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Melbourne City’s run of form timed perfectly for finals

Aaron Mooy is starring for Huddersfield. (AAP Image/David Crosling)
Expert
28th March, 2016
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It has taken them 25 rounds, but Melbourne City have finally finished atop of the A-League table after a full round of fixtures for the first time this season.

Throughout the 2015-16 A-League campaign, City have dazzled spectators with their attacking play but often failed to deceive in defence. Their sparkling results have also been dotted with slip-ups, allowing their rivals to continually occupy top spot in the A-League.

Yet on Monday night, City managed to win a clutch game against Wellington Phoenix to push them into first place. It was significant for a club aiming to win its first silverware, for while City have not spent one week outside the top four since December 13, this is the first time they have a chance to defend a lead.

Too often this season City have faltered when threatening rivals Western Sydney and Brisbane Roar’s hold on first position – both opponents have led the league ten times each; 20 from 25 game weeks.

After stringing together four consecutive wins toward the backend of 2015, scoring 16 goals along the way, City proceeded to lose 3-1 to Brisbane in Round 12.

Similarly, during Round 17, they had the chance to move top with a vital clash against Western Sydney Wanderers. They lost 4-3 and followed up with a 2-1 reverse against the struggling Newcastle Jets.

Now, however, they have put together four consecutive victories, following the 3-0 defeat of Wellington. Remaining unbeaten in the league’s final rounds would represent City’s hottest streak of the season, and would bode well coming into the finals.

While City have scored ten goals in their last four wins, more impressive is that they have also conceded just once. It is a promising sign that their defence is starting to catch up with their blistering attack, and John van ‘t Schip’s return to a four-man backline has helped.

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Yet the fragility and uncertainty still remains. Indeed if Roy Krishna had been match fit, Wellington may have taken an early lead after Ben Garuccio surrendered possession metres from his 18-yard line.

Bruno Fornaroli and Harry Novillo, City’s top performers outside Aaron Mooy, took advantage, combining for a sublime opener and from there the home side looked fairly comfortable. Fornaroli grabbed his first through a rebounded penalty before notching a brace with a top-class finish after great work from Nick Fitzgerald.

This was a match City had to win to confirm their trophy credentials and they emphatically delivered. They have now surpassed Brisbane Roar’s record of 58 goals in an A-League season from 2010-11, while Fornaroli has eclipsed Besart Berisha’s individual haul of 21.

If City are named premiers, however, they will also hold the title of most porous defence among previous winners, with only Melbourne Victory’s against column of 31 in 2014-15 coming close to their current tally of 39.

Most champions combine ferocious attack with a solid defence, very rarely do you see a successful team concede so many goals – only two A-League teams hold worse defensive records than Melbourne City this campaign.

Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona and Ajax teams, both as player and manager, for example, never held comparatively suspect defensive units.

Yet City are on track to ignore such rules of football, thanks to the attacking power of Fornaroli, Novillo, Mooy and company. They have been kept scoreless just once, held to one goal only six times, and scored two or more goals in their remaining 18 games.

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As Osama Malik said during half-time: “We’re lucky we’ve got them, to be honest.”

City are top of the A-League on goal difference thanks to their superior attack, but they have the two toughest games out of the four teams in the running for the premiership. Perth Glory away, who have won nine of their last ten, and then Adelaide United at home.

The premiership is City’s to lose now, for the first time this season they are in complete control and do not need to worry about other teams slipping up. Attack is on track to win the regular season, and it will be tough to write-off Fornaroli, Mooy and Novillo leading City towards a double, regardless of their defence.

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