New Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic will take a cautious approach with Socceroos hero Mathew Leckie in his return to A-League action on Saturday night against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium.
Leckie and City’s other two members of Australia’s World Cup squad – Jamie Maclaren and Marco Tilio – were set to fly to Sydney on Friday, but Vidosic will not decide until Saturday on how the trio will be used.
Of the three, the hardworking Leckie had by far the busiest World Cup experience in Qatar, where the 31-year-old attacker started in all four of the Socceroos’ matches, which were played in the space of 11 days.
Overall, Leckie – who scored in Australia’s 1-0 win over Denmark – was on the park in Qatar for 336 minutes.
In contrast, Tilio wasn’t used at all by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, while Maclaren only had 52 minutes of action in three appearances off the bench.
“We can’t afford to push him and risk an injury,” Vidosic said of Leckie.
“We’ll see how he responds to (training) … and (on Saturday) we’ll have a good chat with him and see how he feels.
“Is he ready to start? Is it better for him to have a warm-up and start? Or is it better to bring him on later in the game – all those little things we will decide (on Saturday).”
Such is City’s depth, they can afford to give Leckie a rest if required.
The Melbourne team is clearly the competition’s benchmark outfit, having picked up 16 from a possible 18 points before the A-League went into recess for the World Cup.
However, that was under former coach Patrick Kisnorbo, who has since left to take charge of French club Troyes.
Vidosic, City’ technical director and previously the coach of the club’s women’s team, has taken on the men’s job in an interim capacity but is open to the idea of becoming the male side’s permanent coach.
“This is fantastic for me to come in,” he said.
“Everyone here is listening, watching training sessions, listening to my pre-match talks … you’re being judged every day.
“If the club is happy, if the players are happy with what we’re doing, that will probably determine how the rest of the season goes and then the future.”
Vidosic, a former Sydney FC assistant coach, predicted a tough night against a Sky Blues side desperate to avoid a third successive A-League defeat.
Sydney right back Rhyan Grant is confident his side can bounce back from the successive A-League losses it suffered before the break.
“We’re eager to get back into it, especially after the success of the Socceroos,” Grant said.
“There’s a buzz around the whole league.”
The Sydney team will be boosted by the availability of striker Adam Le Fondre and key off-season recruit Jack Rodwell, who is poised to make his first A-League appearance for the Sky Blues after recovering from a groin injury.
Meanwhile, Western Sydney Wanderers are chasing back-to-back A-League wins on Saturday when they meet Wellington Phoenix in Wollongong.
The Wanderers beat Sydney 1-0 the weekend before the A-League break and have lost just once this season.
