Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde examine A-League, football’s big issues in On the Attack

Without Sam Kerr, Michelle Heyman has re-emerged as the Matildas’ greatest goal threat. MARCO MONTEVERDE and ROBBIE SLATER debate whether the veteran striker should make the Olympic squad and more.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 28: Michelle Heyman of the Matildas celebrates a goal during the AFC Women's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024 Asian Qualifier Round 3 match between Australia Matildas and Uzbekistan at Marvel Stadium on February 28, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

In their weekly On the Attack column, Socceroos great Robbie Slater and football journalist Marco Monteverde dissect the A-League’s biggest issues and reflect on the Matildas’ securing their qualification for the Paris Olympics with a crushing win over Uzbekistan.

DERBY DELIGHT

RS: The APL should take lessons from the Western Sydney Wanderers in how to promote a game.

MM: In terms of the Wanderers’ promotion of Saturday’s double-header Sydney derby at CommBank Stadium?

RS: Yes! The Wanderers have taken it upon themselves to promote the game because the APL wasted their millions and millions of dollars by trying to market the competition on an app that failed miserably. If you go out to Parramatta in the next couple of days, you will be bombarded with the promotion of what should be great derbies between the Wanderers and Sydney FC in the A-League men’s and women’s competitions.

MM: Hopefully that will lead to a great attendance. I’d love to see 20,000-plus there. That would ensure a great atmosphere in a stadium that holds 30,000.

The Wanderers Membership Services Team will be extending their hours on Thursday and Friday to accomodate any last minute questions ahead of our #SydneyDerby double header: https://t.co/yAIVj9Jr0X#WSWpic.twitter.com/KznLTAyD7t

— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc) February 28, 2024

The Wanderers are doing all they can to ensure the derby is a success. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

RS: I reckon they can get 25,000 with all the promotion that they’re doing. It’s like the old days. There’ll be street flags in the entire Parramatta CBD, there’ll be posters in more than a hundred cafes, Westfield Parramatta are promoting the games on screens and then on the day of the game they’ll have roving entertainment on Church Street, which leads to the stadium. Nick Garcia and Stephen Conroy should go out there on Saturday and see how to properly promote the sport. All credit to the Wanderers.

MM: On the field it’s also good that the Wanderers returned to winning ways last week in the men’s competition because it means both sides will come into the match with confidence. The Sky Blues have been among the form teams of the league in recent weeks even though they were held to a draw by Melbourne City last Saturday.

RS: They’d be kicking themselves for not winning that game but they’re definitely among the competition’s form teams at the moment. It should be a cracker of a game, and so should the A-League women’s match.

MICHELLE MAGIC

MM: Speaking of women’s games, it was hard not to feel sorry for Uzbekistan on Wednesday night. It’s never nice to see a team lose by that many goals, but congratulations to the Matildas for qualifying for the Olympics. Coach Tony Gustavsson has got some tough decisions to make with the Olympic Games football squads only made up of 18 players, but it’s going to be extremely hard for him to leave out Michelle Heyman after her remarkable return to international football.

RS: There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s booked her ticket, and it’s not only because of the five goals she scored across the two legs against Uzbekistan. She looked the part, and you can see how happy her teammates were for her, and how a lot of them looked up to her. That belief in each other is what you need at tournaments.

Marco Monteverde says Michelle Heyman (left) must go to the Olympics.

MM: You also need goalscorers, and that’s what Heyman is.

RS: Definitely. People might point out how poor Uzbekistan were, but her goals were those of a genuine goalscorer. That’s what the Matildas are going to need against the stronger teams they will face at the Olympics, a goal poacher rather than someone who is going to pop up occasionally with a 30-metre screamer.

MM: Without Sam Kerr, Heyman’s inclusion is a must.

RS: Yes, and there are those that will question why we’re taking a 35-year-old player to the Olympics rather than a younger player, but with Kerr missing, we need a goalscorer, and there’s no-one younger, or better, than Heyman that’s ready to go.

STRIKER’S STRUGGLES

MM: Talking about goals, Jamie Maclaren needs one badly. Maybe Friday’s the night the Melbourne City captain ends his drought when his team meets Macarthur. He’ll be happy that Tolgay Arslan is back from suspension, because the German playmaker will add some much-need creativity to City’s line-up.

RS: We’re saying the same thing every week about Maclaren, but he does need a goal, and City need a win. We’re getting to the pointy end of the season now and they don’t want to leave their run too late.

Jamie Maclaren and Melbourne City need a circuit breaker. Picture: Izhar Khan/Getty Images

MM: Macarthur will be tough at home. Valere Germain and Ulises Davila are two of the best players in the league and can hurt sides with their brilliance in attack. I have to agree with City coach Aurelio Vidmar saying that Germain is an extremely underrated player. The Frenchman has been superb for the Bulls this season, as has Davila.

Mariners CEO Shaun Mielekamp with Garang Kuol. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

LAUDING SUPER SHAUN

RS: Let’s pay credit to Shaun Mielekamp for his fantastic stint as CEO of the Central Coast Mariners. I was surprised to hear that he was leaving his job but there’s no doubt he will be leaving with the club in a much better state.

MM: To think where they were to where they are now, it’s incredible. It’s a great lesson for not only the A-League’s smaller clubs, but every team in the competition.

RS: The Mariners were the laughing stock of the league, and Mielekamp has been a key factor in their rise from the doldrums and the great culture that exists at the club now.

Originally published as Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde examine A-League, football’s big issues in On the Attack