Football Season Guide

Last season was nothing special. They only just about scrambled a fifth-placed finish in the A-League table, although credit to them for showing the backbone that they did in the play-offs - no team found them easy to beat due to their defensive solidarity since former CB Kisnorbo joined as interim manager. Those improvements did not go by unnoticed either; Kisnorbo was made permanent manager pre-season. A great move, really - he's won the title before, and is an excellent motivator. Whether they can keep him should interest from Asia arise again is another matter, however - that problem burned Melbourne Victory in the past; mid-season too. It's hard to not be positive about this group though. They've lost some key players from last season, it's true, but none of them were at their best. Lolley's injuries were constant, and Grant was beginning to follow suit. Stamatelopoulos didn't truly settle, Quispe didn't truly shine, the Arslan experiment failed etc. In other words, they shouldn't struggle to replace them. Their incomings were very encouraging on that front, although ironically that did involve one Hollman brother replacing another at the club, no doubt making for some awkward conversations around the table come Christmas time! Sunday has joined to lead their attack, which looks very promising on the face of it. He's going to have to do well, though - Campuzano won't be back on a pitch until 2027 due to a bad ACL injury. Wonderkid Akon has agreed to leave the club but only at the end of the season, which should help out. They've significantly bolstered their defence by acquiring Farrell, capable of playing at LB or CB, and even all-rounder Sekine, although they'll probably want him as more of a winger. Overy has arrived to help out too. They're perhaps a shade short of depth at CB, given Tisserand's likely injury battles, but other than that, they're solid. Their only big loss pre-season was that of star midfielder Okon-Engstler. Hollman should replace him but won't be quite as good. They've got good kids coming through though, and with plenty of wide options to call upon, they're likelier to cause problems for their opponents than they are to be caused problems for. Assuming GK Harrison Devenish-Meares - who was injured in late August - is back, there's no real reason to doubt this team. They might experience the odd teething problem at the back at the start of the season but they should grow into it well. Kisnorbo will make them fitter and smarter, and they should really be pushing for silverware.