Two strikers, two horrible seasons, two different paths, one club. Mark Bridge, rolled out for the cameras as one of Sydney FC’s big pre-season signings, is on his way to Chinese club Tianjin Teda for a four-month loan spell, taking in the Asian Champions League.
Sydney FC chief executive Stefan Kamasz said at the time of his deal: “It’s a great opportunity for Mark and we are confident that the experience he will gain over the coming months will benefit not only him, but Sydney FC when we begin our next A-League campaign later this year.”
His team-mate, $1.4 million marquee man John Aloisi, was offered a similar off-season, Asian Champions League deal with a Chinese club, this time Mark Milligan’s Shanghai Shenhua, but after initially showing interest has opted out.
“I’ve thought about it and spoken to quite a few people about it and I want to have a good pre-season under [Vitezslav Lavicka],” he said. “We’re going to be playing a lot of pre-season games which is important for me, because I didn’t play a lot this season. If I went on loan, I would come back, probably have to have a week off and then play catch up in pre-season and I don’t want to do that.
“I want to make sure I’m right for Sydney FC and the right thing for me to do is have a good pre-season, play a lot of games and get to know the coach.”
An interesting study in united aims, contradicting ways of achieving them. If Bridge, who had far less of a worse season than Aloisi, and Sydney FC stands to “benefit” from his foreign decampment, then why doesn’t the same apply to his more illustrious peer, who needs as much football as he can get – especially do-or-die Asian Champions League games and not inconsequential A-League pre-season hitouts.
It’s a curious decision by Aloisi and smacks of a lack of confidence in his own ability, which is perhaps understandable.
At playing at a higher level he is exposing himself to the unpalatable prospect he might be shown up even more than he was in the A-League last season.
But is baulking at such a deal really holding him in greater stead with his new coach, Lavicka?
It strikes me that far from doing Aloisi a world of good, in staying at home neither he, Sydney FC or Lavicka stands to benefit.
Aloisi is obviously keen to underline his commitment to the club for the second year of his expensive contract, and undoubtedly doesn’t want to run the risk of picking up another injury or a recurrence of the one that afflicted him for much of 2008, but taking the risk of going to China potentially was going to be a bigger demonstration of his loyalty to Sydney FC and Lavicka – simply because in taking it he
had as much to lose as he had to gain.
Coaches like to see players get out of their comfort zone and excel and this was a great opportunity for Aloisi to do just that.
In choosing the easier path he’s made the job of returning to form – and gaining the redemption he s desperately seeks – potentially a whole lot harder.
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