- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Melbourne City has always been the ‘other’ Melbourne A-League club.
Standing behind the mighty throne of Melbourne Victory, City (nee Heart) have been the underwhelming ones, a team that never fails to disappoint.
While Victory has been winning trophies, City has made multiple attempts to rebuild their team, with little to no success.
Five seasons of City football has resulted in five seasons of frustration, playing second fiddle to their cross-town rivals. In fact, to say that they were second to Victory would be a false assignment; City has been miles behind the A-League powerhouse, and four weeks into the 2015-16 A-League season, it seemed that would again be the case.
They had already been beaten by Victory in Round 2, and after a Friday night collapse at home to the lowly Newcastle Jets, letting a 2-0 lead slip away for a 3-2 loss, the tension around the club was at an all-time high.
Fans were calling for coach John van’t Schip to be sacked, and the players’ heart and effort were being questioned. Despite the sky-blue colours, the new signings, and the presence of superstar Aaron Mooy, City continued to be a letdown and the ugly ghost of the failures of Melbourne Heart still lingered.
Now, just seven weeks after that disastrous night against the Jets, City is sitting second on the A-League ladder, while Victory have stumbled down to fifth.
City have proven themselves as legitimate championship contenders, in a turnaround few saw coming.
After their thrilling 2-1 win over the Victory, City has now won four straight games, scoring 16 goals while only allowing three goals to their opposition in that same timespan. Victory, on the other hand, have only scored once in their previous four outings.
The derby win showed a new City; a team that isn’t brought down by the disappointments of their predecessors, a group of footballers with actual passion for the club and a want to be out on the pitch representing the City logo.
One of the main issues with City in the past has been the club culture. Players lacked the passion and heart necessary to have success in any sport. A losing culture floated around the club, and it showed on the pitch. Brain fades, poor play and bad results were all a by-product of a culture that no one wanted to be part of.
That culture has slowly but steadily changed since the City buyout, and this season it has completely turned around. The likes of Thomas Sorenson, Ivan Franjic and Harry Novillo have brought a sense of pride and passion to the club that has never been seen before. That nature in which the trio fire up City fans before the game, and then go out and show that same passion throughout the game, is needed to be a legitimate football club.
In order to be successful, you need players who are committed to success, and Sorenson, Franjic and Novillo have been this season.
Along with the transformed culture and passion, City have undertaken a metamorphosis on the pitch. They now possess multiple goal-scoring threats, and the back four, which has been constantly makeshift due to injury issues, have slowly but surely improved.
City’s attacking front of Novillo, Mooy, Bruno Fornaroli and Stefan Mauk have moulded together wonderfully to form an electric attacking front-line. Mooy has solidified himself as the A-League’s best player, combining world-class ball control, a football IQ unseen from others, and a booming shot off either boot. Fornaroli’s ability to use physical contact in his favour and finish with finesse in front of goals has given City a reliable front man. Novillo and Mauk control the wings, both using bursts of speed to kickstart City’s attacks.
City’s defence has featured numerous players this season; Franijc, Patrick Kisnorbo, Jack Clisby, Ben Garuccio, Jacob Melling, Aaron Hughes, Connor Chapman, Paulo Retre, Erik Paartalu and Michael Zullo have all had stints at the back.
While injuries haven’t allowed van’t Schip to settle on a consistent back four, the players who have lined up have done a tremendous job. During Saturday night’s derby win, City had multiple goal-line saves, holding off a vicious Victory onslaught. In previous seasons, Victory probably would have put at least four goals past City, but a sense of pride and determination allowed them to withstand the unlucky injury situation.
With Sorenson, who leads the A-League with 44 saves this season, in goals, City’s defence can only get better.
A power shift is occurring in Melbourne football, as City have become legitimate A-League contenders. There is no longer ‘one team in Melbourne’. Victory now need to make room for the noisy neighbours.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.