SOCCER AUSTRALIA - NEWS

Ange Postecoglou: A-League finals about being bold and taking game to opposition

UNLIKE some in the game, I love finals football.

he argument has been that the home and away season reveals the best team in the competition, but for me the ability to cope with the pressure and intensity of do-or-die games is just as good an indicator.

The final six teams would all believe they are a chance to become A-League champion.

While history suggests the top two teams are best placed to make the grand final, this weekend four other teams will have the strong belief that they can defy the odds and create their own history.

Regardless of that optimism, recent form is relevant leading into a finals campaign.

Melbourne Victory and Sydney will be hard to beat, not just because they finished top two but also because they have the strongest form leading into the finals.

So where does that leave the two teams who have been most inconsistent in the build up?

It will be an interesting encounter between Melbourne City and Wellington in New Zealand on Sunday.

Both have struggled recently and both are looking for a spark to get them going.

Wellington has the firepower to trouble all teams and for City it will be crucial that they don’t concede first. The pressure of knock-out football means instinctively everyone involved plays safe.

It is natural that when your season is on the line you don’t want to be the one who ends it all for your team.

The key to success, however, is to fight that instinct.

Melbourne City’s creative players must be bold and put the pressure on the opposition from the outset.

Trying to hold off Wellington’s attacking threats for 90 minutes, particularly after conceding four goals the previous week, is an exercise that would probably prove futile.

Finals football can define players. The ability to perform well under the most intense pressure elevated many players from good to great.

I have often told players that the two most common questions at the end of your career are: did you represent your country and did you win a championship?

Being able to say “yes” to at least one of these makes your career seem just a little more credible.

AUSTRALIA: A-League - Play Offs
11:30	Fin	Adelaide United	2 - 1	Brisbane Roar	(1 - 1)

AUSTRALIA: Victorian Premier League
12:15	FRO	Port Melbourne Sharks	-	South Melbourne
12:30	FRO	Oakleigh Cannons	-	Dandenong Thunder
12:30	FRO	Pascoe Vale	-	Green Gully

AUSTRALIA: Northern NSW