On the Attack: Why this may be the end of Central Coast Mariners fairytale story
With the A-Leagues back for a new season, can the Mariners back up their heroics of recent years and make it three in a row, plus week one’s strange scheduling and more is on the agenda in the return of On the Attack.
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Football expert Marco Monteverde and Socceroos legend Robbie Slater debate the big issues ahead of the opening round of the A-League starting with the grand final rematch on Friday night.
MARINERS FAIRYTALE COMING TO AN END?
After winning back-to-back A-League titles, and the treble last season, the Mariners are facing one of the toughest fights in the club’s history to maintain their recent success
They will again need to defy the odds of losing a host of players from a championship-winning side – this time the likes of Josh Nisbet, Max Balard, Jacob Farrell, Dan Hall and Danny Vukovic – to contend for third-straight.
However, circumstances seem even tougher now following Richard Peil’s decision last week to stand down as chairman and no longer fund the club.
It’s no secret about how much Mariners coach Mark Jackson and his playing group respected Peil for everything he did for the club.
Peil was always supportive and did whatever he possibly could to provide a professional environment at a club with a smaller budget than most other A-League teams.
Jackson and his squad will need to put all that aside, as well as the despair about losing off-season recruit Trent Sainsbury to a long-term injury, if they are to again punch above their weight.
It would be silly to write the Mariners off, given what they have done in recent seasons.
They should lift for Friday night’s grand final rematch against Melbourne Victory in front of what’s hopefully a big crowd in Gosford.
However, the Mariners will face a Victory outfit desperate for revenge after coming within minutes of winning last season’s decider.
New Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo will also want to make an early statement after his failed stint in France, while star pair Jason Geria and Nishan Velupillay will be on a high after returning from Socceroos duty.
Everything seems to be adding up to a Victory win, but the Mariners have made a habit of proving the doubters wrong.
MATA OF TIME
Don’t let us down ‘Staj’.
Western Sydney Wanderers coach Alen Stajcic has the power to give us what we all want by including former Chelsea and Manchester United star Juan Mata in his starting team for Saturday night’s derby against Douglas Costa’s Sydney FC at jam-packed CommBank Stadium.
Ex-Bayern Munich and Juventus winger Costa going head-to-head with Mata from the opening whistle is what the entire fraternity wants to see from the opening whistle.
Stajcic was playing his cards close to his chest earlier this week when asked about how much game time 36-year-old Mata would get.
And that’s understandable considering the veteran Spaniard has only played 10 minutes of competitive football since September last year.
Let’s hope that Mata has at least 45 minutes of football in his legs to give us more of a chance of seeing him start the derby.
Costa has wasted no time in making an impression at Sydney on and off the field. He’s no doubt ready to torment the Wanderers’ defence.
However, Western Sydney and its fans will want to make life as difficult as possible for the Brazilian star, so expect a fiery atmosphere that is what makes a derby so special.
STRANGE SCHEDULING
Considering there are three Victorian clubs in the A-League, it’s staggering that none of them have a home game on the opening weekend of the season.
And while it’s a drought in Victoria, there’s almost an overkill in NSW, where four of the six first-rounds will be played.
Throw in the fact that the other two games on the opening weekend of the season are in New Zealand, and it seems the scheduling isn’t truly representative of a national competition.
It’s understood that the APL decided against scheduling a game this weekend at AAMI Park – the home of Melbourne Victory and Melbourne – because of a belief that the venue needed more time to recover from the “Monster Jam” truck event held there less than two weeks ago.
There was also the desire for Melbourne’s first game of the season to be Saturday week’s derby between City and Victory.
Still, it’s odd that Western United wasn’t given a home game at Tarneit this weekend.
Instead, United will fly to New Zealand to meet the Phoenix in Wellington on Sunday, a day after newcomers Auckland FC host Brisbane Roar.
There is no doubt that Auckland should play the club’s first A-League at home, but why then also schedule a home game for Wellington the day after?
It’s maybe the APL’s wish to have a bumper weekend of football in New Zealand to celebrate Auckland’s entry into the A-League, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of most of the competition’s other markets.
UNLUCKY LECKIE
Mathew Leckie’s hopes of starting the season fully fit have been dashed, with the Socceroos stalwart ruled out of Melbourne City’s clash with the Jets in Newcastle on Saturday with a quad injury.
It’s not what attacking weapon Leckie, or City, wanted after his injury problems last season.
Hopefully, he will be back soon because he remains one of the A-League’s best players, and has ambitions of being recalled to the Socceroos squad for next month’s matches against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
It’s an important season for Leckie and City, who have a point to prove after a below-par – by their standards – 2023-24 campaign.
IT’S A BIG WEEKEND FOR...
Steve Corica – Having been part of the furniture for so long at Sydney FC as a player and coach, Corica is now at the helm of the A-League’s newest franchise, Auckland FC, and will want to guide the Black Knights to a first-up win over Brisbane Roar.
Western Sydney Wanderers – Sick of playing second fiddle to crosstown rivals Sydney FC, the Wanderers, under new coach Alen Stajcic, can make a huge statement by winning Saturday night’s derby against a Sky Blues side many expect to win this season’s championship.
Luke Brattan – At 34, Brattan became the Socceroos’ oldest ever debutant on Tuesday night in Japan. It was a well-deserved accolade for the veteran midfielder, who now must switch his attention to domestic duties with his new club Macarthur FC, who begin A-League life without former skipper Ulises Davila, no longer at the Bulls after his involvement in the yellow-card betting scandal.
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