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They mightn’t always be the purest of football sides, but it’s fitting that Sunday’s grand final pits the competition’s two strongest, most complete units.
Not quite offering the flow of the Roarcelona of the past two seasons, Western Sydney Wanderers and the Central Coast Mariners are the teams with the fewest weaknesses, stingy in defence and they both inevitably find quality solutions in the front third.
They might not be Barcelona, but they are to the A-League what a team like Bayern Munich have been this season; strong, well conditioned, organised, strategic, with plenty of difference players at the pointy end.
They certainly have been the most consistent, a blend of physical and flowing football, imposing themselves on their opponents until they wrestle control, a base from which they start playing their football.
While one might mount a case that the Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar have been the two most pure sides at various times this season, there’s no doubt the Wanderers and the Mariners have been the best.
If you delve into the figures, you are likely to find that the Victory and Roar, at times, have perhaps possessed the ball more than the Wanderers and Mariners.
The Victory, especially in the first half of the season, were a sight to behold, with Gui Finkler pulling the strings and promoting Marco Rojas and Archie Thompson in behind opposing defences that were too often left high and dry, marking a number nine that didn’t exist.
But the Victory were found out once Finkler got injured and Tony Popovic orchestrated a physical game-plan to knock them off their rhythm, one that was later replicated by Mike Valkanis, as I described at the time.
More recently, it was the Roar (and in the last month or so of the regular season, Perth Glory) that have been the team most pleasing on the eye, circulating the ball from left to right through Luke Brattan and Steve Lustica, and then pouncing quickly through a rejuvenated Thomas Broich and Besart Berisha, and more advanced Ivan Franjic.
A fresher Roar may have been a bigger test for the Wanderers on Friday night.
Mike Mulvey deserves much credit for the turn-around, and I, for one, look forward to seeing how he comes out of a full pre-season.
While both the Roar and, to a lesser extent, the Victory, can claim they were in transition, the Wanderers and Mariners were more complete.
Here are just a few of the reasons why.
The best defensive structures yet in A-League
Apart from Sydney FC in their championship winning season under Vitezslav Lavicka, who transitioned well into defence, there hasn’t been two better organised A-League defensive units than Popovic’s and Graham Arnold’s.
Indeed, we probably have to go back to the days of Zoran Matic at Adelaide City to find anything comparable in Australia.
There are subtle differences in how and where the Wanderers and Mariners do their defending, but at the core both are extremely well organised, in touch and everyone on the pitch takes pride in their defensive responsibility.
This is a credit to both managers. This sort of organisation and commitment to defending doesn’t come easy.
Both play a compact 4-2-3-1, with a defensive line high. Mat Ryan, for the Mariners, is the best sweeper-keeper I’ve seen.
The Wanderers defensive structure often starts up high, with a pressing game at least as good as that of the Roar under Postecoglou.
Like Besart Berisha last season, Dino Kresinger sets the tone, sprinting left and right, up and down, to put pressure on the defender trying to play out.
He might not score too many goals, but his workrate has endeared him to the Wanderland faithful, who can often be heard chanting his name.
Kresinger and his teammates embody the working class ethos that the Wanderers fans value.
Youssouf Hersi, to his right, is like the Energizer bunny, non stop, to a fault at times, as we saw on Friday night.
Mark Bridge and Shinji Ono mightn’t be the most natural pressers, but they never shirk their responsibility.
Through the centre there is no space, and that’s largely down the tireless workrate of ironman Mateo Poljak and his sidekick. Often that’s been Iacopo La Rocca. Together they were almost impenetrable throughout the 10 game winning streak.
The fullbacks, too, squeeze high, always trying to stop the wide attackers from turning and facing goal.
If teams have managed to get through or around the Wanderers, waiting have been the twin towers in Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Michael Beauchamp, all calm and convincing. And them there’s Ante Covic, in career best form.
The Mariners, meanwhile, tend to start their defending deeper, allowing their opponents to enter their half before they start their tactical press, smothering their opponents, leaving little room between their midfield and defensive lines.
Ono discovered this when the Wanderers went to Bluetongue in March. It was the same for Marcos Flores, Archie Thompson and Billy Celeski on Sunday.
Both have the strength to go with the football
Both these sides are very similar in their physical make-up, featuring giant central defenders, robust holding central midfielders in Poljak and John Hutchinson and a big unit through the middle in Kresinger and Daniel McBreen.
Even from fullback they both have much power through the likes of Pedj Bojic, Josh Rose and Jerome Polenz.
Perhaps the one area where the Mariners have a slight edge is in the pace stake, through Mitchell Duke and Bernie Ibini.
But the Wanderers hide this lack of real pace through their immense pressing effort and tactical organisation.
Like the Mariners, they are conditioned to last. Both Adam Waterson and Andrew Clark deserve a lot of credit here.
Their work to get the best out of the likes of McBreen and Bridge are examples of how critical their roles are in the broader technical blueprint.
The physical strength allows both teams to play on the edge, always combative, but invariably disciplined. It’s a fine line, but both have got it right more times than not.
Strong man-management and tactical flexibility
While neither side has veered away too often from their 4-2-3-1 foundation, it has been the skilful shuffling of the players within this formation which has been a feature.
Whether it’s Michael McGlinchey playing anywhere across the third line, or Iacopo La Rocca featuring anywhere across the backline or holding midfield, it has invariably made much sense, and worked.
When Tom Rogic left for Celtic, Arnold had to find a solution at 10, and has used both McGlinchey and Daniel McBreen with much success, depending on the need for subtlety or power.
Meanwhile, Popovic has adroitly shuffled a fairly thin squad, get the best out if every contributor. His man-management over the Christmas period was the work of a seasoned manager.
When Pedj Bojic was out injured, Trent Sainsbury moved to right back and Zac Anderson slotted in centrally.
Meanwhile, Labinot Haliti has been used effectively across the front line, or off the bench.
The use of Oliver Bozanic, Shannon Cole and Kwabena Appiah-Kubi are other examples of effective resource management.
Most importantly, those that have come in have understood what was required of them, and made a contribution.
Effectiveness from the front third game-breakers
For the Wanderers, their creativity and goal scoring threat has inevitably come from their third line, featuring Hersi, Ono and Bridge.
With Kresinger and others like Haliti providing a foil, its been left to this trio to dominate the assists and goals.
The Wanderers method is about getting it to this trio as quickly as possible, giving them the time and space to combine or shoot.
The Wanderers have been very efficient, and Popovic will do well to ensure Hersi isn’t missed on Sunday.
The Mariners rely a little more on the integration of their fullbacks into the attack, particularly Pedj Bojic on the right.
What the Mariners do so effectively is move the ball very quick.
Combine the quick movement of ball with the movement of bodies in the front third and it’s an incisive mix.
Up front they have the power and goal-threat of McBreen, Ibini and Duke and the great feet of McGlinchey, always scheming for an opening.
Flowing they are just about untouchable, as the Wanderers themselves learnt the last time these teams met. That evening, despite losing, the Mariners proved they have the weapons to stretch the Wanderers like no other team has.
But the Wanderers hung on, and hung on, until they got their winner, and that’s what makes Sunday’s grand final so appetising.
These are two very well drilled units, teams in every sense, and there is likely to be little separating them throughout.
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