HOW DO WE SQUEEZE ALL OF OUR STARS INTO THE XI?

Melbourne City has enjoyed a strong start to the 2022/23 A-League Men season, sitting top of the table thanks to the contribution and efforts of the entire squad across the opening 12 games.

While boasting big names like Jamie Maclaren, Marco Tilio and Matthew Leckie, City’s incredible wealth of depth coming off the substitutes bench is what makes it such a dangerous and dynamic unit for any opposition.

City has been able to call on the likes of Scott Galloway (8 appearances off the bench), Scott Jamieson (5) and Andrew Nabbout (7) to come in and either close out a tight victory or add much-needed spark when chasing the game.

With such experienced heads coming off the bench most weeks, it means Head Coach Rado Vidosic constantly has a like-for-like replacement ready to go should a player be struck down with injury.

We saw this in City’s most recent game against the Roar, youngster Jordan Bos was ruled out due to concussion protocols and skipper Scott Jamieson was able to seamlessly step into the starting role.

When City have gone ahead early in a game, the likes of Jamieson and Galloway have often been called up to shore up our defensive lines while Andy Nabbout has brought plenty of impact even in limited minutes, recording two goals and an assist already this season.

Last year’s Player of the Year, Florin Berenguer, has also been eased back via the substitutes bench, with the talented Frenchman offering a quality option through the midfield should Vidosic call for a change.

With Vidosic having such quality options to choose from each week, it ensures the workload is spread across the entirety of the squad to ensure the players remain fit and firing come the pointy end of the season.

As City look to carry on its strong start to the season and go all the way in 2023, they’ll be hoping they can continue to call upon these unsung heroes to help them go all the way.