CITY INSIDER
DOUBLEHEADER SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER AAMI PARK
CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER
DOUBLEHEADER
CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE IT WAS A TESTING COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR THE GROUP, BUT TO HAVE EMERGED FROM LAST WEDNESDAY’S GAME WITH THREE POINTS WAS DEFINITELY A CONFIDENCE-BOOSTER AND ASSURANCE THAT WE’RE ON THE RIGHT PATH EARLY IN THE SEASON. Whilst we can look back on the past handful of games and identify some areas that still need improvement on our end, seven points from our opening four games is a solid foundation that we can now build on following a longer-than-usual break between games. On that, while there are times where we just want to get back on the park as soon as possible, having this 10-day break between games on the back of a three-point performance has been quite welcome; a chance to rest, a chance to re-evaluate where we’re at and a chance to settle our focus entirely on the next fixture. In this instance, the next fixture is one that carries extra significance both in terms of our season and, of course, for the fans. While we know of course you all will have fond memories of recent Derbies, any thought of last season’s results has been quickly forgotten as we prepare to face an entirely different prospect in tonight’s clash. Whilst last season saw many memories made, any kind of fixation from the squad on ‘what was’ is only going to make us pay in the here and now – so, we leave it to you. While the playing group has prepared for tonight’s game with the sole focus of securing three points, we know that for you, a Derby always means more than the final scoreline. So, watch the replays, re-live the memories and – most importantly – bring the noise at AAMI Park tonight. Because for all the ways that we can prepare, the support from the stands is one unique advantage that we can only rely on you for. It may be a new season, but the anticipation for this game will never change. See you in the stands, C’mon City! Scott Jamieson Melbourne City FC captain
Together We Move
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MELBOURNE CITY v MELBOURNE VICTORY
CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER
CHRISTMAS DERBY HEAT INTENSIFIES FRESH FROM A 10-DAY BREAK SINCE OUR WIN OVER PERTH GLORY, OUR CITY BOYS SHOULD BE FIT AND FIRING AHEAD OF WHAT LOOMS AS A HUGE MELBOURNE DERBY TONIGHT. That win over Perth Glory may have ended with a positive result, but the boys were certainly made to work hard for it. Our boys dominated the attacking chances, particularly in the first half where Perth’s Cameron Cook survived a barrage of shooting attempts following our disallowed goal in the 13th minute which was ruled out for offside. We were trying from close, we were trying from distance, we were trying headers and bicycles, we were forcing sharp saves – we even hit the post – the ball just wouldn’t go
in. That is, of course, until the 88th minute, when Curtis Good clipped a long ball just inside the area to Connor Metcalfe, who aimed his header towards the far post for Nathaniel Atkinson to net the winner after coming on as a substitute. Whilst the three points was a pleasing way to get past the final hurdle in a busy run of games, the boys will seek to improve on their attacking efficacy if we’re to come away with another win in a massive Melbourne Derby later tonight. Following their wooden spoon finish in 2020/21, Melbourne Victory have recruited heavily
and, under the guidance of new manager Tony Popovic, look to be an improved outfit in their first four games of the new season. This 36th edition could be a decisive one in regard to history’s interpretation of the balance of the Derby overall. Each team has won 13 Derbies each, with nine draws in between, awarding a head-tohead advantage to the team that wins one next. Additionally, the title of the fixture’s m ost-prolific goalscorer could change hands, with Jamie Maclaren needing two goals to overtake Besart Berisha.
A-LEAGUE MEN PREVIEW
DANGER PLAYER
SEASON STATS - MELBOURNE VICTORY
MARCO ROJAS The Kiwi international has hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks, leading the league in assists and front up on Victory’s early season revival. Dubbed as the ‘Kiwi Messi’, Rojas is instrumental in Victory’s final third with his pace and ability to find fellow strikers with his instinct in the penalty area. Rojas has proved to be a formidable foe during this ficture and the 30-year-old will look to be one of the visitor’s main threats going forward. After an injury-riddled campaign, Rojas looks to be back in a big way for Victory.
2
3
LEAGUE POSITION
GAMES WON
6
4
GOALS SCORED
GOALS CONCEDED
A-LEAGUE LADDER
LAST RESULT
LAST TIME WE MET
ADELAIDE
1
VICTORY
1
VICTORY
2
MELBOURNE CITY
1
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Isuzu UTE A-League 2020/21 - Round 24 Sunday 6 June, 2021 AAMI Park
VIDEO HIGLIGHTS
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CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER
DOUBLEHEADER
DERBY BLOWOUTS FROM THE WORLD LAST SEASON WE WERE TREATED TO TWO WONDERFUL DERBY DEMOLITIONS AND IT GOT US THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS DERBY BLOWOUTS OVER THIS HISTORY OF FOOTBALL. Melbourne City FC’s six- and seven-goal wins in consecutive Melbourne Derbies in 2020/21 broke countless A-League Men’s records when they first occurred and, once the third and final meeting between the teams had finished as a 1-1 draw, ensured that the history books would forever remember the season that City won the Derby by an aggregate scoreline of 14:1. As the teams prepare to face each other for the first time in Season 2021/22, we take a look at seven (one for every goal in that April Derby) other one-sided seasons in highprofile Derbies to put City’s unforgettable achievement into perspective. There’s no better to place to start for a relevant comparison than another of Australia’s blockbuster intra-city contests, the Sydney Derby. During the 2017/18 season, Sydney FC were dominant in securing an aggregated scoreline of 10-3. Whilst the first meeting between the teams ended 2-2, the damage was done in the next iteration of the fixture, with Western Sydney Wanderers suffering a five-goal defeat at home. The discrepancy was only compounded in the next meeting, which Sydney won 3-1. Over in England, superiority in the Manchester Derby has swung to-and-fro over the years, with reigning Premier League Champions Manchester City boasting
two six-goal single-season blowouts in 2011/12 and 2013/14. However, it’s ‘Fergieera’ Manchester United who recorded the biggest cumulative margin in a single season of Premier Leagueera Derby meetings, winning 5-0 at home and 3-0 away in 1994/95. Though notoriously one-sided in favour of the fixture’s red participant, the Merseyside Derby has seen Everton avoid any catastrophic singleseason blowouts in the Premier League era against the more dominant Liverpool, with a five-goal deficit in 2011/12 representing their worst Derby performance in a single campaign. The Toffees lost 2-0 and 3-0 that season, with Tim Cahill starting in the former fixture and the latter result marked by a Steven Gerrard hattrick. Across the border now and there are few Derbies more iconic than the Old Firm, with Celtic and Rangers having met 60 times in the Scottish Premiership alone. From those fixtures, it’s the series of meetings from the 2016/17 season that stands out most, with Celtic accruing a ninegoal margin across four meetings. Two separate 5-1 results fell either side of Celtic’s 2-1 win and a 1-1 draw to make for an aggregate scoreline of 13:4. Heading to mainland Europe and whilst El Clásico may be the fixture that attracts more
headlines, there’s no doubt about the significance of El Derbi Madrileño to those in the Spanish capital of Madrid. Whilst a pair of 4-1 wins in 2011/12 marked a dominant season for Real Madrid, it’s Atlético who recorded the most one-sided single season scorelines back in 1950/51. That campaign saw 13 goals scored across two meetings as Atlético won 6-3 and 4-0 on their way to a fourth league title. Over to Italy now and it’s hard to go past the Derby della Madonnina – contested by AC Milan and Inter Milan – as a point of comparison to the Melbourne Derby given the participating teams’ cooccupancy of the iconic San Siro stadium. Both sides of Milan have enjoyed a six-goal aggregated margin over the course of a campaign, with AC managing it in the 2000/01 season and Inter replicating the achievement in 2009/10. We finish with the one of the football’s most notoriously heated rivalries, Turkey’s Intercontinental Derby. On three occasions Fenerbahçe SK have dominated Derbies in a single campaign by an aggregate margin of five goals, namely in 1991/92, 1996/97 and 2005/06. The 19-time Turkish Champions also hold the head-to-head advantage over their fierce rivals Galatasaray A.S.
MATCH SQUADS
HEAD COACH: PATRICK KISNORBO
A-LEAGUE MEN
1. TOM GLOVER
2. SCOTT GALLOWAY
3. SCOTT JAMIESON
4. NUNO REIS
5. ROSTYN GRIFFITHS
7. MATT LECKIE
8. AIDEN O’NEILL
9. JAMIE MACLAREN
10. FLORIN BERENGUER
13. NATHANIEL ATKINSON
15. ANDREW NABBOUT
16. TARAS GOMULKA
17. STEFAN COLACOVSKI
18. CONNOR METCALFE
20.MANUEL PUCCIARELLI
22. CURTIS GOOD
23. MARCO TILIO
33. MATT SUTTON
34. JORDAN HALL
36. KERRIN STOKES
37. MAX CAPUTO
38. JORDAN BOS
42. AHMED TALEB
35. RAPHAEL BORGES RODRIGUES
39. ANTHONY LESIOTIS
1 20
MATT ACTON IVAN KELAVA
2 3 5 15 16 17 21
JASON GERIA JASON DAVIDSON MATTHEW SPIRANOVIC AARON ANDERSON STEFAN NIGRO BRENDAN HAMILL RODERICK MIRANDA
4 6 8 13 14 22
RAI MARCHAN LEIGH BROXHAM JOSH BRILLANTE BIRKAN KIRDAR JAY BARNETT JAKE BRIMMER
7 9 10 11 18 23 24 25 26
CHRIS IKONOMIDIS FRANCESCO MARGIOTTA ROBBIE KRUSE BEN FOLAMI NICK D’AGOSTINO MARCO ROJAS NISHAN VELUPILLAY LUIS LAWRIE-LATTANZIO LLEYTON BROOKS
HEAD COACH: TONY POPOVIC
MELBOURNE VICTORY
CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER
DOUBLEHEADER
THE KIWI CONNECTION WHILST AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND HAVE LONG HAD CLOSE FOOTBALLING TIES, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COUNTRIES’ JOINT HOSTING OF THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP HAS BROUGHT THE TWO NATIONS TOGETHER LIKE NEVER BEFORE. Even excluding the introduction of the Wellington Phoenix’ A-League Women’s team – New Zealand’s first professional Women’s side – there seems to be as strong a Kiwi presence across the league as ever before, with some quality players arriving from across the ditch to lift the standards of Australia’s top Women’s footballing competition. This is reflected in the composition of Melbourne City’s squad for the 2021/22 season, with three New Zealanders – Rebekah Stott, Hannah Wilkinson and Marisa van der Meer – comprising 14% of the 21-player squad. The former had been City’s only-ever Kiwi prior to the arrival of her compatriots for the new Liberty A-League season. 28-year-old Stott, who has now made more appearances for Melbourne City’s Women’s team than any other player in Club history, hails from Papamoa, southeast of Auckland on New Zealand’s North Island. She moved to Australia as an 11-year-old though, undergoing some of her most formative years of footballing development
here and thus going on to captain her new nation at junior level, before committing to her country of birth to represent at senior level. Joining Stott this year is senior national team counterpart Hannah Wilkinson, born in New Zealand’s northernmost city, Whangārei. The 100-capped Football Fern began her footballing development as a teenager with Kamo High School and later with North Force, with both sides local to her birth city. However, Wilkinson made the move to the bright lights of Auckland for her first season as an 18-year-old, joining Glenfield Rovers between 2010 and 2011. The Kiwi then made the pivotal decision to take the next step in her development, moving to the United States to play collegelevel football with Tennessee Volunteers before securing her first professional contract in Sweden in 2017. The third member of City’s Kiwi contingent is yet to play in 2021/22, but Marisa van der Meer is certainly an exciting prospect given her call-up to New Zealand’s squad for the 2020 Olympics, despite not
making her senior debut at the tournament. The 19-year-old was born in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island, and joined Melbourne City following an impressive stint with one of New Zealand’s premier Women’s outfits in Canterbury United Pride. The 2019 and 2020 Champions of the National Women’s League had a big hand in van der Meer’s development in exposing the young defender to the highest-quality opposition and toughest footballing environment available before she was ready to sign her first professional contract. Whilst City fans will no doubt have their own side as a priority, the introduction of the Wellington Phoenix makes for an exciting new element to the Liberty A-League for neutral observers of the competition this year. With the Phoenix’ squad blending Kiwi and Aussie talents together, and the team set to host games on home soil later down the line, the strengthening of the two countries’ footballing relationship will only continue as we draw closer to the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER
DOUBLEHEADER
KIDS ZONE
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meet the team NAME: Curtis Good AGE: 28 POSITION: Defender NATIONALITY: Australian PREVIOUS CLUB: Dundee United JUNIOR CLUB: Nunawading City FAVOURITE FOOD: Parma FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Game of Thrones
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