With the 14th edition of the A-League just a month away, it’s time to look at the stats and trends of the previous 13 seasons to determine who could be coming away with A-League Premiership glory.
Managers - it's all in the second season

Since the inception of the A-League, there have been 10 Premiership winning managers across 13 seasons.
With the rate of manager turnover in the A-League, it isn’t surprising to see only two managers to claim the Premier’s plate had been in charge of their respective clubs for more than three years.
Ernie Merrick led the 2008/9 Melbourne Victory to the Premiership in his fourth season at the club, and last season’s Sydney FC side was managed by now Socceroo coach Graham Arnold who was also in his fourth year at Sydney.
However, there seems to be a second season sweet spot when it comes to Premiership success for A-League managers.
Sixty percent of coaches pick up the Premiers Plate in their second season with a club, while only three managers have ever topped the table in their first season with their A-League club.
While second season syndrome might be feared overseas, in the A-League it's to be embraced, but in this year's A-League sides, only three coaches are in their second season.
Adelaide United’s Marco Krutz will be hoping to pull off a second season success after finishing fifth in his debut season.
Former Manchester United reserves coach Warren Joyce will also be looking to improve on his Melbourne City’s side’s impressive third place finish in his first season at the club.
And last season’s grand finalist Newcastle Jets, led by former Premiership winning manager Ernie Merrick, will be hoping to replicate his Melbourne Victory success and secure the Premiership plate in his second season at the Jets.
Age - Can you win with A-League kids?

In 1995, Alan Hansen coined the saying ‘You can’t win anything with kids’. Of course, the former Liverpool player was referring to a Manchester United side that went on to win the Premier League that season.
But the Scotsman’s claim has some legs to it in regards to the A-League. Of the 13 Premiers, only one side has had the lowest squad age in the league, being Melbourne Victory’s 2006/07 team which had an average age of 26 years and 71 days.
Of course, that squad itself isn’t considered young compared to the squads of today’s A-League, and over the years eight of the 13 Premiers had either the oldest or second oldest average squad age in the league.
Experience seems to be key when it comes to the A-League, and as of now, Perth Glory have the oldest squad in the league at 27 years and 110 days.
Behind Glory are both Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets, with an average squad age of 25 years and 329 days, and 25 years and 292 days respectively.
While the average age of an A-League player seems to decrease each year, trends favour the team with the most experience to come out with the most success.
Visas - International Route to success?

As the A-League has progressed, clubs are more often looking at players with experience at the highest level. On the other side of the scale, more A-League players are representing their country on the international stage, be it for the Socceroos or their respective national teams.
Every Premiership winning A-League side has had at least two former international players in their squad since the inception of the A-League in 2005. On top of that, nine of the 13 teams to claim the Premiers Plate have had six or more current or former Socceroos in their squad.
Since the 2008-09 Melbourne Victory Premiership side, only one squad has not had a former or current non-Socceroo international in their squad, when Adelaide finished first in 2015-16.
In terms of current international experience in next season’s A-League sides, Wellington Phoenix boast the most international players with 11 former or current capped players to their name, including current New Zealand international Thomas Doyle and Australian Nathan Burns tipping in with 11 and 24 caps respectively.
Melbourne Victory can also lean on their experienced international players after signing the likes of Swede, Ola Toivonen, and marquee, Keisuke Honda, who both scored at the 2018 World Cup.
But Perth will be hoping their recent acquisitions of Chris Ikonomidis, Ivan Franjic, Mathew Spiranovic and Jason Davidson will provide them with the Socceroo experience to lead them to glory.
PERTH ADD MORE SOCCEROO TALENT IN IKONOMIDIS
Previous Season Finishes - keeping it together?

Until 2011/12 season saw Central Coast Mariners crowned Premiers, no Premiership-winning side had finished in the top four the previous season.
The likes of the 2006-07 Melbourne Victory side finished second last in the previous season, and the 2009/10 Brisbane Roar side finished ninth before capturing the Premiership in the 2010/11 edition of the A-League.
But since then, every Premiership-winning side has made the semi-finals of the previous season’s final series at a minimum, suggesting that previous season success now favours A-League sides, and that clubs are more able to keep hold of key players from one season to the next.
If the 2018-19 A-League season is to follow the trend of the previous seven seasons, then it is likely that we will see one of Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC and Melbourne City be crowned Premiers.
Steve Corica's Sydney side will be looking to gain their third Premiership in a row, meanwhile, both the Jets and Melbourne City have never finished top of the A-League table.
But it's been six years since a team won its first Premiers Plate, dating back to Western Sydney Wanderers sensational run in the 2012/13 season.
Transfer Activity - fresh faces vs stability

In the previous 13 seasons of the A-League, only one Premiership winning side has made less than six transfers into their squad. Prior to the 2009/10 season, Sydney FC only signed four players, when Sebastian Ryall, Karol Kisel, Byun Sung-Hwan, and Stephan Keller joining the Sky Blues.
However, it is common for the league-topping sides to have an overhaul of their squad prior to the season, with every successful side making at least six signings to replace lost talent prior to the start of their Premiership-winning season.
Following in that trend, most 2018/19 A-League sides have already signed at least six players to their squad, while also losing an average of seven players.
Last season’s wooden spoon side, Central Coast Mariners have had the biggest overhaul of their squad with at least 12 signings made and losing no fewer than 11 players from last season’s squad.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets may want to make a heavy push into the transfer market before the season begins, with the Jets only signing Mathew Ridenton and Brazilian Jair Eduardo at this stage.
However, Ernie Merrick could be looking to break the trend of the previous A-League seasons and put his trust into his current squad which came agonisingly close to capturing the A-League Premiership last season.
Form - You gotta win to win it!

Throughout 13 years of A-League Premiers, all but three teams improved their away form from the previous season, one of them being the Sydney FC team that has dominated the past two seasons.
Converting losses to wins was pivotal for the turnaround of the 2006/07 Melbourne Victory side that lost just one game in their Premiership winning season compared to losing six the previous year and saw them rally to be runaway winners of the league title.
Away form was also important for the 2015/16 Adelaide United team, who topped the away league table but struggled at Hindmarsh Stadium where they finished sixth in the home league table.
In recent years, putting up a fortress at home has seen teams finish top of the table. Since the 2007/08 A-League season, nine of 11 Premiership-winning sides have also topped the home form ladder.
The 2010/11 Brisbane Roar side went undefeated at Suncorp Stadium, compared to losing seven at home the previous season when they finished ninth on the ladder in terms of home form.
This season's Brisbane Roar will be hoping to improve their home form drastically in this upcoming season after finishing second from bottom of the home ladder last season, only scoring 13 goals at Suncorp, despite qualifying for the finals.
In terms of away form, Perth Glory will be hoping to convert some of their nine away losses to draws or wins after finishing only three points outside of the finals series.
So, based on stats and trends, who will win...?
Yeah, no idea...sorry!
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