The Football Tragic

Many Sydney FC fans who were feeling intensely irritated by Pierre Littbarski’s tactics towards the end of last season tended to forget how good the team looked during the 2005/06 pre-season.

Lest we forget, Littbarski’s side took out the knockout qualifying tournament for the World Club Championship, won through to the event itself in Tahiti, and then posted some effective performances in the pre-season cup – particularly a hard-fought 2-0 win over the Mariners in Gosford, in which the team looked organized and determined. The semi-final loss to Perth, when Sydney FC’s striking options were severely limited, caused few hearts to flutter, or minds to doubt Littbarski’s acumen.

Then came the season proper, and around the turn of the year, the fans’ enthusiasm for the Littbarski methods was gradually beginning to whittle away.

It was my opinion at the time, and it is still is now, that the main reason for this change can be summarized in two words: Dwight Yorke.

Don’t get me wrong here; Yorke was, by and large, arguably Sydney’s best player last season, pace Carney, Ceccoli, Bolton and Corica. The quality of his first touch, his passing and his shielding abilities was undeniable, even if his commitment (or lack thereof) sometimes caused concern. The problem with Yorke’s arrival was that it necessitated a change to a successful pattern.

Although Yorke did play in the aforementioned pre-season victory over the Mariners, most of Sydney FC’s early outings saw David Zdrilic – pre-injury – partnering Saso Petrovski in attack. Despite what many have said, with the hindrance of hindsight, this was a fluent, well-matched partnership. But Yorke’s signing promised greater things still; here was one of European football’s most experienced strikers, ready to apply his finishes to the lead-up work of Carney, Corica and the rest. So, who was going to make way for him?

In the end, Littbarski decided not to sacrifice either of his pre-season marksmen for the opening game against Melbourne, and it proved a poor move. Carney was dropped to the bench, depriving the team of some much-needed width, and Sydney were comprehensively outplayed. Archie Thompson, that evening, showed the sort of form that Socceroo fans wish he would display more often.

From that point on, Littbarski never found a workable system. Thanks to the quality of the personnel, the team marched on to second place – and then, memorably, to victory in the grand final – but the triumph had been achieved in painful and messy fashion.

This season, Sydney’s warm-up performances have been highly encouraging. After narrow victories over Newcastle and Queensland, Terry Butcher’s team brushed Perth Glory aside in style at WIN Stadium, and the loss to Adelaide, which can be ascribed largely to Alvin Ceccoli’s dismissal, hardly dampened the spirits of the Cove.

But, ominously, Yorke has yet to be integrated into the team.

Where is he to be used? He prefers midfield these days, and some have suggested (quite sensibly, in my opinion) that Mark Milligan should return to right-back, displacing the uncertain Iain Fyfe, allowing Yorke to partner Terry McFlynn in the engine room, as he did at times last season. But Milligan won plenty of admirers in his new midfield role on Wednesday night, and Butcher may well be inclined to keep him there.

Up front, David Zdrilic showed some of his old form against Newcastle on Saturday, and deserves at least consideration for a starting place. Petrovski has looked good in the pre-season as well, despite being used in an uncongenial lone-striker role; will there be enough room for Yorke up front?

Playmaker? Well, both Steve Corica and – more surprisingly – David Carney have thrived in that area of the park of late, and would both surely be more mobile than Yorke, if not quite blessed with his touch and vision.

Every problem, we hear, is also an opportunity. But, to use the famous expression from Yes, Prime Minister, Terry Butcher might find that Yorke’s return to Sydney FC will present him with some insoluble opportunities, as it did Pierre Littbarski last year.

As a Sydney man, I sincerely hope not. But those currently in raptures about Sydney FC’s recent performances should perhaps exercise a little caution. Butcher, like Littbarski, may yet end up getting tactically yorked.