Australian Clubs Poor Start in ACL

Asian Champions League Preview 2017

Paul Williams

It's fair to say it's been a poor start to the AFC Champions League for Australian clubs.

Six games played for just one draw and five losses, with a paltry two goals scored and twenty conceded. That's bad in anyone's language.

And it has lead to a ferocious debate about just where Australian football is headed and the path it is on, with Australian football slammed from pillar to post over the last few weeks. That is a worthy debate, even if some of the hyperbole is well over the top, but has the catalyst - the poor ACL form of Adelaide United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar - been overblown?

Consistency has long been an issue in the A-League. Only Brisbane Roar has won back-to-back A-League titles and it's common to see the champions of one season, fall right back to the pack the next. With the timing of A-League and ACL seasons, that is always going to hurt Australian teams who will front up in the Champions League with vastly different teams to the ones who got them there in the first place.

This season Adelaide and Western Sydney are two of the poorer A-League teams, so it's little surprise to see them struggling on the continent. Replace Adelaide and Western Sydney with this season's best teams, Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory, and in all probability you would see different results.

Remember, just last season the Australian media were lauding the fact that two Australian clubs made it to the Round of 16 for the first time. Sydney FC was just a few short minutes away from a quarter final.

Why then do this year's results suddenly represent a truer indication of where Australia sits as compared to last year? Or are the results just a convenient tool to force a debate many have wanted to have for the last few years?

Urawa in Red hot form

Ten years on from their maiden AFC Champions League title and Urawa Reds are looking the goods to repeat that success. Of course a lot of water has to go under a lot of bridges before that could happen, but on the form of their first two games they are likely to be one of the key challengers.

Back-to-back thumpings of Western Sydney (4-0) and FC Seoul (5-2) has been the Reds in the box seat to advance from Group F. The big test will come in the next two match days, however, with back-to-back matches against Shanghai SIPG, the other dominant team in the group.

A trip to Shanghai is a tricky task for any team. SIPG is yet to lose an ACL match at home, dropping points only once when they drew 0-0 with Jeonbuk in the first leg of the quarter final last year. They have also managed to keep four clean sheets from eight matches and never conceded more than one goal, averaging 2.4 goals a game themselves.

With an attack containing Hulk, Elkeson (who was rested from last week's Chinese Super League match), Wu Lei and Oscar, it'll be a true heavyweight showdown against Urawa.

Whoever gets on top will be making a serious statement about their ability to go all the way this year.

Can Jazira jumpstart their campaign?

Over in the west one of the biggest surprises has been the form of Al Jazira, who has almost wrapped up the Arabian Gulf League championship.

Henk ten Cate's men have surprised everyone in the Emirates this year and should be crowned with the title they deserve when the AGL returns after the international break, but their continental form has left a lot to be desired.

With no domestic duties for another few weeks, there should be no excuses for ten Cate to not field his strongest squad. Their next two matches against Saudi Arabia's Al Fateh, also without a win, will determine their fate.

Al Ahli were in a similar position two years ago before recovering in some style to make it all the way to the final. The signing of Al Ahli's gun striker Ahmed Khalil during the week should give further impetus to Al Jazira to go all guns blazing against Al Fateh.

When I was in Abu Dhabi late last year I had the good fortune of interviewing Henk ten Cate, who was candid in his assessment of his squad, suggesting they lacked the depth to challenge on both the domestic and continental front. With the domestic silverware all but locked up, his attention must now turn to the continent.

With an attack next season that will contain Ali Mabkhout, Leonardo and Khalil, Al Jazira now has a side that could do some damage in the later stages, but first they have to get there and that all starts with getting a much needed three points against Al Fateh.

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Copyright: Paul Williams & Soccerphile.com