Sydney loss sets up intriguing A-League title race
Just three points separate the A-League’s top five teams as the season enters a most dramatic phase.
Melbourne Victory’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Sydney FC last night denied the Sky Blues top spot on the ladder and set up a barnstorming climax to the campaign.
The pair are joined by table-topping Western Sydney, oil-rich upstarts Melbourne City and a resurgent Brisbane Roar in a five-way struggle for the premiership.
City could seize top spot for themselves on Friday night when they travel to Parramatta to face Tony Popovic’s Wanderers.
And the pack could be shuffled further on Saturday night, when a still-smarting Sydney FC host Brisbane.
The A-League is set up for a grandstand finish; every round from now until April features at least one meeting between the five title chasers.
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And further back, Adelaide United is coming home with a roar.
The Reds are unbeaten in eight games to sit in sixth spot after a slow start to the season that saw them fail to win any of their first eight encounters.
The tightness at the top is partially why Graham Arnold refused to panic after shipping a late goal to suffer another loss to Victory.
“Eleven games to go, still 33 points available,” he said.
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“It’s only our third loss of the season… it was unfortunate the way we lost but at the end of the day we’re in a very good position, the same as Melbourne Victory.”
It’s also why Arnold is all but ruling out further additions in the transfer window, despite bolstering his squad at the same stage 12 months ago.
Instead it’s Alex Brosque that Arnold is hoping to see back in the Sky Blue shirt as soon as possible, which the coach believes will be within the next fortnight
“He makes a massive difference. He’s our captain and our marquee,” Arnold said.
“We’ve got a full squad and the young boys are getting better and better.
“We’ve got a happy squad. We’ve got a good squad. We’ve got depth.
“It’s a tough period that we’ve got to go through but I’ve got a lot of confidence in the depth that we’ve got.”
-AAP
