The 2014-15 champions had plenty of reason to think they could become only the second side in A-League history to claim back to back titles.
But the season that ensued was frustrating and saw Victory rarely rise above average status and play to the level they are capable of.
It was a season which saw the same core group of players in a million different combinations. It was a season were Victory regularly failed to play the full 90 minutes. Melbourne’s campaign was consistently a case of the performance being alright but the result being less than desirable; you do not often get points for playing just alright.
The story
Back to back titles looked on the cards if the opening eight rounds were anything to go by. Victory suffered only one loss and claimed their first FFA Cup. That was followed by a sharp decline, one which coincided with Carl Valeri’s illness. Four losses in a row saw Victory fail to secure all three points until round 13 against the Newcastle Jets.
The second half of the season would get no easier with 21 games in two competitions; draws were the norm. Victory simply could not get themselves above sixth spot on the table, and were lucky Sydney were just that little bit poorer than they were to ensure they did not have to fight for the last finals spot.
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Victory’s season could very much be summed up in their elimination final defeat at the hands of Brisbane Roar. They played well early on, some things went wrong and ultimately it was not their year.
Key player
Victory’s consistent positives during this campaign were Kosta Barbarouses and Besart Berisha. The Kiwi was a constant attacking threat and his pace and cleverness on the wings will be sorely missed. Meanwhile, Berisha scored 18 goals this season, including finals, in his best haul since the 2011-12 season.
However, many believe that the key player for Victory this season was one who played barely any games. Carl Valeri affected the Melbourne side both when he was on pitch and when he was unfortunately forced from it.
Manager
Kevin Muscat seemingly had an easy job at the start of the season by virtue of having kept most of his championship-winning side together. But things got tough for Muscat and it is difficult to determine whether or not he handled these challenges in the best way possible.
The loss of Valeri was huge but Muscat did not appear to search for a replacement. Fans lamented his lack of tactical flexibility and aversion to making substitutions when it looked like the team was in need of a spark. While Muscat does have the weight of expectation on his shoulders – through a combination of being so successful so early on in his career and being a favourite son of the biggest club in the league – he still has time to learn and evolve his coaching style.
2016-17 will be big for Muscat and it will be fascinating to see just what he does with what will be a very different playing group.
Off-season recruitment
It is going to be a big off-season for the Victory with plenty of stars leaving and consequently needing to be replaced. Melbourne will be on the lookout for players up forward, with the likes of Archie Thompson retiring and Barbarouses and Gui Finkler heading across the ditch to join the Wellington Phoenix.
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It is absolutely essential that the Victory get an attacking player who can score somewhere around 10 goals in a season as this was the kind of man they sorely missed.
Victory will also need to attempt to replace Matthieu Delpierre who has been nothing short of exceptional in his two years in navy blue. While Victory has two excellent, young central defensive options, they need to be anchored by someone with a bit more experience. Getting the right centre-back will be Victory’s top priority over the winter.
Grade – D+
It might seem a little harsh but the club did not come close to defending the Premier’s Plate or the championship and were saved the embarrassment of missing out on finals altogether thanks to over half the league being able to participate in the series. After the highs of 2014-15, this season was lacklustre and pedestrian, punctuated by glimpses of the brilliance which made the Melbourne club champions in the previous campaign.
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