Halfway through the 2018-19 A-League season and the table is starting to shape up, creating a clear gap between potential finalsts and the rest.
But a very even competition could make for an exciting finish, and here’s how I’ve viewed each team’s season so far.
Perth Glory
Perth have been remoulded under new coach Tony Popovic in such a short length of time that it shows his brilliant management skills beyond his years. While the Glory have had many injuries to deal with, including to players like Matthew Spiranovic, Diego Castro, Juande and Brendon Santalab, Popovic has built a squad with one of the best benches in the league, with many players starring, such as Joel Chinese.
The five at the back has had a similar effect to Antonio Conte with Chelsea, the side has brilliant wing backs in Jason Davidson and Ivan Franjic and an exciting winger, Chris Ikonomidis, to score on the counter. Popovic has the team doing its jobs and winning when it gets tough.
Grade: A-
Melbourne Victory
Keisuke Honda has been the star of Melbourne Victory and the entire league. With many goals, assists and his general play – he never seems to give the ball away – he has been great to watch.
Victory under Kevin Muscat have changed their system to play to their strengths, with a midfield diamond and two up top. Besides Honda, many players have stepped up, including Terry Antonis, who is turning into a regular goal-scorer, and Kosta Barbarouses, who has been adjusted into a striker. Swede Ola Toivonen is a great target man and very composed shooter who has been linking up with James Troisi very well.
Victory look great when Honda plays, but they’re a different side without him. They will surely adjust in time. Victory have a great team when fit and have the players to go back-to-back and be competitive in the Asian Champions League.
Grade: B+
(Kaz Photography/Getty Images)
Sydney FC
Sydney are a different team under Steve Corica compared to Graham Arnold this season. They were expected to be the ones to beat, but they must improve to be contenders.
Sydney have, much like Victory, gone to two strikers, which many fans are still undecided on. Players like Siem de Jong have showed glimpses of brilliance but are not being nearly as consistent or involved as Adrian Mierzejewski was. Adam le Fondre has been a lethal finisher like Bobo but uses his pace to get in behind.
Unfortunately for Sydney Trent Buhagier, a man with great pace compared to someone like Alex Brosque, did his ACL at the start of the season. The fringe players have stepped up, and Aaron Calver, Jacob Tratt, Paulo Retre and Daniel De Silva have been brilliant when called upon.
They’ve had a tough start, but once they get clicking, they can become a big threat again.
Grade: C+
(Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Melbourne City
The circus came to Melbourne when Bruno Fornaroli didn’t travel to Brisbane, and he hasn’t played since. However, in the meantime, City have been playing much better football and winning games, and Warren Joyce has won the battle with the fans after some called for his head.
City have made some great signings, with Riley McGree scoring a couple of goals, Ritchie De Laet playing worthy of marquee status and Kearyn Baccus controlling the midfield. However, the side still need a striker, even though Lachie Wales has done a good job and looks like a long-term first-team regular.
If City make a good signing or two, they could be up there as they still haven’t lost to Melbourne Victory.
Grade: B
(AAP Image/Daniel Pockett)
Adelaide United
FFA champions Adelaide United have had a very inconsistent season. They have many great players but seem to be missing something. Paul Izzo is one of the best, and they have a solid defence and experienced midfield, with Isaias Sanchez playing one of the best seasons since he’s come.
Up front they have Craig Goodwin, who started the season with a bang but has gone quiet; Ben Halloran, who shows moments of class; and Ken Ilso. Adelaide know they need a striker, and they’ve been linked with many, such as Tomi Juric and Andrew Nabbout.
Adelaide at their best can anyone, as shown by beating Melbourne Victory, but they can also struggle, as shown in draws against the lower-placed teams. A big signing required, but Marco Kurz seems like a great manager. Hopefully we see Goodwin get back to scoring those rockets.
Grade: C+
(Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Wellington Phoenix
The Nix have been reborn under Mark Rudan. The coach that won so much at NPL level has been shining in what was been called one of the hardest jobs in Australian football. He signed a contract with the club’s future undecided, taking over from a poor team last year to turn them into contenders for the title.
Rudan has used formation and personnel changes before settling on his 3-5-2 formation. He has developed young teenagers Sarpreet Singh and Liberato Cacace into important players, and Roy Krishna is now the club’s all-time leading scorer.
However, Rudan has focused on his defence, signing Polish goalkeeper Filip Kurto and ex-Newcastle man Steven Taylor, solidifying the defence. Andrew Durante continues to show his class and experience, with over 300 A-League games to his name.
The Nix have gone from potential spooners to potential contenders.
Grade: A+
(Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Newcastle Jets
Last year’s grand finalists have been nothing but disappointing to the neutral. A side that last year scored goals for fun has struggled in front of goal. Roy O’Donovan has helped and Kaine Sheppard from Avondale, but the Jets look far from where they were last year.
A loss in personnel and Jair’s struggles to convert have made for a frustrating season to date for the fans, but Ernie Merrick is surely the man you want to turn it around. Let’s hope for the sake of the league that Newcastle can mount a late-season charge for the finals and get back to the free-flowing, attacking style that won over fans last season.
Grade: D-
Western Sydney Wanderers
Markus Babbel called the Wanderers the worst team in the league at the start of the season, but that hasn’t proven to be true. The Western Sydney have been inconsistent and frustrating to watch, like the Jets at times. They have not been able to score despite creating nearly the most chances of any team this season. They have a defence that is leaky, as shown by the 4-3 loss to Perth.
Oriol Riera has looked tired, frustrated and switched off in games. Alexander Baumjohann has shown glimpses of magic but tends to be isolated and not involves as much as he should be. Patrick Ziegler has looked good when available. Kwame Yeboah looks fantastic with his pace in behind.
With a very young team things are looking better for the future, with academy like Tate Russell, Keanu Baccus and Abraham Majok getting game time. The Wanderers have potential and promise with a good coach.
Grade: D
(Nigel Owen/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Brisbane Roar
Brisbane have had another season to forget, with just one win so far. With not many players playing well and a long way behind finals, the youth should get more of a chance, with players like Connor O’Toole, Dane Ingham and Daniel Bowles all looking good. John Aloisi has left, and they are looking a little bit better.
Brisbane have created chances but, like Western Sydney, they cannot convert. Adam Taggart, despite his high goal haul, should be on a lot more.
Brisbane off the field looked good at the start of the season with reasonable crowds. Unfortunately crowd numbers have declined significantly, combining with some recent troubles at the Den. This football club needs significant reworking for the future.
Grade: E
(Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Central Coast Mariners
Well, where to begin? The 300-plus days without a win? The ‘Michael Charlesworth Out’ signs? The broken goalposts? The Mariners used to be one of the powerhouses of the competition, but that feels like a lifetime ago now.
Usain Bolt arrived in the preseason, trained and then left. Maybe they should have kept him, because they need a striker now that Ross McCormack has gone back to Scotland.
The crowd is at one of the lowest points in league history and fans are beginning to fear promotion and relegation because they believe the Mariners will be first down.
Tommy Oar has been injured and the team have looked like a Sunday side at times, with horrible errors and aimless possession. Despite some young players, like Matt Millar, playing well, the fans know he will probably leave like so many others did.
However, the Mariners will be hoping their win over Melbourne City will be a start of a run that launches them off the bottom of the ladder.
Grade: E
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Tom, I didn’t disagree with your assessment when it come to the team, which is probably what you meant anyway. I just disagreed with how you got there. Roar has a f’&#*@ lot of work to do, that’s pretty obvious. And Ross Aloisi resigned this morning so we are making headway.
Tom Aalders
Roar Rookie
I see your points Lionheart and I will explain my reasoning. I do not live in Queensland but I think I have reasonable knowledge of the club that is not mine. I have been to games their as well. 1. The football club needs re working. With the new training facilities is great but that needs time to build up a reputation and consistency. There has been significant staff turnover recently which is never a good sign. Players need time and so do the staff. I have limited knowledge with the NPL but I would think Roar would go well as they are the only A-league club their so youth would be drawn for that clear progression pathway. Roar haven’t hit with their recruitment in a few years and that gives the impression that things aren’t good to miss consistently. Look at Victory, Sydney, Jets in the last 2 years. Ownership also plays apart in being given money to spend. 2. Crowds decreased since the start of the season which I understand due to team performance. However saying other clubs crowds also decrease should not be the approach of the club. The club should focus on itself and if it is decreasing not look to the easy excuse that the league is decreasing (even though it’s true). 3. I was wrong about Bowles being youth, perhaps I should of said breakthrough player as he is establishing himself more in recent times and Ingham hasn’t started many games so I still think he’s quite young as well. Roar have multiple great young players though. 4. It is great to hear that you believe that the support was great on Tuesday night and I hope that continues for the rest of the year. I hope that the roar can have a good finish to the year to please the passionate fans like you. Thanks for the feedback, very appreciative of the insight on the club.
Tom Aalders
Roar Rookie
Ok I stand corrected, great crowds for the first 2 or so weeks. I was more talking about the first 5 weeks to the crowds, and the roar did well promoting with the community before the season started. Perth should be getting more but their prices are very expensive and I believe it's hard to access if a game at Optus stadium is on (not sure, just based on what I've heard, never been to Perth)
Tom Aalders
Roar Rookie
That wasn't my intention but I like it! I gave the Nix a higher rating because of the lack of expectation heading into the season compared to Perth. They have both done amazing but I think based on what was expected the nix have just edged Perth.
Jordan Klingsporn
Roar Guru
Here we go.... More crowd numbers talk.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
"This football club needs significant reworking for the future" I think you mean team, this football team, needs … work. The club is going great, just look at the W and NY leagues, the NPL sides and academy, infrastructure, which collectively with the team you've examined, make up the club. 'Crowd numbers have declined significantly' they have, but what are you comparing them to? Last Tuesday's crowd is about the same as the last two A League games played on a Tuesday night, both in Sydney, and are not significantly below the few seasons preceding. I don't think declines in Roar crowds are significantly different to many other clubs. I'd stopped thinking of Bowles (age 27) and Ingham (NZ int'l) as youth players some years back, I'm pretty sure they're both on senior contracts. I think you probably meant Wenzell-Halls, Shannon Brady, Joe Caletti, D'Agostino and maybe Jay Barnett and other emerging Roar Academy players. You got O'Toole right, but overall I have to give your analysis of this club an F. Anyone can see that poor recruitment, especially of the visa players and marquee, has led to a steady decline in recent years. Three or four of these senior players are regularly missing, dropped or otherwise marginal selections (Kristensen, Mikkelsen, Nigro, Mauk, Pepper, Lopez). Add those missing long term (Avram Papadopulous, Holman) and a long term snub (DeVeere), all key players, and you start to get a picture of what is wrong at Roar. On the field, in front of goal, they seem to have been drilled to shoot from a distance, but whatever (I'm no football analyst), I think the coach situation speaks for itself. As to the Den, first it's not part of the club and second, with the rejigged (works-in-progress) Den on Tuesday night was, in my view, the best night's active support Roar has had in a few years, even with fewer revellers in their section. They were refreshing. Yes, I'd agree. the team needs a significant re-work for the future. Let's hope they find the right coach to do it. PS I don't mean to be critical of your article Tom, but if you want to be published and taken seriously, you'll need to do more research than is apparent in this article.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
At this point of the A-League season, we mark another important milestone: the A-League has now survived for exactly half the time the NSL was able to survive. Can the A-League outlast the time the NSL managed to survive? Yes, I think it's a strong possibility.
EJ
Roar Pro
The greatestest rivalry in the A-League era - the distance derby
Waz
Roar Rookie
“Brisbane off the field looked good at the start of the season with reasonable crowds“ … yeah, if you call 14,800 in the rain and 15,100 a week later “reasonable” …..what do you call what Perth are getting??
Nick Symonds
Guest
In your report card, Perth get an A- while the Phoenix get an A+ Are you trying to build up the Distance Derby?