9 points on Adelaide 2-2 Victory

The latest instalment of the league's most volatile fixture ended with the Victory clawing back to level terms to depart Hindmarsh with a share of the spoils. All in all, this contest was not decided by clever tactical flourishes, but through fitness and momentum. 

11 points on Victory 0-0 Heart

Honours even at the Etihad Stadium, after a fairly tentative game between the two Melbourne rivals. Billed as the return of 'turncoat'/'saviour' Harry Kewell, it was instead Postecoglou's Victory which provided the more tactical interest.

3 points on Brisbane 3-1 Victory

First off, Happy New Year to you all - hopefully your holiday hangovers are a distant and fuzzy memory. 

Brisbane returned back to winning form, halting a worrying run of five matches without a win, by easily disposing of a disorientated Victory. Mehmet Durakovic has his fair share of detractors, but this was easily his worst tactical performance against a title contending team yet. By contrast, Ange Postecoglou was masterful in the dug-out, completing bamboozling his counterpart, by tailoring his system to exploit key weaknesses. 

Heart 3-2 Victory: Match Analysis

This edition of the Melbourne Derby was a thrilling contest, fought between two clubs with contrasting approaches. Heart were able to emerge victorious, largely due to the shrewdness of Dutch manager John van't Schip. Having seen his initial theoretically sound tactical plan fail to contain the sparkling Victory trident of Hernandez, Kewell and Thompson, the former Ajax winger changed Heart's formation, and from then were in the ascendant. This match superbly illustrated the superiority of a collective 'system' over reliance on individual 'star power' in building a team. 

Melbourne Derby Preview

Bring on the blood and the thunder, for the Derby is at hand. This Friday, what has quickly become one of the most anticipated fixtures of Australian sport will play out at AAMI Park, when the Red and Whites host the Navy Blues.
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5 points on Victory 3-2 Gold Coast

Here are 5 tactical points on the Victory's desperate 3-2 triumph against Gold Coast. The match was highly unusual for a number of reasons. Firstly, the referee was probably more of an influence on the outcome of this match than any of the players, handing out a red card and two penalties to the home team, as well as a host of yellow cards. But both managers also bungled their tactics, which made for early modifications. 

Victory 2-2 Brisbane: Match Analysis

Melbourne Victory turned in a heroic defensive performance after going down to ten, and then nine men, within the space of half an hour. The manner of the goals tells the story of this match, with Brisbane scoring from two set pieces, and Archie Thompson displaying his clinical edge, bagging a brace.

This match might very well be the turning point for the seasons of both Brisbane and Victory. After that blunt performance, the reigning champions are now faced with the prospect of playing teams that sit all eleven men behind the ball, while Durakovic might finally realise that in the short term, the Navy Blues will be better served playing the way Merrick intended his squad to.

A Tale of Victory: From London to Melbourne

It is the 22^nd of October. Mehmet Durakovic and his Melbourne Victory squad welcome derby rivals Melbourne Heart to Etihad Stadium. The home team are fortunate to escape with a draw against the rampant Red and Whites.

A week later and it’s now the 29^th of October. Arsene Wenger’s stuttering Arsenal visit Andre Villas Boas and his Chelsea squad at Stamford Bridge. A goal fest of epic proportions ensues, which results in a Van Persie hat-trick and a 5-3 loss to the Blues.

What could these two clubs, Melbourne Victory and Chelsea FC, nearly 17,000 km, hundreds of millions of pounds and a whole other English dialect apart, have in common?

Victory 0-0 Heart: Match Analysis

Saturday's Melbourne Derby was an open and exciting affair, as well as an entertaining spectacle thanks to the fantastic atmosphere created by the Blue and White Brigade and the travelling Yarraside. Though it ended in a draw, Heart were conclusively the more dominant side throughout, but were unable to translate that into goals. PM have made the comparison before of Heart to Arsenal, and on the weekend the Red and Whites of Melbourne displayed that most evident failing endemic to the Red and Whites of North London; hesitancy up-front. At times, Heart seemed intent on walking the ball into the net, with Covic undoubtedly the home side hero, with only his snap reflexes keeping the Navy Blues in the game. There wasn't an overt tactical 'battle' during this match as there was between Postecoglou and Arnold. Nonetheless, Durakovic's starting XI was short on invention, and his substitutions worsened Victory's situation in midfield, while van't Schip's line-up was positive, aggressive and his substitutions were daring.

The football media have definitely not given enough attention, or more likely haven't even noticed the fact that Melbourne Heart and Brisbane have been trying to implement False Nines. The False Nine is a tactic that only the greatest Champions League sides have dared to attempt; Van Persie at Arsenal, Totti at Roma, Rooney at Manchester United and of course Messi at Barcelona. To that illustrious list we can now add Alex Terra of Melbourne Heart and Thomas Broich of Brisbane. Bravo Ange Postecoglou and John van't Schip, the two greatest innovators of Australian football.

Melbourne Derby Preview

Arise, arise ye sons and daughters of Melbourne, for the Derby is at hand.

This Saturday will see the two Victorian rivals take the field at Aami Park Etihad Stadium to determine, for good and all (or at least for the next few weeks), which club holds sway over the city of Melbourne - Victory or Heart.

Adelaide 1-0 Victory: Match Analysis

This was a taut, tense and heated affair between the two clubs with arguably the most vitriolic rivalry in the A-League; the Reds and the Navy Blues. South Australians scarcely need reminding of the utterly dominant record the Victorians hold over them, the highlights of which include Archie Thompson's 5-goal shellacking in the inaugural 2006-7 Grand Final, and a 5-year undefeated streak held against the Reds that Coolen was only able to break last year. For the Reds, this was a match to savour. Ultimately, the result was decided by a mistaken pass, Van Dijk's predatory instincts and confirmed by a questionable sending off of Leijer. While both managers employed 4-2-3-1 shapes, there were distinctive differences between the two; namely the roles of Harry Kewell, shifted from trequartista to centre forward, and Zenon Caravella, a passing midfielder who has found himself shunted out on the wing.

Victory 0-0 Sydney: Match Analysis

Tonight’s city derby was a scrappy and aggressive, end-to-end affair. Both sides eschewed any semblance of build-up play in favour of exchanging attacks down the flanks. Debutants Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell were obviously the focus pre-game, but after the 90 mins, it was Kewell who had acquitted himself better.

 

Melbourne Victory 2011-12 Season Preview

Melbourne Victory; for so long, that name inspired trepidation and admiration throughout the A-League. Winning two Championship/Premiership Doubles, regular Finals appearances, the largest fanbase in Australia and huge financial clout will do that for you. Victory were dominant, rampant and unstoppable. Then something changed; Brisbane arrived and dragged the A-League into the modern era with a dynamic philosophy of possession based football. And for the first time, Victory were found wanting. Foundation manager Ernie Merrick was sensationally sacked. Foundation captain Kevin Muscat exited the game ignominiously. Mehmet Durakovic was installed to succeed Merrick and presided over an underwhelming Asian Champions League campaign.

A-League Pre-Season Form Guide

FourFourTwo AU put together a useful guide to the club's results in offseason. These results should probably be taken with a grain of salt; obviously clubs were still making signings, players were still coming back from injury, and managers were giving some youngsters experience - so it's unlikely that clubs consistently sent out their strongest available line-up, or even played in their preferred style.

Nevertheless, there's still utility in seeing how many games clubs lost, how many goals were conceded, and who has scoring form going into the regular season. It should be noted how notoriously unrealiable pre-season results are as predicators of regular season success; in the 4 seasons in which the A-League held a Pre-Season Cup, only one of the Cup winners went on to become Premiers or Champions. Quick summary below.