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Foreign coaches are the flavour of the month for the new A-League season as rivals set out to replicate Vitezslav Lavicka’s instant success with Sydney FC.
Lavicka led the Sky Blues to the premiership-championship double in his first coaching stint outside his native Czech Republic and looks to have inspired several clubs to look abroad for guidance in season six.
New franchise Melbourne Heart have opted to appoint Dutchman John van ‘t Schip for their inaugural campaign, while Adelaide have signed compatriot Rini Coolen to replace new Olyroos coach Aurelio Vidmar.
Embattled North Queensland, meanwhile, have lured Lavicka’s good friend and former Czech national team coach Frantisek Straka to the far north.
It means for the first time, the number of foreign coaches stacks up to those locally-developed – though newly-appointed Central Coast coach Graham Arnold is in fact the only one of the 11 coaches born in Australia.
Lavicka does not believe the trend reflects a lack of coaching talent within the country, but rather the belief foreign coaches can help develop the game in other ways.
“Australia is a big country and they have a lot of good coaches here,” Lavicka said.
“But coaches from overseas are able to bring something useful for Australian football culture.
“It really is the choice of each club but I am happy that I am here and can be part of a professional and ambitious club like Sydney FC.”
Newcastle’s Branko Culina, a coach in Australia for more than 20 years, welcomed more foreigners but warned they faced new challenges in Australia.
“Like there’s a need for quality overseas players, there’s a need for quality overseas coaches as well,” Culina said.
“If they’re quality, at the end of the day, that’s what we want for the game.
“One thing I do know of foreign coaches is that they are used to working with different conditions and resources and if they’re not provided with those resources maybe the impact may not be as great.”
Lavicka faces a new challenge of his own in his sophomore A-League campaign, having had to rebuild a squad that lost several experienced campaigners including John Aloisi, Simon Colosimo and Steve Corica.
But the club has responded with some smart recruiting, notably luring Socceroos midfielder Nick Carle back from England and snaring promising youngster Scott Jamieson from Adelaide.
“The squad, it seems younger, fresher but the players which have gone were experienced and had great character,” Lavicka said.
“We know it is our main question mark this season but I expect the players will share the leadership … it’s a big target for all of us.”
The new season offers an opportunity for either Sydney or Melbourne Victory to forge ahead as the most successful club in the competition’s brief history, having now claimed two championships each.
Victory coach Ernie Merrick also has his work cut out with star striker and marquee player Archie Thompson to miss most of the season with a knee injury suffered in the grand final loss.
Much interest will surround the performance of Victory’s new cross-town rivals the Heart and notably the impacts of what will become the A-League’s first two-team city.
On paper, van ‘t Schip has recruited an imposing squad of players featuring current and former Socceroos such as Michael Beauchamp, Matt Thompson, Josip Skoko, Aloisi and Colosimo.
“It’s always tough for a new franchise starting up but they’ve recruited what looks to be a very strong squad,” Sydney FC captain Terry McFlynn said of the Heart.
Other points of interest include Arnold’s return to club coaching after 10 years with the national team and Robbie Fowler’s move across the country to Perth Glory.
Ricki Herbert will be looking to build on a spectacular period for New Zealand football following the All Whites’ unbeaten run at the World Cup and Wellington’s shock finals finish last season.
The new season will see midweek football played regularly for the first time to help accommodate 30 extra matches with the expansion to 11 teams.
The Heart host Central Coast at the newly-opened AAMI Park in Melbourne on August 5 in the season opener.
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