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Old Melbourne town is buzzing. The derby is upon us and the fans of both clubs are nervous with expectation. On Friday night, the fifth Melbourne Derby promises to deliver a match of high quality and tension.
Both Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory have discovered their mojo in recent weeks and are set to deliver fireworks.
The first derby of the season came too early for both sides.
Melbourne Heart played like energetic nervous teenagers at a Blue Light disco. They were dressed to impress and looked as if they knew all the right moves, but went to pieces whenever they got near the box.
Victory, on the other hand, played like old men who had gone to over 28’s nightclub. They danced so badly they didn’t even get a chance to realise they left their Viagra at home.
Both teams fired blanks that night Etihad Stadium but the Heart supporters went home the happier; at least their team had got to first base.
A lot has happened since their last meeting. In those two months Melbourne Heart has transformed from clumsy teenager into a strutting young footballing lothario. They are not only scoring, they are also getting notches on their belts when traveling away.
This change can be attributed to Heart manager John van’t Schip finally creating a stable, yet potent, combination on the pitch with his exciting squad.
The bedding down of Brendan Hamill and Adrian Madaschi in the middle of defence, the resurgence of midfield dynamo Matt Thompson, the charismatic presence of young forward Eli Babalj, the winged wizardry of Mate Dugandzic and the mobility of the team has turned them from A-League lightweights to contenders.
This mobility has seen them dispense with a possession game based on aimless sideways and backwards passes that used to bog them down. Heart’s game is now about unsettling the opposition with quick forward movements and a sustained press. They haven’t achieved to do play out a full 90 minutes according to this template and until they do so, opposing teams will find them vulnerable.
Meanwhile, on the blue side of town Victory manager, Mehmet Durakovic, is breathing a bit easier. After the first derby, he learned that it can suck being a football manager. http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/10/29/durakovic-learns-it-can-suck-being-a-football-manager/
But time, as he well knows, is the manager’s best friend and this has allowed his misfiring team to finally gel as an attacking unit. He’s even managed to get Harry Kewell, the old square peg, to combine with the round pegs around him. How Kewell has not scored from open play this season is now becoming one of the great mysteries of the season.
But despite the improved performance of his team, what Durakovic can’t take for granted is Heart allowing Carlos Hernandez to operate in vast expenses like he did last Sunday against a tired Wellington Phoenix last Sunday.
On that occasion Hernandez was able to amble back into his own half, like a bull heading for greener pastures, to become the fulcrum to Victory’s attacking moves. It was as if he had been put in quarantine. Not one Phoenix player wanted to get close to him.
Durakovic’s worries will be compouned by the absence of Celeski’s tireless running of recent weeks and a porous defence that’s still being held together by their goalkeeper, Ante Covic.
The frisson of excitement leading up to a derby and in this case a Christmas derby is what makes these games so special.
No goal is celebrated harder than a derby goal and no win is celebrated harder than a derby win.
I can’t see this one ending up scoreless.
So, hang onto your Santa hats, it’s going to be quite a ride.
Athas Zafiris is on Twitter @ArtSapphire
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