Five things we learned from A-League Round 17

Generational issues, last-gasp thrillers and deadline day snags rounded off an action-packed weekend of A-League football.

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Dead man waffling

Markus Babbel has made a habit of blaming his players this season, but when he attempted to repeat the trick following Friday night’s 5-1 defeat to the Newcastle Jets, his efforts backfired.

“This is a different generation, they’re not like us when we played,” he said.

“If I lost 5-1, I would be upset for the whole week. They, after five minutes, it’s like normal life.

“This is not an Australian problem, but a world problem… They don’t know what it means.”

The German’s latest comments have reportedly put him in hot water with Western Sydney hierarchy, who appear impatient with their stagnating season.

The Wanderers have earned just one point in 2019 and lost eight of their last 10 fixtures, including their past six at home, and Babbel’s behaviour has only made things worse.

While today’s generation of players are indeed different to the class of yesteryear, calling their attitude a “world problem” is a terrible attempt to conceal one’s failures as an A-League coach.

In today’s game, the inability to adapt and manage multi-layered personalities will quickly leave you behind – just ask Jose Mourinho.

Babbel’s once-small sample size has since grown into an album of mediocrity, all while this “different generation” continues to thrive under the likes of Tony Popovic, Marco Kurz and Mark Rudan.

And with finals football all but beyond reach, continued failure to finish the season in respectable fashion could soon cost the 46-year-old his job.

Return of the Mac

Bruno Fornaroli’s two-month exile from Melbourne City was made permanent this past weekend with the late arrival of Jamie Maclaren.

Following largely inconsistent stints with Darmstadt and Hibernian respectively, the Socceroos striker returned to the A-League on a three-and-a-half year deal, tasked with restoring the goals to a team tallying just 21 in 17 games.

Warren Joyce cut a frustrated figure on Sunday after City failed to find the back of the net for the second straight week, losing out 2-0 to Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium.

But the Englishman believes his latest acquisition will finally fill the 54-goal void left by Fornaroli’s absence.

“Jamie’s arrival will provide a big boost to the squad as we head into the back half of the season and, most importantly, he’ll give us more of a goal threat,” Joyce said.

“He’s a proven goalscorer with a lot of talent and experience.”

Maclaren managed just one goal at the Asian Cup last month but returns to Australia full of confidence and ready to pick up where he previously left off in 2017, as a golden boot winner.

Game of the season

Adelaide witnessed the game of the season on Saturday night; a match that will live long in the memory of A-League fans around the country.

Three red cards, seven goals, a 97th-minute winner – this one had it all and it was Adelaide United who came out on top, with Nikola Mileusnic the hero.

The substitute’s last-gasp header blew the figurative roof off Coopers Stadium and left fans, club officials, players and even coach Marco Kurz jumping for joy.

“The team is fantastic, the character is fantastic, I’m very proud of them,” Kurz said.

“The boys made a good job, not me as a coach – the boys are on the pitch and they can be proud.”

Saturday’s result saw the Reds rise to fourth on the A-League ladder, meanwhile for the Roar, the 4-3 defeat gave fans a sense of déjà vu, having already witnessed their side squander a three-goal lead to lose back in 2015-16 against the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Interim coach Darren Davies labelled the loss a “very steep learning curve” before vowing to bounce back against Sydney FC on Friday night.

But with just one win in their past seven matches against the Sky Blues, things might in fact get worse.

Hooley dooley!

Very rarely can one match epitomise a club’s season, but on Saturday night, that was exactly the case.

The Central Coast Mariners came into their clash against second-placed Melbourne Victory with just six points from a possible 51, but you wouldn’t have known after watching the first 45 minutes.

A pair of spectacular free-kicks from Andrew Hoole helped the home side to a surprise 2-0 lead at half-time and – much like the addition of Mike Mulvey, Tommy Oar and Ross McCormack at the start of the season – left Mariners fans filled with a sense of optimism.

Buoyed by this newfound belief, the 5,223 in attendance applauded their team back onto the pitch for the start of the second half, eager to upset the balance at the top of the table.

Unfortunately for them, that support lasted all of just five minutes.

Kevin Muscat’s men, reinvigorated by the introduction of Elvis Kamsoba, marauded the Mariners to the point of submission and snatched all three points courtesy of Kosta Barbarouses two minutes from full-time.

The result was all too familiar for the coastal club, who now appear destined to take the wooden spoon for the third time in four seasons.

Just desserts

The Glory days are well and truly back in Perth and they have Tony Popovic to thank for it.

Popovic’s regimented approach to management has breathed life into a club starved of A-League success.

Saturday’s 3-0 win over Wellington extended the Glory’s best ever start to the competition and helped maintain their four-point lead atop the league ladder.

Boasting an unbreakable backline and multi-faceted attack, it’s no wonder an in-form Phoenix outfit failed to find a sight of goal for much of the 90 minutes.

That kind of outcome is exactly what Popovic expects from his players this season and, according to the 45-year-old himself, it’s exactly what they deserve.

“Everyone works together to try and make it as difficult as possible for the opponents to score, to get a clear chance,” Popovic said.

“They did that again tonight and we kept another clean sheet.

“We’re on top because we deserve to be there and we’ll keep fighting. That’s where we want to stay.”

With a club-record four clean sheets on the trot, the Glory will now turn their attention towards Sunday’s mouth-watering matchup with second-placed Melbourne Victory.