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When Australia’s professional footballers association announces its A-League team of the season at tonight’s dinner at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium, you can expect to see a bevy of Brisbane Roar players in the mix, at least five of them likely to make the final 11 by my reckoning.
It would be a just reward for what has been a truly outstanding season, undoubtedly the best yet in the A-League. Perhaps it might become the best ever in Australia football history if they can lift the golden toilet seat on March 12.
For now though, the regular season success was sealed with another emphatic display at Suncorp on Saturday night, the type of performance that should warn the other five finalists that the Ange Postecoglou’s men aren’t in the least bit satisfied with what they’ve hitherto achieved.
In fact, to these eyes, it seems his team are primed to take their game up another notch or two over the next month.
Postecoglou certainly keeps raising the bar, and his men appear motivated enough to jump every hurdle.
There has certainly been no rest since sealing the premiership, with the lure of breaking the all-time undefeated record adding special motivation over the past few weeks.
The next goal will be to ensure they get hosting rights for the decider, and the next fortnight, against Graham Arnold’s in-form Mariners, promises to be something special.
For now though, Roar fans can take a moment or two to honour their many stars, even those that don’t quite sneak into the PFA’s final 11, which will shape up as a 4-3-3.
Here’s how I see it.
Staring between the sticks, and while I was surprised not to find Eugene Galekovic among the nominees, Michael Theoklitos’s nomination was certainly warranted, and there’s not much between he, Mathew Ryan and Glen Moss.
In a toss of the coin, I’d have Ryan.
His flying save to deny Marko Jesic yesterday was among the best of the season.
There should be less conjecture at right back, where Ivan Franjic, with his assists, constant over-lapping and dynamic shooting from range, is the only option, especially considering that the next best, Pedj Bojic, wasn’t even short-listed.
In central defence it gets a little more interesting, with four players vying for two spots. By virtue of the fact Brisbane play so offensively and take a risk at the back, leaving their central defenders exposed, both Luke Devere and Matt Smith would be worthy inclusions, covering and ground quickly, being aggressive in the tackle and distributing well.
In Devere’s case, he carried the ball forward beautifully.
But they have very worthy competition in Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Patrick Zwaanswijk, both outstanding.
Due to his popularity, Michael Thwaite might well sneak in, while Iain Fyfe, with his four goals and two assists, would also be a worthy final 11 member.
From the six, I would take Devere and Topor-Stanely, just ahead of Zwaanswijk and Smith. The Dutchman makes it onto my five-man bench.
If central defence is competitive, it heats up even more at left back, where there is an almighty battle between Adelaide’s Cassio and the Mariners’ Joshua Rose, just as it has been all season.
After fifteen weeks, I had the Brazilian just ahead, but Arnold’s flier has finished the season in sparkling form, yesterday’s assist for Patricio Perez making it seven, to go with his three goals.
Not surprisingly, many have now joined the Rose for the Socceroos bandwagon, a call I made in mid-December. Cassio, squeezed out, gets a birth on the bench.
Into midfield and we’re looking for three.
Interestingly, the PFA have nominated Thomas Broich as a midfielder, despite the fact he has played almost every minute of his season on the left side of the Roar’s front three.
To me that indicates that the PFA need space in the front three, a point that becomes clear when you consider the front-third nominees.
With Marcos Flores and Matt McKay obvious candidates for the other two central midfield spots, that squeezes Jason Culina out, onto the bench.
Given that, McKay gets the anchor role, with the other two, Broich and Flores, free to advance and influence in the final third. If it were to ever happen in real life, it would be a mouth-watering prospect.
While I chose David Williams at the half-way point of the season, his form, like that of the Fury, dipped in the back half of the campaign.
The players most on the rise throughout the second half of the season were Kosta Barbarouses and Robbie Kruse, who get the jobs on the flanks, with Sergio van Dijk splitting them.
The Kiwi reached double-figures, but might have had 20, such was his mobility and subtlety on the ball, while Kruse’s wonderful feet took him all the way to Qatar.
It was tough leaving out Jean Carlos Solarzano, who bagged an impressive 11 goals from only 22 games and 13 starts, but van Dijk has been a human wrecking ball for Rini Coolen.
All up, it’s a dynamic and offensive 11, emphasising the quality across the competition this season, and, with Postecoglou pulling the strings, it would certainly take some stopping.
Tony’s Team of the Season
———————–Ryan—————————
——————————————————–
Franjic——-Devere—-Topor-Stanley—–Rose
——————————————————–
———————–McKay————————-
—————-Flores———-Broich—————
———————————————————
—–Barbarouses————————-Kruse—–
————————van Dijk———————–Subs; Theoklitos, Zwaanswijk, Cassio, Culina, Solarzano
Coach; Ange Postecoglou
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