After being the standard bearers in this competition for so long, Melbourne City fell back towards the pack in 2020-21.
City coach Rado Vidosic has searched far and wide in his quest to take the club back to the finals. The light blue side of Melbourne welcomes eleven new faces, with young Victorian starlet Caitlin Karic joined by a host of interstate recruits, as well as Football Ferns Hannah Wilkinson and Marisa van der Meer.
Adding some of Australia’s brightest young talent should help the City faithful retain an optimistic mood, however all long-time A-League Women fans will know that they can’t afford a repeat of last season’s slow start, with the relatively short campaign making it difficult to play catchup.
Last Season
City’s 2020-21 squad struggled to match the achievements of their predecessors. Rado Vidosic’s side would end up in seventh place, nine points from a finals spot, and their tally of eleven goals scored was the second lowest in the league.
They started the campaign with three successive losses, and the low point of their season was a 6-0 Derby loss in Round 3. City did turn things around and exact revenge with a dramatic 3-2 Derby triumph in Round 4, but five consecutive losses after that game put them well out of finals contention.
Three wins in a row to end the campaign was a highlight, and who could forget the final round? Tori Tumeth’s brilliant backheel set up Rhali Dobson for a goal in her farewell game, and it would be remiss of us not to mention Dobson’s fiancée Matt Stonham proposing to Dobson after the full time whistle.
Squad Ins & Outs
INS
Sally James (Canberra United)
Caitlin Karic (Football Victoria Emerging)
Darcey Malone (Football NSW Institute)
Leticia McKenna (Brisbane Roar)
Holly McNamara (Football NSW Institute)
Rhianna Pollicina (Newcastle Jets)
Rebekah Stott (Bulleen Lions)
Kaitlyn Torpey (Brisbane Roar)
Marisa van der Meer (Canterbury United Pride)
Meisha Westland (Lions FC)
Hannah Wilkinson (MSV Duisburg)
OUTS
Teigen Allen (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Sarah Cain (Perth Glory)
Alex Chidiac (JEF United Chiba)
Rhali Dobson (retired)
Noor Eckhoff (Eskilstuna United)
Chinatsu Kira (Orca Kamogawa)
Samantha Johnson (ASJ Soyaux-Charente)
Jenna McCormick (AGF)
Teagan Micah (FC Rosengård)
Lia Muldeary (not retained)
Hollie Palmer (Brisbane Roar)
Margot Robinne (Canberra United)
Sofia Sakalis (Perth Glory)
Julia Sardo (not retained)
Harriet Withers (Melbourne Victory)
Coach
Rado Vidosic is entering his fourth season as head coach of Melbourne City. The 2019-20 Coach of the Year has cast a wide net in search of players who can take City back to the finals, with new recruits coming to Victoria from the NPL competitions in New South Wales and Queensland, as well as the New Zealand national team.
Vidosic is one of this country’s most experienced coaches and was at the helm as City won the double two seasons ago, so he definitely knows what it takes to be successful in this competition. His ability to attract young players from interstate could be a good omen, now it’s just a matter of converting his squad’s undoubted potential into on-field results.
Key Defender
Only seven players remain from last season’s squad. It may help that all of those players are defensive minded: goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri, defenders Emma Checker, Tori Tumeth, Naomi Thomas-Chinnama, Tyla-Jay Vlajnic and Chelsea Blissett (back from an ACL injury), plus holding midfielder Leah Davidson.
Checker, who captained City for the majority of 2020-21 and will wear the armband again this time around, looks set for a strong campaign. Earlier this year, she headed to Iceland and was an ever-present for UMF Selfoss. Her leadership skills were obvious enough for Selfoss to give her the captaincy midway through their season, which can only be a good sign for City. The 25 year old isn’t short of motivation either, with a Matildas recall always a possibility if she performs to the level she has shown in previous years.
Key Midfielder
Rhianna Pollicina’s 2020-21 campaign was her first after a five year break from the national stage, but her performances in the Jets midfield suggested otherwise. Pollicina caught the eye with her calmness in possession and prodigious technical ability, while also recording two goals and two assists on the way to winning Newcastle’s Player of the Year award. This ability to slot into a new environment bodes well for City, especially given the high level of squad turnover for this season.
Pollicina continued her Newcastle form into the 2021 winter season with APIA Leichhardt, playing in every game before the NPL New South Wales season was cancelled due to lockdown. She has a lethal long range shot, whether that be in open play or from a set piece, so that could prove useful as City look to improve on last season’s goal tally.
Key Attacker
In what is a very youthful City squad, Hannah Wilkinson’s experience will be vital. Her CV is as extensive as it is impressive: 100 caps for New Zealand, two World Cup appearances, three Olympic Games appearances and four years at the University of Tennessee, plus stints in Sweden, Portugal and Germany. This will be the 29 year old’s first time in the A-League Women competition, but the signing of fellow Football Fern Marisa van der Meer means she won’t be a complete stranger.
Wilkinson’s height will prove to be a useful attribute for the City attack, while her reputation for aerial ability and goalscoring instincts could mean that Rado Vidosic’s side have the target they sorely missed last season. When her signing was announced, Vidosic praised her leadership skills, so she will also be important in guiding young attackers Holly McNamara and Caitlin Karic.
Young Player To Watch
As the members of the Junior Matildas squad from the 2019 AFC U16 Championship begin to make a name for themselves in this competition (the likes of Jessika Nash, Jamilla Rankin, Bryleeh Henry and Hana Lowry come to mind), it may come as a surprise that Darcey Malone was actually the first player from that group to play on the national stage.
Malone made two substitute appearances for Sydney FC as a 15 year old injury replacement player in 2018 – three years on from that brief sojourn in sky blue, the crafty central midfielder will be looking to establish herself in the heart of City’s lineup. She has a level of composure rarely seen in teenagers, as well as a delicate first touch and a gift for intercepting the ball, so Malone’s relative lack of experience may not be an impediment to her seeing significant playing time.
Predicted Finish
With so many new additions, their final position on the ladder will depend on how quickly the team gels. It’s vital for City to capitalise on pre-existing pockets of chemistry within the squad. For example, Malone and McNamara have spent a lot of time together at Football NSW Institute, while Pollicina was teammates at APIA Leichhardt with Tumeth and Davidson.
It’s also important for City to avoid a repeat of the 2020-21 defensive struggles which saw them concede almost two goals per game. The signs are good for the light blue side of Melbourne to be much more solid this season, with Checker having a successful Icelandic adventure earlier this year, plus the return of Blissett and Rebekah Stott.
Any A-League Women squad would be grateful for the kind of experience that Barbieri, Checker, Stott and Wilkinson bring to the table. If this quartet can get a precocious but highly talented squad pulling in the right direction, then a semi-final place is well within reach.
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