Melbourne Victory continued to tumble down the Isuzu UTE A-League Men table in Round 10, with a 2-1 defeat to the in-form Central Coast Mariners sending Tony Popovic’s side into 11th at the end of the round’s action.
Popovic swung the axe in the lead-up to the defeat in Gosford, in reaction to a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Western United in Round 9. His five changes included the omission of captain Josh Brillante, who rode the bench as young midfielder Will Wilson stepped into the starting XI.
Speaking to host Daniel Garb on this week’s episode of The Official A-Leagues Podcast, KEEPUP’s James Dodd spotted the shift in personnel as a key indicator that Victory boss Popovic is looking for solutions with different combinations of personnel on an eight-game run which has only produced two wins.
Daniel Garb: “Melbourne Victory are in a position we cannot comprehend. Languishing in 11th, they’ve won two of their last eight games. And I daresay this is just about the most difficult time in Tony Popovic’s managerial reign.
James Dodd: “I think so – and I think that was perfectly summed up by the starting XI that he named for this loss to the Mariners.
“Five changes – one of them enforced (goalkeeper Matt Acton for the injured Paul Izzo) – but Josh Brillante, (the) captain, on the bench, (Bruno) Fornaroli out… watching this game, there were glimpses of the team and what you can see they are trying to do – but there wasn’t enough.
“I’ve watched some of the bigger players (in the league), and look at Aleksandar Prijovic for example in Western United. He’s impacting games for them. They might not be playing very well all the time but their big men are standing up and delivering when they need them, whether that’s pulling them back into a game when they’re 1-0 down, or scoring a winner.
“For me, I know Melbourne Victory fans will want to see a lot more of Nani. I don’t think that so far he has really come close to what we thought he would be delivering – and listen, it does take time… this is a brand new country for Nani. He’s moved around the world, of course he has, but these are human beings. Maybe there’s an impact of playing in different conditions, how it is in Australia we know how different that is from the rest of the world. But still, from a footballing perspective you want to see more from Luis Nani.
How much can (Popovic) actually tinker with this side? He made five changes and they still lost, so whatever it is he wanted to see from them, he clearly didn’t see.
“With that amount of talent, Tony Popovic must see things, there must be a reason why this team isn’t clicking. Maybe he doesn’t feel confident in being able to say: ‘Just go for it, gung ho’, because he’s worried about the back end of the pitch. But if you look at them overall, that game against the Mariners bar I think Will Wilson, the young boy who was outstanding when he came in, really positive, maybe that’s what they need?
“Maybe they need a couple more young players to come into the team because you know what it’s like: when managers are under pressure they play young players.
“The cynic would say that’s because fans don’t attack the young players as mcc has they’d expect more from the senior players. But they also play with no fear – and if that’s what it takes for Melbourne Victory to start turning things around, getting young players in who say ‘You know what? We are on a stinking run of form, we’re languishing way below where we should be, but I’m here to play football’.”
Maclaren closing in on Berisha’s record: ‘He’ll break it this season’
Jamie Maclaren has 12 goals in nine games in the 2022-23 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
At least one of those 12 goals has hit the back of the net in each and every game the Melbourne City spearhead has played throughout the campaign – a new record streak of goals in consecutive fixtures in Australian national league history.
And now, the Socceroos’ World Cup striker is just 10 goals off Beast Berisha’s all-time A-League Men scoring record of 142. It’s a record which, at the start of the season, Maclaren already had his gazed fixed firmly upon. At that stage he was 22 goals shy of Berisha -after scoring just 15 in 2021-22, it seems a stretch that Maclaren would reach the mark in 2022-23, but now it seems more likely than not that the inevitable goalscorer will surpass Berisha in a matter of months, let alone years.
An A-Leagues great is cementing his legacy right before our eyes.
Garb: “I don’t think people fully appreciate the incredible feats of Jamie Maclaren as they should be.
Dodd: “No, I’m 100% on board with that. I think if you’re Jamie Maclaren’s agent. Every single one of those stats is being updated on his resume every week.
“Yes, there have been a few penalties (six out of 12 goals), and yes people will jump on that – and that doesn’t matter, you’ve still got to score them. And also, people talk about penalties, the team usually wins them because they put themselves in a good attacking position.
“When Jamie Maclaren takes to the field now, it feels like there’s an air of inevitability about him scoring. And he’s become almost, from rival supporters, this sort of hated figure because they know he’s going to score. Defenders must be wary of him the whole time, because they think: ‘There he is – where’s he gone? He’s on my shoulder, no, he’s got a tap-in because he’s read the play.’
“You saw the tap-in that made it 3-1 against Wellington: stolen in at the back post and a brilliant ball from (Andrew) Nabbout – but he just knew where to be. That is something that great footballers and great centre forwards of years gone by will always tell you, that’s an instinct. Jamie Maclaren has got that down to a tee, it’s just natural for him now. He knows where to be at the right time.
“As you say, he’s probably going to break Beast Berisha’s goal record this season the way he’s carrying on.”
Mariners fill Urena void as Cummings earns Berbatov comparison
Central Coast Mariners venture into 2023 in third spot on the Isuzu UTE A-League table, playing some of the most attractive football league-wide under Nick Montgomery, who is keeping the feel-good vibes alive throughout his reign in Gosford.
It’s a commanding position for the Mariners, who won just two of six games to start the season; they’ve since won three out of four games – including a 2-1 triumph over Victory on New Year’s Eve.
One of the key pre-season questions of pointed at Montgomery was how he would mitigate the damage caused by Marco Urena’s departure. One of his key players in 2021-22, the Costa Rican provided the perfect foil to Jason Cummings up front, with the strike duo ending the season with a combined total of 17 goals.
Brazilian forward Marco Tulio arrived in the off-season, and after a slow start to the campaign has two goals in four games. He’s beginning to look more like the player capable of filling Urena’s role in the Mariners XI as each round passes by.
Garb: “Marco Tulio for me has filled some of that Marco Urena void. That was the big concern (for) them: Urena had been such a big player for a couple of seasons. Yes, they had some quality attacking players to fill the void around in Beni N’Kololo, Garang Kuol and (Jason) Cummings. But they just needed someone else to make sure Urena, who was such a big contributor, that void wasn’t too large.
“Tulio I think, in the last month in particular has been able to fill some of that.
Dodd: “He has… I feel as though he knows with all the spotlight that was on Garang Kuol, Jason Cummings being the leading man, that there was that perfect spot in that frontline… Tulio has just gone from strength to strength,
“I feel he’s adapted to Australia now, he’s adapted to the league and the role that Nick Montgomery wants him to play, and you’re seeing it. He’s a confidence player, he’s running a lot, he’s getting himself in good positions, he’s doing the hard yards – which I think if you ask any striker, they’d love to play alongside someone that does the running, and takes ip the positions they vacate or do the running for them.
“They’re undoubtedly going to miss Garang Kuol because of that X-factor, that stardust he brings and the unpredictability he has – but we touched on Jason Cummings, for me, Garby, I’ve been trying to put my finger on it for a while, that sort of player he reminds me of. Everything he does is so pivotal to what the Mariners do.
It’s almost a little bit – personality wise, very different – but it’s almost a bit of a Dimitar Berbatov, languid style.
“He’s not really a number nine, he’s sort of a nine-and-a-half. But he’s in great positions every time – he probably runs more than Berbatov did, and a bit quicker. He’s always in the right position… he’s lurking, he’s there, fox in the box style play from Cummings.
“He’s at the heart of everything good that football club does… we touched on players being happy – he looks like he’s having the time of his life.”
