“Yes I'm keeping an eye on Sydney FC as with the whole league,” Ceccoli told au.fourfourtwo.com from Japan.

“I'm also in contact with some of the players. There is no point stating the obvious but what I can say, they have the character to get themselves out of this situation and that they are trying their best.”

He believes Sydney now have the coach to lead them out of trouble, unlike last year under Terry Butcher. When asked about the previous season, Ceccoli was blunt.

"We overachieved last season because if you look at the way we were directed from a coaching perspective, we should have finished last," he said.

But Ceccoli also thinks Sydney fans need to rally around their struggling side.

“The Sydney fans are good supporters,” said the 33-year-old former Socceroo. "However, I have been reading a lot on the fans' forum as I'm on the net daily and some people on there are too cutting and personal.

“Yes, they have the right to voice themselves - but be supportive as well.”

The left-sided defender is currently playing for Japanese J2 side Avispa Fukuoka, which he joined after exiting Sydney at the end of last season's A-League.

The left back was also an interested observer during Sydney's ACL campaign.

“I only saw the games against Urawa. I think they did well, but if you analyse the situation, they didn't advance," he said.

"I think they would be disappointed as I know the players and I feel they messed up against the weaker teams. Against Urawa I think the boys did what was asked of them in performing well.”

At Fukuoka, Ceccoli is coached by Sydney FC's season one grand final winning coach Pierre Littbarski. He admits having the former German World Cup winner has been a boon as he is fluent in Japanese.

“On the pitch it was difficult initially because of the language barrier but I made an effort to learn the basics with the football terminology and since then it has been fine," he said.

“I'm finding it difficult to have conversations with the players off the pitch but slowly overcoming it.”

Avispa is currently seventh in the 13-team J2 league. The club has three Brazilian players on its books and averages attendances of 10,000 which is still less than Sydney is pulling this season.

Ceccoli rates his first season in Japan as a “six out of ten”.

“Because everything for me is about football results and our performances have been up and down," he admitted.

“The facilities are like anywhere in Europe, very professional as the Japanese are very detailed. We have three pitches plus one synthetic pitch, a gym,spa, players room and meeting rooms.”

Despite the professional setup, Ceccoli still thinks Australian players have certain advantages over their Japanese counterparts.

“I'm not playing in J1 but playing against those teams in friendlies, the players have great technique and are fast and fit," he said.

"But for A-league players, I think they are far superior in handling pressure and the will to win.

“Having said that, it's difficult to compare and say one is better than the other.”

Ceccoli's admits there are some players at his club who are “curious” about playing in the A-League.

But the former FC defender is not sure whether he will continue in Japan or return to Australia at the end of the current Japanese season.