Dario Vidosic’s side are bolstered by returning firepower just in time for the finals, writes Taryn Heddo in the first of a series going deep into the Liberty A-League finalists.
Dario Vidosic did not think that his head coaching journey would begin so soon.
His father, Rado, led the team through off-season, signing players and running them through their paces, just as he had since 2018. He had led them to a premiership in 2018-19, and the premiership/championship double in 2019-20. He had also overseen a transition period for City, a pivot of expectations after the exit of many of the superstars who carried them to success.
But then Rado found himself called up to fill a vacancy in the men’s team. Suddenly it was Dario, the erstwhile assistant, facing the press in the hotseat in the lead up to their round three clash against Brisbane.
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Fans and media alike waited to see what the younger Vidosic would bring to this City team. Could they continue to be a force in this competition? Would their style of football change?
The new head coach answered in emphatic fashion. “We want to dominate the game, with and without the ball,” he said. “When we don’t have the ball, I suffer.”
The Melbourne City Style
The A-League Women – and indeed, the A-League Men as well – can be seen as a predominantly transitional league. Teams that have dominated in the league often do so thanks to a sturdy, physical midfield that is able to quickly distribute the ball to pacey forwards after winning the ball from their opponents.
This typical style of play does not necessarily rely on possession, but it does rely on effective possession. What that means in practice is that teams will focus more on exploiting the openings created in moments of transition between defence and attack than slow build up play with the ball themselves.
Melbourne City have always set themselves apart in this respect. As a part of the CFG stable, their teams of any gender have tried to play the ‘City Way’ – entertaining, possession-based football.
Most teams in the league hover within three percentage points of 50% possession over the course of the season. Melbourne City, meanwhile, average 60.6%.
They have the most progressive passes and progressive carries in the league, meaning more than anything else they are playing the ball forward. In terms of expected goals, they are the second best in the league both for and against – behind Sydney FC in both cases.
Yet, for all of their possession and expected stats, they found themselves in real danger of dropping out of the top four in the final round of the season. They finished third, only one point above Melbourne Victory and Canberra United in fourth and fifth respectively. They were a full nine points behind Western United in second, and ten behind Sydney FC in first.
This can be explained in two ways – profligacy in front of the opposition goal, and dangerous play in front of their own.
One evening in Perth…
If there is one game that emphasises the best and worst of Melbourne City, it was their 4-3 defeat to Perth Glory in their penultimate regular season game.
City had 64% possession. They had 550 passes to Perth’s 308 and 32 shots to Perth’s seven. A 77% passing accuracy, to Perth’s 62%. An expected goals total of 5.92, to Perth’s 0.85.
A first half goal to Rhianna Pollicina looked, for much of the game, like it might be enough. It wasn’t. They conceded twice – a back post header from a corner, and then a long-range strike after giving possession away while playing out from the back.
They did manage to equalise. Hannah Wilkinson, an unstoppable finish in the box, a poacher’s goal from their Kiwi international.
However, not taking their chances earlier in the game came back to haunt them. Perth kept attacking. More mistakes at the back led to Perth’s third, and somehow – in a two v four situation – Perth’s American strikers Gabriella Coleman and Cyera Hintzen found a way to make it four.
The thing about being a team that likes to play with the ball is that it can be exploited by teams who like to sit back and create opportunities on the counter-attack. Perth Glory are one of those teams. In fact, most of the league consists of those teams.
When City’s style of football comes off, it is truly impressive. They can suffocate teams out of games, like they did to Perth for 70 minutes. However, when they fail to put away their chances, and when defensive errors begin to creep in, their results go south.
Finals Chances
Melbourne City have suffered defeats against Western United twice, Sydney FC once, and Melbourne Victory once. They have failed to defeat any of their top four opponents during the regular season.
At other times, however, they have looked unstoppable. Their season began with Maria Rojas in outstanding form, along with American signing Emina Ekic. Rhianna Pollicina was at her typical creative best. City were humming along nicely.
An injury to Ekic and the departure of Rojas disrupted their front line. Hannah Wilkinson, their leading goal scorer of all time, is an outstanding poacher – but a very different player from the skilled ball-playing Rojas. Ekic, who scored four goals in her six appearances in the league, was a huge loss. New signing Bryleeh Henry, who started the season so well, dropped out of form.
Now, with the return of Holly McNamara from an ACL injury that saw her sidelined until March, the return of Rojas from international duty to take Ekic’s international spot, and a return to form for Hannah Wilkinson, City are once again looking far more dangerous up top. It is possible that their combinations have come together at just the right time.
There is no reason why Melbourne City at full flight can’t make a fist of it in final’s football. If they can eliminate errors in their own third, and be clinical in the opponent’s third, they could arguably be the best team in the competition.
All of this means that if it all comes together, Dario Vidosic is an outside chance of walking away with the first silverware in his coaching career.
Taryn Heddo is a commentator on the Liberty A-League for Paramount+ and the 10 Network.
