Week 5 - Preview/Results

[Tarekseev]

Closing up to half way through the season and the PSL is thriving full of action. It's now week 5 and with a few teams battling in the middle of the table, the mid-week clashes in week/round 5 could prove to be the start of the turning point of the season. It's safe to say that all teams have picked up points, and while Swifts have asserted themselves as the ones to beat, big spending Mortis Mercatoria may be a team that can stop them in Wednesday's televised fixture.

Farvælska v Vankarha Phyyta Raikoth

Two teams which are struggling at the bottom, two teams that are lacking ambition. Since joining to the top-tier, Farvaelska's season has been rock bottom. Meanwhile, Raikoth have been marginally better; however with 4 games in, Raikoth are only sitting second from bottom due to goal difference. The Walruses find themselves in a tricky position without a win as they still search for their victory. A few players, are starting to get restless, with left back Eamonn Colleran unhappy about the team's form as they may struggling to hold on to their players during the winter break when the transfer window reopens.

The away side will be heavily depending on Sdeli Korotion. The 25 year old target man will be dependent on to hold up play and bring the rest of his team into play. Raikoth will be without Tsvi Wasserman, who picked up an injury in the previous match, which results in a change in formation to a 4-3-3 with Eamonn Colleran being brought up to the left wing of a 4-5-1 formation, with Tenshi Anarion taking place at left back. Siv Larssen is also expected to start in the centre of the pack as manager Landi Mursinion dropping Finian Ross to the bench as he looks for a more defensive approach, despite fans echoing concerns about lack of victories.

Farvaelska will look to build on their steady 1-0 victory against Cerce 2 weeks ago whilst forgetting about last week's defeat to Apollo. The white's will look to advance with a 4-4-2 formation with an unchanged squad that faced Cerce. Razdjani Emiri will be the one to watch as he looks to extend his goalscoring run, while 21 year old Håkon hin Ældri will be looking to pull the strings to untie what seems to be a very defensive minded Raikoth team.

With so much hanging over this match, this may be a good one to keep an eye on. The desparation of both teams to escape from the bottom of the table may lead to mistakes and goals, and possibly even more drama on the pitch. If we look at the statistics though, drama on the pitch seems to be hype more than anything as both sides have the best disciplinary record in the league so far.


Imperial United v Apollo

Believed to be one of the frontrunners, Imperial United have so far stunned everyone after poor performances. With their last game being a 4-1 victory against Cerce, the Robins will look to build on momentum as they try to reassert themselves in the title race. Fans at the Docklands Stadium have so far been unimpressed with the team so far, as the Dockland Stadiums returns to host an Apollo side who also wishes to build on momentum from their victory against Farvaelska.

Imperial United are still without Michael Madison, who was sent off earlier on in the season away at Mortis Mercatoria. The team will keep its usual shape, although Carlao has been dropped to the bench as Rob Anthony joins the back 3 alongside Sharukh Masood and Billy Keys as they look for extra pace to fend off the Apollo pace threat up front. Talsin Llwrran is one yellow card away from a suspension, although the manager has still opted to keep him in the centre of midfield, primarily on the basis that he is too important of a player to not play. Zig Cee will come out captaining the side due to Carlao's demotion to the bench.

Apollo will look unchanged, with the threat up front from Adolf Mather, whose pace may pose a real threat to the Robins defence at the 3 men backline, who have brought in Anthony in order to counteract with Mather's ability to run at players. Jens Overstag and Albert Gotha will try to pose a threat down the wing as Apollo look to dominate down either flanks.

The two sides have previously got wins on the score board from last week and will look for another three points today. Neither side will be looking for a draw and we expect a fairly action packed side with attacks followed by counter-attacks. On paper, Imperial United remains the favourite however Apollo may take the game to them and spring another upset.


JHI LK v Cerce

JHI-LK are sitting pretty at the top and will look to make Cerce's misery worse after their 1-4 defeat against Imperial United at home despite a good start to the season. Cerce will undoubtedly be willing to bounce back following their loss and will certainly not be holding back which will leave to another eventful game.

The home side make one big change to their squad, dropping Llwrran Sättsa in goal in favour for Toketian Loran ronAjain. The 18 year old is son of former world cup goalkeeper Turk ronAjain and will look to build on his senior's success by winning the title here. Undoubtedly the young ronAjain has talent; however with a lack of experience, this could prove to be a risk that might not pay off.

Manager jënRoijani explains: "Upon signing Loran, we expected to start him from the beginning of the season. ellUnfortunately, we weren't impressed with his play in the preseason, and decided to wait until he had improved. We have had a great season so far, and we are ready to test him in professional play."

Elsewhere in the JHI-LK team, they team will be looking to dominate the midfield with Zack Scott down the left posing a threat, as well as Mickey Graves in the playmaker role. Although a left midfielder by trade, Mickey Graves has been playing in the middle in recent times, relishing the role by feeding the strikers with through balls and clever play, with Sdeli Liurion the prime target as the creative forward has the ability to create something from nothing.

Avaikair's Tidal Force will be without Tucker Falken, who is suspended so coming onto the right side of the front three will be Liam ronHamuji.

Cerce will look to play a 4-4-2 formation that has worked for them so far this season. We expect Cerce's game to be long ball as usual, sending the balls forward for the strikers to get to. Undoubtedly their main threat will come from Kurt Lamberti. The newly-capped Shirerithian international will look to continue adding to his goalscoring as he leads the way on the top goalscorers list. It's not just Lamberti who can score though, as Clayton Edmund also has made the scoresheet this season for Cerce. Both strikers will be eager to test out Loran ronAjain in what looks to be a tretcherous début for the young goalkeeper, and a huge ask from the manager to do so.


Mortis Mercatoria v Syrelwynn Swifts

Many pundits within the nation have been saying, "If there is one team that can beat the Swifts, it has to be MMFC." Well the time has come for this eagerly anticipated clash, with Mortis Mercatoria needing to do exactly that. The Ghosts are sitting 1 point behind the Swifts in 3rd and will look to capitalise in this home game that could potentially put them top providing JHI-LK don't win.

MMFC will be without Billy McVeigh, who is still suspended for his red card. We expect that Lydveldt Jonmikeltsen will be brought into the starting 11 to stand in for the Hammish international, although manager Pitilo Shamosa is not giving anything away before the game. Gary Smith will look to be the main threat as the top goalscorer for the side this season with 4 league goals, whilst the big signings of Tor Svensson and François Germaine will be depended on to pull the strings in the centre of midfield. The Ghost's skipper Giacomo Tedeschi left the media hanging, leaving them with one statement: "We must win."

Syrelwynn Swifts may be sitting pretty at top, but with JHI-LK breathing right down their necks they will be under as much pressure as MMFC to win this match. Losing this match will definately drop them from top, and if JHI-LK win they could come out of this game third at worst. It looks to be an unchanged squad from last week as Jalal Akwá has come to a sudden rise in form. The Shirerithian international will be looking to add to his goalscoring form as the Swifts look to play him as the lone man up front with skipper Sébastien Focán just behind.

Despite the early week claims from opposing skipper Giacomo Tedeschi that Focán is past his game, the media are in disagreement and believe he still can pose a threat, especially when playing in the role just behind the striker. Laurent Zandine will also play an important part in the squad as they look to use him as a man marker for Germaine to prevent any attack from the Ghosts, whilst Rudi Mathijsen will continue to be used on the right flank despite being left footed.

With both teams usually playing a defensive, counter-attacking game, the match may seem like one to be eagerly anticipated. But in reality, we should expect a cagey battle between the two sides with both teams expected to allow their opponents to come forward before trying to quickly break.

[Tarekseev]

Farvaelska 1-1 Raikoth

Farvaelska looked set to be running away with 3 points against their nearest league rival; however a lack of professionalism alongside a lack of concentration resulted in Raikoth snatching the win away from them as the match ended at a 1-1 stalemate.

For most of the match, the home side continued to try to show their weight. The home fans showed their appreciation as their team managed to give their opposition a runaround. And it was Farvaelska who dominated the first half as Razdjani Emiri almost gave the home support something to shout about. The 22 year old striker took on two defenders before forcing goalkeeper Zaki Uelusion to tip it onto the near post before Eamonn Colleran managed to hoof the ball clear from danger.

Emiri once again emerged as one of the potential goalscorers by testing the goalkeeper once again. A clever run by Håkon hin Ældri allowed space and time for the ball to be crossed in from the right, allowing Emiri to pounce onto the ball with his head. Despite getting clean contact to the ball, the striker came under some pressure from both the goalkeeper and Andi Ausyyanion, which resulted in the header being directed into the crossbar. As the ball bounced off the crossbar, Erdasher Lejlunai managed to drive forward before scooping the ball high and wide of the goal and not at all handsome either.

The Boots came out of the second half in familiar fashion as they repeated their performance in the first half. A long range effort by Håkon hin Ældri was once again parried away by the goalkeeper and whilst Farvaelska were making all the shots and attacks, their opposition still haven't had a clean shot on goal. A corner resulted due to the save from Uelusion; however Farvaelska managed to finally get their heads in front as the corner was outswung towards Amir Arminzadeh who was left with a free header, nodding the ball straight past the keeper and into the back of the net.

With Farvaelska taking the lead, their motive of the game was to then hold possession for the last half an hour of the game. Although it seemed as if possession football was working, they were duly punished right at the end. A very unusual mispass by Amir Arminzadeh made him the hero to zero after Raikoth managed to seize possession. As the men in blue advanced forward with Siv Larssen, Johanns Raun Oðð came across to lunge him down after the midfielder was through the defence with a one-on-one left with the goalkeeper. Raun Oðð was dismissed with a red card due to denying the opposition a clear goalscoring opportunity, resulting in a penalty.

Larssen, who won the penalty stepped up to take it and sent goalkeeper Folki Öldrikkari the wrong way.

The match ended 1-1, and with both sides taking one point each, not much has changed at the bottom of the table. One thing has definately not changed though: Raikoth are still looking for their first PSL win. And the question now is: when will the Walruses get it?

[Tarekseev]

Imperial United 1-0 Apollo

Imperial United managed to make the most of home advantage as they finally broke through a sturdy Apollonian defence to take 3 points from the game at the Docklands Stadium.

The Robins, whose fans are already getting behind their back have been underperforming so far despite a few big signings. The biggest shock today is their major signing: Carlao from the Tellian Serie A would not even be playing. The 33 year old and Imperial United captain was placed on the bench as Rob Anthony was called into his first start of the season.

The decision may have proved to be a questionable one prior to the match; however it duly was the right one. Apollo managed to take the first good chance of the game as Jonas Overstag cutted in to to unleash a shot to test Edson early on in the game. The Alexandrian born Shirerithian goalkeeper could only manage to palm the ball away out from the 6 yard area and Adolf Mather was there to pounce. Although Mather looked like he was destined to scoring, Anthony made a last ditch tackle, sliding in and taking the ball away from him. Despite heavy shouts for a penalty, the referee ordered the striker to get up and waved away the protests.

Flip Flipperson also had a chance to take a shot from range a few minutes later on, but Anthony once again shut the door by sliding in to block the shot, breaking the complete play and allowing Zig Cee to come back to take the ball away from his half.

From then on, the match was all Imperial United. Talsin Llwrran came close after a dipping shot from a misplaced cross by David Christensen went just over as he looked to sneak the ball in to catch goalkeeper Jef Vanderson off line and by surprise.

Alexei Emir had the best chance of the first half after a better delivery from Christensen from the right. The Incontinentian striker then left the ball to bounce before taking a shot from 8 yards out on a half-volley, only to blast it high into row Z of the stands, with fans already showing displeasure to the performance.

The second half was echoed by boos around the stadium, as Apollo increased their defensive duties, denying Imperial United any opportunity. Rob Anthony then showed his inexperienced side to the game when picking up a yellow card for barging down Sven Svensen in a frustration motivated action.

As soon as Imperial United got on the ball, the Apollonians cleverly managed to press and close them down whilst keeping their back line firm, leaving the only possibility for the Reds to play the ball back into their own half, or the option of long ball. Things were going bad for the Robins and with fans already getting behind their backs, the management down the sidelines were looking to make a change. The change came a few minutes later at the 65 minute mark, taking Alexei Emir off for Eddie Davison as the boos erupted across the stadium signifying a belief of a bad decision.

Nothing seemed to improve as the defensive pairing of Guus Flater and Erik Morsis remained strong and didn't put a foot wrong as they shadowed out Davison from making out any impact.

However with 5 minutes to go and as fatigue was creeping in, Davison managed to create the spark that was needed. After Talsin Llwrran fired a highly ambitious shot from 35 yards, goalkeeper Vanderson made a mistake by diving to catch the ball, before dropping it right, stretching Flater back to make a clearance. The clearance didn't go far as it ricocheted off Zig Cee into the path of Davison, who used his fresher legs and his natural pace to skin pass Morsis before firing the ball into the top corner of the net as Vanderson failed to recover from his mistake.

Full time resulted in a slight cheer for the fans, although many left early due to the disapproval of their home team play. However the 1-0 victory will not do all the fixing, the fans want more. Apollo will still be the team and the set of fans going home devastated. They were so close to snatching something away from the game and they came out with nothing. Final Score: 1-0, but in all fairness it was a unexciting match.

[Tarekseev]

JHILK 2-1 Cerce

Game 5 and hopes are high for JHI LK as they look to build on their strong start to the season. The game saw a glimpse of the future as Loran ronAjain, son of the legendary Turk ronAjain started in goalkeeper as Shirerithian international Llwrran Sättsa sat out on the bench.

Unlike the Imperial United game, the home fans showed some appreciation for giving ronAjain the opportunity to shine, with many fans believing that he can match the talent and performance of his senior. The high hopes surely added to the pressure for the 18 year old in a crucial game. Cerce on the other hand will look to the one and only Kurt Lamberti. Lamberti, the current top goalscorer for Cerce seems to be enjoying his game and has scored all but one of the team's goals so far this season.

And the pressure proved to be almost costly within the opening 10 minutes of the game. An attacking minded away side posed a threat down the wing before Lonnie Dillulo played the ball inside to Lamberti, who knocked it past Chris Senior, before forcing ronAjain out of his comfort zone to catch a driven shot. Worryingly for JHI-LK, ronAjain failed to do so, spilling the ball in front of him. With Clayton Edmund ready to pounce, the 18 year old half redeemed himself by making amends to his mistake by claiming the ball at the second attempt.

But despite the Cerce attacking minded with the midfield fluidity in the likes of Dillulo and Julio Marengo, they left themselves exposed at the back. At the 35 minute mark, they were duly punished for their lack of defensive duty, with JHILK skipper Rranr Kikksta splitting the defence with a long through ball to Sdeli Liurion, who took a touch before smashing it from the edge of the area into the top corner, leaving Javier Domenech stretching and hopelessly watching the ball pass into the net. JHI LK were one up late in the first half, which left a huge question on Cerce's defence. How did that move happen and why did no-one tighten up to the forwards?

Unable to recompose themselves, Cerce were punished yet again after a communication breakdown within the back four. The away side showed why zonal marking will not always work, as the four of them started pressing at the wrong time, allowing Kikksta to cause havoc down the centre of the midfield before a deep lying cross from Mickey Graves allowed Talsin Yrrazan to put it in the back of the net with a spectacular overhead kick. Half-time 2-0 JHI-LK and the game looked dead and buried.

Unspectacularly at the start of the second half, the home side had to make a forced change. Following the overhead kick goal by Talsin Yrrazan, the striker managed to pick up a knee injury, resulting in a substitution as Hunter Elodin was brought into the fray.

Elodin failed to make a big impact early on though. The Avakair Tidal Force had a good chance go begging as Mickey Graves managed to switch play to Donald Franken, who lofted a beautiful early ball to Elodin, who headed it so far away from goal that it went out for a throw in.

From then on it was Cerce who returned to their early promise. Committing men forward and really looking to score, the Monty Crisco Musketeers knew that to get back in the game they would need to hit back. But with time running out, Cerce's attacks were rushed and flawed as they resorted to a lot of long range efforts. Hoping that they could score and take something out of the game, the Musketeers were in fact frustrated by the teenage goalkeeper.

The shot kept coming in, with some glimmer of hope of beating the young, inexperienced ronAjain; however despite the drills and the looping shots, everything that Cerce tried was too easy for ronAjain. The best chance however came from Ted Greig with 20 minutes to go, who dummied his first shot, leaving Chris Senior diving onto the ground for nothing, before firing a shot into the top corner. If the ball was slightly further to the right then it may have resulted in a goal, but instead the ball was palmed onto the crossbar by the ever so slightest touches by Loran ronAjain.

With 10 minutes to go, Cerce got back into the game. A unnecessary hand ball by Galen MacFerghuis gifted the away team a penalty as Marengo attempted to cross the ball into the box from the left. Although there was a little bit of questioning from Cerce's end on who to take the spot kick, the decision was unsurprising as Kurt Lamberti stepped up. The striker had his first attempt blocked as he tried to pick out the bottom corner; however Loran ronAjain could not recover in time and the Lamberti made up for it by scoring on the rebound.

The last 10 minutes left a nervy moment for the home side as the fans were biting on their nails, as a revitalised Cerce team kept going forward with a real attitude and desire to salvage a point. 3 minutes from time, Kurt Lamberti almost equalised after skinning past 2 defenders before shooting the ball straight at Loran ronAjain, leaving another opportunity for a rebound attempt; however the rebound fell to Clayton Edmund who fired it home.

JHI LK ended the match keeping hold of the ball, seeing off the game at 2-1. JHI-LK take the 3 points and it all boils down to the MMFC-Swifts game to see who comes out this week on top.

[Jonas]

WHAT?! Apollo LOSES... AGAIN?!

[Falkner van der Sluijs]

You've got JHI-LK to face next round, if I recall

[Jonas]

We will crush YOU!

[Malliki Tosha]

Nice results. What about the MM-SS game?

[Tarekseev]

WHAT?! Apollo LOSES... AGAIN?!

Think it's time for a frenzy buying session in January.

[Tarekseev]

Week 5 results are now in. Results table to be updated after week 6.

[Malliki Tosha]

We still seem to be missing the MMFC-Swifts game.

[Tarekseev]

Sorry I'm having technical issues with my PC at the moment that runs all the simulation stuff. Once it is fixed, I will update (ETA this week)

[Tarekseev]

Okay everything seemed to have fixed itself. Week 6 and 7 will be up very shortly, before 2 SAFL Cup games and then a winter break. The transfer window will re-open during the break.

[Erik Mortis]

My team sucks... Oh well.

[Kaiser Fish XII]

Hey, your team got a goal against a goalie with superstar pedigree, good job

[Erik Mortis]

That's like shooting one out of the 3 people that just murdered you in front of your family...

[Harvey Steffke]

Yeah, I like to shoot all three of them after I'm dead.

[Erik Mortis]

Exactly...