A-League Grand Final: Experts Robbie Slater, Mark Bosnich split over who secures national title
They’ve been the benchmark all season, so it seem only fair that Sydney FC and Melbourne City will play off in the A-League decider. Robbie Slater and Mark Bosnich go head to head over who will win the Grand Final.
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Experience counts for a lot in a decider and that’s enough to convince Robbie Slater that Sydney FC can go back-to-back in the A-League Grand Final, but Mark Bosnich is not so sure.
Both football greats give their expert opinion on which team with be crowned champion in 2020.
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WHY SYDNEY FC WILL WIN
By Robbie Slater
At the end of a very long and unique season, we’ve rightly ended up with the two best teams — Melbourne City and Sydney FC — in the grand final.
Melbourne City and Sydney FC have been the benchmark all season and they deserve to be the teams fighting it out for the championship.
They’ve split the results this season, with one win apiece, but grand final day is a different beast — the game can be won and lost before you even get on the park.
It’s about holding your nerves and playing the game not the occasion. And that is where Sydney has the edge in this encounter.
The thing about grand finals that I always found — and I played in a few of them — is that the day can seem very long. But Sydney knows that, having won it last year and boasting many players who have won championships.
They know what it takes to succeed in big games and what grand final day means. The vast experience goes with Sydney FC.
It seems like an eternity waiting for kick-off.
For Melbourne City, it’s their first time there — even though they have Josh Brillante, who won with Sydney last year, as captain.
Neither team was at their electric best in their semi-final wins — with Melbourne riding their luck against a tough Western United side and Sydney taking their foot off the pedal after a good first half was enough to beat Perth Glory.
After a pretty ordinary month, Sydney turned it on against Perth and for 45 minutes looked like the dominant side they were before the COVID-19 break, but they need to be careful about waiting to flick the switch because the game can be over before you get a chance to know what’s going on.
You just can’t afford to start slow in a grand final. But they’re experienced enough to know that.
The top two goalscorers are there, with City’s Jamie Maclaren and Sydney’s Adam Le Fondre, and the game will be won by whichever team is able to provide the best service for their star men upfront.
Which is where the Milos Ninkovic factor comes in for Sydney. His balls into Le Fondre and strike partner Kosta Barabourses could be the key to opening up the game for the Sky Blues. Certainly if Ninkovic is in the mood like it looks he will be, then Sydney will simply be too good But ultimately I believe experience will prove the difference on the day and Sydney will win a record fifth A-League title.
WHY MELB CITY WILL WIN
By Mark Bosnich
I’d like to start by congratulating both teams for reaching this year’s decider — it’s a tremendous achievement for different reasons.
Obviously for Sydney in their third grand final in four years is a marvellous achievement.
And for Melbourne City getting to their first grand final and playing the football they’re playing is absolutely great. It’s been a long journey for them but it’s a deserved one.
But there can be only one winner — and I believe that will be Melbourne City. Because this is not the City team of years past.
One of the biggest things we’ll focus on
This will be the biggest thing, to exorcise that ghost of when things are going not so well for them in the big games. We’ve seen in the past they would crumble, but we’ve not seen that this time.
When Craig Noone was sent-off against Adelaide, they held on for a 2-2 draw when they were under attack like you wouldn’t believe.
In the past, maybe they lose that game. And definitely on Wednesday night they weren’t able to play the way they wanted, their free-flowing football, but got the job done against Western United.
They showed me — and everybody — they can hang in there in tough matches now.
But they hung in there. Obviously Tom Glover made that fantastic save from Steven Lustica and City ended up scoring off two set plays.
That semi-final was such a hurdle for them. And I think that will release them for the grand final.
All over the park, if we go one-on-one I think Melbourne just has more gamebreakers than Sydney do. Obviously it will not be easy. And to get the win and their first ever title, City will need to dominate the midfield battle — which is why I think Adrian Luna and Florian Berenguer will be crucial on Sunday.
Those two will have their hands full keeping Anthony Caceres and Paulo Retre in check, but if they do it will put City in a good spot because that midfield battle will be vital to see who controls the game.
Even though Berenguer and Luna are more in the team for their attacking qualities, but they’ve got to make sure they help out where they can to nullify Milos Ninkovic and Caceres.
City didn’t dominate the midfield against Western, although a lot of that was down to the tactical prowess of Mark Rudan to make sure they were outnumbered a lot of times in the midfield.
But what they did show, and they have shown since the restart and especially in their recent win over Sydney, is that they’re a wonderful footballing team.
Where will the goals come from? Well, you wouldn’t back against Jamie Maclaren scoring — but often in big games the goals come from people you don’t expect.
And that’s because those who you expect to deliver are often heavily marked — allowing the other players to inject themselves into the game and take the responsibility.
I think we’re going to be treated to a tremendous final.
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Originally published as A-League Grand Final: Experts Robbie Slater, Mark Bosnich split over who secures national title