For a man who’s played all over the world, the similarities are there for Sydney FC midfielder Mickael Tavares.
As he heads into his second season with the Sky Blues, Tavares believes that season 2015/16 could be the Sky Blues year as he looks at similar fortunes during his time in the Czech Republic with Slavia Prague where he played between 2007 and 2009.
“I think there are some similarities between this year and my time in Slavia [season 2007/08],” he said.
“I remember that that pre-season we weren’t as good too, we didn’t have some good results but everybody was confident.
“It was a lot of new players as well so it’s a little bit similar here. The coach had good ambitions and he trusted us and we gave it back to him on the pitch.”
That season saw Tavares take on powerhouses of world football in the UEFA Champions League and it’s an experience he rates as one of the best in his footballing career.
“It was great [playing for Slavia], like it is here you were playing for one of the biggest teams in the country,” he said.
“It was a very good time, we went to the Champions League for the first time in their history and we played Ajax, with [Luis] Suarez, [Klaas-Jan] Huntelaar, Jaap Stam, Edgar Davids and [Wesley] Schneider just before he left for Madrid.
“I think it was amazing playing against those players,” he continued.
“It’s like the top of the top for a football player, everybody wishes to play at least Champions League once. For me it was a great honour to play for Slavia.”
Tavares will be hoping his memories come to fruition come May, as the Sky Blues kick off they Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season against Melbourne City FC on Saturday 10 October at Allianz Stadium (kick off 7:30pm).
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