A-League 2017-18 preview part one: the teams bubbling under

Wellington, Central Coast, Adelaide and Newcastle – if you support any of these teams you probably think what follows is a stitch-up or further evidence of some kind of bias. And the truth is, they could all equally go on to make the top four; this is Australian football we’re talking about after all, a universe about as reliable as a Trump administration spokesperson.
Yet there also happens to be some logic behind the decision to include them. This quartet occupied the bottom four spots on last year’s ladder, three of them have been hanging around there for the past two seasons, a pair of them for the last three years, and in the case of the Jets, seven seasons on the trot. So, while each can look forward to improved efforts, they still have plenty of ground to make up on sides above them.
One thing appears clear: the gap between the best and the rest should be a lot narrower this season compared to last. Three of last year’s bottom four have changed coaches, all have undergone significant squad overhauls, none look substantially weaker, and in most cases considerably stronger, hence why we’re calling this “bubbling under” and not “scraping the barrel”.
These are welcome developments. Having an even spread of competitive games is essential for a league with so few teams. So often in recent years deadweight has become marooned at the foot of the ladder but the signs are encouraging that such mismatches will be avoided this season.
Ins: Scott Galloway (Mariners), Goran Paracki (NK Istra 1961), Dario Vidošić (Seongnam FC), Daniel Mullen (Jets), Andrija Kaluđerović (Port FC), Ali Abbas (Pohang Steelers).
Outs: Roly Bonevacia (Wanderers), Glen Moss (Jets), Kosta Barbarouses (Victory), Alex Rodriguez (Boavista), Vince Lia (United), Louis Fenton (Team Wellington).
Nix fans, this is not the preview you were looking for. The fear is your club could be the best wooden spooners in A-League history.
New coach Darije Kalezić arrives with plenty of experience, predominantly in the top two tiers of Dutch football, and Wellington’s fate this season rests on his ability to get the best out of a serviceable if uninspiring looking squad that on paper seems to be of only minor improvement on the group that finished seventh last season.
Kalezić’s public comments have referenced patience, process, culture and organisation, suggesting this season may be one of groundwork with loftier ambitions reserved for next year. A three-match pre-season trip to NSW ended with a hat-trick of defeats, which when added to the earlier FFA Cup exit to Western Sydney does not bode well.
Six of the players that have left in the transfer window played at least 20 games last season, so the starting XI – especially the midfield – will have a different look to it. As will the club’s uniform with one of the better rebranding exercises undertaken during the offseason. Five of the new signings wearing the smart new badge have A-League experience, though none of them set pulses racing.
As ever, being the sole Kiwi representative has its benefits and drawbacks. Home advantage should guarantee enough points to avoid catastrophe, but All Whites call-ups will disproportionately disrupt the squad during international windows.
Due to the pre-season improvements of last year’s other cellar dwellers, at this stage Wellington have to be considered contenders for the wooden spoon.
Strengths: Judging by the recruitment policy and statements from the coach, expect Wellington to be well organised and tough to break down.
Weaknesses: The Phoenix midfield looks a little lightweight following the squad turnover with plenty of responsibility falling on newcomer Paracki.
Who to watch: There’s bags of potential in Wellington’s creative types with Gui Finkler, Vidošić, Roy Krishna and Michael McGlinchey all providing plenty of attacking threat. The latter of that quartet is due a return to form after an indifferent run and if he can replicate the trickery that helped the Mariners to silverware earlier in his career he could transform his side’s prospects.
Predicted finish: 10th. Someone has to finish last and this prediction is based more on the improvement of teams around them rather than Wellington’s own failings.
Ins: Tom Hiariej (Groningen), Alan Baro (Victory), Antony Golec (Bucheon FC 1995), Andrew Hoole (Jets), Ben Kennedy (Jets), Kye Rowles (Roar), Josh Rose (City), Daniel De Silva (Roda JC), Thomas Glover (Tottenham Hotspur - loan), Asdrúbal (Port FC), Wout Brama (Utrecht).
Outs: Paul Izzo (United), Roy O’Donovan (Jets), Fabio Ferreira (PKNS), Ivan Necevski (Released), Nick Montgomery (Wollongong Wolves), Jacob Poscoliero (Glory), Jacques Faty (Released), Scott Galloway (Phoenix), Mickaël Tavares (Released), Michael Neill (Sydney United), Jake Adelson (Jets).
As with neighbours Newcastle, things are finally looking up for Central Coast Mariners following a spell in the doldrums. Paul Okon’s arrival as head coach last year began a turnaround after they had degenerated into one of the poorest A-League teams ever. The next step in this process has been an overhaul of personnel with 11 new faces, including an entirely new roster of foreigners.
This quartet of visa players – two from Spain and two from the Netherlands – hold the key to the Mariners’ season. Central Coast have lacked solidity and experience in recent years but if new skipper and former Melbourne Victory stopper Baro, along with Hiariej (ex-Groningen), Brama (ex-FC Twente), and Asdrúbal (ex-Las Palmas) can provide a solid spine, there’s plenty of young talent at Okon’s disposal to flourish around them.
Despite falling prey to Blacktown City in the FFA Cup it’s been a positive pre-season for the Mariners, collecting the scalps of the Jets, Phoenix and Victory along the way. Encouragingly for the coaching staff, goals were conceded in only one of their nine friendlies, including most recently to a near full strength Sydney FC.
The Mariners face a similar challenge to the resurgent Jets; coming from so far adrift of the leading teams, how difficult will it be to bridge the gap? They’ve won just 14 of their past 81 A-League matches, so optimism is welcome, but converting that promise into points will not happen immediately and there will be speed humps during the campaign. Improvement should be expected, but with most of the sides around them also strengthening, the finals still look at least another season off.
Strengths: The recipe for midfield success in the A-League has recently come to mean a dual-pivot at the base of a three-man unit (think Josh Brillante and Brandon O’Neill or Mark Milligan and Carl Valeri) and the Mariners may well have bought first rate ingredients in Dutchmen Hiariej and Brama. “Last season when teams muscled up on us we struggled to go with them and now with Tom Hiariej and Wout Brama, they give us that steel in the midfield. Everyone else feeds off that which really helps,” Okon said after a friendly victory over Wellington.
Weaknesses: A number of young Mariners have promised much in recent seasons without going on to reach their full potential. If the now solid Central Coast spine is going to allow the players around it time to play, it’s up to the likes of Connor Pain, Hoole and De Silva to deliver.

Who to watch: De Silva will be one of the most scrutinised players in the A-League this season. After bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old at Perth Glory the now 20-year-old has not blossomed into the superstar playmaker as expected. His career has been stalled by an unsuccessful expedition to Europe, culminating in him returning to the A-League to resurrect his career. Playing under a coach who knows and believes in him, in a system designed to maximise his effectiveness, De Silva could be one of the stars of this year’s competition.
Predicted finish: ninth. It may seem like the Mariners remain in the gutter, but they are definitely looking at the stars.
Ins: Paul Izzo (Mariners), George Blackwood (Sydney), Ersan Gülüm (Hebei China Fortune, loan), Johan Absalonsen (SønderjyskE), Vince Lia (Wellington), Karim Matmour (1860 Munich), Daniel Adlung (1860 Munich).
Outs: Dylan McGowan (Pacos Ferreira), George Mells (Released), Sergio Cirio (UD Ibiza), John Hall (Wanderers), Jesse Makarounas (released), Eugene Galekovic (City), Kim Jae-sung (Jaennam Dragons), Marcelo Carrusca (City), Iacopo La Rocca (City), Riley McGree (Club Brugge), Eli Babalj (Mladá Boleslav)
It seems a fool’s errand to try and predict the fortunes of a side that has yo-yoed as spectacularly as Adelaide United. Two seasons ago they were unlikely premiers, last year they finished ninth, scoring only 25 goals in 27 games. Only four of that 2016 grand final squad survive to begin this campaign under new coach Marco Kurz. In a season of unknowns, Adelaide could finish anywhere.
It’s a cliche, but Adelaide are another side whose success will be determined by their visa players. Captain Isaías is proven quality at the base of midfield and Baba Diawara showed in his short stint last season that he has goals in him. The three further visa signings are new to the A-League but former German Under-21 international Adlung, former Algerian international Matmour, and former Danish international Absalonsen all look to be well-scouted. If they settle quickly, which is never a given, United become a far more formidable prospect.
Adelaide’s pre-season form has been good, most notably reaching the FFA Cup semi-finals after knocking out both the Jets and Victory.
Strengths: United’s fitness levels have been remarked upon often during the pre-season. Kurz has been implementing double training sessions to ensure his methods take hold as soon as possible and the outcome is a preparedness that has seen Adelaide into the last four of the FFA Cup. Jordan O’Doherty said recently: “We’re going into games probably a lot fitter than the other sides which is good and it’s giving us that extra edge especially in longer games.”
Weaknesses: Adelaide scored only 25 goals last season, the lowest in the competition. If Diawara doesn’t fire they could find themselves in a similar situation again.
Who to watch: Covered in tattoos, persevering with the noughties fauxhawk, and sporting a bulging vein on the side of his forehead, Adlung is the kind of player the eye is drawn to. Judging by his very impressive hype reel, that’s no bad thing.
Predicted finish: eighth. Close eyes. Throw dart. Eight? Yeah, eight’s a number between one and 10, that’ll do.
Ins: Daniel Georgievski (Victory), Mario Shabow (Wanderers), Roy O’Donovan (Mariners), Kosta Petratos (Glory), Glen Moss (Phoenix), Dimi Petratos (Ulsan Hyundai), Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Hatta Club), Jake Adelson (Mariners), Ronald Vargas (AEK Athens).
Outs: Andrew Hoole (Mariners), Morten Nordstrand (Fremad Amager), Joel Allwright (Adelaide City), Labinot Haliti (retired), Ben Kennedy (Mariners), Ma Lei Lei (Released), Daniel Mullen (Phoenix), Mateo Poljak (Astra Giurgiu), Kristian Brymora (Millwall), Aleksandr Kokko (Eastern).
Of the clubs that missed last season’s finals, Newcastle have made the boldest moves to improve their status. The Jets have recruited as impressively as any side in the competition, and allied with the appointment of the been-there-done-that Ernie Merrick as coach, loom as this year’s bolter.
A squad clearout was in order after a miserable season, the seventh in succession that ended without finals football. In the place of a host of underperformers come proven A-League quality in the form of Georgievski, Topor-Stanley, O’Donovan, Moss and Petratos. Venezuelan marquee Vargas has an exciting CV and we know Merrick has an eye for Latin forwards.
Coming from such a low base expectations have to be managed but this is the most optimistic Jets fans can hope to have been in years. Strong pre-season form has fed this positive energy with O’Donovan in particular proving he packed his shooting boots on the short journey up the F3.
Strengths: Knowing how Merrick likes his teams to play and the quality of recruitment in attacking areas, the Jets should be an exciting proposition going forward. O’Donovan proved himself as a quality goalscorer in a weak Mariners outfit, with a much stronger looking squad around him he should be in the Golden Boot mix.
Weakness: Seven seasons is a long time to go without finals football and changing the mindset around the club and instilling a winning mentality will not happen overnight. The wheels have fallen off in recent seasons despite bursts of good form. Merrick has to ensure any run of bad results doesn’t return the project to square one.
Who to watch: Petratos was blossoming into a star at Brisbane Roar before his ill-fated move to Korea midway through last season. Still only 24 the versatile ball-player is primed to assert himself as Newcastle’s primary creative outlet. Always looking for possession he has excellent footballing intelligence and under Merrick’s coaching should be given the freedom to express himself. Exactly the kind of player who could sneak into Ange Postecoglou’s World Cup plans (if Australia get there, of course).
Predicted finish: seventh. If everything falls into place the Jets will be the feelgood story of the summer, playing swashbuckling football in front of packed houses rewarding a region desperate for a team to get behind.

SOURCE : GUARDIAN SPORTS
posted by CAMPUS94