Yellow Submarines ready torpedos for Roar
BRISBANE Roar gained instant respect from Villarreal star Denis Cheryshev when he discovered the three-time A-League champions had hired John Aloisi as their new coach.
Having lived in Spain since he was five, the Russian international remembered Aloisi from the Socceroos stalwart’s stints with Osasuna and Alaves.
“Aloisi, is he the new coach of Brisbane?” Cheryshev asked ahead of Villarreal’s LFP World Challenge match against the Roar at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night.
“Of course I know him. He was a good striker and a good player. He played very well in Spain so all the best for him in the future.”
Cheryshev seemed slightly disappointed that Aloisi would not be coaching the Roar tomorrow night, with Dutchman Frans Thijssen to guide Brisbane for the final time before making way for the ex-Melbourne Heart coach.
But regardless of the Roar’s coaching situation, the 24year-old winger said Villarreal were expecting a tough night.
“The Roar used to be the (A-League) champions, so this will be a difficult match for us – that’s for sure,” said Cheryshev, whose team has been based at Surfers Paradise since Sunday.
Tomorrow night could be the final time Cheryshev wears a Villarreal jersey.
Owned by Real Madrid, he spent this season on loan with the Yellow Submarines, playing 40 matches in all competitions.
“I’m contracted to Real Madrid for two more years so we will see what happens when my loan ends this month,” Cheryshev said.
“This is a great team to be a part of and the possibilities to play are bigger in Villarreal for me. All I want is to play football, not to sit on the bench.”
Restricted by a hamstring injury towards the end of the Spanish season, Cheryshev won’t play a full match tomorrow night when Villarreal bid to defeat A-League opposition for the second time in less than a week after beating Adelaide United 3-2 on Friday.
ENGLISH Premier League champions Chelsea, with a wage bill of $385 million, clash with Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium tonight. In contrast, Sydney’s last publicised wage bill was $7.4 million.
Sydney FC striker Shane Smeltz said playing Tottenham and Chelsea in the space of four days was a “privilege for everyone, not just Sydney FC but football fans in general”.