By Anna Harrington and Zee Ko
With the opening round of the 2013/14 W-League season just days away, Melbourne Victory headed to John Cain Memorial Park for their only practice match of the preseason, offering fans a chance to watch their heroes in action.
With star recruit Lisa De Vanna on the field and a bevy of sponsors plastering their sparkling new kits, Victory looked all set to kick off the season in style. But alas, the opposition appeared not to have read the script. Taking on a Women’s Premier League All-Stars selection, Victory huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow the house down in a disappointing 0-0 draw.
Our clearest indication of how the team will approach the new campaign came during the season launch, as coach Dave Edmondson spoke of implementing an attacking style of play intended to deliver goals – and plenty of them. While the Victory players were off-target in their first practice match, there was a clear focus on a swarming attack that sought to outnumber defenders and force an opening. However, all the attacking pressure came to naught as the All-Stars defence held firm.
How things unfolded
Edmondson deployed what was essentially a 4-3-3 formation that sometimes evolved into a 4-2-1-3, with midfielder Cindy Lay playing in an advanced position and bursting forward to support the attacking triumvirate of De Vanna, Caitlin Friend and Tiffany Eliadis. The pieces were shuffled in the second half, as Laura Spiranovic and train on youngsters Eleni Fakos and Kate Fotopoulos entered the fray, but the structure remained relatively intact.
At the back, Victory’s defence proved a solid unit with Emma Checker, Alex Natoli, Jessica Humble and captain Stephanie Catley playing out the full 90 minutes. In the absence of New Zealand international Rebekah Stott, Humble and Natoli played traditional stay-at-home roles, rarely venturing out of their defensive positions. Full backs Checker and Catley were much more adventurous, with the skipper maintaining responsibility for set pieces alongside Enza Barilla.
Natoli might not have Stott’s turn of speed or air of authority just yet, but showed an uncanny knack of appearing in the right place at the right time, foiling the All-Stars forwards repeatedly with efficient tackling. Humble was getting plenty of help from Checker in keeping the dangerous Leigh Gray quiet too, with the former Adelaide defender showing a willingness to track back and help in defence when not pushing forward.
It was in midfield that Victory encountered problems though, with Koca and Enza Barilla proving inadequate stand-ins for missing internationals Jessica Fishlock and Katie Hoyle. It might be a little harsh to single out the Bundoora United teammates with both of them seeing plenty of the ball, but it was their inability to control proceedings that proved problematic. Koca looked under the weather after being in hospital the night before, but it was in stark contrast to the all-action dynamic running Victory fans will be looking forward to from Welsh captain Fishlock when she arrives.
In contrast, the All-Stars midfield of Christine Pfeiffer, Stephanie Tanti, Sienna Fogarty and Jessica Tay seemed up for the contest, getting stuck in all over the park and harrying their illustrious opponents whenever they were in possession. Edmondson acted swiftly as the teams went into the break deadlocked, with Emily Hulbert entering the fray in place of Koca. It proved a masterstroke as the youngster tore into the All-Stars midfield with gusto, but as the chances started piling up, it was the forward line that began spluttering.
Try as they might, Victory could not seem to find the decisive first goal with Line Johansen in stellar form between the sticks for the All-Stars. It was a morale-boosting draw for the WPL players in the end, while Victory go back to the drawing board and try to find the missing ingredients ahead of the Grand Final replay against champions Sydney FC.
In the spotlight
Lisa De Vanna:
On the field for a little over an hour in her first hit out in Victory colours, the mercurial forward showed enough to safely assume she will play an integral role in the club’s title charge this season. Lining up on the left of a three-man frontline initially, De Vanna found a close shadow in All-Stars defender Sky Jensen but gave her young marker plenty to think about with well-timed runs into space paired with clever footwork on the ball.
There was plenty of combination play with full back Catley down the left wing, the two dovetailing to punch through the All-Stars defence at will. De Vanna was then shifted to the right where she continued to earn possession with relative ease before being given a well earned rest. Though unable to find the net on this outing, the key forward looked dangerous throughout and will only get better as she gets used to playing with her new teammates.
Emma Checker:
De Vanna may well be Victory’s star recruit alongside Fishlock, but this young South Australian defender could well prove an even bigger coup come the end of the season. Moving from Adelaide United in the off-season, Checker lined up at right back for Victory and delivered a 90 min performance arguably worthy of best afield status. While her natural position will still be in the centre of defence, the young defender used her height and strength to good advantage against the All-Stars, impressing with her powerful rebounding abilities and speed down the line.
Checker might well move back into central defence once Jessica Samuelsson arrives at the club, but Edmondson will surely be confident that he has a high class back up for the Swede if one is needed on the back of this performance. The Matilda’s fearlessness in pushing forward and transitioning between defence and attack shows promise, and it would not be a surprise if she finds herself as comfortable in that position further down the road.
Final thoughts
A somewhat rusty performance from Victory given their inability to open accounts on the day, but there was still plenty to like after our first look at last year’s beaten Grand Finalists.
Victory clearly grew in confidence as the game progressed, gradually imposing their dominance and improving their pass completion rate. Apart from an early Brittany Dudley-Smith effort that clanged off the upright, goalkeepers Brianna Davey and Cassandra Dimovski were barely tested.
The All-Stars put in an admirable effort after a demoralising loss to a Tasmanian selection a week earlier, defending stoically while working hard to build offensive pressure as they fought to gain a creditable result.
There are clearly some kinks to work out in the attacking third for Victory, with sloppy passing and miscommunication causing play to break down at times. But a side possessing the attacking talents of De Vanna, Friend, Spiranovic and company certainly has the firepower and capability to score heavily and often. Each brings different qualities to the table and if Edmondson can find the right balance, goals will surely follow.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that this squad could potentially change heavily over the next few weeks and into the season, with both international and injured players set to return to the fold.
This might have been a tough result to take in the only practice match Victory will have this preseason, but at least it was time well spent as Edmondson and his coaching team are given plenty to think about and to work on leading into the season opener.