I will continue to analyze all the matches as the new season starts in Australia. I expect several teams to be the contenders for the title this season, which will bring you exciting matches. Melbourne City has only won 1 grand final in the last 3 seasons, but they always win the regular season. Jimmy McCarron is the best striker in the A-League with 4 consecutive years of winning the Golden Boot Award. The addition of German player Tolki Aslan from Udinese will greatly strengthen the attacking force, while other new signings, including left back Behnji and attacking midfielder Ham Sasaki, also have a certain degree of quality, and the overall strength is good, so they are in a good position to win the regular season for 4 consecutive seasons.
Their city rivals, Melbourne Victory, I think they have a good chance to finish in the mid-table and have the ability to go farther if they are well managed. The third Melbourne team, Western Union, won the Grand Final two years ago, but their performance last season was poor. They need to score more goals to fulfill their wish.
FC Sydney make a strong push for the title
As for Sydney teams, I see FC Sydney, who won the Australian Cup, as the most capable team to challenge Melbourne. Although they have lost their main striker Joe Fong, Zuruli is a good replacement and I reckon he can score double-digit goals and hand out a lot of assists. Meanwhile, Rudy Weir is also a key player, he is one of the best players in the A-League.
As for Western Sydney Wanderers, they made it to the playoffs last season, and with Banton Boley Road in the front line, they have a reliable offense, and it's also worth mentioning the fans. When I was rolling around in the AFL back in the day, the Wanderers home stadium had the loudest cheering, which gave the team a huge advantage. The third Sydney team, FC MacArthur, I reckon they can only stay in the mid-table at most.
Difficulties for Mariners' A-League
For the rest of the team, last season's champions Central Coast Mariners lost their star striker Jackson Gammings, but Gouaux has returned to the team after not doing so well in the German league and is expected to fill in the gap, but I think the best scenario for them is just to make it to the top 6 positions.
As my good friend Gerry Gwynn has moved to the SASL, Adelaide United's strength has been weakened and it's hard to put high hopes on them. Wellington Phoenix has Oscar Sawada, who joined the team in his debut season and scored 15 goals, and I expect him to score more goals this season. Perth Glory is aiming for a top 6 finish and my ex-teammate Adam Taggart has a great eye for goal, which will be the key to the team's success. Brisbane Roar's biggest problem last season was their lack of goals, and I don't think they'll be able to make much of a turnaround this season. Last but not least, my old team Newcastle Jets are not in a good financial position and their top strikers Mikodadis and Suderio have already left the team, so it will be very difficult for them this season.
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