The A-League off-season was dominated by the signings of Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton to Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC respectively however there’s a good argument that it was Adelaide who did more to upgrade their roster than either of the two glamour clubs.
The extended lay-off began ominously for Adelaide when Matthew Leckie packed his bags for Germany, and got worse when reigning player of the year Marcos Flores left to take up a lucrative offer in Asia.
As deflating as both losses were, coach Rini Coolen wasted no time feeling sorry for himself and instead embarked on a dramatic and comprehensive revitalisation of the club.
The first major change took place in the brains department, with Coolen bringing in former Wellington tactical chief Luciano Trani as his right hand man at the expense of Phil Stubbins.
Coolen’s lack of sentiment was extended to captain Travis Dodd, who wasn’t offered a new deal as well as Lucas Pantelis who was released to Wellington.
Paul Reid’s public desire to join Sydney’s Asian Champions League campaign resulted in his exit from the club while Adam Hughes was also shown the door, joining Dodd in Perth.
In a little over twelve months Coolen’s imprint on Adelaide has been as overwhelming as any manager in the league, with the Reds doubtlessly better for it.
Adelaide enters the new season with a midfield now predicated around Uruguayan Francisco Usucar and recent Ukrainian import Evgeniy Levchenko.
Former Gold Coast player Zeno Caravella will assist Ususcar and Levchenko as well as operating as an excellent conduit between the midfield and strikers.
It’s however up-front where the bulk of Coolen’s renovation is most apparent and which the Adelaide top brass have invested so heavily in.
Bruce Djite and Dario Vidosic represent significant inclusions into an Adelaide team already boasting the pedigree of last season’s Golden Boot winner, Sergio van Dijk.
Both Djite and Vidosic started their careers in the A-League before taking their talents aboard.
Though neither exactly lit up their teams in Turkey and Germany respectively, both remain strong Socceroo candidates who importantly are capable of operating as both strikers and creators.
The Reds defence also had a make-over of sorts with fringe Socceroo Jon McKain returning to Australia. As will as being made captain he'll slot into the centre of defence alongside the promising Daniel Mullen.
Adelaide shapes as a serious contender this season after falling away quite drastically last campaign while it’s worth remembering that before Brisbane took all before them it was Adelaide who set the league alight in the initial stages.
The Reds went undefeated in their first 11 games last season, netting 20 times in the process before their campaign ran out of steam and ended with a premature semi-final exit at the hands of the Gold Coast.
Coolen will be demanding and expecting a more protracted period of excellence this time around.
Prediction
Internally Adelaide will be hoping for a top two position to both challenge for silverware and to be in prime position to return to Champions League football.
They boast one of the deepest and most versatile squads in the competition along with some exciting young talent coming through.
With that in mind there’s no reason to think the Reds will be anything but one of the league’s strongest outfits this campaign.
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