The World Game with Stefan MaukFrom the A-Leagues to the EPL, Adelaide United star Stefan Mauk brings you the latest results, news and analysis from the World Game.
We are into the world game and this is where we like to be on a Thursday and as we talk all things in football, and you can buy a car from Southern Cherry to go in the drawer to win a year of groceries. They are fantastic sponsor of ours T twenty five slash seven oh seven. They bring us Stephan Moore, Adelaide, United Zone and five double as very own as we go through everything happening in the world of football.
Stephan, good evening to you.
Mate, Good evening and I know the season is done, but you've just absolutely can be and my mental already I can't.
Believe that I'm going to have to go and do some fixing during the break because that is not good enough. It's okay, great to see you back though.
It's of course a really big week because we've seen the end of the Premier League, so we've got to go through what's happening there. We've basically got lots going on in the NPL, but there is even bigger news here in Adelaide, which is the best thing. We have Grand Final week coming up in the al well.
We'll push that.
So that's all Victoria. With that on to what's happening here Adelaide. You're not.
I've had a massive week, We've got our biggest signing, I reckon the off season to come, and we've got a new coach. So let's go through it all. It's and Andreoli and Craig good one.
How good? Yeah?
Well, I think the Craig goodmoman was probably the worst kept secret. I think anyone involved with football had heard about it, and I think it was trying to be kept under apps for a long time. So it's nice that it's officially out there. I think, you know, when he left and signed a two year contract in Saudi, he was always going to come back to Adelaide, and I think that's the one thing the club does really well, is welcomes players back because they know, you know you're going to go sometimes for whatever reason. It could be the club needing to sell you to make some money, could be you wanting to go and make some money. But obviously the door is always open, and I think that's a really good thing. I know some fans don't like that that it's kind of a revolving door, but you want to get good players back in and that's the difference between our sport and a lot of others in this country is that you know, you can go and play in the Middle East, in Asia and Europe for more money or just for different experience, and then you want to come back as well. So the club understands that and then ever going to stand in anyone's way. And I think it's it's great to have, you know, losing Havey Lopez says, two big leaders of the club ELSI as well. I think you need to get more experienced players in because our squad is very youthful and we need Obviously, I'm not talking about his playing ability, that's a whole different conversation, but I'm talking about leadership. Well, he understands what it takes to be a professional player. He's been at for you know, ten twelve years, He's played at the top level. He's done things that you know, our young players are aspiring to do. So to get him back in will be massive. And then going on to the new coach someone that yes, in age years old, but in terms of experience with senior football obviously he hasn't had a whole lot. So getting experienced players to help him is massive and I'm really excited to see, Yeah, see what he's like, because you know, we've obviously spoken a lot, and I don't want to say it, but he didn't actually pick me in in the under fifteen state teams. So I've not brought it up with him, but maybe I'm going to have to now and say, listen, go back and watch the tapes and tell me was it me or was it you? To the of it, Yeah, that's just the reality of it, right, Like it's it's so funny, but it's one coach's opinion. Doesn't determine your outcome, you know, you, I think determine your own future. And that's what he's going to come in here and do. And that's actually what he said, not that he's not going to play me. I hope he's going to play me for your job here. I'm not fearful. But one thing that really stuck out with me was I wasn't saying it to me specifically, but what he was saying is that you deserve to play on the Sunday or whatever the day we play by how you train on the Monday. You know, it doesn't matter who you are, It doesn't matter you know, your age or your degree it's you know, how you train, that's the reason why you're going to play on the weekend. And I think that's not a bad way to be. We need to, you know, we need to obviously change something because we're not winning. There's one team that wins as twelve losers, and we've been the losers since what sixteen seventeen, So we want to change that as a club obviously, and Cole's done an amazing job with the past five years. Now Aton's got his time in the hot seat and I think he's he's someone that's various student, understands the game very well tactically, he will be very very spot on with a lot of the stuff that he wants to work on. Now it's just about you know, getting his support stuff around him, getting the players that he wants, and us completely buying into that.
Well, speaking of the off season and getting players in with Craig when coming into the side, I really liked we had in studio yesterday with Rowigh and Timmy g the CEO, Nathan Cosmina and Eaton together and they spoke to how they don't want to build a team around Craig when they want to build a culture around him, and you spoke to the leadership he brings, but also just the culture that he can provide.
You don't want to make it all about him.
And he's the man, and he's going to be the there's ten other players on the field with him, and he's a compliment just to the rest of what the team can bring. So I thought that was a really good mindset to start with. Do you think that's what Eaton sort of brings in terms of just a state of mind for a.
Team, Yeah, I think so. That's probably one of the big things that he said as well when I was speaking to him. And you know, there's obviously going to be individual players that have moments of brilliance and and good He's one of those players, you know, whether it's you know, see Goodwin or a Goodwin or other players like we've got that that sort of quality in the squad. But I think if you kind of rely on one player, it's not going to end well. When no disrespect to Craig, he's as an unbelievable player, But unless you're messy, you probably can't do that this day and age in football. You have to be a team like even him, you know, with into Miami in the MLS. They're struggling. It's not easy if you just base your team around one play, it's very, very difficult. So Craig Will obviously plays part on on the field and whatever Aton wants him to do. But off the field, I agree. I think that's the biggest impact that you can have as a player, and driving standards of the way to train and the way to act. And you know, the small things off the field tend to be the big things on the field, and if you can get those right off the field, then you know, it goes a long way to you know, in those crunch moments, you know in the finals when we hopefully get there again that you know we do the right things and we stick to the structures and we track our runners and we're throwing our bodies on the line and you know, try a score in the ninety fifth minute, all those small little things. But it starts, you know, day one a pre season. You know, how do you treat each other? And yeah, that's that's Aton's job to kind of lay out to us and then us as senior players to kind of make sure we drive that with the younger players help well.
Speaking of we have a special guest on the line for our show tonight. One of your great teammates, Panakickyaris is speaking with us. He's live on five to blay pan of Thanks for your.
Time, no worry, thank you for having me.
Yeah, it's been a while, I reckon. I've messaged you four or five times throughout the season to get you on, and every time you've said that you're busy. So I'm glad. I'm glad you finally jumped on. Yeah, I couldn't find an excuse tonight, no exactly, and that we appreciate it. You've obviously had an amazing season. Probably you know the I think maybe the bigges accolade is winning the Players Player. I did vote for you, Maybe I shouldn't have voted for you, because if I wanted to win, I should have given you maybe a one. But that's a great accolade for you. And then obviously now you've got the under twenty stuff that's going to be going on over the next what is it three months before the World Cup? So I guess firstly, how do you sum up your season? And then secondly, what are you really looking forward to with the under twenties World Cup.
First there, I'm gott to say thank you very much seven So nice of you to be so kind. But yeah, the season was obviously about our ups and down. Football is a funny game, you know, you have such high highs and then everyone so high, and then the next couple of weeks you're really low. But I think for my first season, personally, I'm proud of myself the way I went about things, especially when times were difficult. I think a few of us sort of stood up in certain moments and that's something I'm very proud of. And obviously the under twenties getting to a very good time of the year for us, getting close towards the World Cup. We have a friendly camp in Argentina versusing you. They're probably one of the best countries in the world. Weve on Sunday, so yeah, that would be a good test for us to see where we're out. But yeah, very exciting.
Yeah, no, and you should be proud of yourself. I think it's very difficult, you know, obviously, having you know, played youth football and you know, going up through the ranks and then coming in playing your first full season, and it was a difficult one because of obviously you know that, as you said, the highs were coming top and then when things aren't going well, it's very easy to kind of go hiding and to blame everyone else. But I think you stood up and played extremely well, and then with the under twenty stuff. Obviously, like you said, this Argentina camp you leave this Sunday, so you've got two games there. Do you think there's going to be another camp before the World Cup or just that pre camp before the World Cup starts.
I'm not too sure. We haven't been told anything from our point of view, but I assume we'll head over to South America pretty early and hopefully you got some friendly games in there. But yeah, now I think a lot of nations are looking to play us because we are, you know, we're the champions of Asia at the moment as it did, so clubs would be excited to play us, and we're just going there as a number anymore. We're going there as a real contender to hopefully do something special.
No.
Not one and the latest squad that's kind of been announced for this Argentina tour talk us through some of the players. You know, obviously don't include yourself in this, but that you're most excited to play with and see that maybe weren't a part of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Yeah, well, well obviously everyone knows Nessa really well. He's he's joined us for this trip and it'll be really good to see see how he's getting along playing some really good football over in a good league in Switzerland. There's obviously Marcus Unis who was there for a bit and then went over to Holland, who's also done really well. But yeah, then we obviously have all the usuals who are who have been there, you know, Alex Banderlado, Johnny l Luca, who are real, real key figures in our team. And yeah, with them firing fit, anything's possible.
Yeah, no, and what an experience. I think it's I think it's strange that it's so late in this like in the pre I know for them it's not their preseason, but for us, twenty second of September until the nineteenth of October is when the World Cup is. Do you know is that always been that late? I thought it was always a little bit earlier in July.
Yeah, same, I thought it was in dream July, which would make a little bit more sense, you know, teams are just finishing season, so frustraight into that. Whereas now you know, most I know, there's a group of us I led boys who haven't stopped training, have just been training together every day, so we've had to stay fit just for this camp as well as you know, get back for pre season fit and then we pretty much leave straight away. Yeah, so no time will break, but it's yeah, very exciting.
Yeah, well, fingers crossed. You can go over to Argentina and obviously they're any friendly games, but you want to win every game that you play and put your best foot forward. So I guess go over there and play well, don't play too well that maybe some scouts come in and take you away from the Reds. But yeah, good luck for that trip. I'll see you when you're back.
Thank you very much, Sef. I'm very looking forward to seeing you again.
Panakickia is joining us, outstanding to have him on the show here on the World Game. Just so you sort of brushed over it, but there's four Adelaide United players of course himself going on this trip, Johnny Yule who's been a part of the group, Fabian Talladeera and just quickly looking through luk of Yavanovitch as well, So awesome to see them getting.
An opportunity again.
And as you sort of spread throughout the last summer, especially with the red season, these are guys who thoroughly deserve their opportunity.
To play in this team.
We've seen them win the Under twenty Asian Cups so well, first time we've ever done it. Yes, it's just such a brilliant growth of young players that we have in this country right now, and a lot of them coming from South Australia.
Yeah exactly, and a lot of them coming through Colviet and and and Andreoli, so Richie Alligich, it's now, you know, the main man there at Football SA developing players. So you know, it's a lot of credit has to go to them to developing these players. But you know, I look at the individual player at the end of the day. Yes, you can have a good coach, but it's up to the individuals to want to do the work and to want to do the things right when nobody's looking. You know, paneers talking about their training on their own right now. Lots of players would love to just have a bit of a break right now, but they understand if they do that, then they're going to go into camp not in good shape. So it's great to hear that they're excited, and so they should be because this Under twenty World Cup it's literally well, you can only be in a once unless you're sixteen or seventeen playing up two years, which is pretty unlikely. So you know, this tournament here, every scout in the world, the way world football's going now where they want to sign young players, everyone's going to be watching this, you know. And because we did win the Under twenty Asian Cup, the emphasis and the eyes are going to be on Australia.
Because I put this question to you, now, what's the expectation for Australia in a World Cup after what we've done in the Asian Cup.
I need to see that group first. Once the group comes out, then you can kind of yeah, see, I think they should be looking to get out of the group regardless of dinner. I think that should be the bare minimum. And to be honest, you know, for winning the Asian Cup, that's that's big. You know, Japan, South Korea, saud Auropa, these countries are only very strong at youth national team level, So going to going to South America will be difficult. I'm sure that you know, whether it's the altitude of the humidity, I'm not sure exactly what it's going to be like that time of the year there, but there's going to be different things they're going to have to adapt to. But I think what the A League has done and not through you know, I guess they're planning, but the budget cuts and the certain things that have happened over the last three four years has made so many more young players play and it's allowed these guys to actually get you know, two or three seasons under their belt, so when they go to tournaments like this, they've played against men.
It's a great call.
So it's something that I never had when I went to this. When I was younger, we went to our Asian Cup, and you know, there was two or three of us that had played a couple of minutes that season. The rest of us were in the youth team and some weren't even training with the first team. So these guys now are training with us, they're playing most games. So it's a massive opportunity for them to all go there do our country proud, but also for themselves, you know, put their name out there to get signed by it by a big team over in Europe there and joined the likes of Nestor and Moture and these guys that have been sold from Adelaide and gone on to be quite successful.
Stephan Mark with us here on the World Game on five double A. We're going to take a quick break here at twenty minutes after six, and then we're going to speak about the first ever A League Grand Final Melbourne Derby. Melbourne City return for the fifth time in six years and the victory in their second Grand final in a row. One of them will be champions of the A League. On Saturday night, The World Game.
With Stephan Mark on five double A.
So you can buy any car from Southern Cherry and go into the amazing drawder win a year's worth of groceries. T twenty five slash seven seven. Let's get into what we were just sort of talking about before the break. The youth teams in Australia. The under twenty three Asian Cup group fixture has been announced.
What are we looking at, Stefan.
Yes, it has so there actually traveling to China. They'll have China in their group. Australia team More Least and Northern Mariana Islands. So I've never heard of them neither, but there you go. You learn something new every day. Their logo looks like it's a dolphin with a football on what So there we go. Well, this is to qualify for the Asian Cups, so normally you do get a few easier teams. But yeah, I've never heard of them, so I hope, yeah, I hope they're not going to just turn out and be an absolutely freaks out there and the next mess is coming through. But yeah, we'll see how the boys go against them.
All Right, that's the Under twenty three Asian Cup group stage for Australia. Let's get into the a LA Grand Finals. So I want to talk about this is incredible. Saturday night, we'll see Melbourne victory in Melbourne City lighted up at Amy Park. It's seven forty start. City are always here, always in the Grand Finals, so I'm getting little bit sick of that victory there for the second time in a row.
So these are two clubs that.
Definitely deserve to be there, but one of them will win. How do you see this matchup playing out for the A League title this season?
I think if you're the powers above at the APL, they'd be licking their lips because as well as Auckland have done this year, and you know, for all the plaud it's a Grand Final in Auckland doesn't have the same buzz because it's New Zealand. You know, it's a smaller population, it's Australian League obviously, so that's you know, the most obvious one. So I think firstly that they will be very happy and victory kind of are coming into this one with nothing to lose because they finished fifth, only one place above us. They beat West Sydney, which was probably unexpected. They then beat Auckland in the two legged semi final, which was unexpected. They come up against Melbourne City and Melbourne City finished second. They're probably the favorites, you would say, And I think, you know, you go to this game, it's going to be eighty percent Victory fans, twenty percent City and I just think with that that crowd behind you in this type of game, Like I'm not saying the City players won't be able to play and handled that pressure, but I just think the stress and the pressure of expecting to win with Melbourne City versus Victory can kind of go out there and play freely. Plus they've got the crowd on their back. I think Victory. I think Victory will win and it will be an exciting game. It's the first time we've ever had it in the A League Final. It's been semi finals before with the Melbourne Derby, but this is the big one. And I wish I wasn't going to Europe on Monday and I would have been going to this, but my wife would have killed me if I kind of did half suggest as a joke and she just stared at me, so I thought better not keep going with that one. But yeah, some big players on both teams. With Victory, you've got Azani, who has been on fire since he got caught up to the soccer as when he didn't probably deserve it stats wise, he's been on fire in the A League and this final series in particular. Nisheon Vlufale came off injured in the last game, so it'll be interesting to see if he plays. But Bruna Horner Rolli hadn't played for a few weeks, did a few podcasts saying he wasn't maybe going to be there, and he's a bit disappointed with how he was treated. He scores the goal in this game to give him the lead against Auckland and now he loves a big moment. He's an ex Melbourne City player. They treated him terribly at his end there. So I'm sure you know it's set up. There's so many storylines there and I'm just genuinely excited for this game. I think you know, the season is, you know, sold out in I don't know if it was record time, but it was very very quickly. And the one big thing that I've got to the APL is, you know, probably two parts of this is firstly, understand how you can capture these fans that you know want to come to this Grand Final and I'm sure there would have been another ten thousand more that would have come figure out a way to get them there every week. Firstly, that's the big one. And the second one is I hope that they've gone to Victoria Police, They've gone to the active supports from Melbourne Victory, the active support from Melbourne City and got them all in a room and said, listen, we want this spectacle to be something that's you know, been seen before, something to be proud of yeah, like I understand AFL rugby league cricket, and it's completely different. Our environment is very hostile. Yes, I'm not saying flares are okay. If it's safe smoke, yes, if it's drums, if it's banners, if it's this, if they're jumping up and down on the seats, that's what our support is. We're lucky here at the Coopers to have you know, the standing the safe standing room. They don't have that at Amy Park. I saw last week some of the Western United fans got kicked out because the seat broke. It's embarrassing. Victoria police in security just love getting involved. Tell them to stay away. If there's a fight, if there's something that they're doing that's wrong and illegal, yes step in. But if they're jumping up and down, if they're singing, if the fans go and run down to the fence, when Anzadi scores a bicycle kick and they accidentally fall over the fence, who cares. Don't make the moment about you. But I think you need a plan that before because this game can be the match that actually reinvigorates the A League because it's been so many years of you know, disappointment, after disappointment, but thirty thousand people at Amy Park, Melbourne, the quality on show will be world class. I hope this is this is the moment we look back on, you know, in a couple of years to come as say that was the moment where we kind of turned it around and made sure that instead of going down, we started going upwards in that trajectory. So that's my hope for this game.
Well said, No, really well said for someone who's so passionate, and I think the fans of football in this country it is the most passionate fan base, no question about it, football in world sports. So you just want it to be done in the right spirit.
So you're right.
Hopefully it will be an amazing spectacle. So your your tip is Victory.
Yeah.
He also score line quickly two to one, gonna get too one and one. That'll be good. They're getting to score early, and.
I think they're going to score. They're going to score early. It will go one one and then and then Victory will score. And that's exactly how you want to see you play it. Nice closer finale.
All right, let's get into the MPL stuff because we aren't too far away from hitting off to Thursday night Footy on five double A match Day twelve coming up starts tomorrow night Metro Stars Campbelltown City.
That's the Grand Final rematch.
Mistaken, Yes you are correct, and that was the opening round game and Metro Stars obviously got one over on Campbelltown at Campbelltown's ground, so let's see Campbelltown I think have turned things around a little bit more. They had another win on the weekend away to White City, which was a big win because White City have been flying, so you know, I think Campbelltoon have changed the way they're playing. Metro Stars for me, are still the best team by a decent stretch, so it's going to be interesting though. And then you've also got Adelaide cityv. White City and THECLAVI Parry Hills, so three games on on a Friday night is not too bad. And then the other games are all on Saturday, Adelaide Comments v Modbrid Jets play for Vie Croyd and then the Adelaide United youth team against Raiders. So for any Adelaide United fans that are interested to find out a bit more about Airton Andreoli, he's still coaching the youth team up until pre season, which shows how much he loves football because he's not asking for a break, he just wants to keep going. So yeah, it's great. It is great. And just one other quick thing, the Cup. So to qualify for the Australian Hand Cup you need to be in the top two teams, so you need to make the grand Final. Essentially we're down to the last four. The drawers happened and it's Metro Stars the Adelaide comments which is going to be held on June eleventh, and then the other game, which is a massive game Adelaide Croatia Raiders against White City Barograds, so the Serbians against the Croatians eighteenth of June, both at Service FM Stadium. I think the Raiders Barograd game will be pumping and I hope they can get the food that's normally at Raiders and White City's ground bring it over. I know we've talked about the cafe. They've got the cafe there at Service FM that they've talked dub and the coffee. That's great. We love that they've redone that, but we need the authenticity of these these fans, we need their food there. So I'll definitely be trying to tune in. I'll be in Europe at the time, so i won't be able to get down there, but I'll try and tune into to YouTube if I can doubt that one.
All right, just before we go the Champions League and the Conference League, you wait for an EBL. Let's just quickly dive through the results here.
Just quickly. We did have a big result this morning with Chelsea qualifying for the Europa League next season by winning the Conference League for one against Railbetis, which was I'm pretty you know, a trophy is a trophy, I think you know, to be honest, big teams shouldn't be allowed. And this is the third league, so you've got Champions League, Europa League, then Conference League. I don't think big teams in that the Big four or five league should be. This should be more about the smaller teams because the prize money is it's not big enough for these teams. And yes, they've won it, which is great, and they qualify for Europa League, but it means nothing. It's not the same. I know it's a trophy, but it isn't the same. And then the crazy thing is what's actually happened now is Chelsea ended up finishing fourth in the league, which guarantees them Champions League football. So they actually have the choice now, which is an obvious choice. They can either play in the Europa League because they won the Conference League, or they can play in the Champions League because they finished fourth. I think they're going to choose the Champions League. But it's quite funny and they were celebrating quite hard when they qualified. So Newcastle, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool all qualified for the Champions League for finishing top five. Tottenham got that through winning the Europa League, so you've got six English teams now in it, and then Austin Villa are the ones that got the Europa League with Crystal Palace for winning the cup competition, so Nottingham Forest for the whole season they were up there. One point is what separates them in seventh to fifth. For Newcastle, it's heartbreaking for a club like that to do so well, batting above their average. But hopefully they can regroup and kind of build on that. And I think you know what's going to happen now is they're going to get raided of all their good players. That's always it just happens, so disappointing, but you know it's going to be interesting to see for next season. Now you've got the off season, You've got plenty of action that's going to happen with the transfers, players coming in, players going. So the season's done and my Arsenal boys will come back stronger and better than ever.
You you say you're going to Europe next week?
I am what time?
What day?
Monday?
Monday? Next week?
Monday night is when I leave.
You, all right? So that makes this our last show the season.
Well, while we could potentially, I think I'm not sure we're gonna have to discuss that. I don't know if you've got one more in us, but one quick one, And it is a bit of a not a downer, that's the wrong word. But my Poper actually passed away last week, and I just wanted to end the show because he was the one that always listened to this and always give me some tips. So I'm never going to have the chance for him to kind of say that again. So I just wanted to say a big thank you to him for always listening in and believing in me as a player, but also giving his two cents in my journey off the field as well.
So nicely said, so, I'm glad you got the opportunity to do that.
Enjoy Europe. We will miss you for a couple of weeks. We'll hopefully see you back you very very soon because there's lots more to cover off.
Its game never stops, that's it.
