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RD 17 City travel to face the NRMAWSW

Dylan

By Dylan,
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loriente

loriente

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1 minute ago, n i k o said:

Adelaide is the best in form team. Don't worry about their ladder position, they're what, 8 games unbeaten, winning 6 of those. Perth has been getting better and better and are a real bogey team for anyone. Brisbane have been in a slump form the last few games, so I believe they're in a dangerous position if these teams continue to perform well and they don't recover. Plus they have Sydney away who will be just as desperate to make up for the loss last round.

Adelaide have had a good streak but look who they've played in those 8 games. Been a very easy run. Beating Sydney back in December is the only really impressive result in their streak. Beating Brisbane last week was reasonably impressive but Brisbane have gone full retard without Maclaren and Borello.

Brisbane have gotten their Olyroos boys back now, they should be putting CCM, Newy and Perth to the sword.

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malloy
malloy

No, it doesn't.

jw1739
jw1739

Go to perhaps the toughest away ground to play at, score three goals and still get done? It's been clear for the whole season that it is our defence that is the issue, plus our failed foreign marquee.

Torn Asunder
Torn Asunder

The overwhelmingly biased commentator / media love for the WSW and for Poppa is sickening ... if our goals were offside it's all they would be talking about. If we had rough housed their players like

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n i k o

n i k o

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1 minute ago, loriente said:

Adelaide have had a good streak but look who they've played in those 8 games. Been a very easy run. Beating Sydney back in December is the only really impressive result in their streak. Beating Brisbane last week was reasonably impressive but Brisbane have gone full retard without Maclaren and Borello.

Brisbane have gotten their Olyroos boys back now, they should be putting CCM, Newy and Perth to the sword.

Look your probably right they will put those teams to the sword but its just never that simple given how poorly they've performed(defended) the last two games. For Adelaide they not only have momentum but those easy teams you mention they've beaten, not just by a goal, but extremely convincingly. They're scoring for fun. The other performance to show how mentally they are a much better unit is drawing to WSW away. Time will tell, but it'll be an interesting either way.

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raw10

raw10

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33 minutes ago, Deviant said:

So where's everyone meeting before the match, in parra

There is a facebook page for travelling fans called 'Melb City Travelling Fans' . Feel free to connect with people that have already gone up to Parra.. I believe about a dozen from this group Is up there. FYI, some non travelling fans will be at the Imperial Hotel tonight for the match.

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playmaker

playmaker

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21 hours ago, neio said:

To be honest I wouldn't be overly concerned about castelen, for all his good work running with ball he fucks up shot or cross. And if he does get cross right piavaccari is usually offside anyway

 

25
Total Open Play Crosses


9
Succ. Crosses


3
Assists


24
Chances Created

 

Maybe a little concerned seeing that he also turned the game when he came on last time we played.

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Murfy1

Murfy1

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Melbourne City finally fulfilling potential as A-League super club

 

January 28, 2016

Matt Windley

 

JOHN van ’t Schip pleaded for patience. Perhaps we should have listened.

It was October 7, an eve-of-season interview with the Herald Sun, and van’t Schip, burdened by an unrivalled injury list even before Round 1, was typically calm at his club’s $15 million Bundoora training base.

An off-season recruitment drive had delivered a change of energy.

Previously, he said, there had been “too many players that are here for having a good time”, now the team had “winners” there “to win prizes”.

It mattered little to him that the likes of Harry Novillo, Ivan Franjic, Michael Zullo and Aaron Hughes — players who have since become key cogs of his starting line-up — would be absentees for considerable amounts of time.

“The competition is long,” van’t Schip said.

“Of course we want to start well and it’s not going to be easy looking at the first two games and playing against the two grand finalists from last season.

“But we just have to be there from the start knowing that we’re going to be very competitive over the whole year.”

It had become fashionable to lay the boots into van’t Schip.

And indeed, after an unpalatable FFA Cup semi-final disaster in Perth and a 3-0 home loss to Western Sydney that he described as the worst in his time at the club, the knives were out for the Dutchman.

But credit where credit’s due, he’s turned it around.

Since the Wanderers debacle City has won six games, drawn three and lost just once, scoring a staggering 28 goals in the process.

Out is the old 4-3-3 system and in is a new 3-5-2 — borne from a tactical switch midway through the first half of the January 2 Sydney game — which has displayed van’t Schip’s willingness to adapt on the run.

Those “winners” he spoke of have added steel to a once-brittle club that had been mired in mediocrity.

Hughes and Thomas Sorensen are experienced English Premier League campaigners. Franjic and Zullo, former members of all-conquering Brisbane sides, have linked up again with Roar championship winner Erik Paartalu.

Then of course there’s the combative, win-at-all costs striker in Bruno Fornaroli who has taken the competition by storm.

have created a staggering amount of competition for spots that is compounded by the fact that, finally, the club’s injury list is down to just two long-term inhabitants — Corey Gameiro and Connor Chapman.

City plays the Wanderers again on Friday night, but this time in the intimidating cauldron of Pirtek Stadium.

A first-versus-second clash that could well be a grand final preview, the game is one of the biggest in the club’s history.

Previously you’d never have thought it possible for City to win. Now, with those “winners” being backed by their unflappable coach, nothing seems impossible.

 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/football/melbourne-city-finally-fulfilling-potential-as-aleague-super-club/news-story/f3682b444b57303bfa48e7c78f7a3547#load-story-comments

 

City v Wanderers: A burgeoning rivalry

 

29 January 2016

 

Friday Night brings with it not just a top of the table clash, but also a growing rivalry between two of the youngest clubs in the competition.

It’s easy to forget that the Wanderers and Melbourne City remain the adolescents of the Hyundai A-League, which makes the current position of both clubs all the more commendable as they face off tonight.

City and Wanderers can mix it with the best and worst of the league but to belong to the elite as both clubs have aspired to, you must beat the elite.

And despite the controversial manner of the victory, City made the significant statement of intent they were after in a clash that lived up to its billing as one of the matches of the season.
 
Incidentally, the match highlighted how far Western Sydney Wanderers versus Melbourne City has flown under the radar in the grand nexus of Hyundai A-League rivalries.

 
Often relegated to the backseat in the face of the so-called “Big Blue”, for what this burgeoning rivalry lacks in commercial pulling power it makes up for in its inherent capacity to produce a memorable moment. Although it might play second fiddle to the older and bluer siblings, it’s a rivalry that has grown organically and has remained hugely relevant in the eyes of the viewing public. That’s no mean feat.
 
It might not grab the headlines like the league’s seasoned rivalries but this clash is more than capable of supplying one or two of its own. After two outstanding matches this season it’s clear that there’s something in the alchemy of this fixture that guarantees fireworks, theatre or plain chaos of some shape or form.
 
The most recent incident threatened to take the Hyundai A-League’s youngest feud to new levels of antagonism after the Wanderers were denied a winning goal that would have extended an unbeaten run to 11 games.

 
It’s upon this sense of lingering injustice in the heat of battle that rivalries can be hardened. There’s a score to settle tonight and the side has history on their side in their bid to avenge Round 14’s 3-2 loss.
 
In 11 meetings between the two sides Melbourne have won just twice – and never away from home.
 
Back at the scene of the clubs’ first showdown, both the Wanderers and City have done a lot of growing up since their late introduction.
 
It might not be the Melbourne v Sydney derby 2.0, but the momentum of this clash continues to gather with each passing season. It has the potential to be truly explosive.

 

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/city-v-wanderers-burgeoning-rivalry#:PDp8-796TpA9EA

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HEARTinator

HEARTinator

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Posted

LOLz in the Matt Windley article, JvS is quoted as saying that:

Previously, he said, there had been “too many players that are here for having a good time”, now the team had “winners” there “to win prizes”.

I thought he should have been talking about himself IMO :droy:  He has always been quick to blame players for being "scared", etc, etc but he hasn't been quick to say "well holy shit, maybe I've just been a pretty poor manager after all."  It's been the attitude of the new lads that have turned things around not the man management skills of JvS.

Would really like to see NRMAWSWdogs get routed tonight but will settle for a hard fought draw. Go top of the table tonight and we go a fair way to changing the perception of the club from simply making up the numbers in the HAL to fair dinkum contenders.

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Murfy1

Murfy1

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One big change from our last match against WSW, which was less than 3 weeks ago BTW, is our backline. Last time we had:

Retre - Kisnorbo - Hughes - Clisby - Garuccio

 

Tonight we'll have:

Franjic - Kisnorbo - Hughes - Melling/Clisby/Malik - Zullo

 

 

Our 2 fullbacks/wingbacks, Franjic and Zullo, are clearly a big improvement. Against WSW, Melbourne City was a bit fragile in wide areas, hence why Castelen could cause such havoc when he was subbed on. So with Retre & Garuccio being changed for Franjic & Zullo, in theory our main weakness against WSW last time should be much less weak.

 

2 other key issues to the game IMO:

- The midfield battle. Mooy-Paartalu-Caceres(probably) for us vs. Nichols-Andreu-Dimas for them is a very interesting 3 vs 3 battle in midfield. Whichever midfield performs will likely have more possession, and the balance of possession will be key in this game. In the WSW 3 - City 0 loss, WSW had 55.2% possession & City had 44.8%. In the last match City had 47.1% and WSW had 52.9%, much more even and City have the finishing ability to win with roughly even possession (and I'd wager that City have effectively won every game where we've had the majority of possession this season).

- Finishing. Melbourne City averages the most shots, most on target and highest conversion rate. Whereas WSW's attack is much more profligate. If the teams perform to their finishing percentages over the season then Melbourne City should have a significant advantage due to its clinical finishing.

 

 

Some wildcards are the slightly shorter turnaround for Melbourne City, and whether that will allow WSW to gain advantage in the later stages of the game. Also, if Melbourne City plays the new recruits Caceres, Malik and Fitzgerald, and how they perform, especially since they've had more time to settle into the club and should be able to perform at about 100% now.

 

 

JVS said, twice this week, that the club doesn't need anymore signings. The result and performance tonight will indicate whether that's true or not. Especially given that Melbourne City could easily end up playing a grand final against WSW in Western Sydney, the team should be able to play a good game tonight if the team is going to match the club's ambitions for this season. However, if tonight doesn't go as planned then IMO the club shouldn't be afraid to dip into the transfer market one final time (before it closes in 96 hours) to ensure that the club can be successful this season.

Big match tonight for the club, and a lot can be read into this match and how it plays out.

Edited by Murfy1
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Melburnian

Melburnian

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Posted

Can't see why we can't win and people are saying best we can hope for is a draw?

On paper we have a superior team. Playing with unmatched confidence. In Bruno, Harry and Aaron we have an attack that can win games when we don't produce much. Then having Zullo and Franjic hitting form adds to that attack.

We have seasoned leaders all over the park now. 

Will we win? Who knows? All I'm saying is we can. 

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Tesla

Tesla

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6 minutes ago, Melburnian said:

Can't see why we can't win and people are saying best we can hope for is a draw?

On paper we have a superior team. Playing with unmatched confidence. In Bruno, Harry and Aaron we have an attack that can win games when we don't produce much. Then having Zullo and Franjic hitting form adds to that attack.

We have seasoned leaders all over the park now. 

Will we win? Who knows? All I'm saying is we can. 

Of course we can, even the bottom teams in the vast majority of leagues win games and the best teams lose games. Anyone can win a soccer match, especially in the A-League, and especially in a game of 1st vs 2nd. But it's unlikely for a number of reasons, I'd put our chance of winning this game at about 20%.

6 minutes ago, DFG_82 said:

and JVS is re-signed for 5 years?

I'd prefer he doesn't but I suppose he can see out his current contract instead of getting fired.

Edited by Tesla
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