The grand final may have been a disappointing one for the Wanderers, but the 2012-13 A-League season was a still a fairy-tale for Western Sydney.
Tony Popovic and co. have a number of positive they can take from the Wanderers inaugural season.
Firstly, by winning the league they proved to be the most consistent team throughout the season.
They defeated every other team at least once, and set many new records on their way to lifting the Premier’s Plate. The trophy also entitles the Wanderers to a direct entry into the Asian Champions League group stage next season.
Perhaps losing the grand final will prove to be better for the club in the long term than if they had won it. The Wanderers will be more determined to win the title next year, and improve during the off season.
If WSW had won everything in a single season, they may have grown complacent before the next season had begun. Or maybe this is just a Wanderers fan trying to justify a disappointing result.
This brings us to the question of what the off-season and the 2013-14 A-League season will hold for the Wanderers.
Wanderers manager Tony Popovic plans to visit an overseas club during the off-season with the intent of learning more for the 2013-14 A-League season.
The off-season will also be an important time for transfers into and out of the club. Here is a brief look at some possible transfers.
Who will stay?
News during the week confirmed the Wanderers have re-signed Labinot Haliti and Jason Trifiro. Shinji Ono, Michael Beachamp, Ante Covic, Jerome Polenz, Shannon Cole, Adam D’Apuzzo, Mateo Poljak, Iacopo La Rocca, Youssouf Hersi and Mark Bridge had all previously been re-signed.
Mark Bridge has struggled at a number of clubs in recent seasons, but under Popa the striker-cum-winger has found some great form. He will likely stay at the club for a number of seasons, and would be a fool to depart the club and attempt to succeed under another manager.
Hersi is also staying for the next season. The Dutch international had not played much football in the previous seasons, but has proven to be one of the Wanderers’ best players. He owes much to the Wanderers and will probably repay them in the next few seasons, if he hasn’t already.
Shinji will not stay for ever, but the longer Popa can hold onto his marquee man the better. His experience and intelligence will serve the team well and the younger or less experienced players can learn from him.
Aaron Mooy will probably depart, but maybe not next season. Another season or two at Wanderland will undoubtedly do the 22 year-old good before a possible departure for bigger and better things in Europe.
Who will go?
WSW recently confirmed four players had not been offered contract extensions. Dino Kresinger, Joey Gibbs, Tarek Elrich and Rocky Visconte will not appear for the Wanderers in the 2013-14 A-League season.
Croatian striker Dino struggled to find goals this season, however the Wanderers didn’t really use him as a traditional number 9 and the team still managed to score goals.
With an impressive goal against the Roar, Dino has become somewhat of a cult figure among Wanderers supporters, and will be missed next season.
Gibbs was another striker who failed to make an impact in Western Sydney this season.
Who will arrive?
With Asian Champions League football to play, the Wanderers’ squad depth will be tested and Popa will do well do add extra power during the off-season.
The departure of Elrich will create a hole in the Wanderers’ defence that will need to be filled during the off-season. A quality defender should be brought in to help out Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Beachamp during the next season.
With the departure of Dino and Gibbs, the Wanderers will need to sign a new striker during the off season. Haliti had been used as a striker during the season, but I still feel an impressive number 9 should be brought in to strengthen the side.
More youth players should also be brought into the team. A number of youth players appeared during the 2012-13 season, and Popovic undoubtedly understands the importance of bringing in quality youngsters.
Reece Caira (20) made two appearances as a defender, Yianni Perkatis (19) appeared twice as a central midfielder, and Kwabena Appiah-Kubi (20) played 13 matches as a winger.
If the Wanderers can hold a number of key players in the off-season, and strengthen well, the 2013-14 season can be just as good, if not better, than the season just finished.
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