Reports of the A-League’s death have been greatly exaggerated. They always are. Day two of season 20 was another strong reminder that this competition, for all its faults and quirks, can absolutely still deliver the goods.
For the first time in recent memory, there were two sell-out crowds on the same day. Auckland FC’s debut brought almost 25,000 fans to Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday afternoon, a tremendous turnout which suggests the competition’s 13th club could be an instant behemoth. Clad in Inter Milan-style black and blue stripes, the team co-owned by American billionaire Bill Foley, Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams, three All Whites and two All Blacks made an instant impression with an assured 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar on Saturday afternoon. Truer tests are still to come, but it gave those first-time fans good reason to come back.
Who knew there were so many Estonians in Auckland?Credit: Getty Images
And then, in the evening, a packed house at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta turned out for another rousing Sydney derby. This one revolved around the city’s two new star recruits, Douglas Costa and Juan Mata, whose individual fortunes mirrored their team’s: Sydney FC won 2-1 and looked excellent, while the Wanderers appear to be, to put it kindly, a work-in-progress.
The evidence is mounting that Costa could be an absolute steal for the Sky Blues. The 34-year-old’s pedigree can’t be questioned as a former weapon for Bayern Munich and Juventus, but his track record at his last two or three clubs suggested he might have been a spent force.
Not so, it appears.
The former Brazilian international looked hungry, genuinely invested, and most importantly, carried himself as just another one of the boys.
“You can tell that he loves the game,” coach Ufuk Talay said post-match.
Douglas Costa had a terrific A-League debut.Credit: Getty Images
Costa’s class shone through in his clever first touches; sometimes he would manipulate the ball in tight spaces, sometimes he would show himself into empty spaces. On one occasion his close control and Brazilian trickery got him past his marker and nearly led to a goal. On another night he would have had one, as well as his phantom assist: it was Costa’s cross that led to the goal that ultimately won it for Sydney in the 63rd minute, scored by striker Patryk Klimala after a flick-on header from young defender Hayden Matthews.
That goal came mere seconds after the introduction of Mata, 36, off the bench. Wanderers coach Alen Stajcic later explained the decision to name him as a substitute was a “flip of the coin” and made because he didn’t want to “waste” the Spanish great’s energy during what he anticipated would be a frenetic opening to the derby. The idea was that his gifts would be better used later in the game, but the way it turned out, he had little impact.
It’s assumed marquee players will start all matches they are available for, but Stajcic said he plans on taking a horses for courses approach with Mata; his 28 minutes in the derby was almost three times his total output for J.League side Vissel Kobe last year, and so he must be handled with care until he reaches his maximum capacity.
Juan Mata and Douglas Costa.Credit: Getty Images
“I think he does have the fitness to play longer. He definitely came in with a decent base [of fitness],” Stajcic said. “It’s going to take him some time to get used to playing match minutes and regular match minutes again, but he’s a world-class player. Juan’s just one piece of that puzzle as to who’ll play next week. We’ll assess that during the week and make a decision next week on whether he starts or not.”
Klimala ended up besting both of the big names, notching an assist for Joe Lolley’s 17th-minute opener to go with his goal, and should gain confidence from his performance. He may be the kind of player who needs it. On loan from Polish club Śląsk Wrocław, Klimala, 26, is a former Celtic flop.
He was poised to move to Standard Liege earlier this year – until the Belgian club’s fans protested after learning he had been accused of performing a Nazi salute while playing in Israel, as part of a goal celebration he said had been “completely misunderstood”. He has come to the A-League to rebuild his reputation. This was a good first step.
The Wanderers toiled, but were disappointing overall. Stajcic deployed a direct game to try to escape Sydney’s suffocating high press. They had occasional joy, like with Aydan Hammond’s equaliser early in the second half, but in general play they were clearly outmatched.
Sydney FC substitute Max Burgess’ red card for stomping in the 87th minute reduced the Sky Blues to 10 men, but the hosts couldn’t take advantage.
Mata is the kind of player who could give them the kind of poise they are missing, but they would need to deploy a specific style and structure to account for his limited mobility.
Sydney FC, on the other hand, clearly know what kind of team they want to be. It’s early days, but they are on the way to being it.
“We’ve got some really technical players this season that can, on their day, play through anybody,” Talay said. “We saw glimpses of it tonight, but I’m sure we’ll get more as the season goes.”
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