TFT Issue 3306!

This tip is arguably a shade adventurous on my part. In this new derby, my perspective is that newly-formed Macarthur FC are priced too long here. I appreciate that Western Sydney Wanderers have done good things pre-season but their changes will take time to implement too. Indeed, most of Macarthur FC’s squad were signed a while ago now; they’ve had a long time to prepare for their A-League bow. It’ll be interesting to see how the game pans out.

Let’s start with the debutants, shall we? There’s a full list of who they’ve signed in the team news section at the bottom of the page, if you’re curious. There are some positions that are up for grabs, but in general I expect Federici to be the number one, Jovanovic to be the defensive lynchpin, Franjic and Meredith to be the main full-backs/wing-backs, Puyo and Benat to control the midfield, and Susaeta/Oar to provide the more direct attacking threat out wide to support experienced English forward Derbyshire, although the height of Popovic will make him a handy target man too. That core is one that I like. 

Their new boss is Milicic, who has managed the national team at pretty much every level so he knows how to get the best out of players. He favours a more attacking style of play, which is good as the Macarthur FC attack looks stronger than the defence. He always seems to be able to motivate players rather easily, which is very handy too. In short, there’s a lot to like about the Macarthur FC setup. Let’s not forget that the new teams to come into existence in the A-League over the past few years have generally started strongly, thanks to the effort made to bring good players in. Looking at this squad of Macarthur FC’s, I would be surprised if they didn’t do the same. Again, it may be a bit early in the day to trust them to have gelled by now but they’ve had long enough together, and most players here either know the league well, or know the players they’re playing with, so I don’t expect any serious integration issues.

Now, Western Sydney Wanderers themselves have done well pre-season. I think they’ve managed to piss off Newcastle Jets something rotten by poaching talented boss Robinson, as that basically caused all of their top players to follow him out of the door in a season where Jets fans finally had some genuine hope of winning the A-League again for the first time in what – twelve years? I can’t remember; it’s all one long day after a while, folks, but rest assured that it’s been a long time since they even competed for one, let alone won one!

Robinson has been a busy bee since his move too, bringing in the likes of Ibini-Isei, Dorrans, and Troisi. I’m sitting on the fence with regard to Dorrans; he was a very good player, and should be too good for the A-League, but I don’t know what condition he’s in nowadays. Troisi is a pretty solid creator at this level nowadays, especially now he’s stopped shooting at every opportunity. I’ve always been a fan of Ibini-Isei too. Not the fittest player you’ll come across in terms of steering clear of injuries, nor even lasting ninety minutes, but when he’s on the park he’s a nightmare to handle because he’s fast, a decent dribbler, and he’s stronger than ever after his time training in Belgium. He’ll be a threat – if he plays.

My concern for Western Sydney Wanderers is that, despite their good signings, they don’t appear to have addressed the issues caused by those that have left. I mean, Majewski – fair enough; he was injured pretty much all of his time in Australia. Schwegler – I can only assume that the now-fit O’Doherty will take his place, and I get that – he was very good before his long-term injury. Where’s the centre-back to replace Jurman, though? Alongside McGowan, they had a really solid core – but I don’t see one now. That could be an issue. Another problem is the departure of Duke. I know he ran hot and cold as a finisher, but as a target man, he was actually rather consistent. Cox is a very mobile and clever forward but he doesn’t have the same aerial presence – yet they’ve got Kamau/Ibini-Isei/Yeboah/Troisi to either play out wide, or to drift into wide areas to find space. I’m not so sure how that’ll play out.

I’m sure Robinson will address things, and I do like the rest of the Western Sydney Wanderers squad. As things currently stand though, I think the impetus is on Muller to make things happen, and that’s a bit concerning, good though he unquestionably is. They’re up against a complete unknown, which is always tough to prepare for, and their opponents have some really good players. Personally, I think these two teams should be level-pegging to win this one rather than Western Sydney Wanderers being favourites.

Again, it’s a risk, but I consider there to be value in backing the visitors with draw no bet cover today. 

Macarthur FC to win with draw no bet at 6/5.