Anyway, enough of my ramblings for the moment, here’s what respected Guardian Australia writer Paul Connolly thinks of tonight’s match, the Sky Blue Derby as he neatly terms it:
Much has been said about Melbourne Heart’s reinvention as Melbourne City, but Sydney FC have undergone a change of their own in the off-season. While it hasn’t involved anything quite so radical as a name and kit change brought on by new foreign owners with access to enormous oil reserves and guest players of the calibre of David Villa (who’s in the City squad for Saturday night), Sydney’s transformation has been structurally and, perhaps even culturally, significant. With Frank Farina moved on, and Alessandro del Piero now dodging traffic in Delhi, Sydney will start afresh with Graham Arnold on the sidelines and, on the pitch, a cadre of new recruits. Sydney rarely seemed to have a plan last season, much less a philosophy, so their fans will be hoping to see evidence of both – with a good side order of attacking football. Served by the likes of Bernie Ibini, Alex Brosque, Shane Smeltz, Austrian marquee, Marc Janko, and in-form incumbent Corey Gameiro, this should be forthcoming. City, meantime, will be hungry to distance themselves from the team that secured last season’s wooden spoon. The City revolution could take time, but the likes of Damien Duff, Robert Koren, Erik Paartalu and, yes, that man Villa (Will he get some game time this week? Should he double up on shin pads?) aren’t here to make up the numbers.
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