Harry Kewell has produced a shocking penalty attempt in Melbourne Heart's loss to Sydney FC.
Harry Kewell of the Heart reacts after missing a penalty. Source: Getty Images
HARRY Kewell's extraordinary penalty miss has been one of the weekend's main talking points and in many ways it encapsulated Melbourne Heart's season thus far.
While it may have cost John Aloisi at least a point against Sydney FC the 37 minutes Kewell was on the park should give Heart fans plenty of hope for Saturday's derby and beyond.
Melbourne Heart star Harry Kewell has helped Sydney FC take the points in their clash after an unfathomable penalty miss.
In fact I'm tipping Heart to beat Melbourne Victory at the traditional pre-Christmas stoush at AAMI Park, though I don't necessarily ``believe'' Heart will go on and make the top six.
But a derby win could set them up for a mid-season run and would provide plenty of momentum heading into a busy stretch with four games in 20 days.
I'm tipping Heart because they always get themselves up for the derby _ for a club that's made one finals appearance in three seasons it's their grand final and then there's the Kewell factor.
Re-live all the highlights from Sydney FC's win over Melbourne Heart.
Kewell got his angles horribly wrong in his penalty approach, appearing to plant his right foot too close to the ball meaning he struck across rather than through the ball with his left.
Perhaps it was a byproduct of some rustiness, having played just nine competitive games since April 2012.
But once he dusts the cobwebs off he and his Heart teammates will lift and provide much stiffer opposition to the rest of the A-League than they have thus far.
Kewell's influence on Heart is as tactically significant as it is psychologically.
Catch all the goals from round 10 of the A-League.
The number 10 - link man between midfield and attack - position requires a player of immense tactical and technical smarts, who can open up space for others or find space to receive the ball then have the ability and vision to play the defence-splitting passes.
Alessandro Del Piero is a prime example, get a GPS on him and the strength and conditioning department would have kittens, but he changes games with moments of brilliance as he did on Sunday at Allianz Stadium.
In Kewell's absence Aloisi has persisted with David Williams as the No. 10 but he's not that kind of player and would've been better served changing the formation to suit his 11 on the park.
John Aloisi reflects on Melbourne Heart's loss to Sydney FC.
With the two-pronged threat of Kewell and Nick Kalmar's defence-splitting balls from deeper in the second half, Heart's defence earned a much-needed respite and they posed a constant threat for Sydney's defence.
Mate Dugandzic was having a field on the right wing with the early and precise service allowing him to attack the space ahead of him.
But the biggest beneficiary was Mifsud and it was no coincidence that he broke his A-League drought after missing a host of chances since debuting in Round 3.
He and Kewell seem to have a telepathic understanding and more often than not his intelligent runs are rewarded with beautifully weighted passes where his frustration was evident in recent months when the poor service forced him deep and wide, in non-threatening positions to receive the ball.
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