Melbourne City secured their first win of the season at AAMI Park on Sunday, triumphing 3-1 against the Central Coast Mariners.
Bruno Fornaroli’s second-half double was the difference after Nick Fitzgerald cancelled out Patrick Kisnorbo’s opening goal for City, but both teams had a multitude of scoring chances in an end-to-end match. The result eases the pressure on coach John van’t Schip after an indifferent start to the season and a midweek loss to Perth Glory in the FFA Cup semifinals.
Starting formations
Both teams used a traditional 4-3-3 formation, with one defensive midfielder playing in front of the back four – Nick Montgomery for Central Coast and Jacob Melling for Melbourne City. The Mariners were forced into one change from last Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Brisbane, bringing in Paul Izzo following Liam Reddy’s suspension for off-field issues during the week. For the home side, it was a youthful lineup compared to last week’s Melbourne derby, with Jacob Melling and Stefan Mauk replacing Erik Paartalu and Robert Koren in midfield and exciting youngsters Steve Kuzmakovski and Stefan Zinni started in the wide positions up front.
The Mariners continued their all-out attacking approach from the previous two matches, with fullbacks Storm Roux and Michael Neill pushing forward whenever possible. However, City were alert to this situation and often looked to exploit these defensive gaps on the counter-attack, whether it was Fornaroli drifting wide into space or one of Zinni and Kuzmanovski breaking forward.
Mooy continues to shine
In the opening minutes, it looked like it could be a long day for the Socceroos midfielder. Mariners captain Nick Montgomery was following Mooy’s every move across the football pitch, leaving the 25-year-old with little time to influence play. However, the visitors’ aggressive defensive style lead to a succession of fouls around the penalty area, giving Mooy the chance to cause havoc with his set pieces. Two shots from range forced Paul Izzo into saves, and a sublime delivery from the flank saw Patrick Kisnorbo head home the game’s opening goal.
Mooy eventually outran Montgomery as the game progressed and began to exert his usual influence on the game. His eye for a pass created his team’s second goal, releasing David Williams down the right flank to pick out Bruno Fornaroli for a tap-in.
However, it is in defence where Mooy sets himself apart from the other A-League playmakers. Time after time the 25-year-old was dropping back to win tackles or cut out passes, often helping right fullback Paulo Retre against the dual attacks of Mitch Austin and Michael Neill.
Fornaroli a class above
After lighting up the derby last week with an impressive turn and finish, the Uruguayan striker notched up a double this week in a striking masterclass. Not only did he show classic predatory instincts to score both his goals, but the intelligence in his movements to create the openings was impressive. For his first goal, he escaped the attention of Jake McGing to be unmarked at the back post, before drifting into space to receive a pinpoint pass for his second.
Not only was Fornaroli a goalscoring threat, he often dropped into the space in front of the defence to link up with his teammates and set up chances. It was a stark contrast to the impact of Roy O’Donovan for the Mariners – the Irishman only threatened for brief moments and rarely moved from the top of the formation.
Wide threat fails to deliver for Mariners
Wingers Mitch Austin and Fabio Ferreira have been impressive so far this season for Tony Walmsley, ably assisted by the overlapping runs of fullbacks Michael Neill and Storm Roux. However on Sunday there was a distinct lack of success from the wide areas, as well as corners and from set pieces. 27 deliveries yielded just three clear chances on goal, none of which leading to a shot on target.
As the lead striker, Roy O’Donovan struggled to evade the attentions of Kisnorbo and Chapman, and attacking midfielders Anthony Caceres and Nick Fitzgerald seem to lack the physical presence to challenge from the air. Most of the team’s best attacking play this season has come from short passing in and around the box, something that may be better to focus on from this point.
Melbourne City conclusion
A pleasing result for John van’t Schip, given the absence of big names like Ivan Franjic, Michael Zullo and Erik Paartalu. David Williams and Corey Gameiro also looked lively coming off the bench in the second half, giving City plenty of options across all areas of the field for the coming weeks. As long as Mooy and Fornaroli stay fit, van’t Schip should have the time to determine his best starting eleven.
Central Coast Mariners conclusion
There is clearly still some adjustment required to the Mariners’ game plan – the defence is often left undermanned and simply invites pressure from the opposition. Three yellow cards for Nick Montgomery also suggests the Englishman needs further assistance from his teammates before the suspensions starting accumulating.
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