Will Melbourne Victory play like Brisbane Roar?

With the terrible 11/12 season over and the announcement of Ange Postecoglou as the new coach for next season, Melbourne Victory fans are looking forward to better times ahead.  The club could hardly have chosen better than a coach with 4 National championships on his CV, two of them with South Melbourne in the old NSL and two more with Brisbane Roar.

His last two in particular came with a style that has opened the eyes of the coaching fraternity in Australian football. A style based on playing from the back, adventurous full backs,  a ball playing defensive mid, an extremely mobile attacking midfield with swift passing movements and attacking with width.

 

The outgoing coach Jim Magilton however raised concerns over the quality of the playing squad during his short tenure. So keeping in mind the old tried and trusted football adage of adopting the style that suits the players, can we possibly expect Melbourne Victory to play the way Brisbane Roar has? 

Ange Postecoglou has already hinted that he might not and has announced there will be some changes to the playing roster. So let's assess whether the current squad can potentially play in the fluent and attacking 4-3-3 that Brisbane has been playing:

 

Ball played out from the back.

This requires defenders with sound technique, comfortable on the ball and calm under pressure. Adrian Lejier is not a player that distributes well and Petar Franjic is slightly better but nowhere near the level required. The defence was the Achilles of last season and new signings are most definitely required if Victory is going to play out from the back! 

Attacking full-backs.

On the right, Matthew Foschini struggles in this department and usually concentrates on his defensive priorities. Adama Traore is a good signing in terms of an attacking full back however more depth is required for this position when taking into consideration Matthew Kemp’s poor season.

 

Mobile midfield

The emergence of James Jeggo was a huge positive from a disappointing last season and has the game to play the ball playing defensive midfield role. Looking forward at attacking midfielders however Carlos Hernandez's mobility is not his forte and Ferreira and Leigh Broxham are purely suited to a defensive mid role. Best suited for attacking mid is Billy Celeski if he rediscovers his form but it is doubtful that he will. If Carlos leaves the club as rumours suggest, Victory will have to bring in two quality attacking midfielders, even if the hugely talented Harry Kewell plays in a more withdrawn role. 

 

Wingers

Victory is blessed in this department with Harry Kewell, Marco Rojas, Isaka Cernak and Julius Davies who I predict will be the revelation of the next season. Furthermore I expect Archie Thompson will be converted to a winger under Postecoglou, as he tends to prefer a traditional centre forward.

 

Centre Forward

As mentioned, Postecoglou likes the presence of a true centre forward like Solorzano or Berisha. Relying on Danny Alsopp to score 10 goals a season or to create spaces will not guarantee success, therefore Victory will surely enter the market for a signing. My money is on a foreign recruit.

 

So taking the above into consideration, unless the new players brought in can adapt easily to the Roar’s style of play and system I believe that Melbourne Victory’s style will be more cautious than the Roar’s. Although it will still be a high tempo and attacking game I expect Victory to be playing slightly deeper with two holding midfielders in Jeggo and Ferreira and transitioning quickly into attack with quick passes on the deck to the wings, probably in a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

A blueprint for this style of play is Real Madrid and if Ange Postecoglou can imitate this system then he really will be on his way to becoming the first Australian Socceroos coach since Frank Farina. 

* photo from Herald Sun