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Melbourne Victory
4
Match Complete
Central Coast Mariners
1
| J. Hope |  | 94' | ||
| 83' |  | A. Hoole | ||
| 69' | | J. Clisby | ||
| 62' | | M. Shabow | ||
| C. Brown | | 47' | ||
| T. Antonis | | 44' | ||
| J. Troisi | | 35' | ||
| K. Honda | | 30' | ||
| C. Valeri | | 25' |
| 17 | Shots | 16 | ||
| 9 | On Target | 5 | ||
| 10 | Fouls | 19 | ||
| 2 | Corners | 1 | ||
| 5 | Offsides | 0 | ||
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 | ||
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
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Round 4 presents an opportunity for both Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners to revive their middling seasons at AAMI Park in Melbourne this Sunday at 7.00pm (AEST). Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match.
Victory will be itching to build on their first win of the season in Round 3, in the Grand Final replay against the Newcastle Jets.
Terry Antonis’ precise 71st minute skidder proved to be winner in a tight game. Victory had vastly fewer shots (10 to 20), and Newcastle had a massive 10 shots blocked (to 3), but the single goal that made the difference came on a break where space opened up for Antonis at the top of the box. Newcastle’s open, attacking style causing their undoing in a pragmatic Victory performance.
Victory is likely still adjusting to life with marquee Keisuke Honda, having lost their first two games before the Newcastle win.
They are looking to bring Honda onto the ball as much as possible – he had a team-high 88 touches and 61 passes last week – in a system that was less reliant on a single player last season. While Troisi was a key player for Victory in ’17-18, he was not the focal point that Honda is (and is better suited to).
With giant striker Kenny Athiu injured for the Newcastle game – and also for this one – Muscat had to construct a more mobile makeshift front line of Troisi, Barbarouses and Ingham – one that could on paper enable more link play with Honda and open up chances for him to shoot and build on his outstanding assist figures so far. Honda has offered Victory 3 assists and 13 shot assists – but only 1 goal.
If Victory can continue their winning form against the Mariners and get Ola Toivonen fit to support Honda, the rest of the A-League should be very worried.
The Mariners have not yet kick-started their year after the Bolt circus left town. They sit in second last after three, with two draws and a big loss in Round 3 against the Adelaide United juggernaut. They weren’t the first team this year to be slain by Craig Goodwin – who scored twice and assisted the third – but against Victory they have a chance to test themselves again against a top-tier squad.
Central Coast recruited quite well over the break, using the misdirection of Bolt to sneak the seasoned Tommy Oar and Matt Simon onto the books. Olyroo Aiden O’Neill was added on loan from Premier League club Burnley and Scot Ross McCormack, who dazzled over dead balls for parts of last season with Melbourne City, was signed on a big deal.
The Mariners’ problem, however, is that they struggle to bring their experienced forwards into the play: wilting in the heat of the Adelaide press. McCormack and Oar barely saw the ball in their big loss to Adelaide, and while (substitute) Hoole and Simon hustled they both lack a killer final ball.
Prediction
Victory’s mobile front line will want to pressure the Mariner’s defenders with the same venom as Adelaide, and with Honda lurking near the box Victory have a player like Goodwin who can punish weak passes and losses of possession.
With Victory in front of a home crowd, this one could get ugly.
Melbourne Victory 3 – Central Coast Mariners 0.
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