Plucked from the European leagues Nikola Petkovic was slotted into the Sydney FC team on the eve of the first game to complete Sydney FC’s squad list for the 2013/14 Hyundai A-League season.
Plucked from the European leagues Nikola Petkovic was slotted into the Sydney FC team on the eve of the first game to complete Sydney FC-s squad list for the 2013/14 Hyundai A-League season.
Petkovic arrived with pedigree, having played in competitions including the German Bundesliga, Russian Premier Liga and Europa League as well as his national team at Under 21 level in the European Championships.
From his start against the Newcastle Jets in the first game of the season, the Serbian stalwart didn-t take a backward step as he has cemented his spot at the heart of the Sydney FC defence with a number of impressive performances.
Petkovic played every minute of every game for Sydney FC during the regular season, making 27 appearances and completing 2430 minutes in total.
One of the trademarks of the Serbian-s game is his marauding runs from defence that saw the centre half waltz past opposing players with ease to create a number of chances for the Sky Blues with the former Serbian U-21 having the second highest number of touches on the ball (1755) out of the Sky Blues squad.
His set pieces have also been troublesome for the opposition, with his two assists coming from free kicks curled in from the flanks with Corey Gameiro and Matt Jurman both turning the ball into the back of the net.
Initially signed on a one year deal from Red Star Belgrade, Petkovic-s impressive displays, with a 78.8% pass accuracy from 1371 attempted passes and an 88.2% tackle completion rate, have seen him rewarded with a new two year deal keeping him at the club until the end of the 2016/17 season.
Petkovic-s first season at Sydney FC has been an overall personal success and his efforts on the field were duly noted as he was voted as the Sky Blues Player of the Year for Season 2013/14.
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