A match-up too tight to call just adds to atmosphere Illustration: michaelmucci.com The pressure of big matches is like a vice descending on the mass of players, the whole game is squeezed tighter and tighter until, eventually, something or someone breaks and pops out the side. If we go through the variables, there has not been a closer final in the A-League's short history. Graham Arnold has the experience of a troubled time with the Socceroos - which, had he delayed until today with his greater knowledge, expertise and experience, would have been a much different story - as well as the epic grand final in which a two-goal lead was squandered. Tony Popovic has played his cards to perfection. Knowing that his side is relatively inexperienced in grand finals, he already had his key messages thought through, prepared and ready to deliver on cue. "Will there be any nerves?" he was asked, (journalist-speak for 'Will your team choke on the day?') Outstanding, an admission that nerves are inevitable. Anything less would be pure denial but Popovic redirected the energy of the day to a positive, no doubt the exact line he is delivering to his players all week. This is how a clever leader can maintain focus and the right psychological balance in a group, particularly one that has the unquestionable respect and attention of the group. Does Arnold really have to worry about the "choker" tag, given their previous three finals have yielded a doughnut? No, he does not, because the mentality and tactical quality of the squad under him has no relevance to the first two, and he knows they should have won the Brisbane final at any rate. It wasn't that the Mariners were two up, but that they should have been five to the good, and football matches can be won and lost right to the whistle at any level. The 2011 match has no bearing on today. Youssef Hersi is a huge loss, because he is such a threat on the right-hand side to the opponent, both in attack by stretching and constantly testing the left side of defence, as well as defence, by working extremely hard and cleverly to close down the opposing team's build-up, often stealing the ball and combining defence with attack. He is the best in the business and, without him, Joshua Rose and Patrick Zwaanswijk have far less to worry about, with and without the ball. That is a relief for Arnold, who can send Rose forward with more confidence, a key aspect of his plan. Arnold can compensate for Nick Montgomery's absence more effectively, and will have worked all week on the new double pivot combination in central midfield, particularly positioning in defensive transition, since this is where Shinji Ono hovers, ready to receive, turn, and cause havoc. The Mariners' midfield will seek to block this area to limit Ono, while the Wanderers will need to either have their wide midfielders track back on the rampaging fullbacks, Pedj Bojic and Rose, or rely on Mateo Poljak and Yianni Perkatis to adjust laterally - likely both. In the end, the game is likely to be one of relatively few chances, since both teams will have a well-drilled defensive plan to stifle the attacking progress of the other, and this is where the Mariners might just have a slight advantage with the league's golden boot, Daniel McBreen, in great form and seeing the goal as though ten times the size. Mind you, let's not be too hasty. Remember Ono's magnificent strike last week and the lovely backheel of Dino Kresinger, who has seemingly found the goal at the business end of the season, and the finals experience and goal-scoring quality of Mark Bridge. Two of the keepers of the season, two mean defences and fairly similar records in attack - trying to separate these two is like a constant fight with oneself. It's yellow and blue, no red and black, yellow and blue. Whatever the outcome, this will be the grand final with the two best organised teams seen in the eight-year history of the competition, and an occasion to punctuate the extraordinary arrival of the Wanderers, and the real football atmosphere they have brought to our shores. Yellow or red, it matters not, for football can enjoy another day to savour, and a more solid platform for the future. Twitter -@Craig_Foster