Branded as the biggest club in the country alongside Sydney FC, it goes without saying that success is expected at Melbourne Victory, yet their story this season deserves plaudits and recognition.
Last campaign, the four-time A-League champions suffered a dismal period off the back of a semi-final berth the season before, finishing second bottom with eight wins in 26 games and a loss of direction.
Tony Popovic repaid the faith shown by the board by galvanising his squad to play a more expansive brand of football while maintaining a fine balance at the back to cement themselves as one of the favourites for the championship.
Compared to previous eras blessed with league legends including Besart Berisha, Archie Thompson, and Carl Valeri – this current group wasn’t viewed in that top-tier calibre, making their Grand Final run all the more remarkable.
Grade: A
It would be harsh to hand Victory a grade of anything below an A considering they lost five games throughout the season (in regular time) and made an appearance in the last dance despite the narrative of a Mariners-Phoenix finale.
Victory’s fortunes stemmed from the back four; when Roderick Miranda, Damien Da Silva, Jason Geria, and Adama Traore were all fit, they were extremely difficult to break down.
Jake Brimmer’s sudden fall from grace wasn’t a total disaster as Ryan Teague was sensational and provided much-needed consistency alongside emerging 21-year-old talent Jordi Valadon who grew in confidence toward the end of the season.
The real standout issue, however, was the lack of efficiency in front of goal which contributed to a staggering 12 draws in the regular season and an added four during finals.
Bruno Fornaroli, despite missing four weeks due to Asian Cup duty, carried the team on his shoulders with 18 goals, but for large stretches the attacking third looked lost if El Tuna wasn’t firing.
Highlight: Derby Elimination Final
Sunday evenings don’t have a derby feel compared to a primetime Saturday night, but this game was one of the most significant in the fixture’s history.
The stage belonged to Paul Izzo, making four penalty saves including one in the first half of regular time to keep Victory in the hunt, especially after they were reduced to 10 men when Zinedine Machach produced a moment of madness.
That was the most impressive aspect though, the way Popovic’s squad was able to overcome adversity and take the game to City in the second half where Victory arguably had the better chances – rewarded with a late equaliser through Nishan Velupillay to send the North Terrace into raptures.
But the penalty shoot-out will live long in the memory, Izzo’s heroics surely deserve a statue outside of AAMI Park. The only negative was Leigh Broxham not capping off the fairytale story to convert the winning spot-kick.
The ups and downs of this contest perfectly summed up their season where it was never smooth sailing.
Lowlight: Grand Final Defeat
Finding a worse lowlight for the club than the agonising grand final heartbreak that will undoubtedly take some time to recover from, is impossible.
The talking point coming into the decider was Popovic’s poor record in grand finals, standing at 0-4 after his time at Western Sydney Wanderers and Perth Glory.
Five minutes away from ending that drought, a lapse in concentration at the back earned the Mariners their first shot on target and a remarkable equaliser to allow them to go on and win in extra time.
From the first whistle, Victory raced out of the blocks with pace and intensity – arguably the better outfit for the first 60 minutes, but again it was the lack of efficiency and productivity in the final third that can become costly at this level.
Fingers must be pointed at the manager for introducing Jake Brimmer at the wrong time when the midfield got completely overrun thereafter as well as organising his side to sit far too deep with 20 minutes remaining.
It was an idea that was minutes away from being pulled off and fans would’ve hailed Popovic as a hero. Instead, the fact remains that those decisions failed to pay off in a results-based business.
Jason Geria’s thunderbolt is now a distant memory in what could have been a history-defining occasion to equal Sydney FC’s all-time championship tally of five.
Rebuilding Phase Necessary
Will Popovic stay or go? The 50-year-old is asking for around $700,000 per year, nearly half of what Victory is prepared to pay for the tactician, according to FTBL.
Names of David Zdrilic and Patrick Kisnorbo are appealing, but the club must make the right decision in what should be viewed as a transitional period next season.
Bruno Fornaroli isn’t getting any younger and the confirmed departures of Jake Brimmer, Chris Ikonomidis, Stefan Nigro, Eli Adams, and Salim Khelifi will need to be replaced in the off-season.
It wouldn’t come as a surprise if overseas offers arrived for Ryan Teague and Jordi Valadon, despite the latter only starting four games, given we have seen the likes of Sebastian Pasquali and most recently Franco Lino depart with minimal minutes. A midfield overhaul is well and truly on the cards.
Victory has a good foundation with Izzo, Geria, Machach and Arzani to build around. Still, it isn’t enough to see them as certain championship contenders if drastic moves aren’t performed during the transfer window.
Individual Performers
He may be remembered for his two stoppage-time goals to win one of the craziest A-League games against Western United, but Damien Da Silva was a brick wall in the defence who barely put a foot wrong.
Ryan Teague showed why European suitors should be knocking on his agent’s door – conducting the midfield with a maturity well beyond his years at 22 and has a creative flair about him.
Attackers steal the headlines though and Bruno Fornaroli sure did that this campaign by scoring 18 goals and providing some memorable moments including a goal-of-the-season contender against the Mariners in round six, and his four-goal haul over the Newcastle Jets which included a freakish rabona finish.
- Victory Medal: Damien Da Silva
- Playerβs Player: Bruno Fornaroli
- Golden Boot: Bruno Fornaroli
- Young Player: Jordi Valadon
Conclusion
It was a positive season for the Victory considering they were languishing toward the bottom of the table last season and drastically improved performance-wise despite some dips in form.
You just wonder if it will take another few years until Victory get a chance to prove itself in the big dance with the drastic changes about to be experienced.