Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Adelaide United now sit top of the table after Round 15, setting up a mouthwatering clash between themselves and Auckland FC in midweek.
Meanwhile Brisbane Roar stunned the rest of the competition, defeat Sydney FC in a thriller to bag their first win of the season.
Read on for all the biggest talking points from Round 15, thanks to Mitre.
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Aloisi’s sage advice for young star: ‘I would still love him to stay’
Western United boss John Aloisi believes the sky is the limit for striker Noah Botic, but only if he stays in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The 23-year-old scored two goals in Western United’s comprehensive 3-1 win over Newcastle Jets on Friday night, the second of was a stunning striker from close to 30-metres out.
Following his game-winning brace, head coach Aloisi was asked what he thinks is attainable for the sought-after striker, and the Western boss believes there’s plenty to come.
“We know that he’ll get better and better,” said Aloisi when discussing another impressive performance from Botic.
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“Again, it’s his understanding with Hiroshi that will help. Also, we spoke about him not having a pre-season yet so he’s building his fitness through games and he can score goals.
“I didn’t expect him to score from that far! He struck one well in the first half from a distance with his left foot.
“This is me being a coach (but) I was probably more pleased about the first goal because it was just great play. A great ball in from Benny Garuccio and the header was sensational and we had good numbers, the movement was really good.
“I would still – and people might say that I’m being selfish because I’m coaching Western United – but I would still love him to stay here a bit longer.
“I think that if he stays here and has a really good end of the season and even a good season next year I think if the Socceroos, which I believe they will go to the World Cup, I think he’ll be in contention.
“If he goes early overseas, when the opportunity does come, sometimes you can get lost in that period and then he might not end up going to the World Cup.
“So I’m looking at both sides and thinking ‘yes it will be great for us’ but also for Noah Botic. I still think that he needs to improve his game, work on his game, and we’ll see more and more from him.
“He’s got six goals this season so far and I know he can score a lot more.”
Currently sat fourth on the ladder, Western have won six of their last seven matches in the Isuzu UTE A-League and next face Central Coast Mariners on January 29.
‘We need to be more ruthless’: Bulls boss laments missed opportunity
Macarthur Bulls head coach Mile Sterjovski said Monday night’s loss against Wellington Phoenix was a result that stung.
A goal from Jake Hollman in the 16th had the Bulls in front heading into the final 25 minutes of the Monday night clash in Campbelltown however goals from Kazuki Nagasawa and Kosta Barabarouses ensured the home side suffered their fifth loss of the campaign.
“It definitely hurts,” said Sterjovski when speaking after the game. “I thought we played a really good match and dominated a lot but it’s not enough just to dominate.
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“I think we need to be more ruthless in front of goal and put away the chances that we created.
“I think there was quite a few big chances tonight and we deserved the win but luck wasn’t on our side.”
He went on to say: “I thought everyone was good today, probably for the first 60-minutes or so and there was probably two lapses of concentration which cost us.
“That’s Wellington’s game, they just wait to pounce on a couple of little errors and it hurt us tonight.”
“Of course it’s frustrating,” said Sterjovski. “They’ve put a lot of effort in tonight. They deserved so much more from the game and I felt for the fans as well.
“We put on a great display of football without the result and in the end it’s the result that matters. We’d rather the three points, especially going into the second half of the season and where we’re sitting.
“We’d like to have gone and been higher up in the table and kind of distanced ourselves from the rest but it wasn’t to be tonight.”
Something that particularly frustrated Sterjovski was the decision to award a penalty to the Phoenix in the 69th minute when Barbarouses was brought down by goalkeeper Filip Kurto.
“I don’t think it was a penalty,” said Sterjovski when discussing the call. “There was one last week, a similar one that wasn’t given you know? But that’s the refereeing in the A-League, it’s been a bit inconsistent this season so that’s the way it goes.”
Currently sat sixth on the ladder, the Bulls are two points clear of Melbourne Victory in seventh and face a high-flying Melbourne City in Campbelltown on Saturday evening.
Veart talks up title challenge after ‘big step forward’
Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart believes his side’s 3-2 win over Melbourne Victory is the type of win and performance that can can help fuel a title bid.
Ethan Alagich’s goal in the 71st minute helped secure all three points for the Reds in what was a pulsating Original Rivalry clash at a packed out Coopers Stadium.
To make matters even sweeter, Adelaide are now outright leaders of the Isuzu UTE A-League and their head coach believes a hard-fought win over a team like Victory is exactly the sort of result that can spur a team on to Championship success.
“It could have been a slippery banana skin for us tonight but it’s a credit to our playing group, the resilience and the fight that they showed and that’s what you need to do.
MATCH REPORT: Adelaide United go top of the table after pipping Victory in thrilling Original Rivalry clash
“You know, we talk about winning the Championship and you have to win these games to be able to do that. It’s a big step forward for this playing group.”
He went on to say: “I definitely said it to the playing group this week that, in the past, when we’ve had opportunities to go to first place we haven’t been able to take those opportunities.
“We need to be able to do that. We need to show that resilience, that toughness that good teams do. I think we’ve shown that in the last three games.
“The two on the road and the way that we came back in that Macarthur game (2-1 win) and then the way that we got in front at Wellington as well. Then again tonight, I think it’s a huge stick for the playing group and a huge step forward.
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“But we’re still only halfway through the season. We’ve got 15 games to play so we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Having conquered their biggest rivals on a thrilling night at Coopers Stadium the Reds now welcome Isuzu UTE A-League new boys Auckland FC to town for a One vs Two showdown on Wednesday night.
“It’s another great game on Wednesday night at home. They’re a very good side defensively, very well organised. Im looking forward to it. We’re going to need to be at our best with the ball to break them down because they defender their goal very well.
“They also seem to score some very good goals as well. So look it’s going to be a great game and we’re going to need all of our supporters to come back again Wednesday night and get behind the team.”
Trust the process: Zadkovich hoping to build on Sydney FC win
Brisbane Roar head coach Ruben Zadkovich believes his side’s stunning 4-3 win over Sydney FC in Round 15 of the Isuzu UTE A-League proves their season isn’t a lost cause.
The Roar were the only side without a league win heading into the clash at Allianz Stadium however goals from Ben Halloran, Henry Hore, Adam Zimarino and Lucas Herrington helped seal a memorable victory for the under-fire Zadkovich and his side.
But as far as the head coach is concerned, the result is proof of what he and his side have been building towards – regardless of their ladder position.
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“To be honest we always tinker and change, maybe some sort of positioning. I’m not too big on formations but the principles never change.
“There’s a very clear process of how we try and play. We’ve had plenty of performances where, like I say, the football people know, the opposition coaches know, the opposition players know and my own players know.
“The reason they can put (on) a performance like that today is because there’s a process and because we understand what we’re actually building towards and what it should look like.
“It’s quite clear that tonight we’ve probably had seven or eight clear-cut chances and could have scored more goals against at really good Sydney FC team.
“You don’t get that by luck. In this context, especially, you don’t get that by luck. You get that by having a really clear identity.”
What was particularly impressive was the fact Zadkovich’s side achieved the shock result at Allianz Stadium without leading goalscorer Thomas Waddingham.
Closing in on a move to English Championship side Portsmouth, Waddingham played no part in the win over the Sky Blues and Zadkovich says the club will now look to replace the outgoing forward if possible.
“Look, we want to make additions. We have to be very cautious and very careful. We probably don’t have the resources of some of these bigger clubs like a Sydney FC who can go long and far and find the right players.
“We have to be very clever and make sure we don’t panic buy, make sure we don’t get desperate. They have to be the right characters and right profiles to try and fit the way we want to play.
“There’s a couple that we’ve targeted and we’ll hopefully make some additions but January is a difficult window as well so we won’t do anything in haste.”
Corica lauds Auckland’s character as Black Knights bounce back with a win
Auckland FC head coach Steve Corica has praised his side’s ability to respond to adversity following their impressive 3-0 win over Melbourne City in Round 15.
A brilliant display from the Black Knights saw them surge into a 3-0 lead before half-time thanks to goals from Guillermo May, Nando Pijnaker and Max Mata.
The result temporarily moved the A-League’s new boys back to the top of the ladder before they were eventually replaced by Adelaide United, however Corica says the fact his side bounced back from their disappointing 1-0 loss to Perth Glory in such emphatic fashion means they’re heading in the right direction.
MATCH REPORT: Scintillating first-half display sees Auckland FC cruise to victory over City
“Very happy with the way they responded to that,” said Corica, when discussing the fact his side put on such a dominant display after suffering their second loss of the season against Perth.
“We’ve lost two games and after the losses we’ve come back with a really good game and a win each time so that’s really pleasing.
“The attitude was fantastic but really the desire for me, you could see it from the kick off. We’re winning our challenges, we’ve got two or three players around the ball all the time.
“Louis Verstraete and Felipe (Gallegos) were exceptional in the midfield. I wanted to rest them as well! Louis for one, he was on four yellow cards so we wanted to get him off and Felipe was obviously feeling the amount of work that he did in the first half.
He added: “They worked extremely hard, they won the second balls and that’s the team we are. We have to compete. We’re still finding our feet of how we want to play.
“But defensively we’ve been very good. Obviously the one game (v Western United) that we conceded four not great but other than that it’s only been one or so goals it’s good.
“It’s a great response I’m very pleased for the players, especially to do it at home in front of our fans, it’s a great day and for the fans it’s great that they’ve turned up.”
Next up for the Black Knights is a top-of-the-table clash with Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium on Wednesday evening.
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Wanderers boss predicts tight top six battle after loss to Mariners
Western Sydney head coach Alen Stajcic believes the battle to secure a spot in this year’s Isuzu UTE A-League finals series will be tighter than it’s ever been before.
The Wanderers went down 3-1 at home to reigning Champions Central Coast Mariners on Friday night with the result leaving Stajcic’s side in 8th spot on the ladder, three points behind the Top Six.
“If you just do mathematics, it’s not hard, it’s not rocket science,” said Stajcic after the defeat to the Mariners.
“Six places, 21 points and after 13 games. So you only have to double it to say you’re going to need around 40 to 42 points to get in this year, which is probably the highest cut-off it’s been in a long time.
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“You know, the fact that the bottom couple of teams haven’t taken points off the top teams means that bar or the cut off is probably being lifted a little bit.
“But you never know, that can change throughout the year. Those bottom teams can start improving and start picking up points, and that can come in a little bit as well.
But you know, to be honest, I don’t think there’s much between the top eight as they are at the moment. And you know, Central Coast and Wellington aren’t far off either on their day, as Wellington showed the other day against Sydney.
“I think the top eight, there’s a struck match between them, you know, and it’s really a week-to-week thing as to who comes out on top and who dominates on the day.
“But I think it’s going to be a good run-in for sure.”
Up next for the Stajcic and his side is a home clash with Isuzu UTE A-League newbies Auckland FC at CommBank Stadium on January 26.