Villa sprinkles his stardust

Fifteen minutes was all it took for David Villa to stamp his class on the A-League. The Spaniard fired home from the edge of the penalty area with a finish he made look easier than it was, helping the rebranded Melbourne City to a deserved point at Sydney FC. Certainly it was unlikely his misfiring team-mates would have converted the same opening. Has there ever been a player arrive in Australia with more current top-level credibility than Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer and World Cup winner? Alessandro Del Piero perhaps holds a higher status in the pecking order of global greats, but Villa’s last three games were the La Liga decider, the Uefa Champions League final and a World Cup match. The latter, somewhat quirkily, was of course against Australia. Coming on early in the second half following his strangely low-key arrival into Melbourne earlier in the week, Villa made the most of limited time on the ball. His coach, John van ’t Schip, will surely be looking for his players to find Villa with more regularity. An unlikely post-match highlight was the interview with Villa in Spanish, with John Aloisi acting as our translator. If he keeps this up, Aloisi could get a job for Tony Abbott’s next state visit to Spain.

Victory aim for new era

Could the A-League’s 10th season mark the start of a new period of domination for Melbourne Victory? History will view Brisbane Roar as the team of recent years, while the early seasons of the A-League saw Melbourne Victory achieve more than any other side. Their emphatic 4-1 win over the notoriously stingy Western Sydney Wanderers could be the key indicator of the return of Victory as the league’s leading side. A strong platform was laid last season by Kevin Muscat, who, perhaps surprisingly, impressed following his apprenticeship under Ange Postecoglou. The attack once again looks phenomenal, despite the exit of James Troisi. With the ammunition for the usually lethal Besart Berisha being supplied by Connor Pain, Archie Thompson, Gui Finkler and Kosta Barbarouses, there is every reason to believe that new No9 will once again score a bagful of goals. Turning those 1-1 draws into 2-1 wins can be the difference between a championship team and one among the throng. Last season, however, it was defence that was a problem for the Victory. The strength and poise offered by classy new French signing Matthieu Delpierre suggests that issue could be well on the way to being resolved.

High-quality imports

Early years of the A-League were marked by the contrasting quality of imports. There were comedic performances from an array of overseas players. Portly Newcastle Jets striker Mario Jardel was arguably the chief entertainer among an at-times burgeoning comedy troupe. It often seemed that a Brazilian passport or an impressive resume, no matter how dated, was sufficient. Now, it is clear that A-League clubs are undertaking a significant level of due diligence. Imports are clearly now vetted for their personality, commitment and character. Even Del Piero’s impact would have been relatively negligible had he been uninterested or overweight. Melbourne City’s Irish veteran Damien Duff played with the gusto and passion of a teenager. While Central Coast Mariners’ Senegalese striker Malick Mane, the Victory’s Delpierre and Perth Glory’s Irish striker Andy Keogh are just some of the new faces that will add value.

Doing it Spanish style

There will have been dancing on the streets of Adelaide on Sunday evening. Though, this time it will be more likely sangria-fuelled flamenco steps, than beer-soaked drawling of Cold Chisel classics. Spanish football fashion is growing down under, nowhere more so than at Adelaide United. Three years ago no Spaniard had ever played in the A-League. Now there are six, including three at Adelaide, in addition to coach Josep Gombau. A highly impressive win over champions Brisbane Roar on their own turf is some way to start the season. Like several other clubs, Adelaide will have benefitted from a full season learning the philosophy and nuances of their coach, and they will likely be a highly cohesive unit this term. Expect La Roja to be among the leading A-League contenders.

Wanderers’ first chink in the armour?

There was no writer’s block in season two for the Wanderers, but are the A-League’s newest club facing their difficult third album? It’s uncertain what Tony Popovic’s views are on mixing pop and politics, but like Billy Bragg, the Wanderers could be up against it third time out. The Wanderers have never suffered such a hefty loss as they did on Friday in crashing to a heavy defeat against the super-charged Melbourne Victory. In a squad of little x-factor, keeping it tight throughout the game is the key to their success. Shinji Ono’s rare level of creativity will be sorely missed, and it is yet unclear how new boys Vitor Saba and Romeo Castelen will settle, if at all. Of more immediate concern to Popovic will be conceding four goals, some of which were given away in uncharacteristically sloppy fashion. One wonders about the wisdom of not doing more to tie down departed full-backs Adam D’Apuzzo and Jerome Polenz at Wanderland.