These are the key talking points from the first week of the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series.
Robert Mak has claimed Sydney FC are playing the best football in the league, after his side notched an impressive 2-1 comeback win over Western Sydney Wanderers in the very first post-season Sydney Derby. His goals have played a key part in the Sydney resurgence.
Meantime, Adam Le Fondre is flying ahead of the Semi Finals for the Sky Blues, whilst Adelaide United come into the final four with a conundrum at number nine.
With a lot to dissect, here are the key talking points from the Isuzu UTE A-League Elimination Finals.
Check out more great news/content/stories by downloading the KEEPUP app Here
Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners – ticketing details
Sydney FC v Melbourne City – ticketing details
Isuzu UTE A-League Semi Finals guide: Everything you need to know
Featured image: Rachel Bach – @bythewhiteline
Mak goals reflect Sky Blues resurgence: ‘Now… we play the best football in the league‘
It’s the sight we’ve become so used to seeing from Robert Mak in his first season at Sydney FC: gather the ball on the left wing, feint to shoot, breeze past a defender and angle a strike toward the far-right corner.
On two occasions in the past month, the Slovakia international has found the back of the net in such a manner. The first saved Sydney’s season. The second helped launched the Sky Blues into the Semi Finals.
Mak secured Isuzu UTE A-League Goal of the Weel honours for his curling strike against Western United on the first of April; Sydney trailed Western 3-1 in that fixture, and after two consecutive defeats – including a 4-0 trouncing at the hands of the Wanderers – Sydney’s Finals Series hopes were almost vanquished.
Steve Corica’s side had roughly half an hour to save their season; Diego Caballo halved the deficit before Mak struck from range to rescue a point in the 89th minute.
Sydney haven’t lost a game since.
That 3-3 draw was the first on a run of six games unbeaten for the Sky Blues, in which Mak has scored five of his nine goals for the season.
The latest strike came in Saturday’s Sydney Derby Elimination Final; his side were trailing 1-0 to the Wanderers at CommBank Stadium, but Mak’s sublime finish ignited Sydney’s impressive fightback, with Mak then providing the assist for Adam Le Fondre’s winner to knock the fancied Wanderers out of the post-season, and set up a Semi Final bout between the Sky Blues and Melbourne City.
“To win at their stadium, I think no one expected,” Mak told reporters on Monday. “They were so confident they were going to have an easy game – but we showed them our character.
“The way we came out for the second half was totally amazing. I think they didn’t have one shot on the goal in the second half, they couldn’t pass their halfway line, too. We absolutely (were) dominating, we deserve it.
“If you look at the game, you can say it was all about Sydney FC… other than penalty, they didn’t create anything. If someone watched the second half, it was one team on the pitch all second half. They were in our box maybe two times in 45 minutes. We absolutely dominated, we deserve it. Especially when you win there, it feels amazing. We really enjoyed it – and we don’t want to stop.”
It has been a career-best season for Mak, who has never scored more than nine goals in a single campaign throughout his career.
It’s an impressive statistic for a player who had only four league goals to his name at the end of March. Mak says, much like his own individual form, the Sky Blues’ dramatic turnaround in form has plenty to do with the honest conversations and tactical tweaks that took place after the deflating 4-0 defeat to the Wanderers at home.
Across the games that have followed, Mak claims the Sky Blues have been the best team in the competition.
“We changed something,” he said. “We had meetings (and said) we needed to change something after the 4-0 when we lost. It was really a big disappointment for us to lose the Derby 4-0 at our stadium. But when you look at it today… we won there on Saturday night 2-1, and this is I think more important than that game.
“We (found) some ways to change our tactics, let’s say, and it’s working really (well the) last games. We’re scoring lots of goals, we create a lot of chances, we are dominating on the ball.
“What I can say now: in the league, the last four or five games, we play the best football in the league.”
Le Fondre rises highest to score the winner
It’s a cliche, but finals come down to moments and Adam Le Fondre made the most of his.
The English striker rose the highest to nod home Robert Mak’s corner late in the Sydney Derby on Saturday night, with his fifth goal in five games enough to complete an incredible comeback and secure the Sky Blues’ place in the Semi Finals.
After a tough start to the season, Le Fondre has surged back into form in the latter stages of the campaign, scoring eight of his 11 goals in his last nine outings – having also missed two months of football during this period as a result of an injury.
LE FONDRE: Match winner’s admission that drove Derby revenge mission
Mak, who put in on a platter for Le Fondre, spoke about the 36-year-old’s winner on Monday and paid tribute to his ability to stand up in the big moments like he did against the Western Sydney Wanderers.
“I saw (it) in training – but finally, we scored from direct corner,” he said.
“I think it was first goal from direct corner this season. It was such an important goal for 2-1, (with) 10 minutes to go.
“He can score goals everywhere he is, if it’s from corners, he always scores crucial goals and it was (a) really good goal. I think Joe helped him a little bit, because he jumped on him.
“That’s how he got (up), and how small he is, (for him to) finish like this it was unbelievable.”
Veart’s number nine conundrum
Who leads the line for Adelaide United when they kick off the Semi Finals against the Mariners?
Reds head coach Carl Veart leads a team that by and large selects itself when at full strength – but one position he’s tinkered with for weeks is at the tip of his attack.
Hiroshi Ibusuki has been Adelaide’s preferred number nine this season – but the Japanese striker’s late-season calf injury shuffled the deck. Across Adelaide’s last five games Veart has handed starts to Hiroshi (one), Luka Jovanovic (three) and George Blackwood (one), with the latter leading the line in Friday night’s Elimination Final win over Wellington.
Blackwood was busy against the ‘Nix, putting himself in dangerous areas on many occasions, yet failing to hit the back of the net. The Reds were desperate for a sealing goal after Goodwin’s early strike put the hosts ahead, but frustration continued to build as Blackwood and co. failed to put Wellington away.
Ibusuki returned from a two-game absence to receive less than 30 minutes of playing time off the bench against Wellington, whilst 17-year-old Jovanovic remained on the bench.
Adelaide’s two-legged Semi Final against Central Coast Mariners is predicted to be a shootout, with both sides capable of scoring goals aplenty. But who will Veart choose to utilise from the start in Saturday night’s first leg at Coopers Stadium?
Drama off the field as Ninkovic and Corica engage in ‘fiery’ dressing room confrontation
After the contest was over at CommBank Stadium, the drama spilled off the field as Western Sydney Wanderers’ Milos Ninkovic was escorted out of the Sydney FC change-room.
Ninkovic, who left Sydney in acrimonious circumstances in the off-season and joined their arch-rivals ahead of the campaign, went into the Sky Blues locker rooms to congratulate his former teammates on the win.
However, he was soon after frogmarched out of the change rooms by Sydney officials after getting into a stoush with Sky Blues boss Steve Corica.
“He’s just upset, obviously, losing the game,” Corica said.
“He came to wish the players all the best for the remainder of the season.
“We have issues but that’s between me and him.”
READ: Footage emerges of ‘fiery’ Ninkovic dressing room stoush: ‘We have issues’
Wanderers coach Marko Rudan weighed in on the incident too, believing it all stemmed from Ninkovic and Corica exchanging words during the game.
“My understanding from the guys that do full access (A-Leagues All Access)… approached me and just said that Milos went in there to congratulate his old teammates and their coach didn’t appreciate him being in there. Something that occurred between those two, which wasn’t pleasant, it was quite fiery,” Rudan said.
“I haven’t seen Milos yet so I haven’t spoken to him about that, but I think it all started in the game where I think their coach said something, not very nice on the sideline to Milos. I think that’s where it started.
“But it’s football, these things kind of happen, but that’s all I know.”
‘I’ve told him not to call me!’ Italiano takes the Phoenix reins as Talay’s tenure comes to a close
Outgoing Wellington Phoenix boss Ufuk Talay has backed the club’s incumbent head coach Giancarlo Italiano to thrive in “a lot of learning moments” as he takes control of the New Zealand club ahead of the 2023-24 A-League Men campaign.
Talay says he’s spent the end of the current campaign answering any questions posed to him about the role from the man affectionately known as “Chiefy” around the club, helping to prepare the ‘Nix assistant for the task at hand.
Prior to the end of the regular season, the club revealed Talay’s four-season stint in charge was set to come to a close. His last game on the touchline came in Adelaide on Friday night – after which he joked he’s expecting a lot of midnight calls from Italiano as he navigates his first season as a professional head coach.
“When he’s asked questions, I’ve answered… the focus has still been this season – for Chiefy as well to get to this point,” Talay said after Wellington’s 2-0 Elimination Final loss.
“I think there will be a lot of learning moments for Cheify (next) season.
“I told him not to call me! He said I’d probably get a lot of midnight calls. But Chiefy is a fantastic coach. He’s going to have moments where there’s going to be a lot of moments for him as well, you can only learn when you’re in the job and you sit in that seat.
“I think he’s a fantastic human being and also a fantastic coach, and I’m grateful the club has given that opportunity to him.”
