In the first Melbourne Derby of the 2015/16 season, the impetus was with the hosts for much of the contest, but City’s efficiency in attack made for a grandstand finale.
Formations
Melbourne Victory XI: 4-3-3 – Vukovic (GK); Georgievski, Delpierre, Deng, Murnane, Valeri (C), Bozanic, Finkler, Barbarouses, Berisha, Khalfallah.
Kevin Muscat’s only variant from what is widely considered to be his strongest lineup was the introduction of Thomas Deng.
Melbourne City XI: 4-3-3 – Sorensen, Retre, Kisnorbo (C), Chapman, Clisby, Paartalu, Mooy, Koren, Zullo, Dekker, Fornaroli.
Michael Zullo was preferred to Hernan Espindola, while Aaron Mooy replaced Jason Trifiro in midfield.
Victory’s revised attacking system
An emphatic grand final performance aside, Victory’s main issue last term, at least in an attacking sense was playing through a side that was enjoying a spell of sustained attacks. To alleviate pressure, a driven pass would be played to Berisha, more often than not with a defender snapping at his heels.
This was the case because the forward’s strengths are not centred around leg speed – so aerial balls in behind a defence are usually reserved for Kosta Barbarouses or a fit Archie Thompson.
Furthermore, there were periods last season where Victory were dominated and subsequently struggled for rhythm. With the opposition attacking, Gui Finkler and the now-departed Mark Milligan were too deep to provide support to Berisha, allowing the defenders win possession back and mount another attack.
City captain Patrick Kisnorbo went to Berisha in these instances last night, but the striker’s passing options are now more plentiful since the introduction of Oliver Bozanic. He and Finkler have been making a concerted effort to get within range of Berisha when he was under immense pressure from the City skipper.
This improved facet of Victory’s attacking set-up resulted in more complete passes for Berisha, leading to sustained periods of pressure on City’s rearguard. Victory’s
City’s playmaker conundrum
During the 1-1 draw with Sydney FC in round 1, City’s first-half performance was defined by a mix of a Bruno Fornaroli-led forward press and patches of errant Sky Blue ball use.
This is not a pattern City can consistently rely on. The personnel brought into the squad are in place to control matches and provide a consistent stream of chances to a dynamic forward line.
Many of John Van’t Schip’s eggs are in his midfield basket, so to speak. The responsibility around Robert Koren’s ability to create is eased by the presence of Mooy. The 25-year-old’s versatility lends himself to this system.
Koren, capped 61 times at international level with Slovenia is yet to . The former Hull City and West Bromwich Albion playmaker struggled to find space between the lines and was replaced by 20-year-old Stefan Mauk.
Mauk, despite only making seven successful passes in his 30-minute cameo (five of which in City’s attacking half), provided an assist for Fornaroli to get his side back into the contest, before turning the game on its head with an equalising goal only 12 minutes after his introduction.
For City to maintain a consistent attacking edge, Koren must begin to operate at the level he is capable of. A mere 18 complete passes during his 59 minutes on the pitch goes some way to explaining why City finally found its feet in an attacking sense once he departed.
We may have not picked up the points last night but this @AaronMooy ball & finish from @StefanMauk had us in awe pic.twitter.com/muYCWe4wj1
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) October 18, 2015
Connor Pain capitalises on City’s failure to heed warning
Following Mauk’s clever equaliser, Kevin Muscat saw the opportunity for raw speed to unlock City’s defence, pinpointing Paolo Retre’s right side as an area to be further exploited. The 22-year-old is not a natural defender and both Victory goals to that point were created by his direct opponent, Fahid Ben Khalfallah.
Prior to Berisha’s match-winning goal, a goal-bound header was kept out by City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen – again, created through Retre’s flank. In truth, he was afforded little support from Paartalu or Hernan Espindola/Wade Dekker during these instances of vulnerability.
Pain’s direct running provided Retre with a challenge completely different to that of the trickery that Khafallah possesses. After a few moments of initial promise, the boyhood Victory fan beat his man down the outside and provided an excellent low cross. Sorensen could only parry the effort and Berisha was on hand to finish from three yards.
That's 6 goals in 4 home games v @MelbourneCity for @BesartBerisha7 🙌 Wrap: http://t.co/VqEiVge3KA #MVFC #MelbDerby https://t.co/D5AGZphtjz
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) October 18, 2015
The threat was not addressed by Van’t Schip and his side paid the ultimate price. On the contrary, Muscat’s change can be considered an inspired one that earned his side maximum points.
Melbourne Victory conclusion
Muscat’s men were punished severely after handing the impetus to a Mooy-inspired City outfit.
Prior to the helter skelter final 30 minutes, Victory were composed in possession, and prodded enough times in the final third to open its opposition up – albeit without doing anything incredibly special.
The aforementioned improvement in holding up play adds another dimension to attacking forays, while Bozanic and Finkler’s combination play regularly allowed Daniel Georgievski sufficient space to run into in an attempt to create an overload for Jack Clisby to contend with.
One final note, debutant Thomas Deng showed a good level of composure. A moment of inexperience for City’s first goal aside, when Mauk cleverly evaded his attention before playing in Fornaroli, Victory’s depth considerably improves. A natural central defender capable in a full-back role, Muscat’s use of the 18-year-old will be a talking point as Leigh Broxham and Nick Ansell return from suspension and injury respectively.
Melbourne City conclusion
The brilliance of Mooy is too heavily relied on. While it is not the preferred modus operandi, if City are to challenge for honours this term the overall unit must improve.
In Van’t Schip’s defence, his squad are having to contend with more than its fair share of injury problems. During City’s period of dominance in this fixture after Mauk’s introduction, a resilience shone through that was previously lacking.
In the circumstances that the game was decided, City may count themselves unlucky, and most would agree after all is considered.
The performance of Mauk provides a selection headache for Van’t Schip against the Central Coast Mariners next Sunday in light of Koren’s struggles. It is not all bad news in the final third, however, as Fornaroli’s first two appearances has yielded a goal and an assist for the Uruguayan, providing promise for City’s attack especially once Corey Gameiro and Harry Novillo return from injury.
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