Brisbane Roar was able to snatch a point against Western Sydney Wanderers thanks to a very humorous goalkeeping error. Brisbane lined up in a fairly standard 4-4-2 while WSW lined up in a 4-3-1-2. Brisbane played quite directly, looking to play balls in behind the WSW backline and utilise the pace of Cyrus Dehmie.
Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Cyrus Dehmie
- Nationality: Australian
- Age: 19
- Date of Birth: 25/05/2002
- Current Club: Brisbane Roar
- Career: Brisbane Roar (Y)
- Position: Striker
- Preferred Foot: Right
His first A-League goal still eludes him but I felt Cyrus Dehmie showed a lot to like against Western Sydney. He very nearly opened the scoring early in the match when he received a ball over the top that put him in behind the Wanderer’s defence but he scuffed his shot just wide of the far post. It wasn’t the most convincing strike in truth but the movement and pace Dehmie showed were encouraging. Brisbane attempted the long ball over the top to Dehmie frequently throughout the match. He was able to receive it in the box a couple of times and did always look dangerous but he had a bit of difficulty with the strength of the more experienced opposition defenders and that limited what he could do. When Dehmie was able to achieve separation from an opposing player with his speed he looked dangerous but if he was ever shoulder to shoulder with an opposing player he always looked second best. By extension, he looked hopeless in most aerial duels.
Dehmie is only 5’7 so there is limited room to improve but I would still like to see him give a bit more pushback when grappling with another player. When the ball was played to his feet he showed some good dribbling ability. Dehmie showed he could change direction quickly and that allowed him to outwit opposing defenders. But, if he didn’t time things perfectly then he was easily brushed aside with a shoulder check. He frequently came deep to receive the ball. He didn’t show any particularly incredible playmaking ability but he reliably maintained possession. One thing I noticed is that he didn’t always show enough urgency to get back into the box after coming deep to link up with teammates, sometimes he seemed to admire his pass rather than putting his head down and getting forward to receive another. However, he did show a tremendous work rate, frequently tracking back to try and break up opposing moves. On one occasion he even ran back to his half and tackled Western Sydney striker Bernie Ibini, breaking up a dangerous-looking counter attack.
Rating: B2
Dehmie has a lot to do to improve his handling of the physical side of the game. But he has the technical skill and the movement to develop into a dangerous striker. Even if he doesn’t get physically stronger, he’s going to score some goals eventually if he keeps getting behind opposing defences. I’m giving him a B2 because he definitely showed the potential to be a strong A-League player but I do think it’s possible if he gets a bit stronger and maybe sharpens up his passing a bit he could be even better than that.
Rahmat Akbari
- Nationality: Afghani
- Age: 21
- Date of Birth: 20/06/2000
- Current Club: Brisbane Roar
- Career: QAS, Brisbane Strikers, Brisbane Roar (Y), Melbourne Victory
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Rahmat Akbari had a bit of a hard time establishing himself in the game. He just didn’t stand out either with or without the ball, looking a level below his 33-year-old midfield partner Jay O’Shea. With the ball he often dribbled into trouble, Frequently being stopped quite easily after heading straight into a crowd of opposing defenders. He seemed to get tunnel vision when dribbling, focusing only on going forward and not on actually getting around people. There were also a couple of times where he lost the ball on the turn. These two things form a pattern to suggest that perhaps spatial awareness is a weakness of his game. His passing was mostly conservative. He only attempted five forward passes the whole match. Every time he had the option to attempt a difficult pass or to play it safe he opted to pass backward or make a simple sideways pass. His touch was ok but he did not show anything particularly impressive. Defensively he showed a little bit more. There were a couple of moments where he stepped forward and intercepted the ball very nicely. But these moments were few and far between and he did not do very much with the ball once he had it. He showed some ability to win physical battles but I would not say he was dominant in them. He also got passed around a few times, which didn’t really inspire confidence in his ability to be a defensive stopper.
Rating: D
I have heard positive things about Akbari but in this, my first viewing of him, they didn’t materialize. I won’t write him off completely but it’s hard to find something positive to say about this performance.
Target Scouting 