Football Season Guide

Won the A-League Grand Final last season so despite actually finishing third in the table, they were the anointed champions. Ironically, as they're based in New Zealand, they were not eligible to qualify for Asian Champions League Elite football. A lot has changed at the club pre-season. For example, boss Corica has left - he did a good job for them but it wasn't a pragmatic approach in the long-term due to his over-reliance on senior players. After much deliberation, Pedro Moreira was appointed as his successor. Unsurprisingly, the departure of Corica also resulted in the departure of numerous regulars. They had no say about tricky attacker Jesse Randall, who wanted to test himself at a higher level, but it's likely they'd have been able to keep Hall, May, and Verstraete had Corica stayed. Creativity is going to be the first problem they need to solve this season. Losing Randall was a real boot in the nether regions, especially after Gillion and Francois also moved on. Bayliss was a great acquisition to help out but it still looks like they lack dynamic wide threats at present unless Lachlan Brook can recapture the form that evaded him last season. Goal-scoring is another potential hurdle as Cosgrove will miss the first two matches of the season due to suspension, and May has moved on. They're going to need one hell of a start from Kiwi youngster Cartwright if they're to endure such. Defence is also a concern. They've lost two players - Hall and Girdwood-Reich - that they could use at CB, whether in a back two or a back three. Calver has joined to help out but they may be forced to field a back four because of their lack of realistic alternatives. It also looks like they've lost some important figureheads, not just good players. Verstraete brought balance to their midfield and also led from the front. Without him, Hall, Girdwood-Reich, and May, they've lost some players that could lead on the pitch. It's hard to imagine they'll take too well to that.