Heskey for England! Bridge scores! Miller needs a zinho! The Scout picks his team of the week for Round 4.

Goalkeeper: Ante Covic - The Wanderers stopper was in fine form against champions Brisbane, and played a huge part in marshalling the hugely impressive Western Sydney backline. Never flustered and always ready to pull off important saves, Covic was one of Tony Popovic’s most astute pick-ups when he was building his team.

Defender: Cassio – In his 100th Hyundai A-League game the now-naturalised Australian Brazilian put in a massive performance against the Phoenix, topped off by a rampaging run and ever-so-slightly offside goal. But go on – 100 games – you’ve got to give him something.

Defender: Michael Beauchamp – Another standout from the Wanderers backline, the sometime Socceroo swatted back Brisbane Roar like they were North Queensland Fury. If Popa wanted a mini-me in his backline, he looks to have picked the right man.

Defender: Trent Sainsbury – Wilko? Who’s Wilko? We’ve got Trent. Trento. Or should it be Saino? Either way, the young Central Coast centreback is proving a more than adequate replacement for the departed Mariners skipper. Why were Melbourne Heart so poor in front of goal? Because Saino didn’t give them a sniff.

Midfielder: Mark Milligan – There is obviously some way to go for Ange’s Victory team but Milligan is proving a rock in front of the defence. He contained the Jets throughout the first half and provided a platform for Melbourne’s mobile forwards to start their attacks. He couldn’t stop Emile Heskey grabbing a brace – but then nobody’s perfect.

Midfielder: Liam Miller – Is Liam Miller the most unheralded midfielder in the competition? Perhaps if he had a “-ski” or “-zinho” at the end of his name he might get the credit he deserves for pulling the strings in Perth’s powerful midfield, despite an unlucky loss to Sydney.

Midfielder: Youssouf Hersi – The Dutchman certainly picked the right game to show A-League fans what he can do. Granted, there wasn’t a goal at the end of it, but Hersi was a livewire for the Wanderers and gave the Brisbane midfielders and defenders something other to do than just pass-pass-pass... Yawn!

Midfielder: Brett Emerton – Where has Emmo been hiding? Stories in the press this weekend have suggested he’s been a “hero” for Sydney FC for playing through injury last season. The Scout’s not quite sure about his hero status but this full-strength Emmo is certainly more enjoyable than the Brett Lite we had to swallow last year.

Attack: Mark Bridge – There you go. There. You. Go. See, Bridgey? Can’t you do that every week? Bustling, hassling, chasing, pressuring and even bagging a goal. Bridge has the tools; he just seems to have mislaid his tool bag. Popa better keep him busy!

Attack: Emile Heskey – “Heskey for England” the Pommie papers exclaimed. Can you get sarcasm is newspaper headlines? Whatever they think of Heskey and whatever his history, the big man is proving a hit for the Jets. Is it him? Is it us? If he keeps banging ‘em in, who cares.

Attack: Paul Ifill – The Scout saw a comment on Twitter this weekend that said if Paul Ifill had played for Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC, he wouldn’t have been called the A-League’s finest import. Perhaps he needs a “-ski” or a “-zinho” at the end of his name – but the Phoenix forward did everything to pull his team back into a game they shouldn’t have been losing. The man’s a giant. An Ifill Tower.

 
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, and do not reflect those of Football Federation Australia.
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Comments (7)
 
Hey Lewis, You might have missed the performancethat kept Jeronimo out of this weeks team, but you can see him re-enacting it, complete with arms outstretched, at the pool the next day, on news.com.au Nice team this week, Scout..
Stu Grant  |  
31 Oct 2012 11:03 AM
 
 
Needs more Jeronimooooo!
Phil  |  
29 Oct 2012 09:03 PM
 
 
the only card the ref should have shown was one with a score out of ten for a superb dive by jeronimo. i've seen under 9's endure more physical challenges and keep going on with it. maybe next time he's at etihaad stadium in melbourne they should play with the roof closed, you know, just in case the wind blows!! having said that, let's not reduce the game to the joke that is the afl';s video review system. they have 9 umpires of varying descriptions on the field at once plus the video review and still manage to make a mess of it.
sjlb  |  
29 Oct 2012 08:25 PM
 
 
What is worse is that his coach doesn't think it was a dive. Same for FFA though. very very soft. Here was a chance for FFA to do the right thing and punish poor sportsmanship but instead they back the refs who can not be proud of their efforts in that game.
Jereny  |  
29 Oct 2012 08:17 PM
 
 
The fact that he cheated by diving and his team had the referees on the payroll puts a mark against his effort I guess.
Jamie  |  
29 Oct 2012 04:33 PM
 
 
Ifill Tower...how long have you been waiting to use that one? Love it
Luke  |  
29 Oct 2012 04:04 PM
 
 
Are you kidding me!? Jeronimo didn't get a mention after scoring a brace and assisting Cassio's goal!
Lewis  |  
29 Oct 2012 03:32 PM