It’s not a problem with Ivanovic himself – far from it.

The 19-year-old's appearances at A-League level in the 2018/19 season demonstrated that the young attacker possesses the potential to turn into an exciting and dynamic player in the coming years.

But, still a teen, he is entering one of the most critical phases of his development.

He has reached the point in his career where, whilst games against other players of his age cohort can still play a purpose, he needs to be getting regular opportunities to play senior minutes in order to take his game to the next level.

However, across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 A-League seasons, the Sydney FC prospect has played a total of 209 minutes. This was supplemented by just 11 appearances at an NPL NSW level.

These aren’t the type of numbers that are going to empower Ivanovic to begin to reach his potential.

That’s not to say, however, that one can simply handwave away the problems faced in helping the winger develop as a challenge of Sydney FC. Indeed, Sydney FC is, first and foremost, in the business of winning A-League games.

Their frontline of Adam le Fondre, Kosta Barbarouses, Miloš Ninković and Alexander Baumjohann is an almost impenetrable collection of talent that has Sydney flying to start the season. 

While one would suggest that neglecting to forge a pathway that can properly develop players that can go on to contribute year in and year out at a high level and potentially fetch a nice little (or big) transfer fee is a risky game, if Sydney is confident that they can win continue to win A-League Premierships and Championships without doing so then more power to them.

Looking at recent history, it can be argued that it’s working.

Indeed, as much as Australian football has a Luke Ivanovic problem, it could also be said that it has a Moudi Najjar problem or a Rahmat Akbari problem.

It is a problem not with the players themselves but instead the system that they operate in: a system that doesn’t provide youngsters with enough opportunities to play and does not properly incentivise clubs to actively search out avenues for them to do so. 

Furthermore, with only 11 teams operating as professional clubs in Australia – soon to be 12 with the addition of Macarthur FC – there is always going to be a deficit of opportunities available for the hundreds of young players coming through the academy system regardless of how much clubs at a senior level embrace playing youth.

The journey of a player such as Harry Kane, who had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester City before he blossomed into one of the world’s best strikers for Tottenham Hotspur, cannot be replicated in Australia.

The eight-game Y-League schedule that runs concurrent to the A-League season is not an effective means of developing players. The NPL campaign that runs across the winter varies widely in quality across the nation and – as demonstrated by Ivanovic – players on the cusp of A-League selection often receive sparse chances to play in it.

In the wake of a tweet I sent highlighting the plight of Ivanovic, Sydney FC CEO Danny Townsend reiterated that there were plans on the way from both his club and the newly independent A-League to improve developmental pathways.

Let us hope they come soon enough to benefit the likes of Ivanovic, Najjar and Akbari.

Melbourne City 6-6 Perth Glory

An astounding 25 goals were scored across the opening four games of the A-League last week but in the opening fixture of round two it appeared as though City and Glory were intent upon setting a tone that would see that figure passed.

Solo efforts from Raphael Borges Rodrigues – FTBL’s Player to Watch from City this Y-League season – and Trent Ostler got both sides on the board before Ciaran Bramwell fired the visiting Glory ahead in the 40th minute.

However, hinting at the madness to come, goals to Najjar and Kerrin Stokes in the remaining five minutes of the first half ensured that City took a one-goal lead into the dressing room.

That lead was then stretched to two goals just moments into the second half when recent A-League debutant Stefan Colakovski pounced on a ball knocked back into the area by Josh Langdon.

Daniel Walsh turned in a Glory free-kick routine to bring the game back to 4-3 in the 56th minute but Borges Rodrigues’ second and a strike from Jordi Valadon quickly put Head Coach Richard Garcia’s side in a 6-3 hole.

Garcia’s group, though, refused to be denied.

Bramwell’s second and third goals of the game reduced the deficit to one by the 74th minute and Bryce Bafford struck with just six minutes remaining to ensure the spoils were shared at C.B Smith Reserve.

Central Coast Mariners 3-3 Sydney FC

Adding a further six goals to the round two total, the Y-League continued to deliver the goods on Saturday morning as the Mariners and Sydney FC played out a highly entertaining draw at Pluim Park.

The Harboursiders struck first in the contest after Jordi Swibel turned in a cross into the Mariners penalty area in the tenth minute but the hosts answered back on the 20-minute mark when Alou Kuol turned in a loose ball to restore parity.

After coming agonisingly close to taking a lead when scholarship player John Roberts had an effort cannon off the bar in the 27th minute, the Mariners were able to finally get themselves ahead in the 35th when Kuol secured a brace when he turned in a cutback from Mario Shabow.

Nonetheless, a second-half rally from the Sky Blues saw them roar back and take the lead with just seven minutes remaining after Young Socceroo Marco Tilio fired home two penalties.

The Mariners, though, fought back to be awarded a spot-kick of their own in the 90th minute when Roberts was brought down in the penalty area – only for Shabow to see his spotkick saved.

Yet when Joran Smylie was brought down inside the Sydney penalty area two minutes later, a rare double chance at a do-over from the spot was afforded to the Mariners and Roberts made no mistake with it – firing home to secure a point.

Western Sydney Wanderers 2-0 Canberra United

Last year’s defeated grand finalists, the Wanderers had a bye for week one of the Y-League season but were quick to make up for lost time when Canberra United visited Marconi Stadium.

Bursting down the flank in just the 8th minute of play, Young Socceroo Jarrod Carluccio whipped a ball into the Canberra penalty area that Mathieu Cordier turned in before Wanderers fans' cult-hero Kosta Grozos made it 2-0 in the 12th when he fired an effort from outside the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net.

Never truly challenged, coach Arthur Diles’s side were then able to cruise to their opening win of the season.

Adelaide United 0-1 Melbourne Victory

Adelaide United may have got the win over Victory in the A-League’s version of the Original Rivalry, but Victory were able to regain some form of vengeance in the youth iteration the next day (ok, not a lot).

Adelaide’s Lachlan Brook almost set up the opener in the 17th minute when he slid a pass through Victory defensive line for Jai King-Byrne only for the resulting shot to be saved by Matthew Sutton. Brook pounced looking for fire home the rebound only to have the resulting shot blocked.

Young Socceroos' Brook then had a shot bounce just wide in the 21st minute.

However the Reds were unable to capitalise on their momentum in the face of a resolute Victory defence and in the 75th minute were made to pay when second-half substitute Nishan Velupillay went on a winding run through the Adelaide defence and fired home to win the game for the visitors.