Lachlan Avil 
Melbourne City 23/24 Season Review. Photo: Melbourne City. Design: Round Ball Australia
The 2023/24 season was one of disappointment for Melbourne City, scraping into finals and exiting the Asian Champions League in the group stage will be considered below par by all parties.
The removal of Rado Vidosic from his post after just two league games was brutal, but again such are the expectations at Melbourne City Football Club, and a 6-0 thumping at the hands of Adelaide United was too far of a reach for the reigning three-peat premiers.
With a squad oozing of quality, incumbent manager Aurelio Vidmar was still expected to turn around an 0-2 record, with no preseason into a finals team, and he should be commended for doing just that. However, rocky periods of form and a disastrous collapse to derby rivals Melbourne Victory in the elimination final, left fans uncertain as to whether his tenure should continue.
In the end, a two-year contract extension for Vidmar likely points to a desire for stability, dating back to Patrick Kisnorbo’s sudden exit to French club Troyes in the early stages of the 2022/23 season, rather than any specific reward for on field performances.
Season Grade: C
Coming off the back of three successive premierships was always going to make expectations a little harder to meet. But the output from the team which has been the benchmark of the A-League over the past few years, fell further than most expected.
Victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers in the penultimate round of the season was the game that ultimately preserved their streak of now 10 consecutive seasons with finals football – every full season since the City Football Group has owned the club.
A significant source of disappointment was the club’s second foray into the Asian Champions League. Despite just one loss in the group stage at the hands of Arthur Papas’ Buriram United, City would miss out on progression to the knockouts after a 99th minute goal from the traveling Zhejiang side on the final matchday.
City’s now contradictory record in the Champions League reads as two group stage exits, despite just the one loss across both iterations. It is a stat they will be eager to put right when they inevitably get their crack at the AFC’s reformatted Asian Champions League Elite competition in the future.
Highlight: 7-0 Smashing of the Wanderers
In a game where the scorers’ list bore a striking resemblance to the team sheet, City put the Wanderers to the sword on a Tuesday night at AAMI park.
A double to German talisman Tolgay Arslan and perhaps the perfect dichotomy of City’s past and future with goals to Max Caputo and Jamie Maclaren were the highlights.
That was until Terry Antonis unleashed a thunderous strike from inside the centre circle, sailing over the head of Lawrence Thomas and into the back of the net for one of the goals of the season. And did he let the Wanderers bench know about it as well.
Lowlight: Elimination Final Derby Capitulation
Coming out in the second half with a 1-0 lead and a man advantage in their elimination final clash against Melbourne Victory should have been more than enough for City to secure progression to the next stage of the finals series.
But instead, Tolgay Arslan would be made to rue his missed penalty and the 10-man Victory side crushed City dreams when Nishan Velupillay equalised in the 88th minute, paving the way for Paul Izzo’s heroics in the resulting penalty shootout.
Such a humiliating defeat was only emphasised by the presence of their cross-town rivals Victory and was a calamitous end to City’s mediocre season.
Get the Business Done Early
City have been arguably the quickest movers – at least publicly – of the A-League off season so far, locking down both Mathew Leckie and Andrew Nabbout on two-year contract extensions.
Their big external acquisition has been the signing of 22-year-old central defender Kai Trewin on a three-year deal from the Brisbane Roar, where he was one of the shining lights of their conflicted campaign.
The big piece of the puzzle that remains in question is the #9 position. The departure of A-League Men record goal scorer Jamie Maclaren will undoubtably be cause for deliberation as to whether City choose to trust 18-year-old Max Caputo, or opt fill either a foreign or marquee player slot (perhaps both) on a more established goal scorer.
Individual Performers
No surprises here that Tolgay Arslan is the big winner out of City’s campaign. The German midfielder made an immediate impact on the league and would have likely gone the closest to challenging Josh Nisbet for the Johnny Warren Medal, if not for his three-match suspension.
The mid-season departure of Hamza Sakhi was perhaps an underrated blow. Often the glue that held the team together at the base of midfield, he held most of the progressive responsibilities in City’s system at the time.
City fans will be hoping to see a lot more of Andrew Nabbout and Mathew Leckie after their seasons were hampered by injury, the latter however showing signs of versatility with a new midfield role.
Elsewhere, young Max Caputo showed signs of great potential when provided his opportunity, and Curtis Good signs off from his City career with a more than serviceable season and the club’s all time games played record.
- Scott Jamieson Medal (Best Player): Tolgay Arslan
- Players’ Player Award: Tolgay Arslan
- Golden Boot: Tolgay Arslan
- Rising Star: Max Caputo
- Curtis Good Award (Clubman): Andrew Nabbout
Conclusion
A season of perhaps a permissible standard for many other A-League outfits, but not for the juggernaut of Melbourne City, as they keep their finals streak alive by the barest of margins.
Sights will undoubtedly be set straight back towards A-League silverware come the 2024/25 season.