Category Archives: SPORTS

Without several of his star players, Michael Skibbe looks to learn more about the supporting cast at his disposal, during the Greek national team’s footballing trip to Australia

The jury is still very much out on Michael Skibbe, the current manager of the Greek national football team. With very little evidence to judge him on, press and fans alike remain undecided about the German coach, whose patchwork of a career hardly makes for exciting reading.

A relative unknown in Greece, especially when compared to previous coaches Otto Rehagel and Fernando Santos, Skibbe was a surprise choice to take on the role of national football manager, after the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them tenures of Premier League Renaissance man Claudio Ranieri and Uruguayan Sergio Markarian.

A man of few words so far, Skibbe seems to have at least understood that in its current transitional state, the national team needs a specific course of action, not a series of (more) words concerning past glories. Though he is yet to truly settle on a formation, his real and ultimately most vital challenge will be to win over a group of players who appear to be a talented but highly splintered group of individuals, especially after the disastrous qualifying run for this summer’s Euro 2016.

With the old guard of Karagounis, Katsouranis and co now firmly out of the picture, the national team has found it difficult to discover and build around a new core. Though arguably technically superior compared to their predecessors, the current crop of players seems to lack both the direction and the drive that was prevalent in previous teams.

The raw materials are surely there however: in Socratis Papastathopoulos and Kostas Manolas, who looks set to make the jump to the Premier League this summer, with both Chelsea and Manchester United vying for his signature, Greece has a fine central defensive pairing that combines experience, pace and positional nous. In the midfield engine room, Petros Mandalos of AEK Athens, and more so Kostas Fortounis of Olympiakos, are two excellent on-the-ball schemers, capable of grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and up front, Kostas Mitroglou continues to refine his striking game, with a league-winning season with Benfica highlighting just how far he’s come from his days as a talented but hilariously insubordinate hotshot at Olympiakos.

That being said, for their trip to Australia and their games in Sydney and Melbourne (on 4 and 7 June respectively), the Greek national team – and the aforementioned playing ‘core’ – will not be at full strength.

High-profile players feeling the strain of an intense footballing season like Manolas, Mitroglou and playmaker Kostas Fortounis will not be making the trip, although Socratis Papastathopoulos – who will surely have added defensive responsibilities at Dortmund next season, with Matts Hummels swapping his Borussia shirt with that of Bayern Munich – will be lining up in defence, after personally asking Skibbe to join the squad.
So, with some of Greece’s most important playing cards missing from Skibbe’s deck, what can we expect to see from the team, when it gets the ball rolling on Australian soil?

Well naturally, these matches will be a great chance for Skibbe to experiment with formations, but more importantly, have a closer look at some players that have had a stellar or breakout season this year, individuals that could very well get the chance to stand up and be counted in time for the start of Greece’s qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup, kicking off on 7 October.

One of the players that will surely be looking to impress in Australia will be Tasos Bakasetas, the shining light in a Panionios team that punched way above its weight throughout the entire season and is currently fighting for European qualification in the Superleague play-offs. A player who started his career as a winger at Asteras Tripolis, this season has seen him switch to the centre of the park, with Panionios coach Marinos Ouzounidis dragging him away from the byline and placing him ‘in the hole’, somewhere between a number 10 and a support striker, where Bakasetas can fully take advantage of his shooting and passing abilities, which were wasted during his days on the wing.

Directly in front of him, Skibbe could look to field Apostolos Vellios, a powerhouse of a striker, who after failing to settle at Everton, Blackpool and Lierse over a seven-year period, came back to the Greek Superleague with Iraklis at the start of the season and quickly caught the eye of heavyweights Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, PAOK and AEK Athens with his goalscoring and all-round forward play. Finding the net 13 times, Vellios offers the national team another attacking option in the Mitroglou mould, with the Iraklis marksman, however, providing even more of an aerial threat and muscular presence in the opposition box.

Rounding out an eye-catching trio is 24-year-old Nikos Karelis, the ex-Panathinaikos winger/striker who is now making a name for himself at Racing Genk, but is still looking to carry his impressive club form on the international stage. Possibly still waiting for an international coach to pair him with attacking partners that he could ‘click’ with, the all-action style of Karelis requires a stern managerial hand to stop it from being a pointless expression of wasted energy. Used wisely and with an attacking ‘pillar’ to spin and work around, Karelis could well provide the match-winning injection of attacking pace that is in short supply in this Greece team.

There is little doubt that the Greek national footballing side is a team very much in flux. As a group of athletes still trying to exit the long shadows of the Rehagel-Santos era, they have found confidence hard to come by and patience from the Greek public even more so. Whether Skibbe can find a new formula capable of providing Greece with its missing groove is still unknown, but if Greece can return from Australia having gained a few more players that the team can count on, then the German will surely look upon the trip as a success.

And that will certainly do for now. October, though worryingly closer than this team would like, can wait.

Source:Neos Kosmos

The evolution continues

The two-match friendly series against Greece, beginning this Saturday in Sydney, gives Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou a final chance to test his game plan against high-quality European opposition ahead of the last phase of World Cup qualifiers beginning in September. Together with last week’s friendly loss against England, it also gives him the chance to experiment with his system and give untried players the opportunity to play with the senior Socceroos.
In 29 games since his appointment in October 2013 on a five-year contract, Postecoglou has guided the Socceroos to a famous Asian Football Championship in 2015, and has navigated the squad into the final group stage of World Cup qualifiers.
Over that period of time he has capped more than 50 players and continues to blood new young players, consistent with his stated aims of developing the depth of his squad and improving the quality of his team’s performance so that they can take on and beat the best in the world.
Two of the recent new additions to the squad are forwards Apostolos Giannou and Chris Ikonomidis.
More than any player on the field, Giannou most typifies the divided allegiances many of the fans attending the two matches will feel. Greek Australian supporters would understand better than most the difficulty Giannou will have faced in choosing which country to play for.
Faced with a choice of playing for either Greece or Australia, Giannou ultimately committed with the Socceroos. It’s likely he’ll enter the matches against Greece with mixed emotions. Although his junior development took place in Melbourne, much of his senior career and experience has been in Greece, where his goalscoring form last season attracted the interest of overseas clubs and resulted in a move earlier this year to Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F. It also earned him a cap for the Greek national team in a friendly against Turkey last year, just before Postecoglou persuaded him to swap sides where he made his debut against Tajikistan in March this year.
While most fans will be urging him on, hoping he can take up the Tim Cahill baton, if he scores his first international goal for Australia against the country of his birth, any celebration by the player himself may be muted.
Ikonomidis, who is on Lazio’s books, is currently on loan to Serie B club Salernitana, where he recently scored his first goal. The 21-year-old winger recently reflected on how playing regular football in the strong Italian league has helped his development.
“The last six months (in Italy) have been crucial for my development. I’ve continually played 90 minutes on a regular basis in a quite difficult league. So it’s been fantastic for me, both character-wise and ability-wise, to put myself up against some great players in Europe. Getting my first goal a few weeks ago was also fantastic as well.”
“It would be fantastic for me to run out there if I’m given a chance against Greece, as that’s my grandparents’ heritage. It would be fantastic at home in front of friends and family. And they’re still a quality opposition so we’ll have our work cut out for us, but I think it will be a great experience altogether.”
Looking towards the Greece games after the England match, Postecoglou said: “Our performance against England was further proof that we are capable of matching it with the best teams in the world both individually and collectively and now we will push ahead and look forward to playing another high-level European team, this time in front of our own fans in Sydney and Melbourne.

“As a team we are looking to continually evolve and improve, but what is encouraging for me is that we are doing it by playing our brand of football, which is exciting for our fans to watch. Greece will be tough but we will play our game, take the match to them and hopefully give our fans a performance that gets them off their seats when we go forward. We did that in the first round of World Cup qualifiers around Australia and I’m sure a similar performance will see the Sydney fans create the tremendous atmosphere and occasion.”

Possible Line-Up for the Socceroos: 4-3-3 Formation

GK: Matt Ryan is Postecoglou’s first choice between the sticks, but also in the squad are Mark Birighitti and Adam Federici. Ryan’s lack of recent game time at club level at Valencia may sway Postecoglou on relying on him for the bulk of the keeping duties against Greece.
Defenders: The full back positions appear to be Postecoglou’s least settled positions, with a number of players having been tried.
RB: Josh Risdon and Ryan McGowan may get to share this position over the two legs with Victory’s Jason Geria in line for a debut as back up.
CB: In Matthew Spiranovic’s absence, Bailey Wright appears to get the nod to partner Trent Sainsbury in the centre of defence with Mark Milligan as back up if required.
LB: Liverpool full back Brad Smith has been Postecoglou’s left back of choice lately. Youngster Alex Gersbach may get some game time for his first cap.
Midfielders: DM: In a three-man midfield, skipper Mile Jedinak is first choice for the holding mid role. The skipper has earned a rest after a Cup final and the friendly against England, so Milligan and he may share the position over the two legs.
AM: Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic are first choice here in the absence of Massimo Luongo.
Wingers: Postecoglou’s need for speed in the front third is well satisfied with the options available including Robbie Kruse, Matthew Leckie and Chris Ikonomidis.
Strikers: Cahill is still first in line, but there’s plenty of back up in Giannou, Nathan Burns and Jamie McLaren.

source:Neos Kosmos

Για την Αυστραλία, όπου θα δώσει δύο φιλικά παιχνίδια, αναχώρησε η Εθνική μας ομάδα την Τρίτη (31/5).

Ώρα Αυστραλίας για την Εθνική μας ομάδα, καθώς η αποστολή αναχώρησε για τη χώρα των καγκουρό το απόγευμα της Τρίτης (31/5). Εκεί βρίσκεται, ήδη, ο Κώστας Τσάνας για να προετοιμάσει την άφιξη της «γαλανόλευκης» στο πλαίσιο του νέου οργανωτικού πρότυπου που εφαρμόζεται από τον Μίκαελ Σκίμπε.

Στο ίδιο αεροπλάνο με την αποστολή μπήκε και ο πρόεδρος της ΕΠΟ, Γιώργος Γκιρτζίκης, μαζί με τον πρόεδρο της Επιτροπής Εθνικών ομάδων, Αργύρη Βούλγαρη, άλλα έξι μέλη του ΔΣ και τους Γιάννη Γκούμα, Αντώνη Νικοπολίδη.

Από τη μεριά τους, από την Τετάρτη (1/6) θα βρεθούν στην Αυστραλία οι Τζαβέλλας, Τζιόλης, Μάνταλος, Αραβίδης και Μπακασέτας λόγω των αγωνιστικών υποχρεώσεων με τις ομάδες τους στα πλέι οφ της Σούπερ Λίγκας.

Υπενθυμίζουμε ότι στην 23άδα που επέλεξε ο Γερμανός τεχνικός για τα φιλικά με τους Αυστραλούς στις 4 και 7 Ιουνίου βρίσκονται οι Καπίνο, Καρνέζης, Μόρας, Μπουκουβάλας, Οικονόμου, Σιόβας, Σταφυλίδης, Τζαβέλλας, Τοροσίδης, Χολέβας, Γιαννιώτας, Μανιάτης, Μάνταλος, Μπακασέτας, Σάμαρης, Ταχτσίδης, Τζιόλης, Χριστοδουλόπουλος, Αραβίδης, Βέλλιος, Διαμαντάκος, Καρέλης, Παπάζογλου.

Πηγή:gazzetta.gr

Το «εισιτήριο» για τους προκριματικούς του Champions League εξασφάλισε η Μάντσεστερ Σίτι μετά την ισοπαλία που απέσπασε στην Ουαλία από τη Σουόνσι.

Ακόμη κι αν νικήσει η Γιουνάιτεντ τη Μπόρνμουθ, οι «πολίτες» υπερτερούν στην ισοβαθμία και θα βρεθούν ξανά και την επόμενη σεζόν στην κορυφαία διασυλλογική διοργάνωση της Ευρώπης.

Η Τότεναμ δεν κατάφερε να περάσει την Άρσεναλ στη βαθμολογία μετά από 21 χρόνια, καθώς γνώρισε βαριά ήττα από την υποβιβασμένη Νιουκάστλ (1-5) κι έτσι περιορίστηκε στην 3η θέση, με τους «κανονιέρηδες» να παίρνουν την 2η μετά το 4-0 επί της Άστον Βίλα (χατ τρικ ο Ζιρού).

Από το αποτέλεσμα του αγώνα Μάντσεστερ Γιουνάιτεντ-Μπόρνμουθ θα εξαρτηθεί εάν οι «μπέμπηδες» θα παίξουν στα προκριματικά του Europa League ή, θα προκριθούν απευθείας στους ομίλους κι από το αποτέλεσμα του τελικού κυπέλλου, το αν θα βγει στην Ευρώπη και η 7ης της κατάταξης, Γουέστ Χαμ.

Η εύρεση «ύποπτου πακέτου» στη βορειοδυτική πλευρά του «Ολντ Τράφορντ» οδήγησε στην αναβολή του αγώνα ανάμεσα στη Μάντσεστερ Γιουνάιτεντ και στη Μπόρνμουθ, στο πλαίσιο της 38ης (τελευταίας) αγωνιστικής της Premier League. Αρχικά οι αρχές έδωσαν εντολή να εκκενωθεί μέρος της εξέδρας, ωστόσο, λίγα λεπτά μετά την προγραμματισμένη ώρα έναρξης του αγώνα (17:00) αποφασίστηκε η οριστική αναβολή της αναμέτρησης.

Η εκκένωση του γηπέδου έγινε με απόλυτη ασφάλεια και χωρίς κάποιο ιδιαίτερο πρόβλημα. Ο κόσμος απομακρύνθηκε και από τον περιβάλλοντα χώρο του γηπέδου, ενώ μέσα στο γήπεδο οι αστυνομικές δυνάμεις με εκπαιδευμένα σκυλιά εξέτασαν προσεκτικά τη τσάντα που ήταν τοποθετημένη κοντά στο σημαιάκι του κόρνερ. Επίσης έγιναν διεξοδικές έρευνες και σε άλλα σημεία του γηπέδου, ενώ στρατιωτική ομάδα ειδικών προχώρησε σε ελεγχόμενη έκρηξη του «ύποπτου» πακέτου.

Τα αποτελέσματα και οι σκόρερ:

Αρσεναλ-Αστον Βίλα 4-0
(5΄,79΄,80΄ Ζιρού, 90΄+2 Μπαν)

Τσέλσι-Λέστερ 1-1
(66΄πεν. Φάμπρεγας – 82΄ Ντρινγουότερ)

Εβερτον-Νόριτς 3-0
(19΄ ΜακΚάρθι, 44΄πεν. Μπέινς, 48΄ Μιραλάς)

Μάντσεστερ Γ.-Μπόρνμουθ –Αναβολή–

Νιούκαστλ-Τότεναμ 5-1
(19΄,73΄πεν. Βαϊνάλντουμ, 39΄ Μίτροβιτς, 85΄ Άαρονς, 86΄ Γιάνμαατ – 60΄ Λαμέλα)

Σαουθάμπτον-Κρίσταλ Πάλας 4-1
(43΄ Μανέ, 61΄ Πελέ, 75΄πεν. Μπέρτραντ, 87΄ Ντέιβις – 64΄ Πάντσεον)

Στόουκ Σίτι-Γουέστ Χαμ 2-1
(56΄ Βανγκά, 88΄ Ντιουφ – 23΄ Μάικλ Αντόνιο)

Σουόνσι-Μάνσεστερ Σίτι 1-1
(45΄+1 Α.Αγιού – 5΄ Ιεανάτσο)

Γουότφορντ-Σάντερλαντ 2-2
(48΄ Προντλ, 62΄πεν. Ντινεϊ – 39΄ Ρόντγουελ, 51΄ Λενς)

Γουέστ Μπρομ-Λίβερπουλ 1-1
(13΄ Ρόντον – 23΄ Αϊμπ)

ΒΑΘΜΟΛΟΓΙΑ (σε 38 αγώνες)
Λέστερ 81 –Champions League
====================
Άρσεναλ 71 –Champions League
Τότεναμ 70 –Champions League
Μάντσεστερ Σίτι 66 –Προκριματικά Champions League
——————–
Σαουθάμπτον 63 –Europa League
Μάντσεστερ Γιουν. 63 –Προκριματικά Europa League (37αγ.)
——————–
Γουέστ Χαμ 62
——————–
Λίβερπουλ 60
Στόουκ Σίτι 51
Τσέλσι 50
Εβερτον 47
Σουόνσι 47
Γουότφορντ 45
Γουεστ Μπρομ 43
Κρίσταλ Πάλας 42
Μπόρνμουθ 42 -37αγ.
Σάντερλαντ 39
——————–
Νιούκαστλ 37 –Υποβιβασμός
Νόριτς 34 –Υποβιβασμός
Άστον Βίλα 17 –Υποβιβασμός

Οι πρώτοι σκόρερ:
25 γκολ: Χάρι Κέιν (Τότεναμ)
24 γκολ: Τζέιμι Βάρντι (Λέστερ) και Σέρχιο Αγκουέρο (Μάντσεστερ Σίτι)
18 γκολ: Ρομελού Λουκακού (Έβερτον)
17 γκολ: Ριγιάντ Μαχρέζ (Λέστερ)
16 γκολ: Ολιβιέ Ζιρού (Άρσεναλ)
15 γκολ: Όντιον Ιγκάλο (Γουότφορντ) και Τζερμέιν Ντεφόου (Σάντερλαντ)
13 γκολ: Αλέξις Σάντσες (Άρσεναλ)
12 γκολ: Ντιέγκο Κόστα (Τσέλσι) και Τρόι Ντίνι (Γουότφορντ)

Πηγή:in.

The Socceroos coach claims the A-League takes more of a pro-active approach

The mega-rich, cashed-up Chinese Super League is still not quite up to the standard of the A-League, according to Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou.

That’s the view he formed after a recent reconnaissance mission in China, during which he kept a close eye on current Socceroos playing for Chinese Super League clubs, as AAP reports. He wanted to gauge for himself the standard of the games and competition in which they play, and he did so by attending four matches.

“I saw (Apostolos) Giannou, Timmy (Cahill), Spira (Matthew Spiranovic), (Trent) Sainsbury, (uncapped defender Aleksander) Jovanovic and (Michael) Thwaite – I saw about half a dozen boys,” Postecoglou said.

“It was a good experience, at least I know now the context of the football they’re playing. The good thing is all the players – apart from James Troisi, who’s picked up an injury – are starting and playing virtually 90 minutes. We’ve obviously got the friendlies coming up against Greece and because the A-League boys are finished now, it’s important we’ve got some players who are playing deep into May.”

Although he recognises the impressive individual talent from Europe and South America that the wealthy Chinese clubs have been able to attract, he has concluded that overall, the A-League is ahead in terms of the overall competition standard. And he believes that the large sums of money splashed out to buy overseas talent could be one of the main reasons, because it’s helped create a divide between the mega-rich clubs that can afford that talent, and those that can’t. It leads to the latter adopting a more defensive style of play in a bid for survival. He believes this is significantly different to the more pro-active approach of A-League clubs.

“China has still got a way to go in terms of its development,” Postecoglou said.

“The beauty of it for our players is that individually they’re matching up with some very good players. The foreigners there from all over the globe are absolutely top quality, so our guys are getting tested individually, which is great. But in the overall intensity and tempo I’ll be honest, I think the A-League is probably a little bit ahead of it at the moment, just in terms of the general level of the game.”

Source:Neos Kosmos

Both  Victory and Sydney FC progress to knockout phase of ACL

Melbourne Victory created its own piece of history during the week, winning through to the knockout phase of the Asian Champions League for the first time in five attempts after it defeated J-League team Gamba Osaka 2-1 at AAMI Park on Tuesday evening.

Outgoing club favourite Archie Thompson, who earlier in the week announced he wasn’t going to be playing for the club next season, played a part in writing that history by scoring the goal that put Victory 2-nil up against the visiting Japanese team.

Needing to win to ensure progress to the knockout phase of the competition, Victory got off to an ideal start when awarded a penalty for a handball in the 13th minute which Beshart Berisha converted. Just after the quarter hour mark, Thompson expertly finished a fine Kostas Barbarouses cut back, first time, to double Victory’s lead.

The crowd of just over 10,000 at AAMI Park had to endure a few nervous moments late in the game when Gamba Osaka’s Ademilson scored to put Victory on the back foot, but it held out to secure passage into the knockout round of 16 together with Sydney FC, which had already secured safe passage before its 1-nil away loss to Guangzhou Evergrande on Tuesday.

Victory’s Archie Thompson was all smiles in a post-match interview with Fox Sports.

“It’s just beautiful to obviously be part of something again. It’s the first time we’ve got through to the group stage. You can’t get rid of me just yet,” he said.
He acknowledged the difficulty of preparing for the ACL matches after the end of the regular season.
“It’s hard too because we’re not actually playing weekend games, so we haven’t got that match fitness, but this is a great result. I cramped a bit at the end. Danny cramped up and that’s because we’re not playing our weekly games. It’s credit to the boys. We know they were going to be a good side. We just look forward to the next round and anything’s possible.”

Victory’s win means it has finished second in Group G and will next meet the winner of Group E, either China’s Jiangsu Suning or Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai, in a home leg on 17 May, followed a week later by the away leg.

Sydney FC, which topped its group, will next play China’s richest club Shandong Luneng, first in an away leg, before returning to the Sydney Football Stadium for the return leg on 25 May.

Source:Neos Kosmos

Ισόπαλος 2-2 αναδείχθηκε ο Ολυμπιακός με τον Ερυθρό Αστέρα, σε φιλική αναμέτρηση που έγινε στο Βελιγράδι για να εορταστούν οι τίτλοι που κατέκτησαν οι δύο ομάδες.

Η Μπαρτσελόνα διέλυσε με 5 -0 την “συμπολίτισσα” Εσπανιόλ στο “Καμπ Νόου” και έτσι με νίκη την τελευταία αγωνιστική κόντρα στην Γρανάδα θα πανηγυρίσει το πρωτάθλημα. Στο κατόπι της “Μπάρτσα” ,με ένα πόντο λιγότερο, παρέμεινε η Ρεάλ Μαδρίτης, που νίκησε με 3-2 την Βαλένθια στο “Σαντιάγκο Μπερναμπέου”. Η Ατλέτικο με την εκτός έδρας ήττα της απο την υποβιβασμένη Λεβάντε με 2-1 έμεινε οριστικά εκτός διεκδίκησης του τίτλου.

It’s taken seven long years since the last grand final defeat, and nine since its grand final humiliation, but finally Adelaide United has wrested the monkey off its back.

Rightfully, deservedly and without any argument, Adelaide are the Australian champions, having disposed of the Western Sydney Wanderers’ challenge in front of a packed house at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon.

It was a game that Adelaide, with their fluid, slick game, looked to be dominating when they raced to a 2-0 half-time lead.

But when the Sydneysiders pulled a goal back in the second half, Guillermo Amor’s team had to show its reserves of steel and mental strength alongside the footballing smarts it has displayed all season to see it through, Pablo Sanchez’s late sealer giving them a comfortable enough 3-1 margin.

Thus, the footballing gods have once again shown that league form is invariably the best guide to a finals series.

Adelaide won the Premier’s Plate and have justified their No.1 seeding by winning their home semi-final easily (against Melbourne City) and then holding off the late challenge from Tony Popovic’s men.

What better place, and in what better style, than to achieve atonement and dispel the ghosts of grand final defeats past than in the famous old stadium?

The Oval has hosted cricket Tests, Socceroos internationals, AFL blockbusters and footy finals games, so the fact that the team from the City of Churches was able to fulfil its potential in the cathedral of South Australian sport was entirely appropriate.

This triumph will surely now banish the heartache and heartbreaking memories of previous defeats.

The 6-0 loss by a 10-man Adelaide to Melbourne Victory in the grand final of the A-League’s second season may never be erased. And the disappointment of their previous defeat, a 1-0 loss also to Victory in controversial circumstances when Reds striker Cristiano was sent off early in the game, still lingers.

But this triumph will ease some of the embarrassment from that first loss and put the second narrow defeat in perspective.

Perhaps the only thing that could have been better for South Australian fans than winning their first grand final at a sun-bathed Oval in front of a packed, partisan crowd, would have been if their opponents had been Victory, not Western Sydney!

There was a perfect sense of symmetry about this game, too: the last time an Adelaide side won the national soccer title was in 1994, when Zoran Matic’s Adelaide City saw off the Melbourne Knights in an NSL title decider. The date then was May 1, 22 years ago to the day of this triumph.

The Reds have been the story of the A-League season on every level, providing a narrative that has grown in substance.

It wasn’t an easy start under new coach Guillermo Amor, the former Barcelona midfielder, who won the European Cup in 1992 and numerous La Liga titles as part of a Barca team touched by the coaching magic of the legendary Johan Cruyff, the Dutchman who died earlier this year.

Amor had been part of the coaching staff at Hindmarsh under previous boss and compatriot Josep Gombau, but did not make a seamless transition to the head coaching role.

Adelaide struggled to win a game as the team tried to adjust to the tweaks to Gombau’s game plan that Amor sought to implement.

They weren’t playing that badly, but they simply could not get a win. The mood in SA was becoming hostile, the natives were more than restless, and there was talk that Amor could be the first coach to lose his job this season.

But the Adelaide board – which has been trigger happy in the past – this time held their nerve, and their faith in the continuity of the Barcelona school of football has been well rewarded.

The Reds were bottom of the table in late November when they lost to Victory and things looked bleak. But from that point onwards the only way was up.

Since then Adelaide has lost only once – and rarely looked like doing so on almost any other occasion.

This is a reward not just for Amor and his players and the current Adelaide management, but for the South Australian game.

Adelaide lacks the population of Melbourne and Sydney, but it has always pulled its weight in soccer terms, producing numerous players for the national team and stars of its own, none more so than the Vidmar brothers, Tony and Aurelio. It was referred to by none other than the late Johnny Warren, the spiritual father of the Australian game, as the bedrock of Australian soccer.

The game has a solid kernel of support and a knowledgeable and committed fan base, one which, it is to be hoped, the Adelaide brains trust can now build on.

And why not?

In Hindmarsh they have got one of the best “right-sized” A-League stadiums in the country, intimate and intimidating for opponents, comforting and supportive for the Reds.

Now they have the best team – officially.

Next year will be harder. The champions always have a target on their back.

But Amor and his crew, laced with Latino flair with three Spaniards and an Argentine in the line-up, know what it takes to stay on top. They will relish the challenge.

source:smh.com.au