Anybody that watched the Melbourne Heart- Victory Derby last week would have to have been greatly impressed, not just about the overall standard on display, but in particular the performance of the victors.
Victory had by far the better of the the first 30 minutes securing and subsequently squandering a penalty in the 5th minute before converting through the ever reliable Archie Thompson.
But from the time that Matt Thompson equalised in the 37th minute Heart cruised to what can only be described as a pretty 'soft' win. Carlos Hernandez deftly converted a free kick in the 92nd minute which which really did flatter the vanquished team on the scoreboard.
There is a lovely balance between youth and experience in the Heart lineup and whilst some of the older players like Matt Thompson, Clint Bolton, Rutger Worm, Adrian Madaschi & Captain Fred stole a lot of the limelight in the Victory match, it was some of the youngsters in the squad that left an indelible impression on me.
It was the abilities Eli Babalj the central striker that surprised me the most, possibly because I knew very little about him. At 194cm (6ft 4) & 85kg his is taller than your average striker but very nimble on his feet and there is something 'Vidukaesque' about him, not only in that regard but also in his ability to hold the ball up and bring other teammates into play. He very nearly scored himself bar a fine point blank save by Ante Kovic. I could scarcely believe it when he got substituted around the 60 minute mark because he was running rings around the Victory defence at the time.
Mate Dugandzic is only 22 and has impressed for some time. And how Victory must now be rueing letting this player go to their bitter rivals. He seems to have an innate ability to create space for himself and his passing a is possibly without peer in this competition, particularly in the opponents final 3rd. He is absolutely revelling in his midfield role at the club ( I think Victory played him as a winger) and unlike some other A-League youngsters who have recently returned from National duty, he seems to have actually improved since returning to his club. That probably speaks volumes for his manager who I will get too shortly.
Aziz Behich at the tender age of 22 is another of Hearts' gains from Melbourne Victory. He is a constant attacking menace for opposition defences from left back and he often gets to the byline to supply a telling cross. He is improving all the time and must surely come under the gaze of Socceroos Coach Helger very shortly. Top class left sided attacking players don't come by too often so the future looks bright for Aziz who could quite easily slot into left midfield or a left wing spot if required.
Michael Marrone is a bit older at 24 but is a freakish dribbler with the ball which isn't a common trait of a Right Full Back. Somehow he manages to retain possession whilst doing so, not only that, he does it at full throttle! A very pacy player and he too seems to be thriving under the tutelage of his manager. I don't recall him being this impressive at Adelaide United.
I have only mentioned 4 of the younger brigade but there are a few others making waves too inlcuding Brendan Hamill, Curtis Good (only 18), Jason Hoffman & Jonatan Germano (Argentinian). If these guys maintain their performance level the future looks bright not only for Melbourne Heart in the near future but also the Socceroos in a not too distant one.
And what the Heart can also boast in spades is depth amongst their squad. Germano hasn't played for 2 weeks after scoring against Brisbane Roar. Brazilian Maycon often scores when he plays, Alex Terra ditto as he showed last week, and the likes of Kristian Sarkies & David Williams can't get a look in at the moment. Adrian Zahra & Nick Kalmar are others worthy of starting berths who are currently injured.
Manager John Van't Shipp must surely be one of the most decorated Footballers/ Managers that we have ever had in this country. As a player he won 4 League Championships with Ajax and 3 Dutch Cups. He was also present in the Ajax squads that won the 1987 Cup winners Cup and 1992 UEFA Cup. At International level he played 41 times for the Dutch National side and scored 2 goals.
After retiring he coached youth teams at Ajax and FC Twente before taking up an assistants role to Marco Van Basten in the Dutch National squad in 2004 which ended after the Euro 2008 tournament.
He then went back to Ajax with Van Basten as co assistant coach. He played the part of interim Coach there for just over a month till the season ended after Van Basten resigned. Shortly after he accepeted the offer to Coach Melbourne Heart in their inaugaral season and the rest as they say is history.
Well.....not much history to speak of yet but in the space of a season and and half he has developed a squad from scratch into potentially the most exciting team in A-League history. Given that assumption they have to be a very realistic chance of taking out this years title honours.
They have lost only 1 of their last 10 matches and right now on a 4 match winning streak.
And on the evidence of those last 4 performances (particularly the Victory one) this is one Heart that probably won't be found wanting any time soon!
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