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Opinion
By recent standards it was perhaps a quieter week in the A-League, but nevertheless there’s still plenty to discuss, so let’s get into it.
Here are your A-League Round 19 talking points.
Melbourne City have been the best team in the league this season – but they are still fallible, as Adelaide United proved on Saturday evening at Coopers Stadium. In just their third loss for the campaign, Andrew Nabbout got City in front in the ninth minute, but a nine-minute blitz that saw goals from Craig Goodwin, Louis D’Arrigo and Lachlan Barr led United to a huge win.
Socceroo Marco Tilio got one back for the visitors, but then Nestory Irankunda did this.
I wrote about the 17-year-old last week after he scored a Cristiano Ronaldo-like goal to earn his side a point against Melbourne Victory. That was an incredible strike, but Irankunda showed his range this week with sheer athleticism and poise. It’s not easy to get in behind and finish as cooly as this, especially for such a young player.
It’s a win that will put the rest of the league on notice that United are for real this season. It’s been a lean period since the Reds defeated Western Sydney at Adelaide Oval in 2016 for their first – and only – championship. Could this be the year they bring another toilet seat to their patient fans?
Where to now for Tony Popovic’s side after a shocking 10th loss of 2022-23? Needing a big performance, but more importantly needing to leave Allianz Stadium with all three points, Victory huffed and puffed but were unable to trouble the scorers as they fell 1-0 to their old rivals.
Make no mistake, they were the better side but it doesn’t matter. There wasn’t enough impetus, Popovic probably waited too long to bring on reinforcements for his aneamic attack, and without Jake Brimmer there was no one to pull the strings and provide a desperately needed spark for a side with their season on the line.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
It’s disappointing to see how far they have fallen in not even 12 months’ time. With so much promise and goodwill from the Nani signing, on the back of an encouraging 2021-22 campaign, this was supposed to be another season where Victory contended for their fifth A-League championship.
They do boast a game in hand but with a nine-point gap to the Sky Blues in sixth, it’s one hell of a mountain to climb. They’re going to have to win six, or possibly seven games – an almost perfect run from here. I just can’t see it.
On Sydney, Steve Corica’s side seem to be rounding into some form, as are their cross-town rivals, with the third and final Sydney Derby of the season now just two weeks away. After the spicy events at CommBank Stadium in Sydney’s 1-0 win, it’s shaping up to be a huge grudge match in Moore Park to settle the season series.
We got some insight into Dwight Yorke’s dramatic exit from Macarthur earlier this week, thanks to a News Corp interview with the former Manchester United and Sydney FC striker.
In the piece Yorke claimed he and the coaching staff only received news that forward Anthony Carter was sold to Portuguese side Oliveirense hours out from their clash with Adelaide United in the City of Churches. Carter was in the coach’s plan for the match, and had to be taken off the team bus as distraught teammates farewelled him before he caught an Uber alone back to the airport.
In another classy gesture, Yorke was apparently dismissed by email. Not even a phone call (remember those?) or a Zoom. Just some text on a screen. What kind of clown show is Sam Krslovic running here? I’m beginning to see why Yorke allegedly flew off the handle and took aim at the club’s power brokers.
The club have denied all this, with chairman Gino Marra stating the claims are “factually inaccurate and self-serving.”
On top of the way they’re being run, the Bulls’ crowds at Campbelltown Stadium are embarrassing. I feel for their fans, the ones who turn up every week and are truly passionate about their side, but there’s such a negative stench emanating from Sydney’s southwest.
I’ve often thought about doing a deeper dive on this disaster of a franchise, because there’s simply so much to address. The question must be asked: what are they bringing to the A-League? What grade would we assign for Macarthur’s time in the competition so far? About the only positive I can think of is their on-field results, which have been solid, if unspectacular.
By basically any other metric, however, they’re languishing behind the rest of the league and more closely resemble a semi-professional side.
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