De Jong game suits us better than Mierzejewski, says Brosque

Sydney FC captain Alex Brosque has hailed the tactical awareness of new import Siem De Jong, describing the Dutchman as better suited to the team's game than Polish midfielder Adrian Mierzejewski.

Former Ajax star De Jong joined the Sky Blues on loan for a year as a replacement for Mierezejewski who quit the club at the end of last season.

De Jong, 29, has already left an impression in the left-sided midfielder's role and stole the show in the FFA Cup semi-final win over Western Sydney Wanderers with several displays of high class that were not being lost on Brosque.

"Siem is a completely different player to Adrian," Brosque explained after playing a cameo role in the Sky Blues' 3-0 win that gives them a chance to retain the trophy when they face Adelaide United in the final at Coopers Stadium on October 30.

"His size and strength coupled with his vision and tactical awareness are incredible. You don't become captain of a club like Ajax at such a young age without those attributes.

"Adrian did a lot for us. He liked to drift around the field in search of the ball which made it difficult at times when we lost the ball whereas Siem has the tactical discipline to understand that we have a style and structure that works for us and he knows how to work within that for the team.

"It is up to us as his team-mates to make sure we find him in good positions as much as possible.

"To have both him and Milos Ninkovic as well as Danny De Silva as our creative players is a striker's dream."

Sydney appear to have hit the jackpot with their inspired acquisition of De Jong.

Early indications are that he will be one of the drawcards of an A-League championship that is promising to be one of the best in recent seasons.

Swiss-born De Jong should have no trouble fitting into Sydney's 4-4-2 system.

He appears to be less mobile and athletic than the all-action Pole yet he comes across as a man with abundant ball skills and vision and who is capable of taking the pace of the game in his own stride.

Unhurried and unruffled, De Jong plays with the assurance of a seasoned campaigner and his partnership with Ninkovic should provide some memorable moments in the coming season that will kick off in less than a fortnight.

De Jong had a quiet first half against the Wanderers, who should have gone into the break a goal up but a combination of poor finishing and expert goalkeeping from Andrew Redmayne kept the score at 0-0.

But when Sydney stepped up a gear there was nothing the Wanderers could do to turn the tide in the 19th city derby that drew a crowd of more than 14,000 in Penrith.

And as Steve Corica's team lifted so did De Jong.

First he threaded a perfect pass into space for young striker Trent Buhagiar to take a touch and open the scoring with an angled shot.

De Jong then made it two-nil with a majestic free kick from distance that beat the wall and sailed into the net for the highlight of the match.

English import Adam Le Fondre added insult to the Wanderers' injury by winning a highly controversial penalty and thumping home the resultant kick.

The result may have flattered Sydney but it was another clear demonstration of the Sky Blues' expertise and know-how that allows them to win matches even when not playing at their best.

Clearly Sydney are the Wanderers' bogey team.

The Wanderers have now won only once in the last 15 matches and only four times since the two rivals first clashed at Parramatta in 2012 when an Alessandro Del Piero goal sealed a 1-0 victory for the Sky Blues.

No doubt, they will again take some beating this season, particularly when De Jong and Le Fondre get a few more games under their belt.

FFA CUP FINALS

2014: Adelaide United 1 Perth Glory 0

2015: Melbourne Victory 2 Perth Glory 0

2016: Melbourne City 1 Sydney FC 0

2017: Sydney FC 2 Adelaide United 1 (aet)

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