An avalanche of goals but still some clean sheets to end the season: The A-League players who were the difference in Round 26
Joe Lolley was outstanding for the Sky Blues, scoring a brace as Sydney FC equaled their biggest ever victory.
Full credit goes to Perth Glory for taking a chance and signing Tony Popovic as coach of its A-League side for the next three seasons.
Popovic is astute, charismatic and a disciplinarian. He has been successful winning the Asian Champions League as the manager of the Western Sydney Wanderers.
He has also had experience working in England as the assistant manager at Crystal Palace. Popovic has a presence and will hopefully bring big crowds to NIB Stadium for the Glory.
What he achieved with the Wanderers was remarkable; he built up a new club from scratch as well as a robust fan-base. Glory has been lacking a brand as well as success and that is where the experience that Popovic has had as a manager, can make the difference.
Hopefully we will see an increase in attendances at the games this season, as well as a boost to the membership numbers.
Since Popovic has achieved the ultimate success for an A-League manager, it is not a gamble to appoint him on a three-year contract. He is a person who is driven to succeed and will get the sport of soccer in Perth where it should be, from grassroots level all the way up to the A-League.
There will be a focus on youth development and knowing Popovic, he won’t shy away from squad rotations, as he has already signed exciting youth midfielder Brandon Wilson on a two-year deal. The way in which Popovic rotates players could be beneficial due to the rigours of travelling interstate.
His reign as Glory manager starts against Chelsea; it should be a good opportunity for the players at Glory to show their wares. Popovic is a ruthless manager; he is tough, and is well known as being a tinkerer.
This is a positive, as the teams that he has coached have been adaptable to many different systems.
The manner in which he selects his team keeps players on their toes and makes the style in which his team plays unpredictable for opposition players and managers. It promises to be an intriguing tenure under Popovic for the Glory.