Tuesday, January 02, 2007
The Carney Conundrum - update
For the first fifteen minutes of the second half last night, Sydney FC produced easily the best football we've seen from them this season.
It was quite reminiscent of their play during the pre-season win over Perth, now a distant but fond memory for fans of the club. And there were some striking tactical similarities.
In both cases, David Carney deserted his right-wing role and shifted infield, leaving the right-back (Ruben Zadkovich in last night's game) to essentially cover the flank in its entirety. Once Carney was properly able to take part in the midfield interplay, rather than hugging the right touchline as he has been wont to do over the last couple of years, he was considerably more effective.
He faded badly as the match wore on, spraying aimless balls forward and contributing little. But for those fifteen minutes, we finally saw Carney exercise the sort of influence he did last season.
The whole episode again cast doubt on his deployment on the right wing, where he is forced to cut inside into traffic with monotonous regularity.
My Well-Informed Covite friend expressed his surprise to me last season that a player as accomplished as Carney had reached a decent professional level despite being so palpably one-footed. I'm not quite so surprised at this; there have been plenty of great players of the past who heavily favoured one foot over the other (the late Ferenc Puskas, for one), but what has lessened Carney's effectiveness even further this season is that he has shown little evidence of the pace that troubled opposition defences in 2005/06.
In this piece, dealing with that Perth game, I suggested that Carney may eventually find a central role more suitable. In that pre-season outing he was involved in both goals, and of course he was the architect of Sydney's opening goal in Newcastle, sliding that beautifully-weighted pass through to Corica on the right.
Plenty of Sydney fans, myself included, have been baying for Carney to be moved to the left wing since his return from injury. Yet Terry Butcher has resisted the move, and although Carney could surely provide better service from his "proper" side, you would have to question whether he could get past his man all that often.
It would be interesting to see him play in the centre for a full game. Until such time it's difficult to tell whether it suits him, but it must be worth a try.
It was quite reminiscent of their play during the pre-season win over Perth, now a distant but fond memory for fans of the club. And there were some striking tactical similarities.
In both cases, David Carney deserted his right-wing role and shifted infield, leaving the right-back (Ruben Zadkovich in last night's game) to essentially cover the flank in its entirety. Once Carney was properly able to take part in the midfield interplay, rather than hugging the right touchline as he has been wont to do over the last couple of years, he was considerably more effective.
He faded badly as the match wore on, spraying aimless balls forward and contributing little. But for those fifteen minutes, we finally saw Carney exercise the sort of influence he did last season.
The whole episode again cast doubt on his deployment on the right wing, where he is forced to cut inside into traffic with monotonous regularity.
My Well-Informed Covite friend expressed his surprise to me last season that a player as accomplished as Carney had reached a decent professional level despite being so palpably one-footed. I'm not quite so surprised at this; there have been plenty of great players of the past who heavily favoured one foot over the other (the late Ferenc Puskas, for one), but what has lessened Carney's effectiveness even further this season is that he has shown little evidence of the pace that troubled opposition defences in 2005/06.
In this piece, dealing with that Perth game, I suggested that Carney may eventually find a central role more suitable. In that pre-season outing he was involved in both goals, and of course he was the architect of Sydney's opening goal in Newcastle, sliding that beautifully-weighted pass through to Corica on the right.
Plenty of Sydney fans, myself included, have been baying for Carney to be moved to the left wing since his return from injury. Yet Terry Butcher has resisted the move, and although Carney could surely provide better service from his "proper" side, you would have to question whether he could get past his man all that often.
It would be interesting to see him play in the centre for a full game. Until such time it's difficult to tell whether it suits him, but it must be worth a try.
Comments:
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What I like about posts like this one is that you articulate what I've seen, but didn't really know I'd seen it until you explained it.
Er...that's a longwinded compliment ;-)
Er...that's a longwinded compliment ;-)
# posted by 
: January 2, 2007 at 6:14 PM
: January 2, 2007 at 6:14 PM
I think Carney will inevitably end up in a central role.
Putting him on either wing only exacerbates his left-reliance. Put him on the left flank and he can't cut in.
Put him on the right and he has to cut in every single time, and every ball he plays will be an in-swinger.
In the centre, his one footedness is less of an issue as he has alot more room to operate.
I thought Ruben was being a nonce this season and was in fact rubbish, but we may have found a decent position for him at the back.
Happy days right now - we are peaking at the right moment.
Putting him on either wing only exacerbates his left-reliance. Put him on the left flank and he can't cut in.
Put him on the right and he has to cut in every single time, and every ball he plays will be an in-swinger.
In the centre, his one footedness is less of an issue as he has alot more room to operate.
I thought Ruben was being a nonce this season and was in fact rubbish, but we may have found a decent position for him at the back.
Happy days right now - we are peaking at the right moment.
# posted by : January 2, 2007 at 11:50 PM
: January 2, 2007 at 11:50 PM
I'll continue to express surprise at his one footedness. I see no reason why a player should be so obviously incapable on their wrong foot in this era.
Puskas is a great example of a one footed player, but he comes from an other era. The same with Maradona. But both of them are those rare freakish talents that conquer all before them. Carney is no where near that level.
And if Puskas and Maradona were so great with one foot, imagine their genius with two?
I'm sorry, but Di Stefano's father showed us the way on this issue a long time ago.
Puskas is a great example of a one footed player, but he comes from an other era. The same with Maradona. But both of them are those rare freakish talents that conquer all before them. Carney is no where near that level.
And if Puskas and Maradona were so great with one foot, imagine their genius with two?
I'm sorry, but Di Stefano's father showed us the way on this issue a long time ago.
# posted by : January 6, 2007 at 8:45 PM
: January 6, 2007 at 8:45 PM
Its very late...
I think Carney needs to be given a run in Corica's position. Litti knew Corica was no good as a central attacking midfielder anymore (he played him with great effect as a supporting forward). I think Corica is Sydney's achil... well at least the second problem behind a truely useful forward who can play as a single striker (Sydney FC would be upgraded significantly with Neil Emblen as our starting forward).
Carney doesn't bother to play a winger so may as well try him in the centre.
I think Carney needs to be given a run in Corica's position. Litti knew Corica was no good as a central attacking midfielder anymore (he played him with great effect as a supporting forward). I think Corica is Sydney's achil... well at least the second problem behind a truely useful forward who can play as a single striker (Sydney FC would be upgraded significantly with Neil Emblen as our starting forward).
Carney doesn't bother to play a winger so may as well try him in the centre.
# posted by : January 9, 2007 at 4:38 PM
: January 9, 2007 at 4:38 PM
...Its very late...
I think Carney needs to be given a run in Corica's position. Litti knew Corica was no good as a central attacking midfielder anymore (he played him with great effect as a supporting forward). I think Corica is Sydney's achil... well at least the second problem behind a truely useful forward who can play as a single striker (Sydney FC would be upgraded significantly with Neil Emblen as our starting forward).
Carney doesn't bother to play a winger so may as well try him in the centre....
I don't think Corica's situation is going to be helped by shifting him wide, as Litti did last season (and incidentally, he played much of the first half on Sunday peeling off to the right, and looked lost).
Tend to agree that he (Corica) is better as a supporting striker. But then that's what he's been doing, more or less, since his return against Adelaide.
As for Carney, I just don't even want to think about him anymore after Sunday. Never has a man been given so many good opportunities (or created them for himself) and made so pathetically little of them.
I think Carney needs to be given a run in Corica's position. Litti knew Corica was no good as a central attacking midfielder anymore (he played him with great effect as a supporting forward). I think Corica is Sydney's achil... well at least the second problem behind a truely useful forward who can play as a single striker (Sydney FC would be upgraded significantly with Neil Emblen as our starting forward).
Carney doesn't bother to play a winger so may as well try him in the centre....
I don't think Corica's situation is going to be helped by shifting him wide, as Litti did last season (and incidentally, he played much of the first half on Sunday peeling off to the right, and looked lost).
Tend to agree that he (Corica) is better as a supporting striker. But then that's what he's been doing, more or less, since his return against Adelaide.
As for Carney, I just don't even want to think about him anymore after Sunday. Never has a man been given so many good opportunities (or created them for himself) and made so pathetically little of them.
...I don't think Corica's situation is going to be helped by shifting him wide, as Litti did last season (and incidentally, he played much of the first half on Sunday peeling off to the right, and looked lost)...
No, no, not wide! I agree with that! More like:
...Tend to agree that he (Corica) is better as a supporting striker. But then that's what he's been doing, more or less, since his return against Adelaide...
Yeah then perhaps that is more the problem in terms of playing too far up the field. When the current formation needs him to be getting the ball directly of the DM's and creating something going forward.
...As for Carney, I just don't even want to think about him anymore after Sunday...
After Sunday, I barely even want to think about the a-league.
So how about that 20-20 cricket match, aye? ;)
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No, no, not wide! I agree with that! More like:
...Tend to agree that he (Corica) is better as a supporting striker. But then that's what he's been doing, more or less, since his return against Adelaide...
Yeah then perhaps that is more the problem in terms of playing too far up the field. When the current formation needs him to be getting the ball directly of the DM's and creating something going forward.
...As for Carney, I just don't even want to think about him anymore after Sunday...
After Sunday, I barely even want to think about the a-league.
So how about that 20-20 cricket match, aye? ;)
# posted by : January 10, 2007 at 9:45 AM
: January 10, 2007 at 9:45 AM << Home
