Slater: Football Australia academy play proves they and APL are divided, coaches under pressure

Socceroos great ROBBIE SLATER and MARCO MONTEVERDE dissect the division in football between Football Australia and the APL, and reveal the coaches most under pressure.

Socceroos great ROBBIE SLATER and MARCO MONTEVERDE try to dissect the division in football between Football Australia and the APL, and reveal the coaches most under pressure and walking the tightrope.

ACADEMY ANGST

Just at a time when A-League clubs need support from Football Australia, it seems the sport’s national governing body and the Australian Professional Leagues, which runs the competition, are drifting further apart.

The latest example is FA’s intention to create its own academies, which would rob A-League clubs of young players from their own academies, and as a result, weaken the clubs in the long-term.

What makes this harder to understand is that when the APL took over the running of the A-League men’s and women’s competitions from FA in the “unbundling” four years, FA emphasised the need for clubs to further develop their own academies.

Nestory Irankunda is one of the academy system’s biggest, recent exports. Picture: Getty Images

So why now does FA want to start its own academies?

It’s not what the APL and its clubs, which are still trying to recover from the financial crisis that brought the A-League to its knees, need.

And this latest potentially damaging blow to the APL and A-League comes soon after the announcement about FA starting a national second division of sorts in October next year.

On The Attack still has doubts it will happen, but FA should not be even attempting to start another national competition when the A-League is struggling.

The resources FA is throwing at the second division should instead be put towards strengthening the A-League and ensuring it will prosper in the future.

When will football in Australia truly unite and work towards a common goal? The division within the sport seems as strong and damaging as it has ever been.

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COACHES UNDER PRESSURE

It’s a big weekend for Brisbane Roar coach Ruben Zadkovich and his Perth Glory counterpart David Zdrilic.

Between them, the Roar and the Glory have picked up just one point from a possible 27 this season.

While it’s still early in the season, football is results-driven business.

Just ask Rado Vidosic and Steve Corica.

Last season, Vidosic, having guided Melbourne City to the 2022-23 premiership and grand final only a few months earlier, was sacked after only two games of the campaign.

Corica, who only weeks earlier had guided Sydney FC to Australia Cup glory, lasted only a week longer than Vidosic, axed by the Sky Blues after three games of the A-League season.

Expectations are obviously high at City and Sydney, two of the competition’s most powerful, and richest, clubs.

Ruben Zadkovic is spearheading the Roar’s latest fresh start, but the results are yet to show. Picture: Getty Images

Perhaps working in the favour of Zadkovich and Zdrilic is that neither the Roar nor the Glory are coming from a place of power.

The halcyon days at the Roar are a distant memory, with the club constantly making “fresh starts’ that seem to end quickly and in despair.

The Glory have big plans under owner Ross Pelligra and are promising the future will be bright.

However, they, like Brisbane, have essentially just made up the numbers in recent years and are doing so again this season.

In the Roar’s defence, their four losses this season have come against teams currently in the top six, and Macarthur FC, who won the Australia Cup in September, will present another tough challenge on Saturday night at Campbelltown Stadium.

Perth’s draw hasn’t been much kinder, but the nature, and margin, of some of the team’s defeats is of huge concern.

Perth Glory hasn’t had a kind draw to start the season, but the margin of some defeats has coach David Zdrilic under pressure. Picture: Getty Images

Playing an unbeaten Adelaide at Coopers Stadium on a Friday night, traditionally a favourable time slot at home for the Reds, probably isn’t the game the Glory need at the moment.

However, there’s no doubt that Glory fans would be sick of excuses for their team’s poor start to the season.

Zdrilic is keeping a brave face, but having waited for some time for a head coaching opportunity, he desperately needs a positive result.

As does Zadkovich, who despite remaining positive and confident, surely must know that he cannot afford to keep losing games.

IMPORT MUST DELIVER

Will the Wanderers’ much-maligned import Marcus Antonsson kick on and start scoring goals regularly after finding the back of the net in his side’s 4-2 loss to Sydney FC last Saturday?

Western Sydney fans will certainly be hoping so after having been understandably disappointed with the Swede’s output since joining the Wanderers last season.

In 28 A-League appearances, Antonsson had scored just six goals.

That’s not good enough for any striker, let alone a foreign attacker in the A-League.

There’s no point for an A-League club to sign a foreign player if he’s not better than an Australian player in his position.

Marcus Antonsson has scored just six goals in 28 games for the Wanderers. Picture: Getty Images

A-League imports are supposed to be better than Australians playing in the competition, otherwise there is no need to sign them.

If rumours are correct, the Wanderers would have been happy to let Antonsson go to Melbourne Victory in exchange for Bruno Fornaroli.

However, while Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo was willing to let Fornaroli go, he didn’t want Antonsson, which meant the Wanderers didn’t have space for the Uruguay-born, Socceroos veteran.

Therefore, unless there is some movement in the January transfer window, the Wanderers will be keeping Antonsson until his deal expires at the end of the season.

Between now and then, Antonsson, whose previous clubs include Leeds and Blackburn, owes Western Sydney some goals, and at least one against Melbourne City on Saturday at AAMI Park would be much appreciated by Wanderers supporters.

Originally published as Slater: Football Australia academy play proves they and APL are divided, coaches under pressure