The reign of Auckland FC in the Premiership has officially come to an end, as the Newcastle Jets claimed the title last weekend.
A surprising 1-0 defeat at home to the Central Coast Mariners in Round 25 meant that Steve Corica’s team could no longer catch the league leaders. Their focus has now shifted to securing second place in the standings.
On paper, Auckland FC appears to be the frontrunner for second position, entering the final round with a one-point lead over Adelaide United.
However, with an away fixture against Sydney FC in Round 26 on the horizon and a mere one league victory in their last five matches, concerns are rising about whether the Black Knights are faltering at a crucial moment.
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Former A-Leagues players Jake Barker-Daish, Thomas Sorensen, and Naum Sekulovski deliberated this very topic on the latest episode of the A-Leagues Download.
“I believe a significant miss has been Francis De Vries,” remarked Danish international legend Sorensen.
“He’s been sidelined for the last three or four matches. His absence likely has a larger impact on their chances than we realise. Obviously, Corica was off the bench due to a red card the previous week.”
“They’re struggling to score and are conceding too many goals, which is concerning as finals approach. It reminds me of last year.”
He continued: “They reached the finals and stumbled against Melbourne Victory. Right now, any team facing them in the semi-final will be optimistic about their chances.”
“It’s important to have momentum heading into the finals,” added former Perth Glory midfielder Sekulovski. “We know that. They have the players.”
“It might just take one of these players to shine. A touch of magic. If we reflect on the Auckland versus Newcastle match, I had backed them to win the title. Clearly, they haven’t achieved that.”
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“It’s all about discovering that momentum or that spark. Thomas mentioned a few factors that could be contributing to their recent struggles.”
“But they certainly have the quality and talent in their squad to turn things around, if one of them can step up.”
TO HEAR THE FULL DISCUSSION, CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF THE A-LEAGUES DOWNLOAD BELOW
Compiled by SportArena.au
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