A-League Finale 2016

A-League

A-League Finale 2015-2016

Paul Williams

Don't let the doubters fool you, for all the supposed issues the A-League is facing it is delivering where it matters most - on the pitch.

With just four matches remaining we look set for one of the most gripping finales to a season in the competition's 11-year history, with just three points separating the top four teams, and the top two only separated by goal difference.

Adelaide United, who looked dead and buried when they were without a win and sat stone motherless last on the table after Round 8, have completed a miraculous recovery to find themselves well and truly in the hunt for what would be their second Premiers Plate.

Their incredible 14-game streak without a loss, which saw them go from last to first, was ended on Friday night in front of over 14,000 at Hindmarsh Stadium at the hands of Melbourne City, who kept themselves in Premiership calculations with a vital 1-0 win on the road.

While the loss halted Adelaide's momentum, the win could prove crucial for City as they chase their first piece of A-League silverware.

Having looked close to unstoppable during December and January, when they went 10 matches with just the one loss, their recent form had been patchy with three losses in their past six matches, including bad losses to the struggling Newcastle Jets and Wellington Phoenix.

Back-to-back wins against fellow top six sides Sydney (who were in the six when beaten by City) and Adelaide United will boost their confidence heading into the final four weeks when they face table-topping Brisbane Roar, a tough road trip to Perth and the high-flying Adelaide United. It will be a true test of their title credentials.

Like City, Brisbane Roar had been up-and-down like a yo-yo in recent weeks. A 3-6 loss to Perth was followed by a 0-3 loss to Adelaide, which seemed to dampen expectations in the Queensland capital. But back-to-back wins over Western Sydney Wanderers (3-2) and Melbourne Victory (5-0) has seen Brisbane rise to the summit once again.

Their demolition of Melbourne Victory on Saturday night sent a warning to the rest of the competition, with Jamie Maclaren responding in the best possible way to the news of his omission from the Socceroos squad, firing home his second A-League hat trick to move to second on the goal scoring charts behind Bruno Fornaroli.

Their remaining two home games are against two sides struggling for form, Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets, while they face two tricky road trips to Melbourne to face City and Victory in what will ultimately prove decisive in the final make up of the top six.

Western Sydney, who sit joint top with Brisbane Roar, are looking to cap an impressive season with their second Premiers Plate. After going without a win in their first three matches, their season was set up in the following 15 weeks when they tasted defeat only twice.

Known as a dour, defensive side in their first few seasons, a style that ultimately saw them crowned Asian champions, the two-time A-League runners-up have refashioned themselves as a ball-playing side, thanks largely to their impressive off-season recruitment of Mitch Nichols and their trio of Spaniards - Andreu, Dimas and Alberto.

With Central Coast and Wellington Phoenix in their final two matches, their season will be defined by the results in their next two matches against Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory.

The dark horse in all this is Perth Glory. Coming from a long way back, the Glory have surged into the top six, replacing Sydney FC, on the back of seven wins from their past eight matches.

Shrewd work in the January transfer window has rejuvenated Kenny Lowe's side and they look almost unstoppable at the moment, especially at home where they've lost just once in their last eleven matches.

After last season's salary cap scandal, that saw Nichols, Maclaren, Danny Vukovic and Andy Keogh leave the club (only for Keogh to return in January), the club has bounced back remarkably well and while they were denied a place in last season's finals, they look set to have a big say on title proceedings this April.

For last season's champions, Melbourne Victory, it looks like a bridge too far to claim back-to-back titles. Having lost captain Mark Milligan to UAE side Baniyas in the off-season, Victory were dealt a further blow early in the season when his central midfield partner Carl Valeri went down with a debilitating virus that has seen him sidelined ever since.

It's a double blow from which Victory has never really recovered, and while they collected the FFA Cup in November, too many players have been too inconsistent across the year for Victory to mount a genuine title threat.

It's a similar tale of woe for last season's beaten grand finalist Sydney FC. Poor off-season recruitment set the Sky Blues back from the get-go and a dour game plan has failed to yield the results expected from the Sky Blues faithful. Without a win in their last eight, Graham Arnold's side has slipped out of the top six and for the first time since he joined the club, Arnold appears to be under genuine pressure for results.

While it's had its challenges off-the-park this season, as we prepare for the final month of the regular season, there can be no doubt that where it matters most, on the pitch, the A-League has well and truly delivered.

Copyright © Paul Williams and Soccerphile.com


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