After a disappointing year, a rejuvenated Western United look set to climb back up the A-League Men’s table in season 2021/2022. buy levaquin online buy levaquin online no prescription
Can John Aloisi find the perfect balance between experience and youth, or will it be the same old story for the Green and Black?
Last season…
A-League: 10th
FFA Cup: N/A
They’ll win the league because…
New head coach – Aloisi – has set his eye on bringing in top quality European imports to bolster a squad brimming with young talent. Leo Lacroix (FC Basel), Rene Krhin (Inter Milan) and Aleksandar Prijovic (PAOK) all have experience playing in top European leagues as well as UEFA Competitions. Add in A-League veterans such as Neil Kilkenny and Nikolai Topor-Stanley, and this squad is primed to bounce back up the table.
There is no doubt that Western United will be one of the highest-scoring squads this season. Aloisi’s reputation as a great striker has led him to signing some of the country’s best young attacking talent. Noah Botic and Dylan Wenzel-Halls have both joined the club, adding to an already strong contingent of Lachie Wales, Dylan Pierias and Sebastian Pasquali. If the defensive calamities of last season can be fixed, this shapes as being a great season for Western United.
They’ll be cellar dwellers because…
Enough has been made of Western United’s lack of a permanent stadium, but it could turn out to be their downfall in season 2021/22. Over the course of the season, home games will be spread across GMHBA stadium (Geelong), AAMI Park (Melbourne), UTAS Stadium (Tasmania), and MARS Stadium (Ballarat).
Former head coach Mark Rudan and several high profile players have left the club. Most notably – Victor Sanchez, Tomislav Uskok and Iker Guarrotxena – will be hard to replace. If Aloisi can’t get his new team to gel together over the first few rounds, it could spell another disappointing season.
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New signing – Rene Krhin – was part of Inter Milan’s treble-winning team in the 2010 season, under legendary coach Jose Mourinho. Could he achieve similar by winning the FFA Cup and A-League with Western United?
The off-season brought
A scuffle with South Melbourne regarding the use of Lakeside Stadium. In what was an embarrassing episode for all involved, Western United were forced to retract their agreement which allowed seven home games to be played at Lakeside. To the annoyance of both Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory, those home games were rerouted to AAMI Park.
Last season’s top scorer Besart Berisha signed a deal in his native Kosovo, leaving a huge gap up front. The A-League’s all-time leading goal scorer had a relatively quiet season but still managed to score 26 goals across his last two A-League campaigns. He was replaced by Alexander Prijovic, a man who has scored over 150 career goals across the Champions League, Greek top flight, and Swiss first division.
Key player
New signing Rene Krhin will be one of the first names on the team sheet for John Aloisi’s side. Replacing club stalwart Victor Sanchez, the strong-bodied defensive midfielder will be tasked with protecting a new-look back four that has proven to be leaky over the past few seasons.
The 31 year-old arrives with an impressive resume, having won trophies at Inter Milan, playing in the 2010 World Cup for Slovenia, and making stops at Granada CF and FC Nantes. His ability to provide defensive stability and win the ball back will go a long way to determining the success of Western United this season. On pedigree alone, he could be one of the top signings in the competition.
One to watch
After spending the past two seasons in Germany with Hoffenheim’s under-19 squad, Noah Botic returns to Australia with big expectations.
The young gun previously scored during a week-long trial with Manchester United, and had rumoured interest from Bayern Munich and Everton. However, only nine appearances in two seasons with the Bundesliga sides’ junior team has seen him return home looking for more minutes. Having the opportunity to be coached by one of Australia’s greatest ever strikers will do wonders for the tall and skillful striker. A good season should insert his name back into the minds of scouts that saw him as a potential superstar just two years ago.
INS
Neil Kilkenny (Perth Glory, Australia), Dylan Wenzel-Halls, Jamie Young (both Brisbane Roar, Australia), Ben Garuccio (Melbourne City, Australia), Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Newcastle Jets, Australia), Noah Botic (Hoffenheim, Germany), Rene Krhin (CD Castellon, Spain), Leo Lacroix (FC Sion, Switzerland), Aleksandar Prijovic (Al-Ittihad Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), Christian Theoharous (successful trial), Adiseu Bayew, Ajak Deu, Rhys Bozinovski (all promoted)
OUTS
Victor Sanchez (Unattached), Besart Berisha (FC Prishtina, Kosovo), Max Burgess (Sydney FC), Aaron Calver (Perth Glory), Tomislav Uskok, Filip Kurto (both Macarthur FC), Iker Guarrotxena (UD Logroñés, Spain), Bradden Inman (Mumbai City, India), Andrew Durante (Retired), Brendan Hamill (Melbourne Victory, Australia)
Full squad list
Goalkeepers: Jamie Young, Ryan Scott, Charlie Emery
Defenders: Tomoki Imai, Dalibor Markovic, Dylan Pierias, Josh Risdon, Ivan Vujica, Leo Lacroix, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Benjamin Garuccio,
Midfielders: Alessandro Diamanti, Luke Duzel, Steven Lustica, Ayom Majok, Sebastian Pasquali, Jerry Skotadis, Neil Kilkenny, Rene Krhin, Adisu Bayew
Forwards: Nicolas Milanovic, Connor Pain, Lachlan Wales, Noah Botic, Dylan Wenzel-Halls, Aleksandar Prijovic, Christian Theoharous
Featured image credit: Western United FC
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