Melbourne Victory season review with David Davutovic and Matt Windley

MELBOURNE Victory season review: David Davutovic and Matt Windley ‘Chew the Fat’ over Victory’s season plus present their report card.

Besart Berisha had a another fruitful season for Melbourne Victory.

MELBOURNE Victory season review: David Davutovic and Matt Windley ‘Chew the Fat’ over Victory’s season plus present their report card.

CHEWIN’ THE FAT

DAVID DAVUTOVIC: Sixth position, an elimination final loss and still in with a shout of Asian Champions League knockout qualification. Pass mark?

MATT WINDLEY: It’s funny but as disappointing as the A-League season was, I actually do think the club gets a pass mark if it makes it out of the group in the Champions League. Let’s not forget it won the FFA Cup as well. Do we judge Victory by different standards given the runs that are on the board?

DD: Was just testing you on the Cup! Feels like a season ago, but it’s silverware, something Victory has become used to winning. I’ve marked them harsher than, say, Melbourne City previously but now they’re equals.

MW: I still think, with the way they were starting to build, it was an opportunity lost come finals time. In what has been the most even of seasons, I think there was a belief at Victory that it could still win the title — even from sixth — so to lose in the elimination final would have been hard to take.

DD: True, but equally true is that you don’t deserve to win it from sixth, as home ground advantage has rightfully come home to roost in all finals. Is this the end of an era?

MW: It’s definitely the end of this team as we know it. By A-League standards there was an incredible lack of list turnover at Victory last off-season. At the time it was seen as a good thing, in hindsight it may have bred a little bit of complacency. There’ll be quite a few new faces next season and at least two new foreigners with Gui Finkler and Kosta Barbarouses leaving.

DD: Change is often necessary. Chelsea was another that stuck with a title-winning team and look what happened. It adds intrigue to the off-season. Competing in July’s International Champions Cup makes Victory’s pre-season even more crucial and it means they’ll be up and about for their FFA Cup Round of 32 game (and ACL quarter-final if they get there).

Melbourne Victory defender Matthieu Delpierre has retired.

MW: The ACL’s the thing. If Victory is in the quarter-finals then the rush is on to get the squad put to bed early — which will make the next few months tough for coach Kevin Muscat and football manager Paul Trimboli. If there’s no ACL then they’ve got a bit more time to scour the market.

DD: There’s plenty of intrigue in the squad. Jason Geria and Scott Galloway are keen to head abroad, while Connor Pain just wants to go somewhere he’ll get game time.

MW: Is Lawrence Thomas Victory’s No.1 for the opening game of the 2016-17 season?

DD: Good question. It depends on what nick they return in for pre-season and subsequent form, but as it stands he deserves it because he didn’t do much wrong.

MW: Was Carl Valeri’s absence the defining factor of the season?

DD: Absolutely. Not to disrespect Rashid Mahazi and Leigh Broxham, who did well, but Victory’s style places a massive reliance on the No.6, especially without Mark Milligan by his side. It’s as much what Valeri does without the ball — positioning, directing traffic, intimidating opponents — as with it, though his neat, simple ball-playing is underrated. Did you think Matthieu Delpierre would play on?

MW: Not surprised he retired. The question now is where he sits in terms of Victory’s best-ever players. That’s how good he was.

Carl Valeri’s absence through illness was keenly felt by Melbourne Victory.

MELBOURNE VICTORY 2015/16 SEASON REPORT CARD

FINISHED: 6th

W 11 D 8 L 9 GF 41 GA 35

FFA Cup: Winners

GRADE: B-

COMMENTS

Got off to a flyer and claimed the FFA Cup in November before the wheels fell off, coinciding with influential captain Carl Valeri’s absence. Victory snuck into the six and finished the season respectfully, and while they played well in the elimination final loss to Brisbane they can have few complaints overall.

Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat will be doing plenty of work in the off-season to refresh his squad.

THE OFF-SEASON

NEEDS

A refresh of the squad after boasting virtually the same personnel for two seasons, with added depth in midfield and attack. The rollercoaster season proved there was too much reliance on Valeri, while the exits of Kosta Barbarouses and Gui Finkler (10 goals and 12 assists) mean quality replacements must be found.

GOING? Jesse Makarounas, Connor Pain, Jason Geria, Scott Galloway, Archie Thompson.

GONE: Matthieu Delpierre, Kosta Barbarouses, Gui Finkler (Wellington)

THE COACH: KEVIN MUSCAT

Handled himself well in overcoming another testing period when a finals place was up in the air, but expectations will be higher next season. Being critical, he should’ve signed a replacement for Valeri and an evolution of the 4-2-3-1 and/or the addition of a plan B is necessary.

TOP 3

1. Matthieu Delpierre

2. Kosta Barbarouses

3. Besart Berisha

THE BEST: Matthieu Delpierre

It’s scary to think what would’ve happened to Victory had the Frenchman missed an extended period while Valeri was out. His calming influence with and without the ball and reading of the game is exemplary. Delpierre’s performances were that good that the question must be posed, is he Victory’s best import ever?

HIGH POINT: R15 v Brisbane, 4-0

What a night. A convincing win over the all-conquering Brisbane side, fielding a youthful team that included an extraordinary debut from Ballarat boy Stefan Nigro at right-back, and timely as it came on the eve of the Asian Champions League.

LOW POINT: R24 v Newcastle, 1-1

You’d have thought there would be a response after getting done 5-0 in Brisbane, but playing at home against a lowly Jets side that had 10-men for more than half the contest, Victory looked listless. The abject performance sparked some soul searching and a late run of form.

INTERNATIONALS

OLYROOS: Jason Geria, Giancarlo Gallifuoco (4 games), Connor Pain (3 games), Scott Galloway, Thomas Deng (1 games),

OTHER: Kosta Barbarouses (New Zealand, 1 game)