2023 was shaping up to be one of Brandon Borrello’s most successful years until his whole world came tumbling down on November 25th when he was felled by a tackle from behind by Sydney FC hardman, Luke Brattan, in the Sydney derby.
Unbelievably, the misdemeanour by Brattan escaped any sanction from referee, Alex King, but left Borrello with a fractured foot which would exclude him from playing in the Asian Cup during January, 2024. It enforced a three-month layoff before he returned to the field with Western Sydney Wanderers.
Borrello had made several appearances for the Socceroos in 2023 and when he moved to the Wanderers in 2022/23 season after a five-year stint in Germany, his life in football had never looked brighter.
However, Borrello has not dwelled on the incident and approached his rehabilitation in a positive mindset while trying to regain the form which he exhibited before the foot injury.
Until Saturday’s derby with Sydney FC, Borrello was re-establishing his presence in the Wanderer’s frontline before he incurred a hamstring injury which saw him leave the field after 17 minutes with the prospect his season is finished.
Frustratingly for Borrello, he was sitting on the bench watching his team-mates concede defeat in the 97th minute after they missed a number of good chances on goal which should’ve paved the way for victory in the match.
However, after signing a three-year deal recently with the Wanderers, Borello can look forward to better times with the club.
In this interview with Roger Sleeman, Brandon Borello discusses his early days at Brisbane Roar, the German experience, the impact of his broken foot enforcing his omission from the Asian Cup and life at the Wanderers.
ROGER SLEEMAN
Can you relate your experience at Brisbane Roar and the main influences?
BRANDON BORRELLO
After the family moved to Brisbane in 2012, I attended the Queensland Academy of Sport and was coached and eventually drafted into the Roar National Youth League squad.
The following year, I was included in the first team squad under coach Mike Mulvey.
I was training with household names of the club including, Matt McKay, Matt Smith, Luke Devere and Thomas Broich.
Day in and day out I learned from these players and I was glad I hadn’t gone to Germany a year earlier.
Even as a senior player at the Wanderers, I have learned so much from seasoned campaigners – Ninkevic and Marcelo.
At the Roar, I was playing on the right while Broich operated from the left and I admired how he drifted with elegance like Ninkevic.
These players move so easily which is not common in our game and you pick up new tricks every day.
Their understanding of football and body movement left me with a lasting legacy.
R.S.
When you went to Germany in 2017 to play for Kaiserslautern, outline your initial experiences and what did you learn from the other clubs you played with in your five-year stay?
B.B.
You had to fight for your spot because you were taking somebody else’s food off the table so the other players weren’t your friends. It was really cut-throat.
I had to improve my sharpness because when you lost the ball, you may not get it back until your opponents scored at the other end.
You have to take your chances which I worked hard on despite initially struggling, but in time I scored four goals and provided some assists.
I quickly realised you had to be on your toes all the time and you couldn’t afford to be lazy.
Critically, it was important to learn the language because I wasn’t South American or European. Being Australian, I wasn’t recognised so I had to communicate with my team-mates.
When I sustained a cruciate ligament rupture in my right knee in April 2018, I stayed in Germany to rehabilitate but at the end of the season, the club was relegated to the 3rd division.
At the other clubs Freiburg, Dusseldorf and Dresden, I experienced a multitude of situations which are well documented but most importantly I was living my dream playing professional football in one of the toughest environments in the world.
R.S.
What were the lessons you learned playing in Germany, particularly in improving your technique and your general approach to the game?
B.B.
If you’re fighting for a spot in the team, off the ball work is critical.
If you work early, you work less so there is the mental side of the game which has to be tuned to adopt these good habits.
Also, you need the consistency to take chances.
I worked constantly on a better first touch, dropping the shoulder before receiving the ball and improving body shape.
R.S.
In your first season with the Wanderers in 2022/2023, you formed a great partnership with the Tunisian international, Amer Layouni.
Can you relate that experience?
B.B.
Although, he didn’t join the club till just after Christmas of 2023, Layouni was a pleasure to play with as he always knew where I would be making my runs and we formed a telepathic understanding.
In the first match he played against Adelaide United, he scored a goal and set up mine.
He knew exactly where to be on the pitch and was a deadly finisher.
He was also a great character to have in the team but it’s hard to attract players like him from Europe due to the salary cap.
R.S.
You started the current season in a flurry before your injury against Sydney FC on November 25th.
How devastating was this for you and was Brattan lucky to get off scot free for the tackle?
B.B.
I heard the click immediately and it was a huge setback so early in the season.
However, to be out for three months with the fractured foot was not as bad as the ACL injury I experienced in Germany when I missed nine months playing.
I bore no remorse to Luke Brattan because I played with him at the Roar and he always played the way he trained.
He’s the sort of player you like to have in your team, not play against.
R.S.
How much did you miss playing in the Asian Cup?
B.B.
Obviously it was a huge disappointment because I’d played for the Socceroos in World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, but not in the Final tournaments.
R.S.
People believed you were badly missed up front in the tournament due to your speed, ability to run across the lines, getting into good positions beyond defences and finishing prowess.
Your comment?
B.B.
I suppose I may have added some energy to the front third but Kasini Yengi and Mitch Duke did run their hearts out.
We had our chances against South Korea but it just didn’t happen for the team.
R.S.
How did you rate the overall performance of the squad in the tournament?
B.B.
The problem with these tournaments is the best available players are brought together but the cohesion required to succeed is often lacking because of the limited time the players have together.
Even European teams playing against Asian opponents in tournaments like this would find it hard because they fall down and bunker down in defence.
R.S.
How hard was it for you to settle back into the Wanderers squad after you returned from the injury to your foot?
B.B.
In the first three weeks, I was attempting to exert my energy with pressing and running and had to take a few deep breaths through the game to regain my composure.
The other players were 100% match fit while I was only 95% by this time but before the derby last Saturday, I was feeling totally confident about my general movement and fitness levels.
We had a thorough warmup before the start of the match and my hamstring injury was just one of those unfortunate events.
R.S.
A lack of consistency has been ever present in the Wanderer’s game during the last few matches, including the late losses to Brisbane Roar and the Sydney derby last weekend.
How can this be reversed?
B.B.
We need to win more personal duels to gain more possession and create more domination of games.
As the first line of defence, the strikers have to press hard on the opposing defence and as Mark Rudan has said, the team needs to follow game plans and not replicate mistakes.
