“We’re going title hunting”: Why Melbourne City are still A-League Women contenders despite suffering early slip-ups – scout report

Christmas is a time when most football fans can sit back, take a breath and reflect on the events of the first half of the season, with players and coaches allowed to enjoy some downtime and recharge ahead of title run-ins or relegation battles. However, not all leagues take the festive period off, with one of those in the women’s game that keeps going throughout being Australia’s top flight, the newly-renamed A-League Women. It is always an exciting league to keep an eye on, with the 2022/23 campaign being no exception, as three teams sat level on points at the top of the table after eight weeks of matches.

As a result, it was a case of who would blink first, and, as it turned out, Melbourne City Women were the side who suffered the first major slip, with them picking up a second loss of the season at Western Sydney Wanderers Women last weekend whilst both defending regular season champions Sydney Women and league newcomers Western United Women registered maximum points.

However, despite their setback, the side owned by City Football Group (alongside the men’s team) should not be underestimated, with them finishing second in the regular 2021/2022 season before losing out in the semi-finals of the latter stages, and the fact that they have the likes of current Arsenal Women duo Jen Beattie and Kim Little, Scotland’s ex-Everton Women forward Claire Emslie (now with NWSL side Angel City) and Manchester City Women’s Alanna Kennedy among their former players indicates that talented names have believed in their potential.

This season, they have been the most potent side in the division so far with 18 goals to their name, which is a big positive for them. However, what will concern their fans is their inability to keep teams out, with their record of seven goals conceded currently being the worst record in the top four, and there are fears that that leakiness might leave them short once again. With that in mind, whilst this tactical analysis will discuss the many positive aspects of their play, it will also examine why they have lacked defensive security and where they can tighten up as the season progresses.

Wing play

One common way that Melbourne City Women build attacks is by using the wings to give them passing options, with their favoured 4-3-3 system allowing the wide forwards to make runs behind opposing defensive lines and into spaces from where they can create goalscoring opportunities.

This gives interim manager Dario Vidošić’s side targets to find when they look to play long balls up the field, meaning that they have a better chance of keeping possession and not allowing their opponents to send the ball back into their half. As a result, they can put pressure on defensive lines, with them now knowing that they have to get every detail right or Melbourne will have a free route to goal, and the positioning of close-season signing Bryleeh Henry here against Canberra United Women highlights how not winning the ball or not turning in time should it go behind them will allow Melbourne to get a shot away at goal.

It might look as if this is just Henry being clever with her positioning, and it is true to say that she has been one of Melbourne’s biggest threats this season, but the fact that her movements are often mirrored on the other side of the pitch indicates that it is actually part of Melbourne’s overall game plan, helping them to get on the front foot as quickly as possible and to commit numbers up the pitch, and getting all of that right is one reason that they have been so potent in front of goal.