Could Sydney FC be the worst team in Australian sport to potentially win a championship? The Sky Blues more often than not look hopeless, yet a top-six finals series means they’re in the mix to win the A-League.
Make no mistake – Sydney’s 4-1 win over Wellington Phoenix at a soaked Sydney Football Stadium yesterday afternoon was rollicking good entertainment.
A couple of Alessandro Del Piero goals, a screamer from Ali Abbas and a collector’s item from Seb Ryall were the rewards for the 10,000-odd Sydney supporters who braved the elements to watch their team claim a much-needed three points.
It was a win which could be enough to see Frank Farina’s men fight off Newcastle Jets for a sixth-place finish and with it, a spot in the finals. But do they deserve it? Probably not, if the past 26 rounds are anything to go by.
In fact, to watch an average Sydney FC game is to view a collection of 11 distinct individuals who possess no element of cohesion whatsoever.
At one point during the gritty win, Richard Garcia played an intelligent ball in behind the Phoenix defence for Joel Chianese, only to discover his strike partner was running in precisely the opposite direction.
It sums up the performances of a team which continues to rely almost exclusively on Del Piero.
The Italian was at his impish best against the Phoenix, winning and converting a penalty, curling home a fabulous free-kick and rattling the crossbar with another, setting up Ryall for a superb goal and generally proving a constant menace.
Del Piero is by such distance Sydney’s best player it’s embarrassing, so it defies belief that club officials would deem him too expensive to retain for another season.
Is it because he doesn’t track back? Neither does half the Sydney midfield, yet you don’t hear club officials talk about getting rid of Milos Dimitrijevic.
Are his wage demands too high? Perhaps billionaire owner David Traktovenko might be better off jettisoning high-earning non-playing staff like Nicky Carle instead?
Whatever the rationale for not wanting to re-sign the club’s second-highest goal scorer of all time, Del Piero could yet play a major role in the finals.
Incredibly, if results go Sydney FC’s way next weekend, the Sky Blues could finish as high as second, despite being one of the worst teams in the league all season. They’re unlikely to go on and win the competition – even allowing for Del Piero’s singular influence – but it doesn’t say much for the format of the finals.
Sydney fans would do well to see off the Italian in style in what is almost certainly his final regular season game at home to Perth Glory next weekend, after Western Sydney Wanderers supporters paid fitting tribute to the departing Shinji Ono on Saturday night.
The Japanese maestro has done more than any other to dispel the myth that Asian players can’t be stars, and the former Urawa Reds and Shimizu S-Pulse midfielder thoroughly deserved his warm send-off in the 1-1 draw with Brisbane Roar.
The Wanderers have looked odds-on to finish second for much of the campaign, but now the Mariners, Adelaide and Melbourne Victory are breathing down their neck with one round to play.
And surely the Reds and their eccentric tactician Josep Gombau are the team with the momentum to snatch the all-important second spot.
At times this season Adelaide have played some of the most exhilarating football we’ve ever seen, and though a lack of defensive nous prevented them from challenging Brisbane for top spot, they’ll have it all to play for in the rough-and-tumble of knock-out football.
It’s all to play for with one round remaining, with six teams still jostling for a chance to win the competition.
Sydney FC are unlikely to, but after recording an entertaining win over the Phoenix, that’s a story for another day.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
If they win the Grand Final then they aren't the worst team. It would be nothing short of a miracle to win from where they are now. The finals series is a cut throat once off, like a cup tournament and the best team on the day wins.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Every team is different and has their own style and no-one is saying SFC are the same quality as BR. The final series, like cup tournaments, are cut throat and reward the team with the best stamina, determination and desire to win on the day. What happened over the past few months doesn't count.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Are you serious clayts? People are more interested in who gets the other ACL spot, than who makes the finals and wins the GF?? I think you'll find most people wouldn't agree. Australian sport and even Australian TV has a grand finale for everything - even the biggest loser or master chef. Its part of our culture mate. The regular season is a money spinner for the FFA just like the final series, so I don't see a problem with that - they have to pay the rent and need every dollar they get. I'm looking forward to this weekend and who gets into the finals and if BR win the double then good luck to them, but there are 5 other teams trying to knock them off.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
I thought I'd laid an egg.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Trappatoni had one bad gig with Ireland yes, but he is the most successful club manager in Seria A's history and one time Italian coach. There's a lot of issues at SFC that need fixing up and a good stern experienced coach would be a good start.
Arto
Guest
@ AGO74: I think the Board still wants ADP, but on their terms (which include a decreased salary & more control over marketing, etc.) - until it's sorted out, and that could take a while, we won't get any official 'last game' send-off for him which is a real shame, IMO...
Arto
Guest
@ Matthew Skellett: Not sure where you get your info from, but Channel 10 will have more than enough on it's plate trying to stem the bloodflow on their bottom-line and have invested heavily in the BBL for the next couple of years so I can't see them bidding for soccer broadcasting rights. For all SBS's imperfections, they have previously been good at covering the game so if I were to recommend anything to the FFA it would be to get SBS to lift their game - the alternative as I see it is Channel 7 coming in (given their current deal for the All-Stars matches and experience with the MV vs Liverpool match last year). Whether we still see a split in it's present form or more along the lines of Channel 9's NRL coverage will be decided during any negotiations...
Matthew Skellett
Guest
I'd hazzard to guess that the next Rugby Broadcast deal will turn out to be LESS for the ARU because the FTA host Channel Ten is putting in a 100's million dollars bid for the whole FFA Football rights which leaves Foxtel who have shown some form in scorning Rugby of late and since they have no competition they will have little compunction to drive down the deal price when it is tabled
bob
Guest
Trying to compare Broich and Ono to ADP is like comparing seria a to the a league. Match.
Kane Cassidy
Roar Guru
No way would the board give Del Piero the managers gig right off the bat, they would pay for his coaching A-Levels and give him a coaching position before doing that.
Arto
Guest
@ Mike Tuckerman: It's a pretty provocative statement to put out there!!! But I guess that's part of your brief in order to get people commenting on the articles! :-)
Arto
Guest
@ Mike Tuckerman: I doubt you'll find even an SFC supporter who has "the idea that Sydney FC possess the same sort of quality as a Brisbane Roar or an Adelaide United". It's obvious SFC is a fair way away from those two, but that's the thing with the Finals Series - it's the great equalizer. Most times, AU & Roar will (at present) beat SFC when they play, but in a one-off Finals match with the pressure on things are not so cut-and-dry.
Arto
Guest
@ Reginald Bomber: Re Trappatoni - it won't happen. Pure speculation (& IMO, it's a rubbish idea to hire him anyway!). Pignata has already come out on Twitter to say it's a rumour and that he's never met or spoken either him or his agents. I DO want a TD that is a marquee (ie: someone of Trappatoni's status, not necessarily him as I think he's lost what he had in Italy before he went to Ireland - it's possible though that the Irish players were just rubbish & couldn't implement what he wanted to do so he worked as best he could with what he had, but that wouldn't augur well for SFC then either, would it?!)
Ginger71
Guest
most players actually love playing finals and winning the grand final as well, why would there be such a fight on every year to get into the finals if it wasnt important to players. Brisbane Roar are the premiers, maybe they will be the Grand Final winners also, both to me are an achievement. I have won many of both and treasure my grand finals more, and in any case in the history of the A-League the grand final winner has never been lower than 2nd spot so saying they were good for 3 games is illogical.
Ginger71
Guest
100% agreed, it is ruining the game. Back in the 70's when i started playing you rarely saw it, now its common place in professional football.
Ginger71
Guest
a dive is also when you exaggerate the amount of contact to gain a foul. Not all contact is a foul. ADP goes down way to easy. Most grown men and women dont go down with the slightest touch like he and others do.
Rellum
Roar Guru
#KeepTheRedAndWhite
Ash
Guest
I think Sydney FC has a good chance to finish 2nd. If they beat Perth (good chance of that happening) Newcaslte beat Adelaide at home (good chance) Wellington draw with or beat Victory at home (good chance) Brisbane beat Mariners (good chance) Heart beat Wanderes at home (not impossible!)
Kane Cassidy
Roar Guru
Haha I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me we can call Heart "Citeh" now!
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
All the best with your health concerns, Eamonn.