The Lowedown: Jets rue one that got away

In front on the stats sheets, visually on top in the contest, but behind on the scoreboard. Was it the home-ground blues, highlighted in the Herald last week? A failure to convert good scoring opportunities? Poor concentration resulting in the concession of sloppy goals? All of the above?

I have to say I don't really buy into the home-ground argument in the sense that it affects the players' performances or confidence. The statistics may tell a different story, but by and large the Jets fans are as loyal and patient as any set in the league, so there is no psychological hill to get over for the playing group.

Certainly there were some goodish opportunities that went begging on Saturday afternoon, but none that we will remember for years to come. No "how the hell did he miss that?" moments, but the regular share of "that was so close", head-in-hands incidents.

For my money the Jets should have won the game 1-0, courtesy of a moment of real quality from Abdiel Arroyo, but they allowed an understandably off-the-pace Adelaide back into the match, through a drop in concentration, intensity, and poor game management.

In saying that, I acknowledge the resolve of Adelaide, given their midweek exertions, and the substitutions made by their coach at half-time. But despite improving in the second stanza, what they produced shouldn't have been enough to reverse the result.

We can argue ad nauseam about spurned chances creating pressure at the defensive end, against clean sheets and defensive security at one end reducing the pressure at the attacking end. It's a chicken v egg debate, but Adelaide's goals were poxy, ugly, soft, messy ... insert your adjective of choice.

Contrast that to the tsunami of attacks the Wanderers repelled against a Sydney FC side completely in control of their derby fixture a couple of hours later, and you get my drift. And the Wanderers get the most unlikely of three-point presents.

Given the difficult conditions, the heat and wind combination, being among the least conducive to good football, I thought the Jets and Adelaide did a commendable job of entertaining the crowd, but individual errors cost Ernie Merrick's side three points.

And the harsh reality is that five very gettable points have been dropped in the first two games of the Jets' season.

You sense that a trip away to defending champions Sydney FC on Friday night could be the perfect scenario to make a stand, notch another good road result, and show that the team can compete with the big boys. I don't doubt that can happen, but poor concentration is an absolute no-no against arguably the best footballing side in the country.

The other no-no, when facing the Sky Blues, is allowing yourself to be outnumbered in midfield, because if that happens you will run and chase for much of the 90 minutes.

I think it's fair to say that Adelaide got a foothold in last weekend's game when James Troisi and Riley McGree started to find time and space in the centre of the park, and Sydney can present twice the problem.

Brandon O'Neill and Luke Brattan sit deep, Milos Ninkovic and Alexander Baumjohann who would comfortably start as chief playmakers in most teams, play further forward, start wide, but vacate the channels for overlapping fullbacks, and present constant, comfortable, creative threats in central areas.

If that creative smorgasbord of options pulls your defensive shape apart, the pace and predatory instinct of Barbarouses and Le Fondre up front is quite a handful.

I noted with interest Ernie Merrick's comment that the return of Ben Kantarovski meant he felt comfortable enough to play with a midfield diamond, narrowing up the attacking line to a front two, and providing an extra body in the engine room.

You'd imagine that would be the minimum requirement to negate Sydney. In fact the sweet sounding and aesthetically pleasing diamond may have to be a less attractive hybrid, to deny Sydney control of the contest.

As a general rule I am more comfortable with Dimi Petratos playing as one of the front three, with licence to roam, against the stronger sides, with an extra body in midfield to provide help when the game stretches. More so than ever with Matt Millar getting up and down the right flank.

It's an important game in terms of the result, and the playing group's confidence. It's the litmus test for mine right now.

The tactics will be key, the concentration critical, and I have a hunch the Jets will give a very good account of themselves.