A-League Tackle: Could Ante Juric be in line for the Matildas top job if Tony Gustavsson moves on?
Sydney’s injury battle, more poor refereeing, a goalkeeping masterclass and a future Matildas coach is all on the agenda as ROBBIE SLATER And MARCO MONTEVERDE discuss another huge weekend in the A-Leagues.
Football
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde go through their likes and dislikes from another massive weekend of A-League football.
DISLIKES
Another howler
He’s rated the best referee in the A-League, but Alireza Faghani’s hopes of being in charge of the upcoming grand final should be hanging by a thread after his horrible decision to send off Macarthur FC defender Kealey Adamson in the Bulls’ 4-0 elimination final loss to Sydney FC.
While Bulls coach Mile Sterjovski rightfully conceded that the Sky Blues deserved their win on Saturday night, there’s no doubt that the dismissal of Adamson when the score was only 1-0 and there was more than an hour of the game remaining had an significant effect on the outcome of the contest.
The official reason that Adamson was sent off was for “denying” Sydney’s Jordan Courtney-Perkins an “obvious goalscoring opportunity”.
What a load of rubbish.
There was no way that it was an “obvious” chance for Courtney-Perkins to score.
His body was facing away from goal, and he hadn’t even controlled the ball yet.
At the worst, Adamson deserved a yellow card. To send him off was ludicrous, and ruined the game.
And it wasn’t just any game, it was a knockout match in which both teams’ seasons were on the line.
For Faghani to make the call was almost unbelievable.
This was the same bloke who was in charge of the game between Argentina and France at the 2018 World Cup.
To make it worse, he was able to watch the incident again on video footage and still deemed that Courtney-Perkins was denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Regardless of whether Faghani was checking the footage to determine whether the foul took place inside or outside the penalty area, there was no escaping that he should have been able to see that Courtney-Perkins wasn’t in an obvious goalscoring position.
It was the latest howler in a season marred by poor refereeing decisions.
Faghani had been the favourite to referee the grand final.
However, after the decision that he made on Saturday night, he should be anything but a certainty to control the biggest match of the A-League season.
Sydney’s setback
Can Sydney FC win the A-League title if star winger Joe Lolley misses the rest of the finals series with a hamstring injury?
It’s a question many are asking after seeing the Englishman hobble off following his brilliant goal in his side’s 4-0 weekend win over Macarthur FC.
At best, Lolley will be fit for the grand final in late May.
However, the Sky Blues have to get there first by winning a two-legged semi-final against the Central Coast Mariners.
The Sydneysiders’ form suggests they’re a chance to win the championship with or without Lolley, but it won’t be easy if the services of the former Nottingham Forest winger are unavailable.
The Sky Blues will also be sweating on the fitness of their skipper and key midfielder Luke Brattan, who injured his ankle in the closing stages of his side’s win on Saturday night.
Brattan dictates Sydney’s play from the base of the midfield, and he was very good in the win over the Bulls.
In better news for the Ufuk Talay-coached team, Slovakian international Robert Mak has found some timely goal-scoring form at the business end of the season, and attacking midfielder Max Burgess looked good after coming on as a substitute against the Bulls.
Both Mak and Burgess will need to continue their good form if Sydney is to progress in the absence of Lolley.
LIKES
Incredible Izzo saves Machach and Victory
Melbourne Victory star Zinedine Machach must be breathing a sigh of relief after goalkeeper Paul Izzo’s heroics in Sunday night’s elimination final spared his blushes.
The Frenchman has been a brilliant addition to the Victory and the A-League this season with his skill, strength and power in attack.
However, he let his team down in the most crucial game of the Victory’s season to date.
Machach let his emotions get the better of him when he kicked out at Melbourne City’s Leo Natel.
And while Natel’s theatrics were over the top, there is no doubt the Machach’s offence was worthy of a red card.
You can’t do that, and he would know that.
The Victory were then up against it with only 10 men, but thanks mainly to a superb performance from Izzo they remained alive after a tense penalty shootout.
Izzo made save after save, including three in the shootout as well another one from a spot kick in normal time.
He also stood up to the pressure in the shootout by burying a penalty of his own in what will go down as one of the greatest nights in the Victory’s history.
You can bet that the relieved Machach would have bought Izzo a drink after the match.
Machach will be suspended from the first leg of the Victory’s semi-final against Wellington Phoenix, and maybe the second leg as well, but at least his side remains in the hunt for the title.
Juric ups the Ante
If the Matildas need a new coach after the Olympics, triumphant Sydney FC women’s coach Ante Juric must surely be in the mix.
Juric has now guided the Sky Blues to back-to-back A-League women’s titles following Saturday’s 1-0 grand final win over Melbourne City at AAMI Park.
It’s also part of an amazing run of seven straight grand final appearances for the Sydney team under the guidance of Juric, who has led the club to three championships and three premierships in that memorable period.
It’s a string of success that suggests he should be a leading contender to replace Tony Gustavsson as Matildas coach after this year’s Paris Olympics if the Swede moves on.
Of course Juric isn’t the only good option as a potential replacement for Gustavsson.
A-League All-Stars women’s coach Joe Montemurro also has a great case to put forward if he wants the gig, having led Arsenal and Juventus to women’s titles in England and Italy respectively.
Either way, the Matildas will be in good hands if Juric or Montemurro becomes their next coach.
Player of the week: Paul Izzo (Melbourne Victory)
More Coverage
Originally published as A-League Tackle: Could Ante Juric be in line for the Matildas top job if Tony Gustavsson moves on?
Matildas star saluted by peers
One of the Matildas’ most popular players has been recognised by her peers for her good form.
Fan favourite wins young player of the year, as star snubbed
An Aussie fan favourite has joined an exclusive club as a second time winner of the FPA’s best young footballer award, while one of the nation’s fastest rising talents was snubbed by their peers.