Leading into season 2015-16 the question was asked of Tony Popovic – he can build, but can he renovate?
Overcoming a slow start to the new campaign, the Wanderers discovered the tenacity and maturity that saw them lift the Asian Champions League and now they arrive on Adelaide soil in search of that elusive grand final victory. This is how they got there.
The coach understood that a certain amount of style needed to be added to the substance developed during the inaugural years. 2014-15 was a campaign to forget, but lessons needed to be learned.
In came new staff in the form of Zeljko Kalac and Spaniard Andres Carrasco. Popovic wanted a continental mixture on the field as well, bringing in the likes of Dimas, Andreu and Alberto along with Italian marquee striker Federico Piovaccari.
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The cull would not stop there, with sentiment playing no part in key decision making. Stalwart goalkeeper Ante Covic was let go to Perth Glory with journeyman Mitch Nichols coming the other way. Dario Vidosic returned from Europe, while Popovic saw enough in Andrew Redmayne at Melbourne City to give him a start between the posts.
For all the optimism that came about from the fresh faces, it would be a few weeks in until the team would find its feet. An opening 3-1 defeat at home to the Brisbane Roar exposed a defence that was vulnerable to pace running in behind and a subsequent draw away to Adelaide and a derby defeat to Sydney FC did not help the mood by end of week three.
Yet that 1-0 result at Allianz Stadium would be something of a circuit breaker for Popovic. He spoke glowingly about the performance, seeing the new players gel and dominate possession, only to for a late break in concentration cost them a Milos Ninkovic winner. The Sky Blues would celebrate long into the night, but it would be the red and black of the city that would enjoy the last laugh.
Consecutive wins over Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets, Melbourne City, Wellington Phoenix, Central Coast Mariners, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory saw them skyrocket to the top of the league. The manager fostered the best form Nichols has ever produced and while Piovaccari could only managed two goals, regulars Mark Bridge and Brendan Santalab shared the burden alongside the blonde-haired assassin.
It would not be until the turn of the year away to Melbourne City at AAMI Park on January 9th when they tasted defeat once more. The 3-2 classic would be more of an outlier for the hosts, who had a firing Bruno Fornaroli and Harry Novillo cut apart the usually stingy Wanderers defence with quick counter-attacks and incisive passing in the final-third.
Rocking the confidence after a spectacular undefeated run of 10 matches, the derby hoodoo would strike again late om with Shane Smeltz scoring on the cusp of injury time. With two consecutive defeats right on the halfway mark of the campaign, would this be the Wanderers falling back into old habits?
Popovic pushed the underperforming Piovaccari out into the shadows to train with the youth squad and shifted between Bridge and Santalab for the cutting-edge up front. If Champions League winning players were disposed with no fuss, why not a marquee that is not pulling their weight?
The Mariners fixture came just at the right time, cruising past them on the road before returning the favour against Melbourne City at Wanderland with a dramatic 4-3 win. A double to Bridge and goals to Nichols and Santalab would be a sign of things to come.
A shocking 5-2 loss at home to the Wellington Phoenix would be nothing more than a blimp on the radar, seeing former Sydney FC striker Blake Powell enjoy a rare day out with four goals. Another tempestuous derby at Moore Park this time returned a point rather than a defeat, providing a path of just the two defeats to Brisbane and Victory in their final seven regular season fixtures.
The 2-0 win in New Zealand against the Wellington Phoenix unearthed Santalab from his ‘super sub’ tag to an outright starter. Dimas and Andreu quietly went about solidifying the midfield with industry and tactical positioning, allowing the likes of Nichols and Romeo Castelen to wreck havoc in the final-third.
Then came that semi-final. Cut throat football from time to time will provide games that defy all logic and at 3-0 down to the Brisbane Roar, it seemed as though the season was lost. But Dutch winger Castelen would find the ruthlessness in front of goal that eluded him for most of the season, bagging a hat-trick to finish off the Queenslanders 5-4 after extra time.
How does this Jekyll and Hyde rollercoaster give any guide leading into Sunday? Will it be the Wanderers of the 10-game unbeaten streak that turns up, lead by a tenacious attacking trio and rock solid defence that refuses to budge? Or will it be the one that collapsed against Sydney FC on multiple occasions, defying the form book to fall at the final hurdle yet again?
Adelaide United will never be better positioned to take out their inaugural Grand Final on South Australian soil, yet the hunger and planning to lift the coveted trophy will be matched just as strongly in the Western Sydney dressing room. For all the ups and downs that was season 2015-16, everything comes down to this one game.
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