In cup finals, the reality of which team lifts the trophy at the end of the night will inherently overshadow the nature of the performance and the game itself.
Ultimately, that's perfectly reasonable. The very basis of football at that level is winning silverware, but Melbourne Victory's 2-1 win over the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday in the FFA Cup -- and its context as a final -- said much about where both teams are currently at, and their relative potential.
Because for better or worse, given when the FFA Cup and the final are actually played, it ultimately holds a secondary importance to the Australian club season's peak -- the A-League Men's finals series. Heavy squad rotation from A-League setups in earlier stages of the tournament kind of reaffirms that. So, however idealistic it would be, it would be blinkered to view the game in isolation.
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There were very well taken goals, but Saturday's final was far from spectacular as a whole. However, aside from a very similar tactical implementation between Tony Popovic and Nick Montgomery, the match also exhibited how both teams are linked in a broader context. With both Victory and the Mariners, there are rather evident susceptibilities with both teams, but there is a distinction that must be made between base level and ceiling.
After an abhorrent couple of seasons by their standards, Melbourne Victory have undoubtedly raised their base level of performance under Popovic. Meanwhile, with Montgomery taking over from Alen Stajcic this season, Central Coast have maintained their recent ability to punch above their weight.
In other words, neither team openly gives games away and with Australian football's less than optimal approach to possession in mind, that kind of thing is important.
This is a particularly relevant point for Central Coast, who with each passing week, draw parallels to Getafe under Javier Bordalas. They don't foul as much, but the Mariners compensate for their relatively low place on the ALM totem pole by working tirelessly, filtering the ball to areas where they can converge on it, and being extremely hard to break down. Once again, showing it numerous times at AAMI Park on Saturday, they defend the penalty area with distinct fervour.
Similarly, the Mariners' approach to possession is very uncomplicated, predicated upon reducing risk and keeping the ball as opposed to actually penetrating the opposition defence. Yet, especially with such a powerhouse in Costa Rica international Marco Urena up top, they will not hesitate to look long when the opportunity presents and can at times tend to get a bit trigger happy.
There's less of a tendency to look long with the Victory but, as highlighted following their draw with Melbourne City, they aren't much different to the Mariners with the ball under Popovic -- little to speak of in terms of positional rotation, full-backs who are very flat in early phases of possession, meaning the ball-side winger is tasked with incorporating the corresponding central midfielder and forward in what is essentially a 4-4-2.
Jason Cummings' unavailability raises the question of "what if?" for the Mariners, for it would likely have meant Moresche was deployed as a winger, instead of up front with Urena. But the hosts were the predominantly active team and space was largely a premium on Saturday, meaning the likes of Marco Rojas and Ben Folami found difficulty bringing teammates on their sides into the game.
Jacob Farrell and Lewis Miller largely denied space to those respective assignments out wide, and it meant the game was played at a pretty significant impasse for the opening hour. From a standpoint of complexion, it looked like it would be that way from the very outset.
Naturally, 20m in football can make a huge difference.#FFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/z3NcMCPU05
— Ante Jukić (@ajjukic) February 5, 2022
Something Victory's second goal against Sydney FC highlighted a fortnight ago -- where Folami was given room to turn and attack Connor O'Toole with momentum -- the collective is transformed if that ball-side winger is given space to turn and go downhill. It creates a domino effect for Popovic's side.
The passage before Jason Davidson's well-taken opener on Saturday was another example, and microcosmic of both teams. The Mariners lose possession with Mark Birighitti's hasty hoof up to Moresche but they also creep up defensively, with the ball reaching keeper Ivan Kelava in the Victory penalty area.
A game-changing moment. Not really any different from Victory in terms of approach in possession, but the increase in playing area allows Brillante to become more involved, which then consequently gives Rojas momentum to attack. They thrive in these situations.#FFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/Q6ZnstjMcu
— Ante Jukić (@ajjukic) February 5, 2022
In a second half where the Victory dominated territory but struggled to break the Mariners down, the expansion of playing area gives Rojas a greater allowance in room to turn. Another consequence of that expanded space, Joshua Brillante has a greater impact in driving forward off the ball, dragging Oliver Bozanic with him. With the extra ground to cover, Farrell isn't able to put pressure on Rojas' first touch and halt his progress this time, opening up the middle of the pitch. Having a standout game to that point, the Mariners' centre-back pairing of Kye Rowles and Dan Hall must then worry about Nicholas d'Agostino's dart in behind them. It cumulatively leads to the foul at the edge of the Mariners' penalty area.
While Davidson's free kick will rightly receive the attention and plaudits, the cause and effect of this moment just as significantly contributes in altering what had been a monotonous game to that point. Victory thrive in those situations, and Davidson's goal puts the on the onus back on a primarily reactive Central Coast to attack. Fittingly, Chris Ikonomidis' expertly taken second to ice the game comes in a scenario where Victory can pounce, after immediately gaining possession.
This is where the question of base level and ceiling comes in, looking forward for both teams and beyond the occasion. For the Mariners, taking Saturday's performance and Cummings' integration into account, will they gain the ability to hurt the ALM's strongest teams in possession when it really matters?
With an upcoming AFC Champions League qualifier against Andres Iniesta's Vissel Kobe and the likelihood of an ALM finals berth for Victory, meanwhile, the question is how much can they improve on this kind of performance? On Saturday at least, after a couple of disastrous seasons relative to expectations, a revamped team and coaching staff, along with an expectant club and fanbase could rightly bask in silverware won in front of a raucous atmosphere.