Throughout the team’s history, Melbourne City (nee Heart) have struggled to score. Remembering the likes of Josh Kennedy, Harry Kewell, Josip Tadic and Michael Mifsud is sure to make City fans cringe, with none of those players able to provide the goal-scoring power for which they were brought in.
Yet City entered the 2015-16 season optimistic that the frontline of Harry Novillo, Aaron Mooy, David Williams and Stefan Mauk, along with new signings Bruno Fornaroli, Corey Gameiro, Steve Kuzmanovski and Stefan Zinni could finally turn their scoring troubles around.
That pre-season optimism has turned into mid-season brilliance, with Melbourne the A-League’s best attacking team at the season’s quarter mark.
After nine games, City lead the entire league in goals scored with 23, a mark that is miles ahead of the rest of the league – the Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory, Wellington Phoenix and Western Sydney Wanders are all tied second for goals scored with 14. This means if City don’t score for their next nine games, while the second-placed teams score just one goal a game, they would only tie with Melbourne for goals scored.
City also lead the league in total shots (129), goal conversion (21%) and assists (18).
City have been criticised in the past for attempting to walk the ball into the net, trying to find the perfect goal, but that hasn’t been the case this season. Melbourne are spreading defences out when they attack, the passes have been crisp and sharp, and the shots just as good. When City gets on the counter attack, look out, as the team are also one of the league’s most potent in cross accuracy (22.2%) and pass accuracy (77.3%).
Brisbane hold the all-time A-League record for most goals scored in a season, with 58 in their 2010-11 championship-winning season. But as good as that record is, City are on pace to smash it.
If you spilt the A-League season into three parts – the first nine, the middle nine and the last nine games – it gives a projection of how many goals City could score. They scored 23 in their first nine, so the simplest prediction would be to treble that number. If that occurs, Melbourne would finish the season with 69 goals.
From another perspective, City are averaging 2.5 goals per game this season, which includes a zero-goal stinker against the Wanders back in Round 6. If they maintain that average over their final 18 games, it would give them 45 goals in 18 games. Add their current 23 goals onto the projected 45 and it gives them 68 total goals for the season, which would once again make the Roar’s 58 look pedestrian.
City are also on pace to break club goal-scoring records. In their first season, Melbourne managed only 30 goals, and the numbers for the seasons after that – 35, 31, 36 and 36 – don’t jump off the page either. The aforementioned goal predictions for this season would absolutely shatter previous years.
While it has been a team effort to turn City into a goal-scoring machine, one man deserves a lot of the credit – Fornaroli. The Uruguayan is on pace to break individual A-League records this season; having already scored seven goals in nine games, which ties the number of goals Tadic, Mifsud and Kennedy scored combined in 48 appearances.
If we use the same projections for Fornaroli’s goals scored this season as we did for the team’s, he will finish with 21 goals for the season. That would almost double the record for most goals scored by a player in one season in club history, which is 12, set by Williams in the 2013-14 season. It would also break the all-time A-League record for most goals scored by a player in a single season, which is a record shared by Shane Smeltz and Besart Berisha, who have both managed to score 19.
City have completely changed their identity this season, becoming a goal-scoring machine. After years of struggling to score consistently – both as a team and from individual players – Melbourne have discovered the magic formula for putting the ball into the back of the net this season.
If they continue to score at this pace, they will break multiple A-League records.
Phil Ivey
Guest
kind of frustrating that as soon as City finally started playing well, they got instant respect, which hasn't happened with every club in the A league. But good on them for actually living up to the hype so far.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Maybe they can keep it going.
Harley Mitaros
Roar Rookie
Some good stats in there. They're definitely transformed up front, I think next week's Melbourne derby will be a good indicator of whether they're ready to roar this season. Would love to see them up there come finals.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
It would be very, very difficult to see them continue this rate of scoring, but it will be interesting to see how far they can take it. I notice you don't put the spotlight on Mooy, clearly if he's gone after january, then that would have a pretty big impact on City's scoring rate. It's probably a difficult stat to get your hands on, but I'd say Mooy's "score involvements" would be through the roof for this season.
Luke Sicari
Roar Guru
Fair points Bob, but what I'm trying to say in the article has nothing to do with City's wins and losses. Yes, the form has been inconsistent and that it troubling. Plus, like you mentioned the defence has been shaky, as they're conceding almost as much as they're scoring. But the fact that they have been scoring at this rapid pace is definitely impressive and it is on pace to break records.
Bob
Guest
The early season goal scoring has been impressive, but as you say the season is broken down into three blocks of nine games and in the first nine: - City have played Mariners twice, Adelaide & Perth. - they've scored 17 of those 23 goals in those four games against the weakest sides. Still impressive scoring. - but the only games they have won have been those four games. - in the other 5 games against better opponents they have scored only 6 goals. Less impressive. - and in those other 5 games they've failed to win a single game. Telling statistic! You best be a City supporter, correct?
marcel
Guest
If my Father was a woman he'd be my Mother.