Last year’s champions and the two biggest clubs in the country are flailing outside the top six, Central Coast keep going from strength to strength and Shaun Evans has an absolute nightmare.
Here are your A-League Round 11 talking points.
Time running out for Corica, Popovic and Aloisi
Coming into 2022-23, Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Western United all had very realistic top-six ambitions. After all, you’ve got the two most successful A-League sides, and the reigning champions.
Eleven rounds into the season, however, all three have more losses than wins. It’s often said this league is a tipster’s worst nightmare, and even the most clairvoyant of football fans surely couldn’t have envisioned these three sides struggling so badly all at the same time.
It begs the question: which manager is under the most pressure? Steve Corica looks like a man who, at best, is unable to properly motivate his squad, and at worst, has lost the dressing room. The club legend has credit in the bank, but after an abhorrent 2021-22 campaign is on track to miss the finals again.
Poppa is coming off a semi-final exit, so it’s quite unlikely he gets the sack. Having said that, Victory are in a hole and look bereft of ideas in attack. It seems the former Socceroo is still looking for his best starting 11, and Sunday’s confirmation of talisman Nani’s season-ending ACL injury could be the final nail in the coffin.
Nani of Melbourne Victory dribbles the ball. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
As for Aloisi, well, surely you’re never safer than when defending a championship.
Having watched his post-match press conference after his side’s collapse against Melbourne City, it seems Aloisi is out of answers for why Leo Lacroix’s form has fallen off a cliff. Perhaps it’s harsh to single out the Swiss, but there is no more stark form slump in the whole competition than the centre-half’s.
Will all three beleaguered bosses survive the season? Time will tell, but I’m betting on no.
Mariners keep rolling
Showing no signs of missing Garang Kuol, the Mariners dispatched Adelaide United 4-0 on Saturday evening. Overshadowed by the drama in Moore Park, let’s give credit where credit’s due. Nick Montgomery has got this side ticking – they’ve comfortably been the most consistent side in the league apart from City.
I was at CommBank Stadium on the night Central Coast dismantled Western Sydney on their home deck in one of the most complete performances of the season. They were fantastic that night, getting contributions from across the park.
As we approach the halfway mark, the premiership looks like it’ll stay in Victoria but the other top-four places are there for the taking. They’ve proven they’re good enough to beat any other side on their day – the challenge for the Mariners now is to put on a run of wins here and really cement themselves in the top two.
On Montgomery, the former midfield destroyer is deservedly earning plaudits for overseeing the resurgence at Central Coast Stadium. He’s got history with Sheffield United, so I wonder if a return to England may be on the cards sooner rather than later. Alternatively, could City Football Group see Monty as a fit in Melbourne? And there’s also a club down the freeway who quite possibly will be looking for a new manager within the next few months.
Did Evans almost rob Wellington?
Reffing is the toughest gig in football – in sport, really. There’s no question about that. It’s for this reason I like to keep the officials’ mistakes in perspective and not harp on about every little call that could have gone the other way.
But now and then a refereeing performance so bad comes along that simply can’t be ignored – and unfortunately for Shaun Evans, Wellington’s 1-0 triumph over Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium is one of those times.
I’m not going to forensically investigate the two penalties and two red cards that all came in a frantic final 25 minutes or so. There’s been plenty of that across Soccer Twitter in the last 24 hours and going frame-by-frame really doesn’t interest me. But the almost universal condemnation of so-called favouritism towards Sydney FC, on this occasion, actually has some legs.
(Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)
Any notions that Evans deliberately made decisions to favour the home side are nonsensical, but such an incompetent showing unfortunately gives credence to all the conspiracy theorists out there who actually believe there’s some kind of pro-Sydney and Melbourne bias amongst the referees.
As for the game as a whole, it’s tough to argue the Sky Blues deserved anything out of it. Rhyan Grant had a second-half goal ruled out for offside and there was just inches in it, however it looked to be the correct decision. Beyond that Sydney really did not create much.
On the other hand, Wellington should have been two to the good when Andrew Redmayne denied Bozhidar Kraev in a one-on-one situation.
Wanderers still rock solid at the back, but where’s the scoring?
Finally this week, to Western Sydney Wanderers. Marko Rudan’s men fell to Perth Glory in the west, making it just one win in five games since the World Cup hiatus.
Their stingy defence – a key factor in their early season success – has still conceded just eight goals in 11 matches, good enough for the third fewest league-wide behind only Melbourne City and, surprisingly, Brisbane Roar. The problem is, goals at the other have dried up.
The Wanderers have only managed to score more than one goal in a game twice – the 4-0 demolishing of Macarthur last week, and a 2-0 win over Newcastle in October.
Rudan’s set-up and tactics will keep Western Sydney in most games for the rest of the season, but unless they can find goals from somewhere, it’s difficult to see this team making any noise come finals time.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
without their captain, Chapman impressed.
Hudddo
Roar Rookie
They keep doing what they're doing it's gunna be very hard to ignore them.
Mahler
Guest
Not one word about Brisbane Roar who have lost only one game this season. Duh?
Garry
Roar Rookie
Im with you!.. it seems like every team that plays City has been paid off…now thats the mythical ‘east coast bias’. :angry: Almost every week I go into the City game thinking their opponent is playing well enough to win. Each week (with the exception of Phoenix who WERENT fancied) the opponent plays their worst game of the year!
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
To me the big issue this week is Western United they fought tooth and nail the last two matches then along come City. Every team except Sydney Fc its pull the pants down and bend over for City its getting ridiculous. Look at the first goal by City, Connor Pain does an errant pass, he knows his fullback has just run up the ground as well and is out of position. Normally a player who makes a bad pass tries to make up for it, in this case he was 100% required to sprint back and cover for him as well, irrespective of who made the mistake. Connor Pain just watches on and the much slower Kilkenny who cant catch up in time is left to try and make it back. The third goal United have players in the area but no one wants to mark McLaren. Its not only bend over for City but leave McLaren unmarked as well.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Totally agree Waz - it was a highly unusual sequence of events and not bad refereeing. Sydney were awful. Other teams can happily let them have the ball because they are so predictably clueless about what to do with it.
Waz
Roar Rookie
(As a Coach) I can always accept a good referee will do things I don’t agree with and be right - I didn’t watch the game just intrigued by the fuss and the highlights - the question is was Evans good or not? Looking at the actual incident, they either both go or both stay imo - but it does depend on what the ARs have seen/said, plus how the players concerned conducted themselves in the Refs eyes in prior phases of the game. But that’s the only controversial bit for me, and it’s a small “c” as it’s not unusual when it’s a 50/50 red to see one player go and one stay. But loving the conspiracy theories going around :laughing:
David Shilovsky
Expert
You're spot on with the second red. If Pennington goes, why does Burgess not follow him?
Tigertown
Guest
Also, it’s actually Arthur Papas who should be concerned, not the other managers. The Jets have the worst goal difference (-10) in the competition. Ange-ball doesn’t work for everyone!
David Shilovsky
Expert
They're ticking along nicely. Another win next week and they'll earn a subheading.
Tigertown
Guest
Brisbane Roar are the dark horse team, with only one loss. However, their attacking hasn’t reached double digits yet, with only nine goals scored. Not to be underestimated.
Waz
Roar Rookie
The refereeing performance in the Sydney game does lend itself to the “East Coast Bias” theory. And who couldn’t believe that the APL, fearful of major empty seats at the next Grand final, wouldn’t “arrange” a game or two to get Sydney sides there! But, as much as I’d love to jump on the bandwagon, I can’t: First Red - yup, reasonable two yellows. Second Red - yup, straight red. Lucky Sydney player not to follow that’s all. First Pen - yup, that’s a penalty as the ball hits his arm (not that Paramount had the angle). Second Pen - yup, that’s a clear penalty. Not sure why the defenders flapping arms around like that So there’s nothing to see here: other than Coricca’s criminal recruitment. (But when you do “arrange” the competition to suit certain sides, as they have done in the past and continue to do today, don’t be surprised when conspiracy theories find fertile ground lol).