For much of the second half of the 2013-14 A-League season, the talk around Alessandro Del Piero has been of the ‘will they, won’t they’ kind, specifically if a contract extension would be offered to the Italian great.
While few can argue that Del Piero is the best player Sydney have and has dragged the Sky Blues kicking and screaming to a finals berth, argument has persisted on whether he is in fact holding the club back: would Sydney be better off parting ways with Alessandro?
This weekend’s 4-1 win over Wellington provides a perfect example of the heavy reliance team have on Del Piero. After all, it was his build up play that led to his successful penalty, and to his wondrous free kick for his brace (should I be capitalising his?) He also had a hand in the third goal with a finessed play-on to Sebastian Ryall for his goal.
It would not surprise me if Ali Abbas came out this week to admit he had lent his shirt to Del Piero when that fourth goal was powered into the far top corner from outside the area.
Hyperbole aside, ADP remains the lifeblood of the Sydney FC squad. His 10 goals this year are double that of the next highest Sydney FC goal scorer, Richie Garcia, as the Italian maestro follows on from his incredible 2012-13 season as Sydney’s highest scorer with 14 (the next highest Sky Blue player was Yairo Yau, with 6).
Sydney’s run into the finals this year would not have been possible without him, so why even consider letting him leave? Because Sydney FC are victims of Del Piero’s successes.
Much like the latter years of Thierry Henry at Arsenal, or more recently Barcelona with Lionel Messi, having a player that good in a team – a player relied upon on a weekly to get results – changes the way a team plays.
Too often other players in the team will play the wrong option to try and get the ball to a superstar player when he should not be receiving it. They will slacken off in support play on expectation that the player will make it all happen by themselves. Worst of all, the team will have little idea how they play when a player like that does not play.
This is without even the additional financial burdens of the A-League.
What has been evident in Sydney FC’s season this year is that they are short of quality players in many areas of their squad, and this is at least in part due to the diversion of funds to pay Del Piero his reported $4 million per year salary.
Despite his exception to the wage cap as a marquee player, any club director places restrictions on the collective wage they offer a team each season, and the reality is that by making this sort of payment, Sydney FC has been limited in the money they can spend elsewhere. Without that kind of investment, the reliance continues to build, and the team’s habit of relying on Del Piero to produce becomes increasingly two-dimensional.
The third goal of Sydney’s on the weekend displayed the kind of football Sydney’s fans had been missing. Great one-touch football from Sydney FC along the right wing, followed by a cool finish by Sebastian Ryall – and yet all the television commentator could point out was the great final pass from ADP.
It would be hard not to succumb to the aura of the man, but too often the team has had to fall back on the talent of Del Piero to find the back of the net, and as a fan, the football has become increasingly flatter to watch.
As hard as it may be for the Sky Blue management and fans to accept, the possibility of dropping Del Piero may not only free up some expenditure on other areas of the team, but the tactics as well.
Do you think Sydney FC should hold onto Del Piero for another season or not?
Sam Take-it-easy
Guest
I'm not sure Del Piero actually gets paid $4 million per season, wasn't his 1st deal for Sydney only $4 mill over the 2 seasons? Does anyone actually know what he's currently getting paid or are we all just having a stab in the dark? You read one article on ADP and it says he earns $2mill per season and then you read other articles that have him earning anywhere between $3.5-$4 mill per season. Personally, I don't think anyone really knows and we're all just speculating how much this new deal might be worth.
Arto
Guest
@ realfootball: Hehehehehe!!! No worries! :-) I too would like active support as it really adds to the experience... As for ADP, well I guess we'll have toagree to disagree - I see him as bringing enough to the table to warrant an extra season (despite his effectiveness in matches having diminshed somewhat this season). What I see as possible an indctment on the rest of the players in the HAL is that he's close to achieving the same stats (as well as influence on SFC) as last season so it's certainly been money well-spent in my view... :-)
marcel
Guest
The issue basically comes down to whether or not ADP can still do enough in attack to compensate for the fact that he effectively leaves the team a man down for the rest of the game. Sadly I suspect by next season the answer might be no. Despite his brilliance he is clearly getting in the way of the overall team development.
realfootball
Guest
Actually, Arto, on the MV active support issue you are confusing me with someone else. I have found the whole thing to be bewildering and wouldn't know what the truth is. What I would like is MV's active support back!
Arto
Guest
@ realfootball: To the best of my memory, you're not a SFC fan so I guess you are coming from a neutral perspective - unless of course You're an MV supporter (I thought you might be as I seem to recall you commetnting a lot about the MV active support issues we've had this season)... I think the truth is somewhat in the middle of the 2 views that have come up here. And things have certainly not been helped by SFC's inability to play on the same wavelength as ADP - case in point has been the generally poor interplay between SFC's other forwards with ADP's throughballs (especially last season!). Yes, ADP contributes next to nothing from a defensive point-of-view in matches, but I still believe he has benefitted SFC's players during training...
Arto
Guest
@ Ryan: You're right about Totti, he just signed a 2yr extension to his current contract so he'll be a AS Roma player for life now (until June 2016). The lure of the HAL is that they would be contributing to building up the league and it's status in world football. Of course the pioneers are always the ones who get the most credit, but if a Xavi were to raise the bar again from what ADP has done, he would be considered on par with the Italian in the years to come. Whether Xavi or his like are that-way-inclined though is the real question and the only way to find out is to ask & really make an attempt to sign him.
Arto
Guest
@ Ryan: Both Xavi & Lampard are off-contract this Northern Summer, so who knows... After ADP, we can now dare to dream - for all SFC Top Mgt's faults they should be congratulated and credited with having the foresight & ability to bring the great man to our shores!
Arto
Guest
@ Titus: Spot on! What they pay ADP CANNOT be used on the other players anyway, so that's not the problem. It's more a case of trying to integrate him into the team - currently, it's more the other way round (integrating the team with ADP!), which is a bit like putting the cart before the horse! As for the squad, I think actually it's safe to say that even on paper, SFC isn't a Top 4 side. But this is where you sort the wheat from the chaffe as a manager/TD - by being able to sign good players under their 'real' market-value and more at their 'supposed' market-value. Eg: No one had heard of Broich, Carrusca, Flores, Issias, etc. before they arrived in Australia & now they are the stars of the game here who command substantial wages. Being able to sign them on lower wages and 'discovering' them is a key asset for a manager/TD to have. Hopefully, after this season SFC can put together a squad that is better than the current one & addresses the current weaknesses in it. I'm hoping they can sign amarquee TD who can either work with a bright upcoming manager in the mould of a Mark Rudan, or at least change Farina into a Manager who can adapt to different tactical situations and get more out of the squad...
Arto
Guest
@ Franko: +1!! "SFC will be better of making the worst player better rather than taking away the best one." this is the key statement - it's all well and good saying ok, we spend heaps on ADP, but we can't utilise him to his full potential, but if they can't improve the rest of the squad, it doesn't matter what they do with him. At least now, we have exposure, & a far greater sporting chance to win with him than without.
realfootball
Guest
I don't subscribe to this ADP hagiography. I loved watching him play in his prime, but now he's an over the hill 40 year old footballer who should have retired after Juve. Currently he is the worst diver I have ever seen play. He hits the odd free kick well - certainly not all of them - and makes the occasional deft pass. But so do a lot of other players. When he is on the park, Sydney play with 10 men for 90% of the game - a subjective figure, but I'll stand by it. Bosnich's clearly forced apology for calling Del Piero on a disgraceful dive against Wellington was a national embarrassment. I can't imagine what pressure must have been brought to bear for Bosnich to humiliate himself like that on national television. The idea that Del Piero is even considering playing another season suggests stratospheric levels of self delusion. To hell with the forelock tugging and the Australian cultural cringe.
Robbie
Guest
I would agree with you, however if there is one team that will probably bring in big players, is Melbourne City. They have the resources to do it. And if players have to choose either China or Australia, I believe they will choose Australia if the wage demands are met. Something that Melbourne City won't have any problems with. No chance of Totti coming, he'll be in Rome even after he retires. If he were to do a stint, it would be in the MLS where he has a big following after years of touring there in the off season with Roma. Xavi could go to Melbourne City, however now that Barca has a transfer ban, they will be wanting to tie down Xavi for another year so he'll probably either come in 2015 or go to New York FC. Lampard on the other hand could come to Melbourne City or Sydney FC as soon as next year as he hasn't signed a new contract with Chelsea yet I don't believe and there have been continuous rumours that he may leave.
JonJax
Guest
ADP still brings much to our fledgling A-League. Anyhow, I haven't seen him use the "index finger" yet. The dreaded "index finger" is the tell-tale sign a player is approaching their use-by date. Once the dreaded "index finger" comes out- pointing to space, showing the team mate where they should have been to receive the pass and when it the "index finger" gets more exertion than the footballers legs, you just know it's time for the Acme Thunderer to blow three times. Not tracking back is not an issue for Robben or Sneijder and they still get picked for the Oranje.
Ryan
Guest
I think the likes of Xavi, Totti and Lampard are a bit different to Del Piero. If you remember correctly, Del Piero left Juventus because they did not renew his contract; It was not a burning desire to play in the A-League. He only rejected Liverpool because of Heysel apparently, and when he first spoke about his next move the MLS was his preference. I really cannot see Xavi, Totti and Lampard not being required by there respective sides or other Champions league fringe contenders anytime soon. Totti will never leave Roma. Why would they want to come to the A-league? seriously? I really enjoy our league, but I can easily see it lacks desirability. Surely the like of New York City FC will be more appealing, and if its for money a Chinese super league team is much more attractive. Del Piero will be an exception to the rule, and I fear it will be a long time before we see a player of his calibre playing here again. If you are expecting to see a collection of the worlds best players (of the previous decade) knocking the ball around in the A-league in coming years I think you will be disappointed. I would love to be proven wrong, but I really don't think I will be.
Franko
Guest
I know, I thought Del Piero was a wind up when I first heard it also.
Ryan
Guest
Xavi or Lampard playing in the A-league? You cant be serious.
Charles
Guest
A minor correction: FC's second highest scorer this season is not Richie Garcia but Ranko Despotovic with six goals. A good return for Ranko given that he's only started 14 games (plus two as a sub) due his arrival a month or so into the season plus his current knee injury. Sydney has scored 38 times this season (equal third) and the goals have been spread around. I agree that we wouldn't be likely finalists without Alessandro. Sunday was his best game along with his rope a dope against Melbourne earlier in the season. On the other hand there certainly have been games when the team has played faster and better after he was subbed eg against Adelaide recently. The team is effectively down to ten men when without the ball so its a challenge for the coach, but usually worth it in the same way Maradona or Riquelme was. Luxury players have their place.
Franko
Guest
They have a very strong squad on paper. Guys like Antonis, Garcia, Og, Carle and Despotovic would find a place in most first XI's for the top 6 sides. Maybe a marquee that plays deeper and controls the tempo could be of more benefit? I think SFC rely on ADP in the same way that AU rely on Carrusca, or WSW rely on Ono or BR rely on Broich, its simply because he is the best player in the side. SFC will be better of making the worst player better rather than taking away the best one.
drew777
Roar Pro
I think the notion that the team plays worse because ADP is good is silly - being the best player in any team will, according to you, have that same effect as it is all relative. For example, you have a crap left back so every time you pass him the ball you make sure you drop back to cover in the event he loses it. Conversely, if your left back is the best player in your team, you pass him the ball and don't drop back because you know he won't stuff up. See what I'm getting at? Brisbane don't falter because Broich is on the pitch. The notion they play worse with him on the pitch makes no sense, as does your Barcelona and Arsenal analogy.
Bumps
Guest
"Despite his exception to the wage cap as a marquee player, any club director places restrictions on the collective wage they offer a team each season, and the reality is that by making this sort of payment, Sydney FC has been limited in the money they can spend elsewhere." Not sure I understand the äbove. From what I know, SFC have pretty much used up their available cap space. And ADP is obviously outside the cap. Unless of course you are referring to their ability to allocate funds to non-playing areas, such as coaching and backroom staff?
brian drian
Guest
well if SFC had a competent coach who could construct his way out of a paper bag, it would be very feasible!