Five things we learned from A-League Round 7

From power shifts to post-season tips - this past weekend of A-League football offered plenty of intriguing talking points.

(Left to right) Ola Toivonen, Chris Ikonomidis and Jop van der Linden Source: Getty Images

Four years in the making

It looked like this day would never come for Western Sydney Wanderers but, for the first time since 2014, Sydney FC are no longer insurmountable favourites for the Sydney Derby.

A 2-0 victory over Central Coast Mariners, coupled with Sydney’s latest slump, has levelled a deck long stacked against Markus Babbel’s side.

So often the benchmark of consistency under Graham Arnold, the Sky Blues have struggled under Steve Corica this season.

Compounded by Jop van der Linden’s infatuation with set-pieces and inability to defend - particularly against Wellington Phoenix - Corica’s crop have lacked the sort of potency that saw them romp to the Premiers' Plate last season.

And while Sydney have lost just once in their last 15 encounters with their cross-town rivals, a shock defeat could prove unbearable.

Babbel’s badmouthed “rabbit” remarks appeared to spark a positive response from his players against the Mariners and – if the nature of the last derby wasn’t enough motivation to buck the trend – the meaning behind next Saturday’s three points sure will.

“(That’s) what I’m looking for, the reaction,” Babbel said.

“Stand up and fight for your dreams.”

Could this be our grand final?

It’s taken just seven rounds to separate the contenders from the pretenders in the A-League this season.

But as several sides stutter and sparkle in a bid to cement a top six berth, two clubs appear primed to set the pace for the Premiers' Plate and the Championship itself.

A run of five straight wins has seen Melbourne Victory cruise to second place and open up a four-point lead on their closest challengers.

Kevin Muscat’s men, aided by in-form Swedish star Ola Toivonen, may have disposed of Adelaide United 2-0 on Saturday night, but they were soon outdone out west.

Perth Glory’s 1-0 victory over Melbourne City not only continued Tony Popovic’s candidacy for A-League coach of the year, but also built on Chris Ikonomidis’ hopes of an Asian Cup call-up.

The fringe Socceroo found the back of the net for the fifth time this season and extended his side’s record unbeaten start to the competition.

For all Glory’s grit and Victory’s glamour, the pair seem destined to meet in the post-season and, if their 3-2 thriller from round two is anything to go by, they would make a worthy grand final.

Early days? Sure, but on the balance of the season thus far, you wouldn’t rule it out.

Sending out an SOS

Adelaide United’s goal-laden midfield failed to fire in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Melbourne Victory.

The make-shift use of Ben Halloran and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos up front exposed the threadbare number of goal-scorers currently in Marco Kurz’s squad.

With injuries and a lack of finance believed to have hindered the Reds in the past, a familiar face could be the man to supply Kurz some goals up front.

Ex-Sydney FC striker Bobo has reportedly grown tired of his time with Turkish club Alanyaspor and is eager to return to the country where he scored 44 goals in 63 games.

With the Sky Blues burdened by the financial demands of Adam le Fondre, Milos Ninkovic and Siem de Jong, such a pay cut could steer the Brazilian striker away from a return to Sydney.

And with United in need of an injection of experience up front, the 33-year-old – who has found the back of the net three times against Kurz’s men – would be the perfect player to arrest such woes.

Killer Kiwis

Wellington Phoenix exacted five rounds worth of frustration on defending Premiers Sydney FC on Saturday and New Zealand’s newest citizen was at the heart of it.

Roy Krishna torched the Sky Blues with a well-taken brace before Steven Taylor added gloss on a perfect first-half performance and eventual 3-1 win.

After a luckless run of fixtures, Mark Rudan’s men now have both their second success of the season and the belief to kick on and crack the top six.

“The challenge for our players is consistency,” Rudan said.

“We’ve been up and down, we certainly don’t want to be an inconsistent team but belief is the big one for them.”

Krishna’s Kiwi status now allows the Nix to vacate a visa spot ahead of the January transfer window and sign a player of a similar ilk – an opportunity they must make the most of.

Speak and believe

“I think this team will score goals … it helps that we have a couple of strikers – Jair, Kane Sheppard – back again.”

Ernie Merrick’s pre-game comments garnered the desired reaction on Sunday as Newcastle Jets defeated Brisbane Roar 2-0 at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Goals to both Jair and Sheppard made the difference, be it coincidence or Merrick’s divine intervention.

The Jets’ slow, goal-shy start to the season never worried the 65-year-old and their surge from the bottom of the league to sixth in three rounds would prove just why.

Aiming to avenge their grand final defeat from last season, Merrick will lean on his experience yet again to see off an undefeated Perth Glory outfit next weekend, just as he did to Sydney FC’s 15-game run under Graham Arnold.