These are the key talking points from Round 11 in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Shortly after their 1-1 draw with Macarthur FC, Robbie Stanton delivered a promising update about the state of Newcastle Jets’ academy setup.
Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory played out a five-goal thriller on Saturday night and, despite falling to an agonising defeat, Glory boss Alen Stajcic is bullish about his side’s chances in the second-half of the season.
Melbourne City came from the clouds to secure a come-from-behind victory over Western United on Sunday, which left boss John Aloisi lamenting yet another defeat.
Marco Tulio bid farewell to the A-Leagues with a match-winning goal for Central Coast Mariners against Western Sydney Wanderers, while Macarthur FC are in the market to bring in reinforcements to solidify their injury depleted squad.
These are the key talking points from Round 11 in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
UNITE ROUND TICKETS ON SALE NOW: Get your tickets for the ultimate away day here
Jets coach explains how club has overhauled academy after two-three years of being “neglected”
Newcastle Jets boss Robbie Stanton has delivered a fascinating insight into how he and his coaching staff have overhauled the club’s academy since his arrival in the off-season, hinting that one of their talented youngsters could see minutes at some point this campaign.
Stanton has a history in youth development, having previously coached Sydney FC’s A-League Youth side between 2015-20, winning the promotion to the NPL NSW Men’s top tier in his first season as well as the National Youth League title in 2016.
He also oversaw the development of Socceroos’ Marco Tillio and Cameron Devlin, along with Brighton & Hove Albion youngster Cameron Peupion.
Before Stanton arrived at the Jets, his predecessor Arthur Papas, had spoken about how Newcastle’s junior pathways had been “neglected” in a post-game press conference following a 2-0 loss to Macarthur FC in January 2023.
“I arrived at this club 18 months ago, I sat with people in positions for the youth at that stage and asked them how many players had the potential from the academy system to come in and their answers to me were quite bleak,” he said.
“Which meant that work that needed to be done over three to four years was neglected and all of a sudden, you can’t just push youth players into a first team if they’re not ready.
“I admire what Central Coast do. I admire how they’ve gone about it. I admire what Adelaide do but make no mistake, they didn’t start that 18 months ago. They started that five years ago, five years ago, they were scouting the best talents, whether they’re from their own state, from other states.
Papas continued: “It needs a proper pathway and it needs people that are invested in that, it’s easy to pinpoint the head coach, but youth development starts way before that starts way before it gets to the head coach.
“So people that have been in places for a long time, I think they’re questions that maybe, need to be asked as well instead of just sitting on the side commenting about why certain players aren’t given a chance.
“I tell you what if, there’s the quality there, they’ll always be the first choice and there is starting to be that now because when I arrived, the youth team was 21-22 years old.
“I don’t know anywhere in the world where 21-22 is still classified as a youth player, to be honest.”
A year on, Stanton was asked again about the state of the youth setup since he took over, delivering a promising update about where things are currently.
MATCH REPORT: Drama in Campbelltown as late penalty earns Bulls a point against Newcastle
“Yeah I have. I started working with Damian Zane, I’ve made him almost a second or third assistant, so he is in every day. He works closely with the next best group,” Stanton said in his post game press conference, after their 1-1 draw with the Bulls on Friday night.
“We’ve made our NPL Men’s team a lot younger. So we’ve gone through, had a good look, named the players we think… and brought a whole group of them that we think have potential into that team. They’re getting exposure every day with the A-League team, a lot of them.
“We want to see how that young group go in a men’s space, so a lot of them have come from 16s and 18s straight to mens. That is the first phase that I’m looking at and I’m connecting with that group, Damien and myself, my staff.
“As far as underneath that, I think there’s areas where we can be better at that and it’s an area that we can grow and develop players.
“I think there’s a lot of talent in Newcastle, but we needed to fix what those players can actually see. They need to see opportunity, they need to taste it, get little bits and pieces of exposure. So first of all, we’ve solved that and now we can go back and look at what needs to be fixed there, if anything.
“But also as they progress through, we’re trying to create the right stepping stones to find some talented kids from Newcastle that can play A-League for Newcastle Jets.
“It is an exciting thing sort of in the background that no one is seeing a lot of at this stage but in 12-18 months it might come to fruition with one or two player appearances and even by the end of the year you might even see one player that has skipped a few phases because I think he can do it for a little bit. It will just get down to if he is physically able to do that.
“I’m excited about that. I came in because I think there is some talent there. I need to find it, I need to see it, I need to work with it, hopefully, fingers crossed.”
Stajcic’s bold declaration after heartbreaking Glory defeat
Perth Glory boss Alen Stajcic believes his side still has what it takes to win this season, despite sitting second last on the standings after 11 rounds.
Glory fell to a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to league leaders Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, after Ben Folami’s 96th minute winner. It’s their seventh defeat of the season along with it being the third game this campaign they’ve left points on the table after conceding a goal in second-half stoppage time.
Stajcic’s charges led early in the contest through Adam Taggart’s brilliant first-half goal, but were pegged back by Zinedine Machach on the brink of half-time. Glory went down to 10 men when Bruce Kamau was sent off seconds into the second-half, before Eli Adams gave the visitors the lead late in the contest.
MATCH REPORT: Scenes! Super sub’s 96th minute winner fires Victory to dramatic win over Glory
Debutant Kaelan Majekodunmi seemingly snatched a point with minutes remaining, however, Folami would break Glory hearts with a late goal.
Despite the loss, Stajcic remains defiant that his side can turn things around in the weeks to come and scale the table, labelling their performance against Victory as their “best” this season and praising their never say die attitude, even when faced with adversity throughout the match.
“The boys create that, that doesn’t come from me that comes from the team, from leadership within the group,” he said about the team’s spirit in his post-game press conference.
“They should be proud of themselves for that, to be able to pick themselves up and fight to the death that comes from leaders within the group.
“If that’s our platform for the rest of the year then I think we’re a chance of winning the competition, but they’ve got to start believing that.
“Tonight’s result is actually not the outcome of the process. The process tonight was excellent and it’s the first time I’ve really seen true heart and spirit for a full 90 minute performance.
“If that’s a platform to build on, we’ve got enough in this team to win this competition.”
‘Story of our season’ as Western slump to ninth loss of the campaign
John Aloisi admits he can’t understand how his side left AAMI Park empty handed in Round 11 after going down 2-1 to Melbourne City.
Western United were 1-0 up and in control of the game at half time but two second half wonder strikes from City midfielders Hamza Sakhi and Terry Antonis meant it was the away side who went home happy.
“Anyone that was watching that game knows that we deserved more out of that game,” said a frustrated Aloisi post-game. “We were good, we were very good against a very good side that scored eight goals against Brisbane Roar last game so we know the quality they have.
“We limited them to a few opportunities. In the second half I don’t think they had a real chance other than the two goals they scored from outside the box.
“It’s disappointing, it’s been the story of our season. We’ve played a lot of really good games but we haven’t been able to come away with a result.”
Led by the impressive Angus Thurgate, Western took the game to City and got their reward in the first half with Michael Ruhs opening the scoring in the 13th minute.
Sakhi’s stunning strike then pegged Aloisi’s side back in the second half but City’s Jamie Young was still the busier of the two keepers on the day before Antonis settled the contest with another brilliant effort.
MATCH REPORT: Sakhi and Antonis stunners help Melbourne City sink Western United
It’s no secret though that the lack of a predatory goalscorer is harming Aloisi’s side this season.
Having scored just eight goals from 11 matches they’re the only team yet to hit double figures in the league which is alarming given Opta data suggests Western have an Expected goals (xG) total of 16.9 – which, to put into context, is higher than Perth Glory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix.
While defeat will certainly hurt, Western can take a small crumb of comfort from this game knowing on another day they may well have walked away with all three points and they get the chance to go again in Unite Round when they face an out-of-sorts and injury-hit Macarthur FC.
Mariners boss provides update on how they plan to replace outgoing star
Life without Marco Tulio gets underway at Central Coast Mariners this week, after the Brazilian attacker played his final game for the club in their 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
Tulio scored the winner at CommBank Stadium; a stunning long range strike that Wanderers keeper Daniel Margush had no chance of stopping en route to sealing their third successive victory.
The Brazilian departs for Japanese side Kyoto Sanga after an incredible impact at the club that saw him play a key role in their Isuzu UTE A-League Championship success last season, along with scoring 14 goals in all competitions this campaign.
With the January transfer window opening on January 10, Central Coast can now look elsewhere to find a Tulio replacement or look internally to replace the Brazilian in the weeks to come – with the likes of Christian Theoharous and Miguel Di Pizio in the frame to see more opportunities from the first minute.
MATCH REPORT: Mariners star farewells A-Leagues with a bang as in-form Central Coast conquer Wanderers
Mariners boss Mark Jackson provided an update on how they plan to fill the Tulio sized hole in attack in his post-game press conference.
“We have a few things externally, but we’re really, really happy with what we’ve got,” he said.
“Obviously, when we’re losing a player you need the strength and depth of the squad so it’s not a case of, dismissing it as to we’ll just bring someone in to replace him. It needs to be the right person, if that person comes in, and it needs to add to the squad.
“But we’re really, really happy with with with how the young players and the young attacking players who can play in that position are developing.
“Are they going to be at the level of Marco Tullio just yet? No, but we’ve got confidence in all our young players that they can get to to the highest possible level.
“That’s what we want to do as a club and we feel confident in what we’ve got.”
Sterjovski confirms depleted Bulls are in the market for reinforcements
Macarthur boss Mile Sterjovski has revealed the club are currently talking to a number of players who could potentially join them in the January transfer window.
A dramatic 99th-minute penalty from Valere Germain saw the Bulls snatch a point against Newcastle to prevent what would have been a fourth-straight defeat for the home side.
“We are in talks with some players.” revealed Sterkovski after the game. “We do want to bring in some players, especially with the injuries we’ve had.”
Prior to their first loss of the season – a 3-0 home defeat to Wellington on December 18 – Sterjovski’s side had successfully balanced both Isuzu UTE A-League and AFC Cup commitments, going unbeaten through seven rounds in the league while also securing their spot in the knockout phase of the Asian competition.
However there’s no doubt the balancing act of playing, travelling and squad rotation has finally taken it’s toll with the Bulls boss now seemingly dealing with a depleted squad. The in-form Matt Millar is out for 12 weeks after suffering a quad injury while a torn hamstring means Danny De Silva could be out for the same period of time.
Add to that a four week lay-off for defender Isaac Hovar due to a calf injury, Jake McGing’s ongoing absence because of a pelvic issue, Charles M’Mombwa’s participation in the African Cup of Nations with Tanzania and the departure of central defender Johnathan Aspropotamitis to the J.League.
“We’re working on it,” said Sterjovski when asked if new signings would be arriving soon. “It’s not an easy time to bring in players, especially players who are fit and ready to go.
“Hopefully we can have some news in the next week or two.”
Macarthur already have one new recruit coming through the doors, having already agreed a deal to sign Kealey Adamson from Sydney FC.
Meanwhile, Sterjovski also revealed the reasoning behind his decision to leave Jake Hollman on the bench for the clash with Newcastle rather than starting the in-form midfielder.
“Jake’s had a little bit of a history with illness and injuries.” said Sterjovski. “He’s an important player for us, no doubt. With our scheduling we just wanted to make sure he’s looked after and we can have him strong for the rest of the season.”
Talay begins to get the best out of Sydney as Sky Blues maestro spells out his desire to stay
They may have been somewhat inconsistent in the early days of Ufuk Talay’s reign at Sydney FC but the Sky Blues are now seemingly hitting their stride under their new boss.
Saturday night’s 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar was the club’s third consecutive victory in the league and their fifth overall since the former Wellington coach took charge in early November.
While it’s true the Sky Blues didn’t play as well in the second half as they did in the first, the level of detail and planning that Talay and his team are putting into matches is clearly now starting to pay off – as was evident in the first goal scored by Fabio and assisted by Jaiden Kucharski.
“Jaiden is a very good player,” said Talay when discussing the move for the opening goal. “He knows how to play in between lines, he makes some very good runs, he’s a technical player and he’s a smart player who creates opportunities for us.
“He played that ball over to Fabio and that’s the analysis we’ve done on Brisbane, where the goalkeeper comes to the near post there’s spaces at the back post. He’s switched on and created a great delivery for Fabio.”
Their effective pressing caused Brisbane plenty of problems in the opening half and Sydney should have scored more than two given both the quantity and quality of the chances they created.
What’s key though for the Sydney boss is the buy-in he’s receiving from both the senior and junior members of his squad who are now getting up to speed with the physical demands of playing in a Talay team, highlighted by his decision to substitute two-goal striker Fabio and the lively Kucharski in just the 55th minute.
“It’s just the way we play, we want the players to go.” revealed Talay. “If they get tired after 55 (minutes), they get tired after 55 because we want to maintain that high intensity and try to press.
“If players go at 45 (minutes) we make a change. They go at 55 we make a change and we bring on fresh legs to maintain that pressure that we want.”
MATCH REPORT: Fantastic Fabio fires Sydney FC past Brisbane Roar to secure third-straight win
Meanwhile one player who is seemingly flourishing under his new boss is Joe Lolley.
The Englishman, who joined Sydney FC from Premier League side Nottingham Forest in 2022, was at his instrumental best against Brisbane, assisting Fabio for the second goal of the game whilst also creating more chances (4) than any other player on the pitch.
From the 11 games he’s played this season Lolley now has five goals and five assists, a return only bettered by Melbourne Victory’s Bruno Fornaroli (13 goals, 1 assist), while the 31-year-old has also created 41 chances this campaign, bettered only by Brisbane’s Jay O’Shea (41) and he also leads the way with eight big chances created.
Lolley’s two-year contract with the Sky Blues finishes at the end of the current season and if his form continues as it is then he certainly wont be short of potential suitors come the end of the campaign, however Sydney’s No.10 is seemingly enjoying life in the Harbour City.
“I feel pretty at home here and very settled. We’ll see what happens but yeah, I’d love to stay to be honest.”
Irankunda’s special performance in return to starting lineup
Nestory Irankunda was back to his brilliant best on Thursday night.
The Adelaide United teenager returned to the starting lineup after three straight weeks as a substitute and was a constant threat throughout their 2-2 draw with Wellington Phoenix.
Irankunda’s brilliant work down the right flank led to Hiroshi Ibusuki bringing the scores level in the 55th minute, after bursting through the ‘Nix defence and playing a delightful ball to the Japanese striker who buried his second goal of the game.
Reds boss Carl Veart was full of praise for his performance post-game.
“With all our young players, it’s about developing them and getting them to understand what it requires to play at the highest level,” he said.
“We’ve been not just with Nestory but all our young players. It’s about them understanding what they need to do and what brings them success.
“We were unhappy with some of the things he was doing so he had a little bit of a spell.
“I thought his response was outstanding. He was the most dangerous player on the pitch by a long way.”
READ MORE: ‘He makes everyone smile, doesn’t he?’
