A-League Season Preview Part 2
Thu, Nov 18.21
With the new A-League campaign on the horizon, we take a look at each team to preview their 21/22 season.
In part 2 we take a look at Newcastle's attack, Daniel Sturridge at Perth, Sydney's stars, Wellington on the road, and John Aloisi at Western United.
Newcastle Jets
The Jets will be looking to improve drastically on their 20/21 campaign, narrowly missing out on a bottom-placed finish. New manager Arthur Papas comes in with a bit of expectation but any manager would struggle with the amount of departures and incomings at Newcastle.
The Jets have brought in 12 new faces along with 15 players departing. Beka Mikeltadze, Olivier Boumal & Samuel Silvera have been brought in to improve the leagues worst attack, scoring less than a goal a game.
This squad will take time to gel but there is no doubt the potential there for this squad to have a solid 21/22 season.
Perth glory
One of the biggest signings in the A-League in a long time has been Daniel Sturridge at Perth Glory. If Sturridge can stay fit for the majority of the season, he’s almost a lock for the Golden Boot, but that’s a big if, not playing a full season since his Liverpool days.
In 21/22 Glory were actually pretty good going forward, scoring 44 goals but it was in defence the team struggled, conceding the same amount. Other signings for the Glory include Brad Jones, Brandon O’Neil, and Aaron Calver who are all more than capable at the level and should drastically improve Glory from a defensive point of view.
Sydney FC
There is no doubt Sydney FC will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. The Sky Blues haven’t missed the top 2 in 5 seasons and we wouldn’t bet against them making it again.
Sydney have been very stable in the off-season compared to a lot of other teams, Max Burgess will try to cover the loss of Alex Baumjohann and Elvis Kamsoba could prove to be a handy addition.
The trio of Ninkovic, Bobo and Le Fondre is a scary proposition for all teams in the league and will keep them within title contention again.
Wellington Phoenix
If there’s any club that can claim they’ve been hard done by last season it’s Wellington Phoenix and it looks as though that may continue into 21/22.
As well as not being able to play at home, the club has now lost one of the leagues best in Ulises Dávila as well as talented youngster Cameron Devlin and striker Tomer Hemed, which will take its toll.
Gary Hooper coming in was needed massively, with the Scotsman scoring goals everywhere he’s gone. The club has also brought in promising youngsters Elliot & Pennington in key areas but we would still expect the club to struggle again in 21/22.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Another club that has made massive changes in the off-season is the Western Sydney Wanderers. Another mass exodus at the club with 11 players leaving, the Wanderers will be hoping to improve on a disappointing 20/21.
Key incomings include Dimitri Petratos, Tomer Hemed, and Rhys Williams who should all have an immediate impact. The signing of the exciting young Ramy Najjarine should have Western Sydney fans up & about, although he’ll need to be given time like the rest of the squad.
The massive signing of Premier League winner Jack Rodwell should be one of the best players in the league should he get on the pitch consistently.
Expectations are high in Western Sydney but for performances to match, Carl Robinson will need to get his side to gel sooner rather than later.
Western United
Western United were poor going forward last season and even worse at the back with only Victory conceding more. Swiss defender Leo Lacroix looks to be a great addition in defence as well as domestic recruits Topor-Stanley and Jamie Young, the club should be more stable at the back.
Wenzel-Halls arriving from Brisbane should be ready to go to the next level this season, playing alongside Allesandro Diamanti. The signing of Serbian stiker Aleksandar Prijovic means John Aloisi should have enough on paper to see some considerable improvement this season.
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