The man who made fallen giants Melbourne Victory an A-League powerhouse could return to the top Australian soccer competition - if the right deal is on the table.
With A-League struggler Western United looking for a new coach and several other clubs coming off the back of disappointing seasons, Kevin Muscat is weighing his options and has not ruled out a return to his homeland after more than two years away from the A-League.
Kevin Muscat during his coaching stint in Belgium.Credit: Getty Images
“Football is a journey that takes you on many twists and turns. I am still in Europe after a great 12-month experience at Sint-Truiden and I am open to all possibilities to continue my career development,” Muscat says.
He won’t, of course, be taking the reins at the club he led to four A-League championships as coach and player as it looks to rebuild following the worst season in its history.
Victory was confirmed as wooden spoon “winners” for the first time ever when Newcastle beat Melbourne City to leave Victory adrift at the foot of the table. Tony Popovic, Muscat’s long time international team mate and coaching rival now has the task of turning the best-supported club in the league around in double quick time.
But after undergoing what he describes as a “steep and productive” earning experience in the bearpit of European soccer after a season with Sint Truiden in Belgium, Muscat would not rule out a return to Australia.
“I felt I was doing a reasonable job in Belgium, but it is a cut-throat game in this part of the world and you don’t always get the time you might like. But you have to learn from the experience, I am a much better coach for the experience and can take that with me wherever I go next.”
Muscat has remained in Europe following his departure from St Truiden in December: he will be part of the Optus Sport TV coverage of the European Championship this month.
Although he has yet to win a grand final in four attempts (losing three with Western Sydney Wanderers and one with Perth Glory, Popovic enjoys huge plaudits because he took the Wanderers to victory in the major continental competition, the Asian Champions League.
But he has big steps to fill at Victory if he is to match Muscat’s achievement, where the former Socceroo took the club to three grand finals in six years for two wins and one penalty shoot-out loss as well as a Premiers Plate and an FFA Cup success. Muscat ended up with an overall winning return of 51 per cent.
Western United CEO Chris Pehlivanis said on Saturday that the club was stepping up its recruitment drive following the parting of the ways with founding coach Mark Rudan.
“We have begun setting down the criteria and process we want to follow and will invite applications from next week. We already have had quite a few,” he said.
Pehilivanis would not name any potential contenders, but it is widely expected that experienced assistant coach John Anastasiadis will throw his hat in the ring.
Anastasiadis, who has been tight-lipped over his plans, had a successful career in Greece as a player before finishing with South Melbourne in the NSL, memorably scoring for the then Ange Postecoglou-coached team in the Maracana in Rio during the inaugural club world championship in 2000.
He coached with great success in the NPL Victoria where he won the championship with Bentleigh Greens and took the part-timers to the semi-finals of the FFA Cup twice.