Sydney FC trounced Melbourne on Saturday night and while the victory might have felt sweetest to the fans, Viteslav Lavicka and Karol Kisel can take the most pride in the performance.
Kisel put in a solid performance on the ball, was one cog in a dominant midfield and did not so much slot his penalty as smack it through to an adoring Cove. He later signed himself up for miss of the season (joining the unfortunate Joel Chianese) but the animated Slovak has adopted Sydney as his hometown and Melbourne as his nemesis.
Lavicka chose a predictable but fascinating squad - he kept faith with Chianese and relegated Dimitri Petratos and Mitch Mallia. Mark Bridge was restored to the bench, perhaps with his own record against Melbourne in mind, but did little to secure a spot next week.
Terry Antonis also returned from injury and mirrored Chianese's ability to find dangerous positions and shank passes and chances. The best news for Sydney is they have youngsters with potential fighting for places. The bad news is it is too late to be a real finals threat.
Melbourne's performance was universally disparaged (not least by their own manager) and Mark Bosnich apparently called it the worst in the club's history. Satisfying as the win was, Sydney's inability to score more than one goal or to extend their first half dominance will hardly have the Heart or the Jets shaking in their finals-bound boots.
Lavicka has established a new period of dominance against Sydney's most bitter rivals and will leave at the end of the season with some pride to go with disappointment - still, Sydney have not shown they can send their coach out as a winner. The best the club can hope for is a late run at the finals and a final look at some players.
Sydney have always had the squad to win this season. They have never displayed the ruthlessness required and a club in crisis will have to be ruthless in its contracting for the next campaign.
Obviously the biggest vacancies are at the top. Some might claim that finding the right CEO is more important to the club's future than the right manager, but Sydney have the remarkable record of employing more chief executives than managers - and the Sky Blues have sacked plenty of managers.
While the club desperately search for the right men (or, god forbid, women), Gary Cole is left with the job of finding the right players for next season. Proper contract negotiations are presumably on hold for now, but Cole will want to hook the players he fancies as soon as possible.
Sydney fans well know the importance of proper recruitment. After winning the double Sydney failed to replace a handful of key men and the club plunged to ninth place. A similar number of players are off contract at the end of this season (my thanks to those on The Cove forums who have compiled a series of excellent and comprehensive lists that I have shamelessly swiped):
Contracts expire at the end of this season:
Juho Makela (foreign)
Bruno Cazarine (foreign)
Karol Kisel (foreign)
Scott Jamieson
Shannon Cole
Michael Beauchamp
Chris Coyne
All these players have claimed first team roles (albeit some only briefly) this season and Cazarine, Jamieson, Kisel and Beauchamp started against Melbourne. If the club gets the recruitment wrong it risks sending Sydney back into the doldrums.
Makela and Kisel are almost certainly out the door - Kisel for a career in the law, Makela for more game time. While Kisel's decisive and dynamic contributions will be missed, few will mourn the loss of Makela, who managed to knock in a couple of crucial goals but rarely showed the touch required of a quality striker.
Bruno Cazarine remains an enigma. The burly Brazilian continues to win penalties, score goals and unsettle defenders, but occasionally goes missing from games and traps Sydney into playing a certain way.
More pertinently the club can only sign four foreigners next season and Pascal Bosschaart and Hiro Moriyasu are already on the books. Sydney are sure to go for a quality foreign striker or left midfielder and with Brett Emerton and Nicky Carle filling up the marquee places, the Sky Blues only have so much money left for wages under the salary cap.
If Bruno won't settle for a wage befitting a squad player, the Brazilian's nomadic career will continue elsewhere. Cazarine's goal-getting abilities will be missed but he looks like getting squeezed out by wage and foreign player demands. Sydney should retain him but not break the bank to do so.
Gary Cole and the club's new backroom masters will have to juggle some delicate backline management. Cole, Beauchamp, Jamieson and Coyne have all started in Sydney's defence this season and better alternatives are sparse on the ground.
Jamie Coyne is almost certainly gone. If Coyne makes one more appearance he will automatically earn a new deal with the club, but now that Seb Ryall has returned only an injury crisis will see Coyne on the field. Coyne carried the bag for some inconsistent defensive performances and despite starting his Sydney spell brightly, he won't be missed by most Sydney fans.
Michael Beauchamp came to the club in strange circumstances. Beauchamp and Simon Colosimo were supposed to form a Socceroo-quality rearguard at Melbourne Heart but neither managed to impress. Beauchamp went from World Cup player to damaged goods and was glad to come to Sydney as soon as possible.
Beauchamp's inconsistent performances have unfortunately continued and he's far from sure of a new deal. His consistent selection probably owes more to his manager's view of Seb Ryall than Beauchamp's own performances. Beauchamp has played some good matches but been dominated physically and aerially by the best in the league and is only going to lose more mobility as he ages (Beauchamp turned 32 last week).
Sydney would be wise to pursue alternatives such as Michael Thwaite, who will need a home after the demise of Gold Coast. As he ages Beauchamp might have to settle for less money to stay with Sydney.
If Beauchamp and Coyne depart Sydney, the club will be left with Pascal Bosschaart and Seb Ryall as recognized centrebacks, with the young Nathan Sherlock a untried alternative. One imagines the club will look for an upgrade of Beauchamp.
Sydney might look light on for central defenders but the club's real deficiency is on the left. The Sky Blues continue to lack a left-footed left midfielder and if Scott Jamieson and Shannon Cole leave, Sydney won't have a senior left back.
Shannon Cole deserves to stay but probably won't. Cole can play on either side in defence or midfield, is confident on the ball, scores spectacular goals from set pieces and broken play and is a local hero to many fans. But Cole has failed to win his place in the last two years and one can imagine the one-time Socceroo leaving if an established manager makes him an offer combining good money with game time.
Scott Jamieson is the man most likely to stay. Jamieson failed to impress in a midfield role last season, but has locked down the left back role and demonstrated a welcome ability to sling in a pacy, curving dead ball. Jamieson is young enough to improve all aspects of his game - hopefully including his rather poor right foot. Jamieson seems the likeliest to stay and probably deserves it the most.
