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Showing posts with label Lew Dub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lew Dub. Show all posts

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Melbourne Victory v Suwon Bluewings: Asian Champions League Writer's Chat

Melbourne Victory v Suwon Bluewings
Melbourne Victory v Suwon Bluewings
In partnership with K-League United, East Asian Soccer has adopted the writer’s chat format for this special feature. 
First off East Asian Soccer Editor Lew Dub fires the questions at Suwon Bluewingsexpert Scott Whitelock.

1. Most Australians don’t know much about Suwon Bluewings. Can you tell us a little bit about the club’s pedigree and the kind of support they get?
Historically, Suwon Bluewings have been one of the strongest teams in Korea. They have won the K League on 4 separate occasions and have also finished as runners up on 4 occasions. They have also previously lifted the Asian Champions League twice. Backed by one of Korea’s biggest conglomerates they have been one of the more wealthy Korean teams in years gone by, however, in recent year this funding has been pulled and Suwon Bluewings’ power appears to diminish season on season. Their last title was won in 2008 and it  might be a few more years until the next one is won.

2. What kind of football should Melbourne Victory fans be expecting on Tuesday night?
That is a very good question, and one that I would really love to answer. Their 3 games so far, this season, have seen very contrasting performances. The first 3 halves of ACL football that they played saw play with a confidence and swagger that belied the young age of the squad. The passing was smooth and quick and they dominated Gamba Osaka and Shanghai SIPG, their respective opponents. Suwon attempted to keep the ball for long periods and then hit their opponents with quick attacking bursts down the wings. It was very pleasing to watch and the game plan was superbly orchestrated by their holding midfielder Park Hyun-bom. However, the latter 3 halves of football that Suwon have played in their fledgling 2016 campaign have been anything but pleasing. The passing fluency has all but vanished and far too often promising attacks are petering out because of a lack of fire power up front.
Their last game, against Seongnam FC demonstrated everything that is wrong with Suwon’s squad this year. For large parts of the game, Suwon controlled the ball and the midfield trio of Ko Cha-won, Kwon Chang-hoon and Park Hyun-bum stroked the ball around with consummate ease. But for all Suwon’s midfield dominance, they rarely registered any sort of threat on the Seongnam goal. Infact, despite having the majority of possession it wasn’t until the 41st minute that Suwon registered a shot on target. At the other end of the pitch it was more of the same, with all 4 defenders showing a significant lack of quality and in the 2nd half Seongnam looked like they would score with every attack. The veteran centre back, Lee Jung-soo, making his debut looked considerably out of place, losing possession a number of times and showing a distinct lack of pace.
We are hoping for a more attacking performance on Tuesday and hopefully Melbourne will face a tougher challenge than Seongnam did.
3. Santos has served Suwon well for three seasons, but what can you tell us about new Brazilian import Hygor? 
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Friday 11 March 2016

SYDNEY FC AND MELBOURNE VICTORY FIGHTING FOR A-LEAGUE LIVES

The race for the Hyundai A-League finals is on in earnest. Perth Glory are now inside the top six and if current form is anything to go by the West Australians will be fighting it out in the finals. Meanwhile, both Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory’s seasons have fallen by the wayside.
With five games of the regular season remaining Sydney FC must correct an alarming run of form that has seen them collect just 3 points from the last 21 available. The form slump has been exacerbated by injuries and suspensions. Unfortunately, Alex Brosque has been ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury (only returning if the team goes deep into Finals).
Along with that, manager Graham Arnold has to navigate the Asian Champions League. [cont out our new website eastasiansoccer.co]

Friday 26 February 2016

TEN OF THE BEST: ZHANG LINPENG

East Asian Soccer picks Ten of the Best personalities and players in the 2016 Asian Champions League.

Number 2 – Zhang Linpeng

Guangzhou Evergrande’s Zhang Linpeng burst into the consciousness of Australian football fans when he was red carded in a fiery ACL clash with Western Sydney Wanderers.
Easy to pick out with his tattooed forearms, Zhang often gets forward despite his position as fullback. He’s been the subject of much transfer speculation, but to this point the Chinese international remains the property of Guangzhou Evergrande.
Occasionally used in the centre back role, current manager Felipe Scolari has tended to utilise the 26 year old’s speed and power at fullback. Watch out for his long range shots which when on target are lethal.
Catch the full list at our new website:
http://eastasiansoccer.co