Sydney FC’s Mark Bridge shows his disappointment after a missed opportunity during their A-League match against the North Queensland Fury at the Sydney Football Stadium, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
“Recent suggestions that Vitezslav (Lavicka) will not be coach for Monday night’s game against the Newcastle Jets are simply untrue,” read a terse media statement from Sydney FC on New Year’s eve. But whether Lavicka survives a dreaded vote of confidence could depend largely on the result at Energy Australia Stadium.
If last season’s championship victory was one of sheer ecstasy for Sydney FC fans, then this season has been akin to a punch in the face.
The A-League ladder makes for sobering reading: just four wins from 22 games have left the defending champions sitting stone cold bottom of the table.
Two wins over Perth and a victory apiece against Newcastle and Wellington Phoenix are the grand sum of Sydney’s title defence.
They’ve lost their last five games in a row, haven’t scored in 450 minutes of football but have conceded nine goals in the same period, and have just signed journeyman Finnish striker Juho Makela in a desperate bid to reinvigorate their attack.
Makela is the second foreign striker signed in the midst of the campaign, after Brazilian front man Bruno Cazarine joined in August.
Yet the Sky Blues were willing to relinquish young striker Chris Payne to North Queensland Fury, and he’s now contributed four goals and four assists for the struggling Townsville side.
Payne has already signed for Newcastle Jets next season, but who’s to say either Cazarine or Makela will stick around for Sydney?
Their arrivals are just one of a number of puzzling decisions made by a club struggling to piece together a long-term plan, and Sydney now face the real prospect of becoming lambs to the slaughter in the Asian Champions League.
Japanese heavyweights Kashima Antlers booked their place in the group stage by winning the Emperor’s Cup last weekend, joining South Korean giants Suwon Bluewings and Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua in Sydney’s group.
And the Sky Blues will be ripped to shreds if they continue playing the kind of one-dimensional, error-strewn football they are right now.
Which brings the future of Lavicka into sharp focus, as it’s under his watch that Sydney have experienced such a dramatic slump in form.
It’s true Sydney have been unlucky with injuries: Nick Carle was signed to replace the retired Steve Corica but has spent much of the season on the sidelines, while the influential Alex Brosque has also been plagued by a series of knocks.
But the Sky Blues should have the calibre of personnel to overcome their absences.
The fact is players like Liam Reddy, Stuart Musialik and Mark Bridge have done little to justify their pay packets, with moribund performances the norm despite the vociferous urgings of The Cove.
It’s a trite cliché to simply call for more passion, yet Sydney fans must nevertheless feel entitled to more determination from a team that has surrendered feebly on numerous occasions.
Even if Lavicka is predominantly paid to pick the team and deliver tactics – and there’s an argument to suggest he’s also struggled with that – the former Sparta Prague coach seems to have failed in the art of player motivation.
Which brings into question whether he’ll be around for much longer, or whether former players Tony Popovic and Steve Corica will come into contention to take over as coach.
“As the club has said all along, we will sit down collectively in January and discuss everything,” Sydney FC vice-chairman Scott Barlow said.
“This is an agreed upon process which has been in place for an extended period of time.”
That may be so, but time’s clearly running out for Lavicka to save his job.
Defeat in Newcastle could ring the death knell… the knives are out, and it could be anything but a happy new year for Vitezslav Lavicka.
Michael
Guest
LOL :-)
BrisbaneBhoy
Guest
Sydney have to get rid of him, they have a reputation to uphold - They do after all have a habit of changing managers every 1 or 2 seasons.
Nick
Guest
I Agree with pretty much everything you've said but I would like to make one comparison, to Roy Hodgsons deplorable 7 month tenure as the manager of Liverpool. Both Lavicka and Hodgson employ narrow minded defensive tactics with zero width, there player retention and recruitment has also been horrible. Sydney FC cannot endure another season under Lavicka, they need a new manager preferably not Popovic or Corica that will be able to turn this boring an narrow minded team around.
Realfootball
Guest
Why? I can't think of another coach who could have failed so demonstrably and still be in the job. The truly remarkable thing is that he hasn't been fired already. He let good young players go, he recruited no talent mediocrities like Reddy, known to be notoriously error prone and divisive in the dressing room during his time in Brisbane, and dinsosaurs like Foxe. This is his team, no question. It was obvious, as I read the squad list with incredulous dismay in pre season, that this team was desperately short on quality. McFlynn as captain? And just exactly what does Mark Bridge do, given that he hardly ever scores a goal? Postecoglue, I am williing to bet, had less to spend than Lavicka, and the Czech's tactics are moribund at best. Can Sydney afford another season like this? Absolutely not. They simply cannot take the chance that Lavicka can turn this truly terrible team around. He got lucky last year. The A-League of 2009-10 was seriously short on quality, a factor that has contributed to the declining crowds this season. Sydney were never exciting to watch, but they had Corica and Colosimo and Bolton and Kisel, and they elevated strugglers like McFlynn, a footballer only just above park standard. This year the bar has been raised, and Lavicka's shortcomings have been painfully exposed.
Roarchild
Roar Guru
A little from column A and a little from column B. I think the fact that Brosque and Carle have both hardly played is being understimated. When Sydney were good last year it was Brosque firing up front which made their forward line look scarry. The killer B's the 3 nil game at Etihad etc. It was largely Brosque carrying Bridge. No doubt in my mind if Carle was fully fit and had played 20 plus games they would be doing much better, though Victory are only 5th/6th and look much better than Sydney all over the park so perhaps still not in the finals... but better to watch at least. I actually have my doubts he is in charge of recruitment. Obviously Kissel was his but Sydney were linked with Reddy for ages, rumours even before the 09/10 season started. I doubt that was LV but no one seems to be putting their hand up taking the blame for that one. If he's not in charge of recruitment there's more of a case for keeping him because Sydney's recruitment/retention has been dismal. Sackable. That said while he's creditied with improving professionalism at Sydney FC he doesn't exactly inspire on match day. Playing Danning not as a winger but as a lone striker, frequent use of Fox as a striker, not using his bench in the finals until well into extra time, taking off attackers for more defensive midfielders (even when SFC are 1 nil down!). Match day wise despite his licenses he seems worse than most local coaches. Players like Payne and Ramsay have been better used at other clubs....though the Heart boys don't seem to be doing so well. Despite all the above If SFC replace him with his underqualified assistant (Popovic) then it could get even funnier.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
It is interesting to see how many pundits were lauding his contribution last year and using him to underline the need for a certain type of coach to be engaged. Were the pundits horribly wrong, has the change come from Lavicka himself or is something rotten in the state of Denmark?
Rhys
Guest
I don't think Long Bay FC would be too keen on the deal
ajb
Guest
Lavicka should stay, he should be given another season to turn things around.
Aljay
Guest
Apparently Kerem Bulut's in Sydney. Think we can get him on loan?