5 Talking Points For New A-League Season

The A-League's European Love Affair

Paul Williams

Thank god. It seemed like this day would never come. Finally, it's time for some football.

After an off-season dominated by failing club owners, ugly CBA negotiations, boardroom nepotism and the ongoing FIFA scandal it's a relief to finally talk about the football.

There are many questions to be asked, and answered, over the next seven months. Here are my big five coming into this season.

1. Can Melbourne Victory retain their dominance?

Sustaining success in the A-League has proven to be far more difficult than many imagined. Only Brisbane Roar has managed to go back-to-back in the ten seasons of the A-League. Given their form last season, and the fact they've retained pretty much all their Championship winning side, you'd have to fancy the Victory to defend their title. The loss of captain Mark Milligan will hurt, but in Oliver Bozanic, they have a more than capable replacement and the signing of Danny Vukovic will strengthen their defence. In his second full season as manager Kevin Muscat will have his management skills fully tested as they compete in three competitions - A-League, FFA Cup and AFC Champions League. How he manages his squad will go a long way to determining Victory's success or otherwise.

2. Will Melbourne City emerge from the shadow of their big brother?

After promising plenty early last season with the arrival of David Villa, it never really got going for the newly-branded Melbourne City, which still felt largely like Melbourne Heart in a different uniform. City needs success to breakaway from the stigma of mediocrity that dogged Melbourne Heart. With a new training complex, improved off-field professionalism and solid recruiting drive behind them, there can be so excuses this season. In Ivan Franjic, Michael Zullo, Corey Gameiro, Aaron Hughes and Thomas Sorensen they have recruited players that have unquestionably strengthened their side. Retaining Harry Novillo, who showed glimpses of his quality towards the end of last season, is a big plus and Socceroo Aaron Mooy is blossoming into a genuine star. The big question mark remains up front. After coming back from knee surgery can Corey Gameiro pick up where he left off at Sydney FC? Will Uruguayan Bruno Fornaroli flourish or flounder? If they can find the goals, City could be in for a big year.

3. How will ownership issues affect Brisbane Roar?

How the mighty have fallen. Not long ago Brisbane was the toast of the A-League, and here they are fighting off creditors and fighting tooth and nail to keep their dwindling fan base. This season will be a big test of John Aloisi's managerial skills after his less than stellar stint at Melbourne Heart. Can he shield his players from the issues - which might be hard if they're not being paid - and galvanise the playing squad in a way Graham Arnold did at Central Coast? The reality is their squad is still good enough to challenge the better teams. Jamie Maclaren is a shrewd signing, and their two recent Spanish signings, on paper at least, look as though they'll bolster the midfield and cover the loss of rising star Luke Brattan. They're still good enough to make the six, but it's likely to be off-field issues that make or break their season.

4. Can Perth Glory recover from the salary cap scandal?

It was a case of so close, yet so far for Perth Glory last season. With a new CEO in place, and a host of disgruntled players saying goodbye, can Kenny Lowe rebuild his side into a genuine contender once again? Spaniard Diego Castro, while not a household name, has the pedigree to be one of the league's star players, while former Feyenoord striker Guyon Fernandez is the replacement for departed striker Andy Keogh. Given the salary cap scandal it's often forgotten just how consistent and tough to beat Glory were last season, topping the table for 17 weeks, finishing third before their penalties were applied and they were demoted to seventh.

5. Can the imports fire?

Much has been made of the lack of genuine marquee players in the A-League, and it is an issue in the broader context. However, one thing the A-League has done in its ten years is produce 'marquee' players out of relative unknowns. Think Fred, Carlos Hernandez or Besart Berisha. With almost 20 new foreign players, mostly unknown players at that, in the league this season there is so much potential. History suggests not all will succeed, but it also suggests some will become bona fide stars of the league. Spaniards are flavour of the month, with no less than 11 in the league this season. We know what to expect from Adelaide's trio, but can Western Sydney's new Spanish trio propel it back up the table? Can Corona and Javier Hervas come to the rescue of Brisbane Roar? The disappointing thing with the influx of new foreign players is that there is still only two Asian players in the league - Lee Ki-je and Ali Abbas. It's time for the +1 rule to be introduced.

Of course no preview is complete without a season prediction to embarrass us in seven months time. So here goes:

TABLE
Melbourne Victory
Adelaide United
Melbourne City
Sydney FC
Western Sydney Wanderers
Brisbane Roar
Perth Glory
Wellington Phoenix
Newcastle Jets
Central Coast Mariners