Round Ball Australia 
Melbourne Victory coach Arthur Diles on the sideline during the Big Blue in Round 16 of the 2024/25 A-League Men season. Photo: Marcus Robertson/Round Ball Australia
With yet another late goal for Auckland, a first win for Arthur Diles as Victory coach, and Macarthur losing players left, right, and centre; Round Ball Australia keeps you up to date with all the big story lines from Round 15 of the A-League Men competition, with Sliding Doors.
Melbourne Victory
IF Arthur Diles really has signed an 18 month contract to keep him as head coach at the Victory…
THEN please, just tell us?
Rumours have been circling for weeks that Diles has signed on to be more than just an interim coach, despite the official party line out of the club being that he is still the designated interim manager.
Either way, although his first six games in charge haven’t exactly gone to plan, a win against Sydney in the Big Blue is always a great way to endear yourself to the Victory faithful.
And given the balance of the league this campaign, a run of six winless games isn’t as detrimental as it may seem. Seventh before the Big Blue, Victory can very realistically jump up all the way to third with a win away against Perth this coming weekend.
One difficult decision for Diles to make before that outing however, is who to start at striker. It’s been a tricky conversation all season, with neither Vergos or Fornaroli providing a strong case for selection.
The decision is probably still just as difficult, but at least this week it’s the more preferable conundrum of which of the scoring strikers you choose after they both scored here.
Vergos with most of the minutes to wear down defenders before releasing Bruno with 20-30 minutes in the moments that matter seems like a balanced solution.
Lachie Avil
Sydney FC
IF Sydney don’t find a way to win without their star men…
THEN they may be in danger of missing finals.
With Anthony Caceres and Douglas Costa out currently, Sydney’s spine looks vulnerable. Can a team that is so heavily reliant on just a few of its cogs really be labelled as a title contender?
Concerns were heading into the season that this was a thin squad, and the drop-off in quality between the strongest eleven and their understudies was stark. But it wasn’t expected to be this glaring.
Desperately needing depth, especially in the defensive ranks, and going on to sign another wide attacker who is onto his fourth A-League side in his career would rattle any fanbase, and rightly so.
Hayden Matthews have left for Portsmouth, Rhyan Grant is covering at centre back, and the disdain amongst fans growing. Is Ufuk Talay on borrowed time at the club?
How quickly will he be able to get the fans back on his side and prove to them that he is the man that can lead this side to finals at a bare minimum?
Or will this be the biggest under-performance from a squad we have witnessed in years?
Will Booth
Wellington Phoenix
IF the Phoenix are playing a home game – even in Christchurch…
THEN there is no way their opposition should be wearing yellow!
Seriously? This is probably the most egregious kit selection in A-League history.
Yes, there are sponsorship deals at play here which is why the Phoenix have to tick off a certain amount of fixtures in their away kit, but the planning seriously could not have been worse here.
The whole point of these regional games for the Phoenix is to try and spread their brand around the country. How are you reinforcing that brand when most of your supporters are showing up, dressed like the opposition!
If you really have to wear the charcoal once or twice at home, fine. But don’t do it in your regional games, and definitely not when it allows the travelling team to wear yellow!
Lachie Avil
Central Coast Mariners
IF the competition remains as tight as it is currently…
THEN you can’t write off the Mariner’s finals hopes yet.
In what would’ve been an enticing and tactical match up last season between two high-flying teams, it turned out to be exactly what it was this year; a pretty dull affair between teams sitting in ninth and 10th on the ladder.
On their day Mark Jackson and Giancarlo Italiano are two of the most progressive football thinkers in the league, so where has it gone wrong for the pair of them this season?
In Jackson’s case, it has proven to be one step too far in terms of rebuilding the Mariner’s squad, and there is a sense that the players at his disposable aren’t up to the task he is trying to set.
But as he acknowledges in his post-match presser, it’s a young squad that is in a building stage. With three teenagers, aged 16, 17, and 18 all in the starting lineup, right now it is about finding the balance between results and blooding these players in.
They remain just three points off the finals spots following their mid-week draw with Western United, and could make a big leap if they win their upcoming clash against the Jets.
Will Booth
Newcastle Jets
IF Newcastle can deliver their best for some 90 minute showings…
THEN It may save an embarrassing end to the season.
Newcastle looked really good in patches against Perth on Saturday evening, in an all too familiar story for Jets fans.
They did well enough to take the lead in the second half before they did what Newcastle do so well, turning three points into one or one point into none. It was another case of inability to execute clearances that saw a goal line scramble deliver Lachie Wales his first goal in Perth colours, and a death knell for the Jets.
Rob Stanton summed it up in his press conference best: “I think we found a way to throw it away again”.
The Jets have shown they can match it with teams throughout the majority of the league, however rarely for 90 minutes. Something needs to change or you feel heads may roll in Newcastle, very soon.
Chris Macpherson
Perth Glory
IF they can’t get a significant transformation of results from their raft of signings…
THEN David Zdrillic won’t see out the season.
Perth have been very active early in the transfer window with both releases and new signings. While Lachie Wales got on to the score sheet in the Hunter, Perth still looked disjointed and hardly a side who will push for wins against solid sides.
Also of concern was the fact that Perth as a whole seemed very upbeat with a draw against a lack lustre Newcastle and that in itself seems a warning sign.
David Zdrillic was talking in the right way post game, saying that Perth want to win every game.
The Glory will need to take monumental leaps forwards if they are to consistently challenge the other sides in the cellar and take three points from those fixtures, let alone against the clubs above them.
A lot of expectation sits on the shoulders of their signings, most notably Lachie Wales, Patrick Wood (on loan from Sydney FC) & Tass Mourdoukoutas, and their coaches future depends on it!
4-5 par
Chris Macpherson
Macarthur FC
IF the depth players are unable to step up…
THEN Macarthur might be at risk of missing the finals.
On a dour night in Campbelltown which saw the crowd wait until the 32nd minute before they saw a shot on target, Macarthur did their finals hopes the world of good as they secured victory over the visiting Melbourne City.
With the transfer window in full swing, Macarthur are quickly losing players. Ariath Piol has transferred to Real Salt Lake, Oliver Jones is off to Denmark less than a month after re-committing to Macarthur for a further three years, and Jed Drew is off to Austria in what might be the biggest blow of the season for the Bulls.
The club is also set to lose Dean Bosjnak, Frans Deli, Oliver Randazzo, and Alex Robinson in February to the Young Socceroos for the AFC U20 Asian Cup. This is all in addition to losing Belgian defender Dino Arslanagic, who had his contract terminated by the club.
With so many absences, other players will need to step up and perform as the business end of the season arrives. With the table being so tight, with third to tenth being separated by only seven points, wins will be a must for Mile Sterjovski’s side.
Poletti
Melbourne City
IF City looked like they were finally about to start reducing the names on their injury list…
THEN Kai Trewin’s withdrawal in the very early stages comes at a horrible time.
There’s no perfect time to get injured of course, and City do have more cover available in defence than other areas, but Trewin has been a real standout for them this season, and his return will be pivotal to their success in May.
Minutes for Leckie and Tilio are both encouraging, but they shouldn’t be expected to fire away though. City have positioned themselves well through this difficult start to the season, which has afforded them time.
Aurelio Vidmar has given himself the luxury of a mid-season slump whilst these players start to return, and integrate them back into the first team.
That’s not to say he’ll be happy with back to back losses, especially with a tough trip to Adelaide coming up next, but as it’s been for City all season, it’s about getting the XI firing at the right time.
Lachie Avil
Western Sydney Wanderers
IF Josh Brillante is one of your starting centre backs…
THEN Wanderers fans will be lamenting a lack of defensive reinforcements in the transfer window so far.
With rumoured targets Milos Degenek and Thomas Deng signing overseas, admittedly there haven’t been a wide raft of options to choose from.
Yet, other clubs in the hunt have still managed to find a way. Victory have signed Lachlan Jackson from K1 side Suwon Bluewings, whilst Sydney FC are expected to soon confirm the arrival of Alex Grant.
The Wanderers centre of defence is now the one that stands out like a sore thumb. Not much you can do in this one given Auckland’s outstanding record of scoring late, but as Stajcic’s side continue to miss opportunities to wrestle their way into the six, the gap will only become more evident.
Two more weeks to do something about it. And something must be done.
Lachie Avil
Auckland FC
IF anyone thought their late antics against Adelaide were a fluke…
THEN Auckland proved them wrong with another late goal.
Neyder Moreno was the one to step up when it mattered this time for the Black Knights, putting his shot high into the net above Lawrence Thomas. A second added time goal for Auckland in as many games.
This sort of fight back and resilience only goes to strengthen their claims as title favourites. It wasn’t as clinical a game as we’ve come to expect from the league leaders, but they got the job done when it matters, and it’s a testament to the mentality of the squad to keep fighting late into games.
Auckland will be coming into a tough run of fixtures in February, though. A home match against fourth placed Macarthur, a trip to Tarneit to face one of only two teams to have beaten them this season in Western United, and a home New Zealand Derby to round things out.
Jacob Stevens