Índice para October 2015 em Australian FourFourTwo

I knew I’d made it as a player when I looked back on my career after retirement. During my career I never wanted to feel like I had made it because I always wanted to have the drive to be better and to achieve more. I was happiest when I made the squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. As I had been out of the Socceroos squad for almost a year beforehand, I went into the tournament without any expectations – but as soon I got a taste of international football again, I did not want to settle for being a squad player. And what a World Cup it was! We went into every game as underdogs but earned a lot of respect for the way we played:…

The worst team in Australia: The words rattled through Melbourne Victory after their debut A-League season in 2005/06. Only lowly New Zealand Knights finished below them in season one – but that inglorious tag would drive Victory on to dominate the following season and complete the first of three Premiership-Championship doubles. Fast-forward to the end of the 10th A-League season and Victory are now Australia’s most dominant club, with their six trophies taking them past Brisbane Roar’s five. But such triumphs had looked unlikely in Victory’s early days. Victory’s first football operations manager, Gary Cole, still shudders at the memory of their disastrous first season: ”That was horrible.” Victory were among the A-League’s eight foundation clubs, backed by then-chairman Geoff Lord who was advised by Tony Ising and Alen Rados…

GUIDO Chayan has been closer than most to Melbourne Victory. Now 21, he was involved with the club as a 13 year old in season two before officially becoming the equipment manager in 2012. Chayan says Victory’s desire to be the best was there from the outset. “I’ve never come in and anyone has ever expected less than 100 per cent. That has always been from day one through to today,” he said. “Every single day is about improving as an individual, improving as a group towards the ambition of being Champions again. That has always been the case and it will never change. “It’s one of those things, we’re a big club within the country and it’s an ambition that we must have. “If we didn’t have that ambition,…

FIXTURES October 9 Victory (H) 16 Wanderers (H) 25 Glory (A) 31 Roar (A) November 5 City (H) 13 Phoenix (A) 22 Jets (H) 28 Victory (A) December 6 Glory (H) 11 Sydney (H) 18 Jets (A) 26 Phoenix (H) January 1 Wanderers (A) 9 Glory (A) 16 Mariners(H) 22 Roar (A) 31 Jets (H) February 5 Sydney (H) 14 Mariners (A) 19 Victory (A) 27 Roar (H) March 5 Phoenix (A) 11 City (H) 19 Wanderers (A) 27 Mariners (H) April 2 Sydney (A) 8 City (A) THE BOSS GUILLERMO AMOR Amor joined countryman Gombau in Adelaide in August 2014, and he took charge as coach in July. The former Barcelona and Spain midfielder is credited for some of the Reds’ tactics last season, but this is his first…

You’ve won four A-League Premierships and five Championships with Brisbane Roar and before that Melbourne Victory. Where do you keep all those medals? I’ve got a few framed up – the Grand Final jerseys and medals as well, and obviously a few photos from those games. It’s good to reflect from time to time. How do you stay motivated? Just that winning mentality – it’s like a drug. Once you get a taste, you want more. I’ve got high expectations, and as a playing group we always push ourselves to constantly improve. When I retire I want to have won as many Championships and Premierships as possible. How hard was being sidelined last season? Frustrating. Prior to that I’d only missed two games throughout my whole A-League career. I had…

FIXTURES October 10 Sydney (A) 17 Victory (A) 25 Mariners (H) 30 Jets (H) November 5 United (A) 13 Wanderers (H) 20 Roar (A) 27 Glory (H) December 3 Mariners (A) 13 Jets (A) 19 Victory (H) 27 Roar (A) January 2 Sydney (H) 9 Wanderers(H) 16 Glory (A) 25 Phoenix (H) 29 Wanderers (A) February 7 Jets (A) 13 Victory (H) 21 Mariners (H) 26 Phoenix (A) March 5 Sydney (H) 11 United (A) 18 Roar (H) 28 Phoenix (H) April 3 Glory (A) 8 United (H) THE BOSS JOHN VAN ‘T SCHIP Pressure will build on Van ‘t Schip if City start slowly. His winning percentage as a coach continues to hover just above 30 and cannot afford to stay there. This could be a make or break…

Given all that Victory managed to achieve last season, what are the team’s expectations for the upcoming season? We have to be Champions again. Hopefully we can win. I know it will be difficult, but we have the same team except Milligan, who is gone, but definitely we have to win this season too and we play in the Asian Champions League. For me, when you start a season or a competition, the goal is to win. I know the Champions League will be very difficult because there are a lot of good teams, but last season we showed to everyone that we have a good team so hopefully we can got out there and win again. As a team, you boasted strength across the park it seemed but what…

FIXTURES October 10 Mariners (A) 18 Phoenix (H) 25 United (H) November 1 Wanderers (A) 8 Victory (H) 15 Roar (A) 21 Sydney (H) 27 City (A) December 6 United (A) 12 Mariners (H) 19 Wanderers (H) 27 Victory (A) January 2 Roar (A) 9 United (H) 16 City (H) 24 Jets (A) 30 Victory (H) February 7 Phoenix (A) 13 Sydney (A) 20 Roar (H) 26 Wanderers (A) March 7 Jets (H) 12 Mariners (H) 20 Phoenix (A) 26 Jets (A) April 3 City (H) 10 Sydney (A) THE BOSS KENNY LOWE Was a shock permanent appointment after an unimpressive interim stint in charge, but surprised many. Can appear both bright and facetious at times, while his gesticulations on the sidelines will provide a few laughs. Glory are practically…

You joined from Newcastle Jets in the offseason and got a taste of playing for Sydney FC in a couple of the friendlies in front of 80,000 crowds against EPL giants Chelsea and Tottenham. What was that like? They gave me an easy game to start with! No, it was a good experience to play against big teams. It was a great start for me and to get some minutes was good for myself. Where do you see yourself playing at Sydney, because Arnie has talked about you playing as a number 10? We haven’t really touched on it too much. He’s thrown me into a few different roles in terms of the two games against Chelsea and Tottenham. I like playing more central as a number 10 – you…

FIXTURES October 8 Roar (H) 16 United (A) 24 Sydney (A) November 1 Glory (H) 7 Jets (A) 13 City (A) 21 Phoenix (H) 29 Mariners (A) December 5 Roar (H) 12 Victory (H) 19 Glory (A) 24 Jets (H) January 1 United (H) 9 City (A) 16 Sydney (H) 23 Mariners (A) 29 City (H) February 6 Victory (A) 14 Phoenix (H) 20 Sydney (A) 26 Glory (H) March 4 Roar (A) 13 Jets (A) 19 United (H) 25 Victory (A) April 1 Mariners (H) 10 Phoenix (A) THE BOSS TONY POPOVIC The former Socceroo and 2014 AFC Coach of the Year shocked all in 2012/13 by creating title-winners from cast-offs, some proven performers and a dash of Shinji Ono brilliance. Can he weave the same magic again? What…

You’ve played for a decade in Turkey, so why the move to Sydney? This summer my contract with Besiktas finished. I got an offer from Sydney FC and I was interested. I think that football is getting better in Australia every year. Also my previous coach Vitezslav Lavicka and previous teammate Karol Kisel both spoke about Australia only in superlatives therefore it was easier to decide. Did you know much about Australian football prior to signing? Honestly, I did not look at the Australian league but I knew about the Australia national team and I know a few players who played in Turkey – for example, James Troisi and Mile Jedinak. Did you know much about Sydney FC prior to signing with the club? I knew it is the biggest…

It is the voice of the dressing room and the stars on the pitch. As the players’ rep in the boardroom, Professional Footballers Australia is now a key player in the Australian game. The players’ union has become an increasingly vital and vocal part of the Australian football landscape since it was founded by former CEO Brendan Schwab two decades ago. During that time, its role has grown significantly in the development of the A-League and the sport as a whole – and its contribution to any debate is invariably thought-provoking. Adam Vivian took over as PFA chief executive when Schwab stepped down to broaden his career in a move that has now taken him to Europe and a role as Vice-President with FIFPro, the global players union representing players…

NOVEMBER 1, 2004 Victory unveiled. “I wanted to make a contribution to Melbourne. I’m not an architect and I’m not an engineer so I couldn’t build a bridge.” – Geoff Lord DECEMBER 20, 2004 VIS head coach Ernie Merrick hired. “At the time, that was branded new football versus old soccer because we didn’t have a traditional old NSL coach.” – Gary Cole JANUARY 14, 2005 Archie Thompson is Victory’s first signing. “If we could get some talented young players around some experienced footballers, that would set us on a good pathway.” – Cole MAY 5, 2005 Kevin Muscat named captain. “He was a winner. He had this reputation of being a hard man, but he was a winner and was fantastic with the younger players.” – Cole AUGUST 28,…

He may be the A-League’s all-time leading goalscorer, but Archie Thompson isn’t done yet. Like all great goalscorers, the Victory hero is still hungry for more. Thompson, 36, sits on 89 A-League goals, just clear of Sydney FC striker Shane Smeltz (85). And with his contract for 2015/16 sorted, the ton is in his sights. “I want to reach 100,” Thompson says. “I’ve played as many games as I wanted, over the 200-mark – who knows where I’d have been if I had kept no injuries at all, it could’ve been a lot more – but I want to reach 100 goals and do it with Victory.” Thompson admits he continually questions whether he can get through pre-seasons, but he was seemingly asking the same when he was 23. The…

What are Adelaide United’s expectations this season? To impress. Like every year, when we start the season, we want to win and achieve in every single tournament that we play. This year we have the season, we have the cup and we have the game for the AFC Champions League. We’ll see what happens but of course we want to win everything. What needs to get better from last season for you to improve in the A-League? We need to improve many things. Maybe, because there are just 10 teams in the league, everybody knows everybody, it’s difficult to surprise the other teams sometimes. This year we’re going to train on different things, different kinds of attacking situations or different tactics as well, in terms of changing the middle, playing…

FIXTURES October 10 Glory (H) 18 Roar (A) 25 City (A) 31 Sydney (H) November 8 Phoenix (H) 14 Jets (A) 19 Victory (A) 29 Wanderers (H) December 3 City (H) 12 Glory (A) 20 Roar (H) 26 Sydney (A) 31 Phoenix (H) January 8 Victory (H) 16 Adelaide (A) 23 Wanderers (H) 30 Phoenix (A) February 6 Roar (A) 14 Adelaide (H) 21 City (A) 28 Jets (H) March 6 Victory (H) 12 Glory (A) 19 Sydney (H) 27 Adelaide (A) April 1 Wanderers (A) 9 Jets (H) THE BOSS TONY WALMSLEY Stepping in for sacked Phil Moss late last season, the former head of Sheffield United’s academy recruiting and the Mariners youth has been extolling “fearless football” since taking on the toughest gig in the Australian top-flight. A…

What are your expectations for the season ahead, from a personal perspective and team point of view? On one hand, people say not to expect too much from yourself in the first year back after a knee injury because it’s a massive injury and it takes time to get your confidence back. On the other hand, based on the way I feel right now, I feel like I’m flying. I need to get my confidence back and that’s a big goal of mine, not so much reinvent myself, but go back to what I do and what I know best instead of taking the safer option. I want to throw caution to the wind and go for it this year and whatever happens, happens. As for the team, we have…

FIXTURES October 11 Phoenix (A) 17 Sydney (H) 23 Victory (H) 30 City (A) November 7 Wanderers (H) 14 Mariners (H) 22 United (A) 28 Roar (H) December 4 Sydney (A) 13 City (H) 18 United (H) 24 Wanderers (A) January 3 Victory (H) 9 Sydney (A) 17 Phoenix (H) 24 Perth (H) 31 United (A) February 7 City (H) 12 Roar (A) 20 Phoenix (H) 28 Mariners (A) March 7 Glory (A) 13 Wanderers (H) 20 Victory (A) 26 Glory (H) April 3 Roar (A) 9 Mariners (A) THE BOSS SCOTT MILLER At 33, Melbourne-born Miller is the youngest coach to lead an A-League team. Ambitious and savvy, the former assistant coach at Fulham spent seven years at UK club and has degrees in sports science and psychology. Calamity…

A lot of players have left after the salary cap scandal, but for those who have stayed, how do they respond? Has the saga somehow brought them together? We were all devastated last year when it happened. We were all down because we couldn’t play finals. But we won most of our games even after the news broke, so we showed some spirit. The players who didn’t want to be here, or for whatever reason, they’re gone. The ones who are still here are happy to be here. They want to fight for the club. I know we’ve got an honest group and players who want to be here. Given you put in all that hard work last season, to have it taken away, is it a challenge to generate…

FIXTURES October 11 Jets (H) 18 Glory (A) 24 Roar (H) November 2 Victory (A) 8 Marines (A) 13 United (H) 21 Wanderers (A) 26 Sydney (A) December 5 Victory (H) 12 Roar (A) 19 Sydney (H) 26 United (A) 31 Mariners (A) January 10 Roar (H) 17 Jets (A) 25 City (A) 30 Mariners (H) February 7 Glory (H) 14 Wanderers (A) 20 Jets (A) 26 Phoenix (H) March 5 United (H) 12 Sydney (A) 20 Glory (H) 28 City (A) April 2 Victory (H) 10 Wanderers (H) THE BOSS ERNIE MERRICK The two-time A-League champion coach has plenty of admirers, penning a three-year contract extension back in March. Merrick has brought stability and a professional approach to the club, but can he bring trophies? In late March, Wellington…

You’ve been a professional footballer for 15 years. Have you ever experienced such a big player turnover before? I had a period in Hamburg when we released quite a few players – like 9 or 10 – but 18 players is quite a lot. It’s a whole new squad and also the new players have to come in and adapt to the club. It’s a challenge, but the new players coming in have a fresh mentality and a new hunger. We have a coach that is very ambitious and he’s brought in new staff and new players so we are very confident that this year we’re going to be very successful. What have you made of the new signings? We have some good players coming in, like the Spanish guys,…

1 NOVEMBER 2004 Sydney FC launched as one of the foundation A-League clubs. Walter Bugno to be the club’s inaugural chairman DECEMBER 20, 2004 Pierre Littbarski appointed as inaugural coach 8 APRIL 2005 Dwight Yorke announced as marquee, giving birth to the moniker ‘Bling FC’ 5 MARCH 2006 Sydney become inaugural A-League Champions, defeating Central Coast Mariners 1-0 in the Grand Final in front of 41,689 fans at the SFS. 17 MAY 2006 Terry Butcher confirmed as new coach 8 FEBRUARY 2007 Butcher sacked after the club’s semi-final exit 12 FEBRUARY 2007 Branko Culina appointed interim coach 3 AUGUST 2007 Juninho signs as marquee 22 OCTOBER 2007 Culina sacked. John Kosmina takes over the next day 3 MARCH 2008 Sydney sign John Aloisi as marquee in a deal making him…

Man management Backs his players who love playing for him. Players speak wonders of his work reforming the culture. Tactical nous Tactically sound. Has learnt many lessons from national team spell. Employs structured game plan. Media persona Sometimes a master of deflection, Arnold is sharp in the media and always up for a battle. Transfer success Excellent, highlighted by Marc Janko, while retaining Milos Dimitrijevic was astute and a great eye for youth. Man management Banishing Nick Carle and Matt Thompson pushed him towards the exit, albeit long and tortuous for fans. Tactical nous Shipped too many goals and failed to prevent the team’s over-reliance on Del Piero. Media persona Farina was on the chopping block for a long time before the final blow. Couldn’t get the message across. Transfer…

How bad are A-League fans really? Standing up to barrage of negative headlines takes its toll on even the most hardcore football fan. But before you reel under the next onslaught of hooligan hyperbole it’s worth considering – just how anti-social are A-League supporters? Season 10 comprised 140 matches with a total crowd attendance of 1,829,111. During that period 359 people were evicted by security or police, equating to 2.56 a game. So while some mainstream media outlets squealed about the birth of A-League “hooligan firms” and “secret files” on “violent A-League antics”, only about 0.02% of fans were turfed from matches. Intoxication, flare ignition or possession and disorderly conduct were cited as the main reasons. Away from the hysteria, The Advertiser reported a spike in evictions for AFL Crows…

“The higher up you go, the more organised you have to be. The biggest difference is in the final third. Better players are ruthless, so you have to be switched on all the time. In the Championship you can occasionally make a mistake and the opposition won’t score; in the Premier League you get punished straightaway. Get your tactics right from the off and make sure you understand your role. It’s got to be drilled into you on the training ground. Focus during sessions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, because just one error will cost you dear. You have to keep practising until it eventually becomes second nature. There can be a lot of information to take on, so listen to the experienced players and watch what they do.…

STRATEGO Military board game with which he was obsessed with as a kid CHESS He started playing at the age of 13 and says it is useful for tactics “SHOWER!” His one word to Djimi Traore at half-time of the 2005 Champions League Final, before calling him back due to Steve Finnan’s injury RAFA’S BIGGEST REGRETS Career-ending knee injury 10% Selling Xabi Alonso while at Liverpool 10% The ‘facts’ rant at Fergie 10% Accepting the Chelsea job 10% Over use of the word ‘cloob’ 60% 56.29% Win ratio at Liverpool. Have that, Brendan! He drives a Mini Cooper with a Union Jack roof 17 Followers on Twitter of his feline lookalike @rafacatetez SLEEPLESS After the 2007 Champions League Final he walked the streets of Athens, as Liverpool had booked too…

Look, there’s been worse (and longer, believe it or not!) off-seasons. The last few months has seen Copa America, the European U21s Championship, the FIFA U20s World Cup, the FFA Cup and the Matildas in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Plus we’ve had Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool playing A-League sides, while Manchester City, Roma and Real Madrid turned on the Euro glamour in Melbourne before the EPL kicked off again last month. But despite all that, there is simply nothing to match going to see your local side play in the local competition…and the A-League’s back, baby! 2014/15 will be remembered as the year that Melbourne Victory re-established itself as Australia’s premier football club, claiming the Premiership and Championship in ruthless fashion. Undoubtedly, Kevin Muscat’s trophy-winning side will once again…

Kevin Muscat took on an unenviable job. Melbourne Victory’s inaugural captain, he was always destined to become the club’s coach. It was a matter of when, not if, and it just happened to be that he would replace Ange Postecoglou when he landed the Socceroos job. But rather than be overawed by the responsibility, Muscat stepped in and immediately made his own mark – ditching Postecoglou’s dual-10s for a striker-based system – but without destroying everything that had already been achieved. “What’s important to understand is that the general philosophy of the football club has remained,” he said. “Since the Ange era, the general philosophy of the Ange era has remained. We want to be known as a football club where that stays in place for however long possible. “What…

FIXTURES October 8 Wanderers (A) 18 Mariners (H) 24 Phoenix (A) 31 Adelaide (H) November 6 Sydney (A) 15 Glory (H) 20 City (H) 28 Jets (A) December 5 Wanderers (A) 12 Phoenix (H) 20 Mariners (A) 27 City (H) January 2 Glory (H) 10 Phoenix (A) 15 Victory (A) 22 Adelaide (H) 30 Sydney (A) February 6 Mariners (H) 12 Jets (H) 20 Glory (A) 27 Adelaide (A) March 4 Wanderers (H) 12 Victory (H) 18 City (A) 26 Sydney (H) April 3 Jets (H) 9 Victory (A) THE BOSS JOHN ALOISI The Socceroo great endured an ugly start to his senior coaching career at Melbourne Heart. After a stint as Melbourne Victory development coach, he gets a second shot to show his coaching chops and guide the triple…

The coach needs an extra 17 goals this season. How many can he pencil you in for? I hope as many as possible. They struggled without an out and out goal scorer last year. I was here to fill that gap and hopefully, if the team can create the chances like they have in pre-season training, I’ll score plenty of goals. The team only managed 26 in 2014/15, the same number you bagged for DPMM FC in the S.League last season. That might be the irony behind why they signed me [laughs]. I think it was probably the worst season in Mariners history. But we’ve got new staff, new players, new positivity around the club this year. So the mood at the club is upbeat despite last season’s disappointing 8th…

FIXTURES October 9 United (A) 17 City (H) 23 Jets (A) November 2 Phoenix (H) 8 Glory (A) 14 Sydney (A) 19 Mariners (H) 28 United (H) December 5 Phoenix (A) 12 Wanderers (A) 19 City (A) 27 Glory (H) January 3 Jets (A) 8 Mariners (A) 15 Roar (H) 26 Sydney (H) 30 Glory (A) February 6 Wanderers (H) 13 City (A) 19 United (H) 27 Sydney (H) March 6 Mariners (A) 12 Roar (A) 20 Jets (H) 25 Wanderers (H) April 2 Phoenix (A) 9 Roar (H) THE BOSS KEVIN MUSCAT In his first full season in charge, Muscat led Victory to the double. He kept a talented squad, with plenty of depth, motivated and rarely put a foot wrong. The former captain is striving to perfect what…

You left the Jets in January for six months loan at Serie B’s AS Varese. How was that? Great. It’s a totally different game over there. They’re very tactical and very defensive-minded. Here in Australia we’re very big on playing out from the back and keeping possession and over there it’s all about getting results. But it was a fantastic experience. I was lucky enough to play the last seven games of the season. It was a good chance to test myself against some top players in Italy. How does it feel to be back in the Hunter? It’s been a fantastic pre-season. We came back a little bit earlier than the other A-League squads and the vibe in training is really good. I’m really looking forward to having a…

FIXTURES October 10 City (H) 17 Jets (A) 24 Wanderers (H) 31 Mariners (A) November 6 Roar (H) 14 Victory (H) 21 Glory (A) 26 Phoenix (H) December 4 Jets (H) 11 United (A) 19 Phoenix (A) 26 Mariners (H) January 2 City (A) 9 Jets (H) 16 Wanderers (A) 26 Victory (A) 30 Roar (H) February 5 United (A) 13 Glory (H) 20 Wanderers (H) 27 Victory (A) March 5 City (A) 12 Phoenix (H) 19 Mariners (A) 26 Roar (A) April 2 United (H) 10 Glory (H) THE BOSS GRAHAM ARNOLD The former Socceroos coach’s first season with Sydney was a much-needed breath of fresh air. Arnold boosted squad morale, instilled a solid style of play and recruited well, but silverware is what he’s there to deliver. Graham…

You’ve lost Nathan Burns and Kenny Cunningham, but otherwise it’s a fairly settled squad with few changes? That’s going to help. Some of the boys have been together for years, but most of us are now coming into our second season together. We’re a bit more gelled than at this time last season. We’re implementing a few more formations and strategies. Burns scored 13 last season and created even more, so how do you replace him? It’s very difficult to replace a player like that. His general character around the club was excellent too. He was more than just a goal scorer, he was a good link-up man as well. Whoever comes in is going to have big boots to fill but I’m sure the club are looking to try…

DEJAN PANDUREVIC Age: 18 Position: Striker, winger, attacking midfielder Competition: New South Wales NPL Clubs: Manly United, Central Coast Mariners When 18 year old Manly United striker Dejan Pandurevic beat 80 boys from around Australia for a place at the Nike Academy in England, he took a step closer to his dream of securing a professional contract in Europe, following in the footsteps of current Socceroos and Celtic star Tom Rogic who also won Nike’s ‘The Chance’ football talent search competition. Paul Dee, Pandurevic’s coach at Manly United, gave an insight into the attributes that caught the eye of the Nike Academy scouts when he was just 15: “He’s an exceptionally good young talent. “He’s probably a natural number 10, but he can play as a number nine. He’s got…

1 Analyse and improve Appraise your performances “After a game I ask one of the analysts to send me a recording of the match so that I can watch it at home and see where I could have done better. There are usually moments that stick out; when I think, ‘Oh, I want to see that back’, to see if I could have made a different run, selected a different pass or attempted a different finish. With the tape at home, I am able to flick through it and assess how I played. This helps me to identify areas for further improvement.” 2 Power up your pins Don’t neglect your legs at the gym “My aim was to become more powerful and quicker off the mark, so I worked hard…