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Melbourne Victory's Tomislav Pondeljak tackles Brisbane Roar's Charlie Miller, during round 2 of the A-League Season, played at the Ethihad stadium in Melbourne, Saturday, August 15, 2009. After full time, Victory drew with Brisbane Roar 3-3. AAP Image/Joe Castro
Quite ironic really, given all the talk about crowds, that the on-field standard of the A-League this season has been the best yet, and by some way.
Round three might have been a little underwhelming, but the other four rounds have been very good, with improvement in many areas, ensuring traditional powerhouses Melbourne and Adelaide are struggling to keep up.
Here are five reasons why the league has made giant strides;
The imports
In previous seasons the imports have been hit and miss, and we have often been left underwhelmed by the likes of Jardel, Zura, Wedau, Deane and Steve McMahon Jr.
Now there are success stories everywhere you look. Clubs appear to be hitting the mark thanks to the overall quality dished up from the likes of Fowler, Ifill, Henrique, Keller, Kisel, Traore, van den Brink, Byun, Jelic, McGlinchey, Doig, Greenacre and Sukha, to name some.
All but Henrique are new-comers, but adapting to the league quicker then their predecessors, which in itself says a bit about the improving technical standards, but more on that later.
Add to this vast improvement from the likes of Song and Sikora, who took a bit of time to adapt, and it’s safe to say the imports this season are definitely worth watching.
The returning Aussies
While the clubs have been hitting the mark with the recruitment of imports, they have also been doing well by targeting locals that have perhaps been unsettled in Europe.
Returning Socceroos Jason Culina, Jamie Coyne, Jacob Burns and Sterjovski were expected to do well and have generally lived up to the bargain (Sterjovski is taking longer to adapt), but it is the others that have been overseas and are now back to impart knowledge that are adding to the overall quality.
I refer to the likes of Porter, Steffanuto, Caravella, Milicevic, Talay and Srhoj. Even Haliti showed on the weekend how a few years, even on the fringes in Europe, can refine your game.
The biggest leap is that these guys are coming back earlier, with plenty to offer. This hasn’t always been the case.
The quality of coaching
Sydney has upped the ante by targeting an Eastern European and Lavicka has brought a much needed ruthless streak and level head to the local scene.
His team has shown some very good signs, especially the past couple of weeks.
Sydney’s transition from defence to attack is excellent and against Gold Coast on the weekend they even showed that Australian teams can put their foot on the ball and go backwards or square. It doesn’t always have to be forward, at a millions miles an hour.
Branko Culina and Miron Bleiberg are two others bringing greater sophistication, both in the style of football they wish to play and the type of footballers they are using.
Lawrie McKinna and Dave Mitchell have had to pull up their socks, while in North Queensland, Ian Ferguson has been getting things right the past couple of weeks. Ricki Herbert’s men have also looked good in attack.
Last seasons pace setters, Ernie Merrick, Aurelio Vidmar and Frank Farina, have some catching up to do.
The technical levels
This correspondent, on The Round Ball Analyst, has long bemoaned the over-physicality of the league, where athletes have often been valued more highly than footballers, players who can get their foot on the ball and make a difference.
I sense the pendulum has really shifted in this regard, and about time.
Credit, of course, must go to the clubs and managers for their recruitment and match-day selections.
What it means is that there are more players who want the ball to feet and aren’t afraid to play. Gold Coast have been setting the pace of course, while a team like Brisbane Roar have been left a touch behind, a point captain Moore emphasised on the weekend.
This greater emphasis on the ball rather than the man means games are far more watchable and goals far more spectacular. Better entertainment all-round, evidenced by the wonderful top-of-the-table clash on the weekend.
Hopefully, when the other codes are done and the league starts to get its share of tabloid space, fans will come out and appreciate the better work.
The tactics
I touched on the quality of coaching earlier, and generally the mentality of the coaching fraternity has been positive, attack-minded. Bravo.
There has also been a lot of positive work done on the tactical front, a subject I cover in depth in my latest Talking Tactics piece on the e-zine Half-Time Heroes, which will be out today.
Tony’s team of the week, round 5 (4-4-2, manager of the week, Miron Bleiberg)
——————–Vukovic—————–
————————————————-
T Elrich ——Colosimo—-K Dodd—–Kemp
—————————————————-
———————–Talay———————
Ifill—————-Caravella————–Song
—————————————————-
—————-Smeltz—Fowler—————-
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