A-League season preview: Western Sydney Wanderers

With the commencement of the new campaign imminent, From The Stands considers how the Wanderers will fare in the season ahead

Club: Western Sydney Wanderers

Manager: Tony Popovic

Stadium: Parramatta Stadium

Last season: Finished in first place to take out the Premier’s Plate. Runners up to Central Coast Mariners in the A-League championship.

Predicted Finish: Premiers and A-League Champions

Inclusions: Tomi Juric (Adelaide United), Brendon Santalab (Chongqin Lifan), Dean Heffernan (Perth Glory), Matthew Spiranovic (free)

Departure Lounge : Dino Kresinger (Zavrc), Tarek Elrich (Adelaide United), Joey Gibbs (Newcastle Jets), Rocky Visconte (Croydon Kings), Reece Caira (Wellington Phoenix)

Star signing: Tomi Juric

The 22 year-old Juric, born in Western Sydney, signed for the Wanderers on a 2 year deal after finishing up a short spell with Adelaide United. A former Sydney United player, Juric played for a couple of different clubs during 5 years in Croatia. Capped 3 times for the Socceroos, and having one international goal to his name, Juric is seen as the natural (and hopefully prolific) replacement for Dino Kresinger.

Other Key signings: Striker Brendon Santalab has been in deadly form during the pre-season, after returning to the A-League after several years in the Chinese leagues. He and Juric will be looking to provide the goals that were perhaps missing from the Wanderers’  attacking forces last season. Matthew Spiranovic, also a capped Socceroo, will be a great addition. A ball-playing Centre Back, Spira has the opportunity to provide injury/suspension cover for Topor-Stanley and Beauchamp, as well as cement himself a place in the squad as a long-term replacement as the two incumbents get a little older.

Key Losses: Nil. The regular starting 11, less Kresinger, are still with the squad and Juric looks more than capable of making up for Big Dino’s departure.

What to look for: The tightest defence in the A-League last season has a point to prove – that they are no one-season fluke. With the addition of Spiranovic and Heffernan, the Wanderers’ defensive stocks should only rise as their stable back five seek to remain miserly with goals for opposition strikers. Also keep an eye out for Tahj Minniecon, who has returned from injury and is in deadly form on the wing.

The X-Factor: As always, it’ll be the 12th man – the supporters. Record membership sales should see a fairly full and buzzing Wanderland on match days. Led in song by the RBB, it will be up to the supporters to show that there will not be a drop-off if a few results go against. They have the ability to lift the players and urge them on to new heights – or to leave the place feeling like a wake.

Why is he still on the list? Holger Osieck #HolgerOut

Extra Time: The Wanderers are the reigning and defending premiers. It will be an expectation from a lot of fans, pundits and onlookers for Tony Popovic and his squad to show that last season was no fluke. There are plenty of naysayers and doom merchants just waiting to put the boot in to the A-League’s fast-rising stars and their legion of noisy supporters.

The Wanderers have created a massive ripple across both the sporting and cultural landscapes of Western Sydney, uniting a wide range of cultures, nationalities, ethno-linguistic groups and socio-economic strata behind a single sporting entity – instilling a real sense of pride and identity amongst the formerly sneered-at Westies. It has turned Parramatta into a footballing mecca on game days; one in which the entire community participates.

With the inclusion of the Asian Champion’s League into the late-season roster, there will be more pressure on the fitness and abilities of the squad, but it will also provide Western Sydney a window to the world, in which the region can showcase its love of the world game. Be prepared to see a very different kind of support for these games, far removed from the cavernously empty stadium views of the past.

The possible sale of the club to any of a number of interested parties has the ability to be a destabilising influence. We can only hope that the FFA don’t cock it up and undo much of the hard work that has gone into creating the most exciting experience in Australian professional sport.

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