Owatalk

• Home
• Contact
• About

2006/7 A-League Season Preview

The A-league kicks off this weekend for the second season. Last season being the first season was more like an adventure as most fans didn't know what to expect but the season was surprisingly successful. Its different this year and we know what to expect from some teams but the expectations are also higher than before.

I think Adelaide will go on and win the title this year. John Kosmina has built up a very good balanced side and with the big prize of playing in the Asian Champions League at stake for the top two teams Adelaide should charged up for it.

Last year Adelaide won the minor championship and then fizzled out in the finals but I expect them to go all the way this year. They have already made their intentions clear by winning the pre-season cup and I expect them to pick up from there and continue in the same vein for the rest of the season.

I think Sydney FC will still be good under the tutelage of Terry Butcher but I don't see them winning back to back titles. They have brought in midfielder Alex Brosque and apart from that they are nearly the same team they were last year.

I expect the last two berths in the top four to be filled in by Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory. To me the Mariners played the most entertaining football and it was fitting that they finished as runners up.

My team Melbourne Victory has brought in three Brazilians Claudinho, Fred and Alessandro and also the added midfielder Adrian Caceres and we are expecting a lot more compared to last season's near the bottom of the ladder position, seventh to be precise. The problem last year was relying too much on Archie Thompson for goals with Danny Allsop not scoring that many but should change this year with competition for places upfront.

I don't see the New Zealand Knights being the whipping boys anymore this season. They have been impressive in pre-season cup and I expect them to notch more wins this coming term than the one they had last season. Its very hard for me separate Nick Theodorakopoulos' Newcastle and Queensland Roar but I think Perth Glory don't look very convincing to me despite the prized capture of Stan Lazaridis and the much respected coach Ron Smith.

Post a comment:

Name

(required)

E-Mail

(required, but not published)

Website

(optional)

Comment
Enter Code


Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail