Western Sydney Wanderers

Had their moments last season but ultimately finished 7th last season, which was outside the play-offs. After a substantial amount of pressure from their fans, boss Rudan was axed because of it, just four months after signing a contract extension. Alen Stajcic is his replacement, who is very good at getting the most out of players. Ordinarily, this is a chaotic club but Stajcic won't stand for that so things should be a lot more streamlined moving forward. Have lost some regulars pre-season but Hendrix had injury problems and Brook failed to find his best form under Rudan. Marcelo is a big loss, though - they fought hard to keep him but he wanted to move on. Still, they've made some interesting pre-season signings. As always, they've plundered Phoenix, this time for Kraev - a very good addition to their creative ranks. Juan Mata is their marquee signing in that area of the pitch; unlikely he can last 90 mins but can be very impactful in short bursts. Their other signings have predominantly been either for their physical attributes, or because they work hard - or both in some instances. What's left is a potentially very good squad but it may take Stajcic a while to undo all of the negative things that have happened at this club in recent years. The really bad news for him is that goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas allegedly suffered a serious ankle injury, and will miss most of the campaign. If that's true, then it's going to make things even tougher. Still, having faith in Stajcic is prudent, and this club already has good players. They've cut loose a lot of deadwood, and they have some good players coming through the academy. It's expected that Milanovic will become a key player for them this season too, after impressing last season. Should be able to finish in the top 6 despite various challenges but may be slow at the beginning. Likely key players - Kraev, Borrello, Brillante, Milanovic.