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Over the last two seasons, the Western Sydney Wanderers have been entertaining football fans and pundits with their vibrant display of football.
Of course, most of this has involved Shinji Ono.
Ono has been the marquee man who provided us with some exciting goals and tactical plays, which have elped Western Sydney to a minor Premiership in their inaugural season and continue their success into this season.
But Tony Popovic also deserves credit since he is the coach and he has certainly done his job well by selecting some of the best players in the A-League, as well as ensuring his football squad provide some exuberance, changing the way the A-League is played.
So what makes the Western Sydney Wanderers the best side in the A-League?
First of all, the fan-base.
The FFA have really picked a fantastic location for a football side, as every time you head into the outskirts of Western Sydney, expect to see the fans wearing the black and red shirts with pride, while also chanting the word “Wanderers” with absolute enthusiasm.
They know the players well and the players certainly know the fans, which is shown with the squad saluting the fans after games they win or draw.
So far this season, the Wanderers would be averaging the third highest crowd attendances, after arch-nemesis Sydney FC and the Melbourne Victory.
Secondly, the coach himself, Tony Popovic.
Even though his experiences of being a coach were highly questionable, with his only managerial roles being at Sydney FC as a caretaker coach in 2009 and assistant at Crystal Palace in 2011, Popovic wanted to get the best players available, even though he faced a difficult time limit of about four or five months and a limited budget.
Popovic selected high calibre players such as Ante Covic, Michael Beauchamp, Mark Bridge and Nikolai Topor-Stanley, but to complete his vision, the Wanderers needed a marquee player.
At first, the Wanderers had discussions with Michael Ballack, the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich striker, but the negotiations broke down and along came Shinji Ono.
What has made Popovic one of the most successful coaches so far in the A-League has been commitment and anti-complacency.
Popovic has never liked talking about the opposition, which he believes is a way of making his side complacent, once the Wanderers got to their winning ways.
Even when the Wanderers had their rough start at the beginning of their inaugural season, Popovic ensured the club would perform at their best, which paid off with the Wanderers winning 10 consecutive games and, eventually, the minor premiership.
As a result of Popovic’s managerial style, commentators such as Andy Harper and Robbie Slater have applauded the Wanderers’ playing style.
Then you have to look at Shinji Ono, the man who has been almost completely responsible for making the Wanderers modern legends of Australian football.
What made Ono a good choice to play for the Wanderers was the fact the games he played in Japan were similar to the A-League, as both leagues tend to play a physical game.
This was one of the main reasons Ono was able to settle in more easily than Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey, who in their careers have adapted more to the skilled, processional approach to football used throughout Europe.
Ono’s clear strength has got to be setting up shots and providing assistances for other teammates, hence the fans giving him the nickname ‘Genius’.
He is one of the best at picking players and giving them superb passes for attempts at goal, as well as having the ability to play in any part of the midfield.
The Red and Black Bloc absolutely love him and as a result of this Ono has indicated he would like to play on for the Wanderers.
But the main contributing factor behind the Wanderers’ dominance has been the fact they were able to win a minor premiership in their first season.
Sure, the Wanderers weren’t able to win the grand final against the Central Coast Mariners but the fans, players and Popovic have all insisted the Wanderers would come back next season better than ever.
Thus far, they have proven just that.
This season, they have remained undefeated and are just one point behind competition leaders the Brisbane Roar.
The Wanderers have remained consistent and with the rise of new players such as Tom Juric, the Western Sydney Wanderers’ dynasty has already begun.
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