It’s the same old song

If Frank Farina were a pop star, he might be Billy Idol. It is hard to work out if 1980s one-trick pony Idol, complete with his faux punk ethos and a sneer straight out of acting school, had a comeback over the past decade or just never went away. Either way, for a comeback to be successful, some updates will be required. Fashions change and doing the same shtick in your comeback can only take you so far. And, if you will excuse the slightly laboured analogy, so it is with the current Sydney FC boss. The underwhelming 2-1 loss at the jetlagged Mariners – themselves on a long run of defeats – takes the Sky Blues’ recent record to three wins from the past 11 starts. Two of those victories were against the league’s bottom sides. Aside from a pair of wins against Melbourne Victory, all their success this season has come against struggling teams. Incredibly, Sydney FC visited ‘the Mariners idyllic bayside arena’ – to use the obligatory description on the club website – having lost more games than any other team this season (10). More to the point, they rarely seem to play with any obvious over-arching method or plan in mind. Little wonder there has been discord among the club’s hardcore support in recent weeks. Though more Rebel Yell than pre-revolutionary Russia, this has been as close as A-League fans come to open rebellion. To their credit the club were prepared to meet those at the barricades, albeit in an, at times, slightly comedic manner.

Then there is the Nicky Carle issue. The fact he was left off the teamsheet for the Mariners match, yet was not named as injured on Thursday may not normally raise eyebrows. But Sydney have been under the microscope recently for their injury management, and Carle has not played since incurring the wrath of his coach, and said coach has form with said player dating back to the 2004 Olympics.

Momentum is everything

This season, more than ever, the impetus of a winning run – or vice versa – is pivotal. Even in a league where salary cap evens the field, momentum plays a huge role. Presumably the reasons are partly psychological, meaning footballers perhaps think about things more than one might imagine. Or perhaps such collective confidence is a simple base human instinct. Whatever the reasons, the evidence is clear. In fact, this season has been like none that have gone before. The three biggest winless runs followed by unbeaten runs in the nine-year history of the A-League have all occurred during this season. Leading the way, of course, are Melbourne Heart whose 14-match winless run, has been followed by a seven-match undefeated streak. It is a run that would also be a record in the 28-year history of the ‘old’ National Soccer League. In any other season, the eccentric form of Wellington Phoenix (10 winless and five unbeaten) and Adelaide United (eight and seven) would normally be remarkable in its own right.

Plan or patience

Is it a sign of Australia becoming a mature football culture that club owners are dispensing with coaches with impetuosity? Or is it perhaps a development we’d rather not have. Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory getting rid of Gary Van Egmond and Alastair Edwards – two relatively experienced modern coaches – didn’t feel right at the time. Knee-jerk reactions and little in the way of long-term planning are commonplace in many of Europe’s top leagues, but rarely is it successful, super wealthy clubs aside. It is a fact that petro-dollar fuelled Melbourne Heart owners Manchester City must struggle to get their heads around. Perth and Newcastle – the latter’s impressive weekend win over the Wanderers aside – are looking like the only two clubs not in with a likely chance of finals football. The Glory enjoyed a brief revitalisation – so often the trademark of a mid-season coaching revival – but, on the back of some uninspiring football, are now on a seven-match winless run. The Jets have won two of their past 10. Slightly off topic, but loosely tied in by way of Jets’ wayward ambitions; ultra-optimistic midfielder Ruben Zadkovich has now tallied a league high 23 shots without scoring. You get the feeling someone told a pre-pubescent Ruben he was good at kicking.

The challenge of Asia

Though too early for a comprehensive survey, the initial indications are that A-League clubs show few signs of making an impact in the AFC Champions League. If anything, last week’s three matches suggest the gulf is widening. Sure, one could argue the opponents were the best Asia could offer being last year’s two finalists – Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul – plus 2012 winners Ulsan Hyundai. Conversely though all three have yet to commence their respective domestic campaigns, while the A-League teams should be peaking, at least in terms of cohesiveness. On the park Central Coast copped a penalty that reeked of cultural footballing differences, or just bad refereeing, one of the two. That aside, however, the Mariners were comprehensively outplayed and rarely looked capable of maintaining possession. Western Sydney Wanderers suffered a hefty home loss, conceding the kind of goals they rarely concede, though often score. A fact pointed out by coach Tony Popovic without a hint of irony. The Victory, to their credit, completely outplayed Marcello Lippi’s Asian champions in the opening half, but their inability to hold off the second-half onslaught was sadly predictable. The ability of A-League clubs to recover from a 25-hour midweek round-trip to Asia will be a discussion point throughout the season. The Victory were comprehensively outplayed by Melbourne Heart, but the Mariners outlasted their opponents to claim an impressive win. Sydney FC, though, would probably be the team you would select to play against in such circumstances.

Melbourne find their Heart

Had the competition commenced on 1 January, it would be Melbourne Heart holding down top spot, followed by Wellington Phoenix. That would have been unthinkable as recently as December but, for better and or worse the A-League is a competition like few others. Melbourne’s ‘second team’ surely achieved the most notable result in their history on Saturday in putting four unanswered goals past their city rivals. The win finally lifted the Heart off the bottom and, with the team playing with confidence and verve under John van ’t Schip, few would bet against them reaching the finals. The Heart are now on a five-match winning streak – the only team to do so this season.