How good was it to see the strike force of both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City scoring in the first round of A-League Season 10?
Besart Berisha was as imposing as ever in his debut for Victory. He was composed on the ball and was just as impressive pressing defenders when without it.
His debut was full of energy and vigour, and he was involved in almost every attacking foray that Victory put forward.
WATCH THE LATEST A-LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
It is this kind of performance that will have Brisbane Roar fans moping all season long. Not only was Berisha dynamic when on the ball, setting up Archie Thompson for a cool finish, but he also scored a crucial penalty.
The Albanian ace did exactly was he is paid to do, score goals. While having such an imposing forward frees up space for Victory’s mobile attack (Thompson, Kosta Barbarouses , Gui Finkler), Berisha was also viciously determined to get on the score sheet himself.
His penalty oozed confidence and his emphatic celebration showed Victory fans that this foreign marquee means business.
Berisha’s salute to the fans sent them into raptures and the Victory board will be licking their lips at the performance of the man they have undeniably promoted as the new face of the club.
This is a man who plays for the badge, a pure goalscorer, a presence and a man that wants to win, stating that anything but winning the grand final would be deemed a failure. Besart Berisha and the Melbourne Victory look the real deal, and their forward line will have defenders of every other team quaking in their boots.
Meanwhile, in Sydney, it took David Villa just 15 minutes to score coming off the bench for Melbourne City. The team were imposing in the first half and were unlucky to not have been ahead at the break. What they lacked though was the presence of a poacher – a genuine number nine.
Enter Spanish superstar David Villa.
Villa was at his brilliant best when placing the ball into the back of the net in the 63rd minute, making it 1-1. FFA officials couldn’t have asked for a better script when he scored in front of the 25,525 who turned up to catch a glimpse of the man.
For all the possession that City had, they failed to score. Damian Duff would have been buoyed by Villa’s entry into the game and finally his constant work on the wing was rewarded. Duff’s majestic ball was put away calmly by Villa, who showed once again the importance of putting away chances.
Hats off also to Sydney FC’s Corey Gameiro, who produced a finish that made Villa’s look routine when putting Sydney 1-0 up in the 54th minute.
Berisha and Villa created a presence that cannot be substituted with formation tweaks or players that can simply play a particular role. They are what every great team needs, pure number nines.
They create space, lure defenders in, spread the play and most importantly score crucial goals.
Victory have ditched the false nine that looked dysfunctional at times last season, and Melbourne City have brought in Villa for 10 games. Both will reap the rewards.
What Victory does have over City is the upper hand. Berisha is here for two seasons, David Villa is only here for a 10-game guest stint.
I have no doubt that City is scouting the globe for their next striker, Socceroo Joshua Kennedy anyone?
In the mean time let’s embrace these two poachers and be certain that both Melbourne teams will be delivering goals aplenty.
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.
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
The loser of the Sydney Derby will be under immense pressure entering the final three matches of the season.
Anthony Caceres is a player with immense talent and has a fantastic work rate, broke the deadlock against the Mariners in the 74th minute.
Under-pressure Western Sydney coach Marko Rudan has failed to front up for his post-match press conference after a 7-0 thrashing from Melbourne City, the…
Round 19 was an interesting weekend of football with no draws, 19 goals in six matches, two five-goal games on Sunday and for the…
