Why Sydney FC will edge Perth Glory in Sunday night’s A-League grand final

Perth and Sydney are set for battle in the A-League grand final on Sunday night, their places in the play-off a fair reward for the league’s most consistent teams, says John Kosmina.

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“This season will not be about football but about the game! Sure, the comings and goings of players and coaches and their on-field performances will get their due recognition. But underlying all this, going beyond the physical, the strength and wellbeing of the soul of the game, the collective spirit of all involved at any level that profess to care about it will become evident.”

These were my words the weekend before the A-League season kicked off. Now, so quickly it seems, we await Sunday evening’s grand final between first and second on the table, Perth Glory and Sydney FC.

They have been the most consistent and best performed teams and the match will be nourishment for the game’s soul — much needed after a season bruised by internal politics, low television ratings and the apathy of supporters.

Almost a full-house is expected at Optus Stadium to watch a tactical battle of conflicting styles.

I foolishly didn’t tip Perth at the start of the season to even make the six. After an early exit in the FFA Cup I thought new coach Tony Popovic might take some time to straighten out the laissez faire approach the team had in previous seasons and that his strict training regimen might not sit well with some players. I was wrong — Glory has been a pleasure to watch, structured, disciplined, very effective … and tactically different.

Diego Castro of the Glory and Alex Brusque of Sydney FC pose with the trophy during the A-League pre-match media conference. Picture: AAP Image/Tony McDonough

Popovic played with a back three and two wingbacks, and many teams struggled to break Perth down — its defensive record is the best in the league.

I tipped Sydney for the premiership but not to be champions … they came second to Perth.

Similarly with a new coach, Steve Corica, I guessed they would survive the season on the principles put in place by his predecessor, Graham Arnold, despite the loss of key players. They have, and although at times it’s looked as if they’d stumble, Corica has been able to get them back on track. He maintained Arnold’s system but tweaked it enough to suit some different players and get to the grand final.

Perth struggled a little against Adelaide last week, sacrificing the lead twice, and had to go to penalties to win, while Sydney belted Victory 6-1 to make it through.

Adelaide did give some tactical insight into how to stop Perth and as good as Sydney were, Victory were just as bad.

The fact that Sydney plays with two central strikers and a “box” midfield will be a factor tonight. It will affect how Perth operates with the ball, stopping it playing through the midfield and making it difficult to find the feet of Spanish maestro Diego Castro, so often the catalyst for its attack.

Without the ball Sydney’s fullbacks Ryan Grant and Michael Zullo can pin Perth’s wingbacks, Ivan Franjic and Jason Davidson, into a back five and allow the creative genius of Milos Ninkovic in midfield to take effect.

Big players stand up on big days and both teams have quality in abundance. It’s tough to pick a winner — it could just be a matter of who has a good night. Or it could come down to experience in these games, which would tilt the scales in Sydney’s favour. So, I’ll go with my gut — and that says Sydney … just.