Season Preview – Sydney FC
Season 11 of the A-league is upon us, and slowly but surely momentum is building. For Sydney Fc, we perhaps are getting a clearer picture on where Graham Arnold wants the sky blues to be. As always, the roster has gone through some heavy rotation with stars like Janko, Ibini and Antonis leaving for marquee Holosko and Ninkovic.
Apart from that Arnold has recruited several promising Australian talents such as Hoole, O’Neil and Woodcock. So as we embark on year 2 of Arnold’s tenure, can Sydney Fc go one step further? Or will the long trips to Asia come at a cost?
The Coach
Well you either love him or you hate him. Who am I talking about? Of course it is Sydney Fc coach Graham Arnold. If you ask him, he probably would compare himself to Jose Mourinhio and it’s easy to see why. He loves his mind games whether it is with his opposition or his own team. However Arnold obviously commands respect from his players who last season in my opinion overachieved in making the grand final. Not only that, he also commands a lot of respect from the fans including myself whilst maintaining a good relationship. All in all, he can be credited with stabilising a football club which lets be honest has seemed quite the basket case in the past.
Season Expectations:
As much as I would like to say that we can go one better on last year, realistically I would be happy if we finished in the same position as last year. That’s not to say we can’t win it though. Last year ended on a rather sour note, so the players who haven’t left should have no trouble in motivating themselves in the new campaign. In fact if I was the coach I would be showing that game before every match this season just to get the players up for the fight. The campaign will be tougher this time though with the addition of Asian Champions League towards the end of the campaign. Although don’t lose 3-0 in a grand final this time lads?
Players to watch:
There’s something special about new recruit Milos Ninkovic. Problem is I can’t put a finger on it yet. Overall, I think it just seems that he plays with a smile on his face and it shows. The exciting thing is his A-league journey has only just begun and I’m sure by the time his career here is over he will be well known.
Elsewhere Ryan Grant and Ali Abbas are key players. Both have been at the club for a while and become fan favourites. This is not necessarily down to their skills but more down to the effort which they put in week in week out. That combined with the odd Grant wonder goal makes them valuable parts to the team.
Three Key games:
To the general public, the answer to this question would be quite easy. The Sydney Derby has caught the attention of everyone with it constantly selling out. However for me and loyal followers, the Big Blue rivalry has stepped up a gear. So the three editions of the Big Blue this season will be memorable.
Arrivals:
Zac Anderson, Matt Simon (both Central Coast), Brandon O’Neil, Riley Woodcock (both Perth Glory), Alex Mullen, Andrew Hoole (Newcastle Jets), Milos Ninkovic (Evian, France), Filip Holosko (Besiktas, Turkey).
Departures:
Sasa Ognenovski, Nikola Petkovic, Corey Gameiro, Bernie Ibini, Hagi Gligor, Terry Antonis, Peter Triantis, Nick Carle, Marc Janko.
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https://www.fromthestandsal.com/2015/09/06/201516-from-the-stands-a-league-competition/
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