Kitto, whose inch-perfect cross to the far post found Lopez storming in off the right to dart in front of the covering defender and emphatically volley home from six yards - 4-0.
Hall denied Ball in the time remaining, as Wellington looked to claim a scrap of their dignity from their fourth successive defeat, but Adelaide were well worth their first win of the campaign, even though their triumph was greatly assisted by some incident interpretations which, had the opposition been a team other than Wellington, may well have resulted in events transpiring differently.
Such is the way of things for the team from across the Tasman. For them, it's not so much a happy new year as more of the same from days gone by, i.e. "Auld Lang Syne".
Adelaide: Delianov (Hall, 30); Lopez (booked, 90), Tratt (booked, 74), Jakobsen, Kitto (booked, 56); Isaias (booked, 48), Juande (Caletti, 72), Mauk (booked, 87); Oliveira (D'Arrigo, 72), Blackwood (Dukuly, 62), Goodwin
Wellington: Paulsen; Elliot (Surman, 46), Payne, Laws (Sutton, 79), McGarry (Fenton, 69); Old, Rufer (Pennington, 46 (booked, 73)), Lewis (booked, 46), Ball; Waine (booked, 28), Sotirio (Van Hattum, 46)
Referee: Daniel Elder
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