Outs
Mark Rudan, Ufuk Talay, Ruben Zadkovich, David Zdrilic, Patrick, Ben Vidaic, Mark Milligan, Juninho, Brendan Renaud, Mark Robertson.
Kosmina (not necessarily Sydney FC) won’t really miss any of the above players other than Milligan. Kosmina clearly didn’t want to play Zadkovich. Rudan left mid-season, Talay has been adequately replaced while Juninho was constantly injured. The rest were fringe players/deadwood.
Ins
John Aloisi, Mark Bridge, Stuart Musialik, Simon Colosimo.
In addition to the signings above, the club will have Adam Casey, Jacob Timpano and Michael Enfield (although the American is injured again and will miss the start of the season with a 3 month layoff). There is room for 4 more players to fill the 23 man-squad although given the big money acquisitions, there may not be much left over for more signings.
Likely Formation
Bolton
Middleby – Popovic – Timpano – Fyfe
Colosimo – Musialik
Bridge – Corica – Brosque
Aloisi
Or we could see a 4-4-2 with Bridge playing alongside Aloisi and Corcia and Brosque playing on the flanks. I think having five in midfield is the more likely formation given that there are only 2 or 3 strikers (depending on how Brosque is used) while the midfield is bloated with 10 players.
Strengths
Definitely in the centre of the park. The pairing of Colosimo and Musialik as ball-winner/defensive shield and play-maker could potentially form a duo that will dictate the game. Both have good distribution, Musialik in particular, and hopefully, they will form a solid basis from which the team will build from the back. I saw glimpses of Musialik’s command of the play in the game against Sutherland, despite having very little previous time with the squad. McFlynn and Talay, both ball-winners really, struggled with providing that vital first option out of defence last year and all too often, the team resorted to long balls for Brosque to chase. Kosmina’s rationale for signing the above two players could be to address this issue.
Sydney probably leads the league in the central midfield department when you consider the other available options of Corica, McFlynn and Enfield if the American can ever get over his injury problems.
In Aloisi, they have the league’s best finisher and most expensive player. For the Central Coast last year, Aloisi showed that his predatory instincts as well as technical and aerial ability are really a class above this league. His supporting cast of Bridge and Brosque look good on paper but it will be interesting to see how Kosmina gets all these players into the same starting XI. I think Kosmina will try and deploy all strikers together with Bridge and Brosque dropping into midfield and out to the flanks to help with the build up play. Brosque was excellent for the Roar when he played as a winger while Bridge also prefers to receive the ball between the defensive and midfield lines. This will also take advantage of the ability of both players to turn and run at defenders, something we don’t see nearly enough of in this league despite it proving to be such a dangerous method of attack (consider the runs made by Carle, Burns, Zullo etc. and the goals that were created as a consequence).
Weaknesses
The full-back positions are a definite worry with a lack of experience and depth. Middleby played on the right-wing last year but it looks like he will be the starting right-back this year. This is probably a good move because he offered very little as an attacking option last season. Nikolas Tsattalios is still a kid at 18 while the versatile Fyfe is a central-defender by trade. Hence, the team is definitely short on experienced full-backs. Against Sutherland, Prentice was played at left-back and I think he will be a starter in this position. I didn’t seen much of him during his time at Perth but he looked solid enough against the Sharks. Much will depend on how these two converted midfielders settle into their new positions.
There could also be a lack of pace in central defence as Popovic, Timpano and Fyfe don’t have the acceleration of the departed Milligan. It’s a defence that is strong in the air but could struggle against counter-attacks. The positive is that Timpano, who looked solid against Sutherland and Blacktown, hasn’t really put a foot wrong during his come-back games despite being out for so long.
The lack of proven quality and depth on the wings is also apparent. Brendan Santalab and Adam Biddle were predominately used off the bench last year while Adam Casey is returning from a long layoff. Hopefully one of these guys can make the step up and really push for a starting spot.
Given the above weakness on the flanks, there could also be a problem of creating chances in the final third. I think getting the ball to the final third will be easy enough with the combination of Colosimo and Musialik providing the buildup play. But once there, will there be enough creativity to give Aloisi ammunition? Casey, Biddle and Santalab are all unproven in terms of being regulars over the course of a season. In fact, none of these players are guaranteed a spot in the starting line-up. Corica is more of a goal-scoring than goal-creating midfielder while I doubt McFlynn’s ability to unlock the opposition defence (although he is listed as an attacking midfielder). The onus could fall on Bridge and Brosque although this has not been the role of either players in recent reasons. You get the feeling that someone like Carle, Fred or a fit Juninho could really complete this team and make it one that other teams will fear.
Key Players – Popovic, Musialik, Brosque and Aloisi.
Breakout Player To Watch – Adam Biddle – He was the club’s Young Player of the Year last year but there wasn’t much competition. He showed glimpses of what he can do during his numerous appearances off the bench. With not much competition on the flanks, this could be the year where he establishes himself.
Season Outlook – Hard to predict but given that the club has yet to miss a finals series, you would expect Sydney to finish in the top four again. If they can provide Aloisi with good service, he will be the league’s top scorer and the club will be contenders. However, that is a big ‘if’ as creativity seems to be a weakness of the team.
1 Comment
July 15, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Thanks I though Popovic had retired but it appears not.
Seems a pity to describe a once great player like David Zdrilic as ‘deadwood’.
Last year Sydney kept the roster small and paid the price through early injuries. And the fans never forgave them giving up Dwight Yorke.