Continued from A-League Odds…

The World Cup may be over but football on the local stage is just about to heat up, with the sixth version of the Hyundai A-League kicking off next Thursday night, August 5. This season sees the introduction of an 11th team in Melbourne Heart and each side will now play a total of 30 regular-season matches – up from 27 in 2009/2010 – before the top six sides battle it out over a month-long finals series culminating with the Grand Final on the second weekend of March.

With more current and former Socceroos returning home and a host of exciting fresh imports arriving down under to show their stuff, the 2010/2011 A-League season promises to be a thrilling contest from start to finish. With Round 1 looming, aussiepunter.com analyses each side’s chances of taking out the crown of Australia’s top football club.

SYDNEY FC:

Coach Vitezslav Lavicka has had to deal with a high turnover of talent in his first off-season with the club, and only time will tell if the new-look side can gel as smoothly as last season’s championship team. The key departures are former captain and foundation player Steve Corica (retired), former Slovak international Karol Kisel (now playing in the Czech Republic) and the trio of marquee striker John Aloisi, defender Simon Colosimo and ever-reliable goal keeper Clint Bolton, who will all feature for new boys Melbourne Heart this season. In their place come former Johnny Warren Medal winner Nick Carle, Japan native Hirofumi Moriyasu, goal keeper Liam Reddy, former Adelaide left back Scott Jamieson and 16-year-old wunderkind Terry Antonis.

Sydney are aiming to become the first back-to-back A-League champions and with Carle spearheading their attack from midfield and the “killer B’s” Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge combining up front, they are every chance of achieving that feat. Watch for promising youngsters Sebastian Ryall, Kofi Danning and possibly Antonis to have breakout seasons and help propel Sydney FC to a second straight title.

Prediction – 1st
Title Odds – $3.75

MELBOURNE VICTORY:

Ernie Merrick is back at the helm for his sixth straight season as Victory manager and is now the only remaining foundation coach in the A-League. An ageing Kevin Muscat – who turns 37 next week – is also back for his sixth year as captain. Merrick will be expecting another big season from his side but will have to do without star marquee striker Archie Thompson for at least the first half of the competition as he recovers from a knee reconstruction. The club is still yet to sign a temporary replacement for Thompson and with Nick Mrdja heading back to the Central Coast Mariners after his short loan spell, it appears Robbie Kruse will have to shoulder the striking duties on his own, for the time-being at least. Thompson’s absence also puts a bigger burden on last season’s player of the year Carlos Hernandez. The Costa Rican International will have to be at his dazzling best from midfield if the Victory are to be a genuine threat for the championship.

Whilst quality and depth in defence and midfield does not appear to be a problem, it certainly is an issue for Melbourne up front and they may well struggle to score goals at times this season. Should make the top six, but question marks remain over whether they have what it takes to win what would be an historic third A-League title.

Prediction – 5th
Title Odds – $4.50

GOLD COAST UNITED:

For a new side to enter a 10-team competition, finish the regular season in third place and still consider that an underachievement shows just how high the bar is set at Gold Coast United. In this, the club’s second season, owner Clive Palmer and coach Miron Bleiberg want nothing less than a championship and they have the playing talent capable of delivering it to them. The squad is largely unchanged from last season with keeper Jess van Stratten the only notable departure. He has been replaced by Glen Moss from Melbourne Victory and 31-year-old English journeyman John Curtis has also been brought in to strengthen the club’s defensive stocks.

The verdict on how long star striker Shane Smeltz will be around Surfers Paradise this season is still yet to be determined, but for now he is training with Gold Coast and looks set to start the season wearing blue and gold. On top of Smeltz’s transfer drama, there has also been recent conjecture that club captain and marquee midfielder Jason Culina wanted out of his contract, though Culina himself is insistent that he will remain at United this season. With their big two on board, Gold Coast are every bit the premiership threat.

Prediction – 2nd
Title Odds – $8.00

WELLINGTON PHOENIX:

The experience gained from New Zealand’s World Cup campaign will be invaluable, not just for the Phoenix contingent of the national squad but also for coach Ricki Herbert, who will be brimming with confidence after the All Whites’ undefeated – albeit winless – showing at the World’s biggest sporting tournament. His Wellington side surprised more than a few experts last season by running in fourth place on the league table, before home final wins over Perth and Newcastle saw them ultimately finish third. Their main concern heading into the 2010/2011 season is the thinness of their squad, currently at just 18 players with just a few days remaining before the July 31 deadline to name a 20-man roster.

The likes of Leo Bertos, Tony Lochhead and Mark Paston will be aiming to top their World Cup experience by helping Wellington take out the A-League title and – if the dynamic duo of Paul Ifill and Chris Greenacre can replicate their form from last season – then they are not without hope, though still very much a dark horse. Last weekend’s 2-1 win over South American super club Boca Juniors in a pre-season friendly shows they are ready to hit the ground running, but expect the Phoenix to come back to the field by the business end of the season.

Prediction – 6th
Title Odds – $11.00

PERTH GLORY:

The former giants of the NSL have had a hard time of it since the A-League’s inception in 2005, but last season they showed signs that they are ready to once again become a force to be reckoned with. Their fifth place finish gave the club its first ever A-League finals appearance and although a swift exit ensued, the Glory finished last season as a club on the up. Enter Robbie Fowler. The former Liverpool star’s class shone through in rays during his stint at North Queensland – despite the obvious lack of talent around him – and he will no doubt provide a big boost to his new club’s title aspirations.

With Mile Sterjovski, Branko Jelic and Victor Sikora alongside Fowler up front, Perth have potentially the most potent forward line in the competition and should score a bucket load of goals. The Glory will also be looking to replicate their home form of 2009/2010, which saw them lose just one game. However, they will need to improve their chronic inconsistency if they are to be left standing in March.

Prediction – 3rd
Title Odds – $8.50

NEWCASTLE JETS:

The fact that Newcastle made it to the second week of last season’s finals series, glossed over what was in actual fact a very average campaign. The Jets lost three more games than they won during the 27 rounds and finished five points behind fifth place Perth. They also let in 45 goals, second only behind North Queensland. Now, to make matters worse their captain and equal top goal-scorer from 2009/2010 Matt Thompson has left, along with classy South Korean midfielder Song Jin Hyung.

Branko Culina has a big job ahead of him if he is to guide his team into the top six this season. Their recruitment for 2010/2011 leaves a lot to be desired, as their major off-season signing – Italian Marcello Fiorentini – most recently played in Italy’s Seria D competition.

Prediction – 10th
Title Odds – $15.00

NORTH QUEENSLAND FURY:

After a tumultuous off-season that saw the one-year-old club on the brink of extinction and the club’s marquee man Robbie Fowler – and a whole host of others – leave in disgust, North Queensland may be licking their wounds for some time. There are few recognisable names in their current squad, which is largely comprised of European reserves and players from Australian state leagues.

One positive to come out of the fallout from the past five months has been the appointment of one-time Czech Republic national coach Frantisek Straka as Ian Fegurson’s replacement. Though Straka will need to perform a minor-miracle simply for the Fury to avoid the wooden spoon, let alone harbour any possibility of reaching the finals.

Prediction – 11th
Title Odds – $51.00

CENTRAL COAST MARINERS:

Former Socceroos manager Graham Arnold takes control of the Mariners this year, with foundation coach Lawrie McKinna stepping into the background to take on an operations role with the club. The 2009/2010 season was a disappointing one for Central Coast, which saw them finish just one point clear of wooden spooners Adelaide. However, they did end up with the equal second best defensive record last season, which is something Arnold will be hoping his side can emulate.

The losses of Danny Vukovic, Nigel Boogaard, Ahmed Elrich, Dean Heffernan and Dylan Macallister will hurt the Mariners, but the signings of Argentine midfielder Patricio Perez and Dutch defender Patrick Zwaanswijk – two players who appear to be quality imports – will help offset the those losses. Arnold’s managerial apprenticeship has seen him work alongside the likes of Guus Hiddink and Johan Neeskens, and there’s no doubt he has the makings of a successful A-League coach. But it will take time for him to transform the Mariners into a highly competitive side.

Prediction – 8th
Title Odds – $17.00

BRISBANE ROAR:

Ange Postecoglou wasted no time in stamping his authority when he took over from Frank Farina as head coach of the Roar in the middle of last season. Within weeks Brisbane’s two most experienced players Charlie Miller and Craig Moore were out the door, so it’s no surprise to see the club have such a high turn-over of players during the off-season. Of all their losses, the three which will hurt the most are those of boom youngsters Tommy Oar and Michael Zullo to Dutch club FC Utrecht and big man Sergio Van Dijk to Adelaide. But the arrivals of keeper Michael Theoklitos, defender Shane Stefanutto and two new imports – German midfielder Thomas Broich and Costa Rican striker Jean Carlos Solorzano will provide Roar fans with hope for 2009/2010.

Whether Brisbane enjoy a successful season or not will largely depend on what impact Broich, who is a former German U-21 International and Solarzano, who is on loan from Costa Rican club LD Alajuelense, can have on their new club. If they both excel then a playoff berth is certainly not out of the picture, but in what is shaping up as possibly the tightest A-League season to date, the Roar may find themselves a bit off the pace.

Prediction – 9th
Title Odds – $21.00

ADELAIDE UNITED:

Changing coaches a month out from the start of the season is not an ideal preparation in anyone’s book, but with Aurelio Vidmar taking on the role as Socceroos assistant, the Reds have done well to secure Dutchman Rini Coolen at short notice. Coolen has managed several top-flight clubs in Holland and will be looking to build on the club’s successful Asian Champions League run, which came after the club’s worst ever A-League season.

For the Reds to be successful they need a big year – and plenty of goals – from captain Travis Dodd. Goals were hard to come by for the Reds last season, but the addition of Sergio Van Dijk coupled with a firing Dodd, could see the Reds sneak into the finals. They will also need another big year by keeper Eugene Galekovic, who was a standout for Adelaide last season. Should go close to making the top six, but may just miss out.

Prediction – 7th
Title Odds – $15.00

MELBOURNE HEART:

After a year-long recruitment campaign that has secured an impressive list of players including Josip Skoko, Michael Beauchamp, John Aloisi, Simon Colosimo and Dean Heffernan, there is a lot expected of the A-League newcomers. Arguably their biggest signing to date however, is that of John van ‘t Schip as head coach. As a former assistant at Dutch giants Ajax and for the Netherlands national side, as well as head coaching stints with FC Twente and Ajax (interim), van ‘t Schip is the most highly-credentialed manager in the A-League.

As with any new club, player-depth is always an issue in year one. But if Heart’s big names can remain largely injury-free for the duration of the season, then they have enough class and experience to be right in the mix come finals time. Expect them to start off somewhat sluggish, before hitting their straps around mid-season.

Prediction – 4th
Title Odds – $7.00