|
Comparisons between Sydney FC and Ange Postecoglou's awe-inspiring Brisbane Roar sides are premature until they actually win a "major" A-League trophy, John Aloisi says. The Sky Blues have clinched the Premiers Plate and are breaking record after record in one of the most dominant seasons in the competition's history. Naturally, debate has ensued as to whether Graham Arnold's outfit is on par with 'Roarcelona' -- Brisbane's A-League grand final-winning teams of 2011 and 2012 under Postecoglou, who are widely recognised as the best the competition has ever seen. Postecoglou famously steered them on a historic 36-game unbeaten streak and has been credited with triggering a tactical revolution in Australian football as a result of Brisbane's possession-based style of play. But Arnold's Sydney FC have already won more games and more points than any other team has in an A-League season. They've tasted defeat just once, to Western Sydney, and with just 11 goals conceded after 25 rounds are on course to break the record for the strongest defence. But for Aloisi, until they cap it off with a premiership, there is no point even discussing it. "Sydney FC still need to win the Grand Final," he said after his Roar side beat the Central Coast Mariners 5-1 on Sunday to move into third spot on the ladder. "It's not easy, don't worry about that, because there's going to be teams going into the finals believing they can win it. "The media's going to compare whether they're the same or better as the Brisbane Roar of the past. "But the Brisbane Roar of the past, under Ange, won two grand finals. "Sydney FC haven't won anything yet -- they won the minor premiership. Arnie did that with the Mariners and they didn't even get to the grand final one season. "They're a good side -- don't get me wrong, they're a brilliant side. [But] in Australia, the grand final is the major prize." Meanwhile, the Roar's confidence is peaking with two games to go before the finals after their trouncing of the Mariners at Suncorp Stadium, which has given rise to hopes it might be them who could spoil Sydney FC's near-perfect season. "It was good because we've been dominating a lot of teams in terms of creating a lot of chances and to finally score five, it was great. We know we'll give it a real shake in the finals," Aloisi said.
|
