Four English Premier League teams are ready to arrive in the country for a series of lucrative friendlies against one another and Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar of the A-League Men, whom they have graciously invited.
Yes, this has happened before. These games are frequently forgettable affairs that serve only to fill a football fan's growling stomach before the league season starts the following month.
Who isn't traveling to Australia, you ask? Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United.
However, they can also be a ton of fun, as Barcelona's unexpected postseason trip to Sydney shown a few months ago, and potential stars can appear out of nowhere.
The fact that there are no points at stake does not guarantee that Manchester United, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, or, for that matter, Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar, will play at their best. They have coaches to impress, a season to get ready for, and spots on the team up for grabs. You should watch out for the following items.
The new hot seat at Old Trafford belongs to Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo's upcoming exit will be Ten Hag's first major test.
Let's start with some unfavorable information: Despite what marketers may have told you when Manchester United's trip was confirmed months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo isn't visiting Melbourne.Due to "family circumstances," the 37-year-old hasn't been practicing and missed the Red Devils' flight to Bangkok, the first stop on their preseason tour. But given that United is destined for the relative humiliation of the Europa League following their dismal sixth-place finish from the previous campaign, it appears to be an open secret that he wants to quit the team and join a UEFA Champions League contender. All of this places even more pressure on new manager Erik ten Hag, who must now maintain the loyalty of the club's devoted following while replenishing his roster as the next Ronaldo circus plays out all around them.There is a rising school of thinking in football that believes that losing their team's talisman and leading scorer—Ronaldo scored 24 goals last season but doesn't press as most current teams want of their number nines—will be beneficial. For what it's worth, according to ten Hag, Ronaldo is a necessary player and hasn't asked for a transfer yet. Only time will tell.
Is Christian Eriksen going to show up?
Although it hasn't been confirmed, all indications point to Christian Eriksen joining Manchester United on a three-year contract and travelling in the opposite direction of Cristiano Ronaldo. That would signal the end of an extraordinary year for the Danish midfielder, who suffered a heart attack during his country's opening Euro 2016 encounter.
The 30-year-football old's career, which he restored with a successful six-month stint at Brentford, was initially feared to be lost. Only Martin Odegaard and Kevin De Bruyne produced more Premier League opportunities than Eriksen from the time of his January transfer to the Bees and the end of the campaign. The months ahead will be crucial for the former Tottenham and Inter Milan star as he transitions to Old Trafford. Ten Hag will need him to establish himself as a key player in the final third and in the locker room, but he also needs to develop a body of strong and reliable form before the World Cup in November,where the Socceroos and Denmark will play each other in a group game for the second consecutive event. The preseason in Australia, where he is anticipated to arrive shortly after signing the contract in the coming days, is where it all begins.
Could Nani play against his old team?
Tuesday saw the prized signing of former Portuguese international Luis Nani by Melbourne Victory. Nani is best known for his seven-year stay at Old Trafford, where he spent the majority of that time on the opposite flank from fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo. There won't be a meeting of those two again on Australian soil, but the 35-year-old winger might play his former team at the MCG on Friday night.A cameo isn't out of the question for Nani, who had three successful seasons in the MLS with Orlando City prior to last season and played 10 games for football club-turned-fashion brand Venezia last season as they were relegated from Serie A. Nani is said to be in excellent condition with no serious injury issues or longevity concerns. Coach Tony Popovic remarked, "When I spoke to him, he told me he only needs a few days of training and he can play, which also tells you a lot about the guy, and the player. They do well in areas with enormous wildlife and 70,00, 80,000, or 90,000 humans. Players like Luis are interested in participating in these games. We would adore giving him some time outside.But first, we need to check off a few boxes.
Bear in mind Luis Nani? He might be competing this week against Manchester United while playing for Melbourne Victory next season.
Charlie Austin faces more opposition in the EPL.
Charlie Austin, who was expelled from Reading's academy at age 15, was allegedly informed that he was too little to succeed at the highest level. But then, one day, Swindon Town noticed that he was playing non-league football for fun while also working as a bricklayer.
Thus began one of the greatest underdog tales in contemporary football, which ultimately propelled the 33-year-old frontman to the highest echelons with QPR, Southampton, and West Brom. Now that he has joined Brisbane Roar, it appears that coach Warren Moon made a great choice in bringing him on board. Since arriving in Australia last week, Austin is making all the right sounds, which is typical of English strikers with his type of background. Before their competitive games in the Australia Cup begin later this month, the Roar will play Leeds United on Thursday night on the Gold Coast and Aston Villa a week later in Townsville, so he won't have to wait long to see some reasonably recognizable faces.Austin will want to make an immediate impact and demonstrate that the qualities that propelled him up the English football pyramid are still present.
Will Gerrard be able to advance Aston Villa?
Aston Villa, which finished 14th last season and lost exactly half of their games despite spending a sizable sum of money on signing some recognizable talents, is currently in Steven Gerrard's second season—and his first complete one—as manager. What then have their aspirational owners done in return? In addition to signing Brazilian defender Diego Carlos from Sevilla and French international midfielder Boubacar Kamara from Marseille, they have also converted the loans of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona and Robin Olson from Roma into full-time employment.
There will probably be more, but it will soon be up to Gerrard, the former Liverpool legend, to make sure all these expensively constructed pieces come together on the field. His coaching career has had a promising start after he guided Rangers to victory in 2020–21 and prevented Celtic from winning 10 consecutive Scottish championships. However, the EPL is a different animal, and closing the gap between the "big six" and the rest of the field will be a very difficult task. (Fun fact: Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak is the loan development manager for Villa. Johan Lange, the club's sporting director, was once considered for a position at Football Australia.)
They made it through the fall, but what should Leeds do next?
Leeds United managed to avoid relegation last year only just barely. A 2-1 victory away at Brentford on the penultimate day secured their place in England's top tier for a third consecutive year. Raphinha, the Brazilian who opened the scoring in that game, has since opted not to travel to Australia and is currently waiting outside the door in the hopes of being transferred to Chelsea or Barcelona. Their star domestic player Kalvin Phillips has already moved to Manchester City for $74 million. To put it simply, American manager Jesse Marsch, who replaced Marcelo Bielsa in February, has a lot of work to do to turn the Whites back into a competitive force after they lost all 12 of their matches.has a lot of work to do to turn the Whites into a competitive force once more after they lost all one of their 12 matches against the "big six" clubs the previous season. Marsch can now transfer his attention from focusing on survival to molding this club and how it plays to his preferences after bringing in seven new players, including two of his former charges from RB Salzburg.
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