The Big V for 2008-09

It was almost one year ago that I unveiled my original Big V formation. With the loss of Leijer weeks before kick-off, it was relatively straight forward picking a 3-5-2 for Melbourne's first game against Wellington. History shows that I got it spot on with one exception, Broxham starting in the place of Kemp in the unlikely position of Wing-Back. History also shows that Milicevic was injured by a clumsy tackle barely two minutes into the game, and the gradual deterioration the Victory was to experience during that 90 minutes (blowing a 2-0 lead and finishing with and extremely lucky 2-2 draw) was to pretty much typify Melbourne's season. Only a strong finish in its final 4 games saved it from complete embarrassment (at one point, Melbourne was in a serious battle for the wooden spoon with Perth and Wellington).

One year on and the good news is that I am finding it extremely difficult to pick the likely Big V line-up, such is the improved strength across every line. Questions abound. Back 4 or back 3, and will Muskie be amongst it? Is Lopez good enough to move immediately into the holding midfielder role? Is Ernie bold enough to go with just the one defensive midfielder? Covering a back 3 to boot? And what combination upfront where the options are now many? I don't really know the answer to any of these questions, so I'll stick with a 3-5-2 formation, and provide the following guess:

Michael Theoklitos
--- Rodrigo Vargas ---- Kevin Muscat --- Michael Thwaite ---

Leigh Broxham---------------------------Matthew Kemp
José Luis López ----------- Nick Ward
Carlos Hernandez

- Danny Allsopp ------- Archie Thompson -

And there we have it - the Big V formation for the start of the 2008-09 season.

Notes:

1. Ryall provides good cover for the back, either as a replacement or to revert to a back 4 if need be. Pantaledis can also play as a full back on either side in a conventional back 4.

2. Broxham as a wing back is a big call, but if Lopez is as good as his pedigree suggests, I like the idea of using Broxham in a wide role where there is still plenty of scope to mix defensive and attacking duties. Berger and Vasilevski provide cover for either wide role.

3. Lopez - Ward - Hernandez makes for a pretty handy spine down the middle of the ground. Once again, good cover exists for all three roles in the form of Brebner, Celeski and Pondjelak.

4. Ernie will now have a massive amount of choice upfront with Fabiano providing both Allsopp and Thompson with a real challenge to hold their starting spots - and that's just what the doctor ordered. There's no doubting that if Fabiano doesn't get a start, he will make it onto the bench guaranteed. The ability to mix and match any two of the three to suit the opponent of the day is a luxury that Ernie didn't have last season.

Prior to the loss of Leijer and Milicevic last season, the Victory was shaping up as a team more than capable of defending its crown. So we all know how quickly things can change (and that applies to every team in the A-League, so thin is the margin between success and failure). If lightening doesn't strike twice, the Victory certainly looks to have the goods to challenge for some silverware in version 4.