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Since A-League clubs entered the AFC Asian Champions League in 2007, gripes which have often been raised by football progressivists include the impact of travel, costs of transporting the team, a congested fixture list and low prize money.
But the A-League needs to embrace the continental tournament the way Josep Gombau embraces his players.
Considering how little emphasis has been placed on the Champions League – something that appears to be changing slightly in 2014 – it’s an achievement in itself that Australian clubs have reached the knockout rounds on five occasions; the most memorable of which being Adelaide United’s defeat to Gamba Osaka in the 2008 final.
With Central Coast, Western Sydney and Melbourne Victory all poised to progress from their groups in the current installment of the competition, ears are beginning to prick up. It’s not so much an epiphany – coaches have spoken of the advantage of playing against high-quality opposition in recent years – but there is at least a nod of acknowledgement to the magnitude of the Champions League.
It’s hard to envision an A-League club treating the ACL like Guangzhou Evergrande does, but it’s a start.
One of the things that has long held A-League clubs back is the self-labelled ‘minnows’ tag. Perhaps it’s more of an insurance policy, but the fear of teams in the ACL – considering the lack of knowledge about the rest of Asian football – is cringeworthy.
Teams from Japan, South Korea and China, in particular, are praised for being more technically sound than their A-League counterparts and any sort of result against these sides is seen as good enough.
It’s quite obvious there is some sort of a gulf between Australian teams and the traditional Asian powerhouses, exemplified during Evergrande’s comeback victory over Melbourne Victory earlier this year and Western Sydney’s defeat to Kawasaki Frontale in Japan last week, which saw last season’s premiers completely run off the park by the pacy J.League side’s attack.
But results this season have been positive. All three A-League clubs have taken points from two of their opening four group matches and the myth that Australian football is on a lower level is quickly being dispelled.
Wanderers coach Tony Popovic insisted once more following the Frontale defeat he has no doubts his side can match it with the best on the continent.
“Our boys did fantastically well,” he said. “I think we showed that we can compete at this level against an excellent team.”
There does, however, seem to be a tendency to play down expectations for A-League teams in the Champions League. Kevin Muscat fielded a young and all-Australian line-up for the loss in Yokohama last Wednesday, meaning any sort of result would have been a positive one.
But it’s the lack of scrutiny surrounding some performances that aids the theory A-League clubs still see themselves as the little fish. Au contraire!
A full-strength squad for the current three representatives should be backed heavily for three points against any opposition in Asia and the defeated mentality is not befitting of a league that has improved significantly in quality since its inception.
The Mariners, Wanderers and Victory all have a strong case to progress to the knockout stages this year and anything less should be seen as a failure. Fingers crossed Brisbane can prove the A-League’s ACL hopes are dramatically underrated.
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