On the Attack: Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde examine the big issues in Australian football

It was a mistake – a royal stuff-up – bringing Macarthur into the A-League, says Socceroos great Robbie Slater in this week’s On The Attack column. Find out why.

Socceroos great Robbie Slater and News Corp’s Marco Monteverde talk all things football in their weekly Q&A, On The Attack.

This week the pair question why unbeaten Macarthur FC should never have won an A-League licence, Melbourne Victory’s draw drought, and why it’s danger signs for the Matildas and their coach.

Only 2596 fans were at Campbelltown Stadium on Monday night. Picture: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

MACARTHUR MISTAKE

MM: What does Macarthur have to do to get a decent crowd? They are unbeaten this season, and are playing an attractive brand of football, yet only 2596 were at Campbelltown Stadium to watch them beat Adelaide in one of the most entertaining games of the season.

RS: They’re hard work, and that’s not having a shot at the players or the coaching staff. That game on Monday night should have been a great advertisement for the A-League, but the lack of atmosphere meant it was more of an embarrassment for the competition.

MM: I still question the decision to give Macarthur an A-League licence. Sydney didn’t need another club in the competition.

RS: It was a mistake bringing Macarthur into the competition. They have brought next to nothing to the A-League since joining in 2020. Their licence should have gone to Wollongong. It was a no-brainer, and Football Australia, who were in charge of the A-League at that time, stuffed up royally.

PHOENIX RISING

MM: Speaking of expansion, do you think Wellington Phoenix’s great start to the season has been motivated in any way at all by them wanting to send a message to the new Auckland team coming into the competition next season about where the power in Kiwi football lies?

RS: Not really. I think it’s just a continuation of the good form they have shown in recent seasons. There’s a new coach there now and all the players would be eager to impress. They’re well-organised, strong in defence and very good in attack. They’ll win again this weekend against an ordinary Jets side.

MM: Yeah, that’s true, and I think that the addition of the new Auckland team will make the Phoenix even stronger in the long run, just as the addition of the Wanderers 10 years ago made Sydney FC stronger. The same thing needs to happen in Brisbane, where a second team would lead to the Roar smartening up their act off the field. On the field, Ross Aloisi is doing a great job with the Roar. The players love what he has brought to the club and the work he’s doing on a shoestring budget.

Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

VICTORY TIRED OF DRAWS

RS: Ross has done well, as has Marko Rudan at the Wanderers, and Tony Popovic at Melbourne Victory. Both of those teams are unbeaten, which should lead to an intense encounter when they meet on Sunday at CommBank Stadium.

MM: Yeah, I know they’re unbeaten but the Victory have drawn four matches on the trot, so they’ve dropped a stack of points in the past month.

RS: Popovic will be working hard to rectify that. They would have been disappointed to leave Gosford with only a point last weekend after leading 2-1.

MM: Definitely, and in contrast, the Wanderers would have taken a lot out of coming back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the Roar at Suncorp Stadium last Friday.

RS: Yeah, but in saying that, Rudan will be stressing the importance to his players to start games better because that wasn’t the first time this season they had to fight back from 2-0 down to avoid defeat.

MM: I’m expecting a better start from the Wanderers, who I can’t see losing at home. I think the best the Victory can hope for is another draw, but Popovic will want to do well against the club he coached to AFC Champions League glory.

GOAL-SHY UNITED STRUGGLING

RS: One team who would give anything for a draw right now is Western United. Losing five straight games is a huge concern for any team, let alone a side that won the 2021-22 title.

MM: And their next opponent is the club that won last season’s title, Central Coast, in the battle of the cellar dwellers in Gosford on Friday night.

RS: United will be happy they have finally left Ballarat after three straight losses there. Hopefully they never go back there again, but regardless of where they play, they need to find a striker who can score goals. They have only scored three goals in six games this season, and just one in their five-game losing run. They are sorely missing the departed Aleksander Prijovic.

MM: Yes, they definitely need to sign a goalscorer as early as possible in the January transfer window.

Australia’s Caitlin Foord competes with Canada’s Shelina Zadorsky. Picture: Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images

MATILDAS AND GUSTAVSSON EXPOSED

RS: The Matildas could have done with a goalscorer in Canada. Two games, two poor performances, no goals scored and six conceded ­– what a complete waste of time that international window was for the Australians. For all the good the Matildas achieved this year, a lot of it has been undone by two ordinary displays in Canada.

MM: Yeah, Tony Gustavsson’s coaching and tactics left a lot to be desired

RS: Yes, he got it wrong by fielding a team made up entirely of second-string players in the first game, and was lucky the Matildas only lost 5-0. And then in the second game on Wednesday, when it was virtually Australia’s best team, bar Mackenzie Arnold and Sam Kerr, the performance wasn’t much better. It was only a 1-0 loss on the scoreboard but the Matildas offered nothing.

MM: It was definitely a far cry from some of their exciting performances during the Women’s World Cup. There was no energy at all, and when it was obvious how tired and listless some players were in the second half, Gustavsson only made one substitute.

RS: It was crazy. It again exposed Gustavsson on a big stage. With that performance, the Matildas can forget about winning a medal at next year’s Olympics, should they even qualify. And the question needs to be asked as to whether Gustavsson has the same passion for the role that he previously had after being linked to a couple of other coaching jobs since the World Cup.

Originally published as On the Attack: Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde examine the big issues in Australian football