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Last season saw the Australian public bear witness to a football fairytale. In the space of just one year the Western Sydney Wanderers went from fundamental non-existence to A-League Premiers, capturing the hearts of Australia’s football community.
The Wanderers made an historic Grand Final appearance only to lose 2-0 against Central Coast Mariners, but it failed to take the gloss off an incredible term for the league’s latest addition.
Qualification for the 2014 AFC Champions League was just reward for their fine efforts under the stewardship of coach Tony Popovic.
With an extended pre-season break ahead of the 2013-14 A-League season, will it help favour the club’s attempts to replicate their inaugural campaign or will it hamper their momentum?
Last season’s A-League Coach of the Year will understand the unpredictability of his side may not be such a decisive factor.
Clubs will have done their homework and taken their counterparts style of play into consideration.
Make no mistake, teams will be out to derail the Wanderers’ fine start to life in the A-League.
The club released Rocky Visconte, Tarek Elrich, Joey Gibbs and Dino Kresinger and replaced them with better quality.
Popovic has brought in promising 22-year-old striker Tomi Jurić from Adelaide United and Perth Glory veteran Dean Heffernan, both on free transfers.
But the acquisition of 31-year-old Brendon Santalab from Chinese Super League outfit Chongqing Lifan looks to be the inspired signing.
Although the former Sydney FC man struggled to impose himself in the league between 2007 and 2009, four goals in pre-season and particularly strong showings on the club’s pre-season tour of Asia has created a healthy dilemma for Popovic.
Labinot Haliti, Juric and promising forward Kwabena Appiah complete the impressive options that the Wanderers can choose from up front, and just who gets the nod is anyone’s guess.
Players committing to the Wanderers cause beyond for the long-term future will also see Popovic have a spring in his step.
Experienced attacker Mark Bridge has signed a new deal that will see him at the club until the end of the 2016/17 season, while midfielder Mateo Poljak has renewed his contract to stay with the club until the end of 2015/16.
On that aforementioned 15-day Asian tour, Western Sydney dismantled Chinese Super League club Guangzhou 5-0, drew 2-2 with Shimizu S-Pulse and narrow loss to Tokyo Verdy, who play in J-League division one and division two respectively.
It was only just over 12 months ago that the club was forced to abandon ground share training sessions due to school sports carnivals.
The squad comprised just six players at the beginning of its existence, but now with a settled and prepared group over an extended training regime, confidence will be at a premium.
Add to that the new 3,500 seats at the Parramatta Stadium, which could see the capacity climb to 24,000 fans and membership officially sold out, and it appears that second-year syndrome is a very distant thought.
A great deal of the plaudits from last season must go to Popovic.
The former Socceroos centre-back included an extensive consultation process with each potentially listed player.
The whole idea behind the strategy was to build a squad full of determined players, and it worked a treat.
Ex-Chelsea and Germany international star Michael Ballack was high on the club’s radar, but the 40-year-old boss opted for attacking midfielder Shinjo Ono.
The veteran Japan international proved to be a great piece of business for the club and fantastic addition to the A-League, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in 25 appearances.
“Next season, we will win (the Premiers Plate), be back in the grand final, and we will win the championship,” a devastated Ono said following the grand final defeat.
With hunger like this, it will hold the team in good stead for the upcoming campaign.
The pressure has increased significantly and by the time the Wanderers kick-off against the Mariners on October 12, lofty expectations will be bestowed upon the team’s shoulders.
Second-year blues is simply not an option for such a driven character like Popovic, and it’s his dynamism that will encourage the playing group to show they were not just a flash in the pan.
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