Because most football fans are pessimistic characters we take a look at things that have gone wrong, could go wrong and could turn catastrophic after the first 14 rounds of the 2015/16 A-League season for each side.
NB: Table at conclusion of round 14.
Brisbane Roar – 28pts
It’s hard to knock the top side but would you trust goalkeeper Jamie Young in a finals penalty shootout? With Michael Theo dogged by injuries in the last two years Young, 30, had been elevated to the top job, however with Theo named to feature in round 15 Young has a tough gig to retain the job.
Elsewhere Roar coach John Aloisi may be worried his replacement strikers couldn’t do the job in round 14 with his two representative Olyroos forwards, Jamie Maclaren and Brandon Borello, absent.
Once the duo return things should click back into place in that regard.
What could be concerning is that the duo may be somewhat fatigued after the Olympic qualifying tournament in Qatar, so Aloisi may need to manage their time.
Regular season finish: 2nd
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Western Sydney Wanderers – 27pts
Tony Popovic has done a superb job recruiting a swathe of visa players who have all mostly contributed on a consistent level since joining the club. However Italian forward Federico Piovacarri hasn’t set the world on fire and a marquee getting dropped simply isn’t good enough. But he is still with the club and chipping in with goals in big games could matter in the end. The way the A-League finals work, a goal in the two first finals games, even off the bench, could mean a grand final spot. In the end that’s essentially what Mark Janko gave Sydney FC.
As mentioned above re Brisbane’s Jamie Young, the same applies for Andrew Redmayne. The former Mariner does have Liam Reddy to compete with for the jersey.
Mitch Nichols is hugely significant for the Wanderers and his availability is crucial as they progress through the season.
Regular season finish: 1st
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Melbourne City – 24pts
Third spot and going well. In a pre-season preview I wrote elsewhere I had the second Victorian franchise as the first side to look to axe their coach. That is looking increasingly unlikely. Althought if John van’ t Schip did make the finals and go out in the first weekend the result would be worse than last season but for now the Dutchman is safe.
Some A-League clubs are criticised for not recruiting marquees but when you see how Robert Koren has stuttered through the season with injuries in Melbourne it’s not a surprise. Koren could leave the club soon which would be the best for everyone. And hopefully it’s the last ‘marquee’ Melbourne City sign for the sake of getting a foreign player’s wages off the cap. (NB. Not that they are the only club to do this in the history of the A-League).
Fringe players not getting game time in coming weeks could be an issue for the club (and others) if players get injured or suspended. With the National Youth League compressed this season the gap between the now conference-based NYL and the start of the state NPL competitions for ‘reserve teams’ could prove problematic. For Melbourne’s second franchise this could be relevant for players like Wade Dekker and Ben Garrucio.
Regular season finish: 3rd
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Sydney FC – 24pts
Alex Brosque’s injury is a big worry as the talismanic skipper has been consistently good in the games he has played this season. Young forward George Blackwood is still making a few errors so isn’t quite a direct replacement. However if marquee Filip Holosko and Milos Ninkovic continue to net that may negate any issue with Brosque’s absence.
Graham Arnold has a challenge coming up, as does Kevin Muscat in Melbourne, in that whoever gets axed from the foreign contingent for the Asian Champions League squad could become unsettled. Famous for “No d*******s” policies in teams he coaches, that period will be a challenge for Arnold. Why more A-League clubs don’t focus on recruiting players from other AFC nations continues to baffle me – especially when they know they will be competing in the ACL. It’ a free visa player essentially for this competition and provides good scouting on teams as well.
If Mickael Tavares gets injured CEO Tony Pignata may find Graham Arnold curled up in a corner in Allianz Stadium.
Regular season finish: 5th
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Melbourne Victory – 21pts
Despite not winning Melbourne coming from 3-0 down to draw in round 14 has gotten them out of a mini-clump. Post their FFA Cup triumph the Victorians fell away for a bit and with the afore-mentioned ACL coming up one could expect a further blip around February as the continental club competition kicks off.
The biggest issue for Melbourne is that their midfield players aren’t precisely like for like so Oliver Bozanic isn’t a direct replacement for his fellow Socceroo (Mark Milligan) hence the balance is slightly off. For a side of Melbourne’s resources not having two players for every position this shouldn’t be an excuse, but it is a significant hindrance as it stands.
Archie Thompson is back from injury and Kevin Muscat will need to use the Socceroos veteran delicately as Thompson has great competition for a spot but also did well in Geelong in round 14.
Regular season finish: 4th
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Adelaide United – 17pts
The Gombau Effect looked to have left town swiftly after the Spaniard departed deep into pre-season but Guillermo Amor has righted the ship in recent times and is now getting the best out of players like Marcelo Carrusca.
A big concern is what happens if Dylan McGowan or Jordan Elsey get injured? Should Osama Malik move in January as reported the defensive stocks are thin and this duo have combined well in recent weeks.
Bruce Djite’s lack of goals, even for the game he has played, is a worry. Adelaide is only going to get by on a few goals from their overseas contingent for so long.
Regular season finish: 6th
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Wellington Phoenix – 16pts
Must find a new Roly Bonevacia somewhere. The club has some handy prospects in their ASB Premiership team but any thoughts of the Dutchman missing long-term is frightening and would put much more work on Albert Reira and co.
The Wellington defence has been gutted with suspensions in recent games and a worse-than-expected injury to Ben Sigmund, but the Blenheim-born defender is due back soon. However forward Roy Krishna is only going to play a few more games at the end of the season if he is lucky so the lack of an out-and-out striker is a concern as the Phoenix chase sixth spot or better.
Oh and the Phoenix still don’t have a licence for next season so there is that weighing on the the minds of the players and coaching staff.
Regular season finish: 7th
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Newcastle Jets – 13pts
Scott Miller, 34, is the youngest coach in the competition and he has featured a host of young players in his tenure to date. Former Adelaide player Ryan Kitto has filled the ten role when import Leonardo has been injured, as has Mitch Cooper, but the gulf in class is dramatic and Leonardo’s seemingly constant injuries aren’t helping things.
The loss of defender Lee Ki-je was a blow as the South Korean was one of the better performed players in the dying embers of the Tinkler/Stubbins era however it has freed up some cash, and a visa spot.
Many teams, even the Victory now, have figured out how to shut down Newcastle’s limited attack. Miller must be yearning for the first month or so which striker Milos Trifunovic had with the club.
Regular season: 9th
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Perth Glory – 12pts
I’m uncomfortable with the way in which Guyon Fernandez was shuffled out the door to accommodate the return of striker Andy Keogh. Players are pushed out the door often but the manner in which the recruitment of Keogh happened so openly coupled with Perth’s salary cap indiscretions from last season, which involved Keogh’s deal, make the move less than ideal.
Coach Kenny Lowe shifting Thwaite into the midfield has been useful but the bloke is out of juice after an hour, other players need to help out or they will be chasing games more often than not.
Perth’s fringe players have also lacked a bit of quality at times when they start come on. It’s not a huge issue and experience will improve that but when you look at the bench of some other club’s it’s part of the reason Perth are ninth.
Regular season finish: 8th
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Central Coast Mariners – 9pts
Five players who featured in the squad for round one of the season, when the Mariners beat Perth 3-2, have left the club or are in the process of doing so. Defender Eddy Bosnar, winger Nick Fitzgerald, playmakers Anthony Caceres and Anthony Kalik plus goalkeeper Liam Reddy make up the quintet so the Mariners current ladder position is not a surprise given those changes. Bosnar, on the bench in the first game, was the first to leave followed by Reddy and Fitzgerald. Caceres has all but agreed to go and Kalik is set for trial in Europe. Another player, forward Dan Heffernan, has been told he can explore other options.
This squad upheaval hasn’t been fun for the Mariners but it may have some good outcomes. In recent weeks it has solicited a strategic move which could help solidify the midfield. Jake McGing was recruited as a defender primarily but has been pushed into the defensive midfield role and will learn plenty from Nick Montgomery. McGing, 21, also offers an aerial threat from set pieces.
Still too much of the Mariners attack is down to Mitch Austin and Fabio Ferreira and the suspension of the inconsistent Roy O’Donovan who will miss a further six matches after round 15 makes goal-scoring hard. Both Austin and Ferreira have missed games due to injury/illness with Ferreira the most concerning.
Regular season finish: 10th