Not many words or superlatives can be used to put into context just how crazy this current A-League campaign has been as finals loom near.
From the captivating 4-4 draw between Adelaide and the Wanderers to Western United’s fall from grace, there have been incredible storylines on the field.
Perhaps, it’s only fitting that the A-League ladder is a representation of the insanity that football followers have come to witness over the past few months.
With seven matches remaining in the regular season, eleven points separate second and eleventh-placed Perth Glory, as the Western Australian outfit are just seven points outside the top six.
There is no denying that a closely contested table provides much-needed entertainment and a sense of unpredictability for the neutrals, especially for a code that is in dire need of attention.
In reality, though, the results from teams across the whole league demonstrate a trend of inconsistency.
Although the Wellington Phoenix have displayed some patches of good football under coach Ufuk Talay, they only have seven wins out of 19 (36.8%) to show for it.
They currently sit in fifth place, but should that low win percentage be deserving of finals football? Probably not.
The rest of the clubs from second to sixth (excluding Wellington) have all won eight games out of their opening 19 fixtures, which shows that no one is taking the season by the scruff of the neck and asserting some sort of challenge to runaway leaders Melbourne City.
Heck, reigning premier Western United sits ninth and are only five points out from a finals berth. For the dreadful start that they had, is it a good sign for the A-league if a team like that still has a chance of defending their title after Round 26?
Let’s not forget that Melbourne Victory was one win away against Sydney from being three points out from the top six. They have simply been dreadful this season under Tony Popovic.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Freak results can occur such as Victory’s unexpected 3-2 triumph over City in the derby a couple of weeks ago. After all, that’s what makes football such a unique sport.
In saying that, this scenario that anyone can beat anyone may well suggest that both the technical and tactical developments of clubs are not actually up to the standard of where they should be.
Besides Melbourne City which is producing some of the best football the A-League has ever witnessed, the rest of their rivals are not gathering any sort of momentum, with the exception of Adelaide who seems to be hitting some impressive form at the right time.
Despite performing above expectations, even the Western Sydney Wanderers have lost their blueprint around solid defending which Marko Rudan prides himself on.
It’s this identity crisis within the league that should be a concern moving forward. Teams like Newcastle, Macarthur, and Sydney FC, what exactly is their identity and blueprint week to week?
This point explains why the A-League is experiencing so many inconsistent performances and wavering results on the pitch.
On the other end of the spectrum, people will rightly argue that not having such a wide gap in quality between the twelve clubs in the league is a positive aspect of competition, making it less boring with more of a level playing field.
Fans and neutrals are entitled to their own opinion, but it’s a topic worth noting and discussing.
At work
Roar Rookie
Nah I think that's more a reflection of the different sports; where rugby league (or union / aussie rules) only have 2 results as draws are very rare, whereas football there's 3 realistic options. So picking the result is much more difficult, no different to the top Euro leagues.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I was talking about picking the middle 12 teams of the EPL to adjust for there being more teams in the EPL.
AR
Guest
Since the ALeague started there have been 3pm kickoffs…in hotter weather. So what is it?? The 3pm nonsense is a distraction. And please don’t buy in to this air-con trolling that Para has been pushing.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
I dont understand? Are you arguing against, my overall point of the comment that there are not enough games in the A League season to statistically see clear trends in the data and that the draw where some teams play twice and some play 3 times is unfair. Or, simply picking at what was obviously a mistake I made in the figures. If the former, then you are yet to make any points to contradict my position; if the latter, then I have already admitted the mistake and it seems petty to be arguing about.
mwm
Guest
This is a very interesting topic to discuss, especially in our country. Our country has always valued the notion of 'fairness' in our sporting competitions. Basically, we have never like the idea of a single club, or a few of them, winning eveyrthing all the time. This particularly becomes a problem in football because through simple market forces...that has whats happened. The richest teams acclumuate nearly all the trophies every single year as they buy up all the best talent. We have to seriously ask ourselves whether this is the type of comp we want. We can design the A League to be any format we like....theres no god given natural law thats says we need to create super billionaire toy teams that horde all the trophies. I know for one no one would follow football in Australia if we resorted to what the EPL has become.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
To take the middle portion of a larger sample set is not how you do it and very invalid.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
An article lamenting the lack of 0-0 draws. Ye Gods we are hard to please :laughing: ????
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Another high scoring one tonight. About 10 to go, AU 2 goals up, should be good for the 3 points from here, playing the Jets.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
There is a lack of quality but the player that are there make up for it with individual talent and team work. Wellington have play some of the nicest football around despite failed results but then again so have half the teams down the bottom. Some games put you to sleep with teams like Roar and SFC dragging the chain but i believe most games so far have been entertaining. Its just that no one is watching but thats another subject.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
City have scored a lot of goals last two season, when the opposition has put some ordinary perfornces and been devoid of energy. They didnt beat a top 4 team last season. When the opposition turn up they dont look that good.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Nani is the one who sidelined Brimmer to a wing role. The worst thing for VIctory is the addition of Fornaroli. Nani and Fornaroli is an even worse combination. Victory were succesfull last season because Rojas pressed his guts out. People dont go oh look your talented here is the ball, you have to win it. One good presser and Victory could be back at the top. Also the good thing about lasts season for Victory was Broxham was on the bench.
Grem
Roar Rookie
The top 5 leagues are not salary capped so the richest (best) teams usually dominate. Of course there are still upsets. That’s true. Does that make the quality better? Teams like Reading and Middlesbrough just bounce between the two top comps and don’t usually improve. What has Brighton or Leeds done over the last few years? Improve? This is from someone who doesn’t follow overseas football so I could be wrong. I would probably like to see the cap removed in the A Leagues and an established second division, as this would probably increase the quality further, but would it be as much fun to follow? The best teams do set a bar to aim for, no question. Is the quality of the A Leagues good? Yes Can the quality of the A Leagues be better? Yes I still believe that when you choose from a huge participation base in a sporting country like Australia then our quality will be good. Our World Cup results against quality opposition were achieved with mostly A League players – recent and current. That’s a sign of our quality as well. I also think we don’t take the Asian Club Championship seriously enough. We don’t have enough respect for Asia, we often play in the following season and squads have changed, we play during our season and cram in matches with our smaller squads, etc.
Christian Montegan
Roar Pro
Your last point is true and I agree. I know you will say don’t compare the A-League to the rest of the world (it is different circumstances such as less teams) but would you see this ‘evenness’ in top leagues? 18 years on from the inaugural season, we have to start seeing the bigger picture now. How are Australian clubs supposed to compete in the Asian Champions League when the league is so even as it is? Melbourne City have played some great football as I’ve mentioned but even they struggle in that competition. How would WSW fare in the competition if they’re struggling to score against a team with a man less for 82 minutes? Shouldn’t that quality outshine? In my view, there needs to be a bit more of a gap between the top and bottom sides. Football should not be so much about evenness. Look at the investment in other Asian countries. I’m not saying to bring in billionaires and go stupid, but we need to think about what the salary cap is doing for the bigger picture. Yes, it’s keeping clubs from going broke, but as you pointed out, imagine what could be achieved if those middle/lower teams had more funds in the kitty
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
3pm kickoffs were not as common in previous seasons because there were less than six games per weekend.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Salary capping, players injured and players missing through suspension, etc combined with the fact football games are usually close makes for lots of upsets. Our competition has always been quite equal. Anyone can beat anyone at anytime. This is not a sign of lack of quality, it’s a sign of overall quality and evenness. Perth are a well coached side with some really talented players. I actually tipped a draw last night, so I wasn’t far wrong. Since the A League started, our tipping competition is harder to do well in than any other sport’s tipping competitions. With my limited knowledge of NRL, I could probably get around 6 out of 8 most weeks, but I have rarely got those percentages in the A Leagues because it’s always been even. An example of the overall quality was Sydney not winning the grand final or even making the grand final a few years ago. They were a great side, full of quality, but were beaten by Victory and Newcastle to the GF. What I see as a lack of quality is when teams are being annihilated. When teams are falling to the bottom and big scores are racked up against them then that is an indication of their lack of quality.
Christian Montegan
Roar Pro
Is inconsistency from the top teams in the league really a sign of the best quality? Upsets happen, I get that. WSW lost 1-0 last night to Perth…up a man for 82 minutes and failed to score. This is 2nd v 11th.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/sustainability/news/legacy-in-action-qatars-revolutionary-stadium-cooling-technology
AR
Guest
The past 2 years, with La Niña, have actually been the coolest summers we’ve had in Australia for a long time. 3pm kickoffs have always been part of the ALeague summer schedule. And 12+ years ago, ALeague crowds were booming. So what has happened? Despite the on-trend myth that you and others are pushing, it ain’t the hot weather. What is it? Serious question.
Christian Montegan
Roar Pro
Well, I think there isn’t as much talent as some might think. Take away the name and prestige for a moment, they’re obviously not a well-functioned unit and are missing a lot of pieces especially in midfield. Not taking away what Popovic achieved last season as he definitely exceeded expectations. True, they have the current Johnny Warren medalist and Nani is a long-term injury with his unfortunate ACL tear, but to potentially be 3 points behind Sydney had they have pulled a result on the weekend speaks to my point. You’ll argue that Victory didn’t end up winning, but it’s the fact that it’s so close is my overall point
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
No team battled to avoid the wooden spoon in the first season, your forgetting the NZ knights they established long standing records for low points in that season.