AuthorJeffEyesRimmer The A League kicks off for its 12th iteration this week and so we thought we would do a little preview of the season to come. Last season saw Adelaide United go from being awful to just sublime, Brisbane defy the critics, Phoenix be threatened with being dissolved and a certain Bruno Formaroli breaking the goal scoring record in a single season. So the new season has a lot to live up to. Below we preview the 10 teams involved. Adelaide Utd
What a season last year was, they finally won the grand final at the third time of asking and in some style too. They were not expected to do anything last season and they surprised many with their adventurous style. Teams will be more wary of the Champions this season and much will depend on how they react to being in the Asian Champions League, which kicks off half way through the season. They have also lost several key players from last season’s victory run; Bruce Djite, Stefan Mauk and Craig Goodwin have all moved on with the incomings so far being from other A League teams. Much will depend upon how they react to those loses and unfortunately with the players they have lost I can’t see them going back to back. Key Player: Marcelo Carrusca Youngster to Watch: Ryan Kitto Brisbane Roar It was a case of so close last season. Brisbane was 3-0 up at Parramatta in the semi-finals and all was looking good to make it to the final. But then a Castelen shaped figure stepped forward to score a hat trick to turn the game on its head. That game would end 4-4 after 90 minutes before an extra time goal sent the Roar out. As they were so close last season it is more tinkering with the squad rather than whole sale changes. In Maclaren they have a fantastic goal scorer and with quality in depth the Roar are probably the best placed team to win the title. I expect them to make a big charge for the tittle this season. Key Player: Jamie Maclaren Youngster to Watch: Joe Caletti Central Coast Mariners A season to forget for the Mariners, bottom of the pile with only 13 points gained. The close season has seen a mix of youth players promoted to the full squad and some well-known A League experience added. Jake Adelson, Kwabena Appiah and Adam Berry have been promoted from youth and Jacques Faty and Ivan Necevski add the experience. Both of them have been brought in from just down the road from Sydney FC. The addition of Conor Pain from Melbourne Victory will hopefully bring goals as well, with Pain hoping to fulfil the huge potential he has. Another addition up front that should help will be Blake Powell who scored 12 goals for Wellington last season. A better season is expected, but they couldn’t go lower than last year. With the signings made they might well aim for top 6. Key Player: Nick Montgomery Youngster to Watch: Michael Neil Melbourne City It says it all at City now that a fourth place finish last season was seen as somewhat of a disappointment. They scored the most goals last season but conceded the most out of the top 6 teams making the finals. While it remains to be seen if they will address the defence issue, they have brought in real quality for this level in Neil Kilkenny and Luke Bratten and added in the raw ability of the youngster Bruce Kamau, one of Adelaide’s break out players last season. They have also brought in some guy called Tim Cahill, who is supposed to be a very good player. Joking aside it will be great to finally see Australia’s favourite football son return and play on home soil. They still have the goal scoring prowess of Bruno Formaroli but the loss of Aaron Mooy will be keenly felt. They will be up there again fighting for the tittle though but then that is expected from the billionaire owners. Key Player: Bruno Formaroli Youngster to Watch: Daniel Arzani Melbourne Victory In the end last season they comfortably finished 6th ahead of Sydney FC in 7th to make the finals but it was not the inspired title defence that most had expected. They have lost some stalwarts of the team in Barbarouses and Finkler, both to Wellington Phoenix and Archie Thompson (retired) but the loss of Matthieu Delpierre (also retired), one of the players of last season, will be hard to deal with. The signings of James Troisi and Mitch Austin appear astute and they are quality players and Melbourne will be looking to improve over last season. However, it might more of a transition season for the Victory, they still have one of the best squads on paper but losing so many players in attack may prove an issue for them. A top 6 finish is likely though. Key Player: Besart Berisha Youngster to Watch: Sebastian Pasquali Newcastle Jets Last season started well for the Jets before they fell away and failed to make the finals. They have gone and lost their best player, goal keeper Mark Birighitti, to the English Premier League no less and his loss will be felt. Overall last season the Jets were disciplined and well organised and hard to break down but they failed to make that resilience pay and did not convert enough of their chances in front of goal. Their signings this season do not appear to have addressed that issue and another season outside the top 6 is likely. Key Player: Morten Nordstrand Youngster to Watch: Devante Clut Perth Glory Last season was somewhat of a quiet season for the Glory. After the trials and tribulations of being thrown out of the finals in the 2014-2015 season for breaching salary caps it was probably what the Glory needed. That hangover appeared to carry into last season as they started badly but recovered well to finish in 5th. There were high expectations of Diego Castro and the Spaniard did not disappoint, he finished the season with 13x goals and 4x assists. It will again be Castro Perth will look to to provide inspiration but in the signings of Royston Griffiths and in particular Rhy Williams they have added some quality to the team, although they still look a little light in the midfield area. Perth should be aiming a little higher this season though, it could be a fun season for the west. Key Player: Diego Castro Youngster to Watch: Jamal Reiners Sydney FC A disappointing season in the end for Sydney FC in finishing outside the finals positions, especially when the previous season they had gone all the way to the final. They struggled in front of goal last season with their strikers chipping in with only 12 goals between them. They have gone some way to address that issue with the loan signing of Bernie Ibini from Club Brugge and they will be hoping club captain Alex Brosque can stay fit for much of the season this time around. The additional signing of Michael Zullo will help the creativity side of things too. Much will depend on whether the new signings hit the ground running otherwise they will likely miss out on the finals again. Key Player: Alex Brosque Youngster to Watch: George Blackwood Western Sydney Wanderers A good season last year, ending with coming second in the league but again they missed out at the final hurdle in the grand final. There is another rebuild required at the Wanderers and that includes the new stadium. A total of 13 players have been sold or released in the close season, including the likes of Andreu, Mark Bridge, Romeo Castelen and Dario Vidosic who all contributed so much last season and in Bridges case to the very nature of the club itself. They have made some quality signings in Robbie Cornthwaite and Steven Lustica but it is again up front that they may struggle. Their marquee signing last season (Piovaccari) failed to make the grade and as with the other Sydney side they struggled to hit the back of the net. Creating chances wasn’t the problem but putting them away was, what might have been if they had had a quality goal scorer like some of their rivals. Another season of getting close but not quite is likely on the cards. Key Player: Mitch Nichols Youngster to Watch: Lachland Scott Wellington Phoenix It was a difficult season in the end for the Phoenix which was really overshadowed by the potential of them not being included in the A League for this season. That appears to have been resolved for now and the signings of former Victory stars Kosta Barbarouses and Gui Finkler adds creativity and experience to the squad, not to mention a winning mentality. The release of Blake Powell, their leading goal scorer last season could be a major loss though. However, there is reason for optimism in New Zealand, the Phoenix has some exciting young players coming through like Dylan Fox and in proven winners in their new signings they could make a fight for the top 6 places. Key Player: Kosta Barbarouses Youngster to Watch: Logan Rogerson Let us know what you make of the new A League season to come. |
AuthorsJust Some Fans Writing About Football. Archives
June 2018
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