Twice-capped American international Christine Nairn is shaping up to be Melbourne Victory’s newest terrace hero after her scintillating performance orchestrated a 5-3 win against Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday. But what was it about that performance that inspired her team to pile on the goals in Broadmeadows?
For those unfortunate not to have seen her play just yet in Victory colours, here is a little dossier on what Nairn offers to the squad.
“To be honest I tried to pop up at the right spots at the right time, I love playing in that number 10 position, it’s good to be back in an attacking role and to be able to lead my team,” –Christine Nairn.
Straight from the horse’s mouth, she’s a classic number 10 whose incredible vision allows her to pick thread and needle type gaps. With the naturally deeper drifting Racheal Quigley sat in front of her, the space in behind the defence is stretched when Quigley does come further down the pitch, allowing Nairn the space to play in behind the defence to the wingers – the exact outcome of Lisa De Vanna’s 52nd minute goal.
At other times, she relied on her movement to remain untracked, often finding herself in advanced positions either on the left or right edge of the area, where she was able to pick out her teammate with her squaring delivery.
“[I offer] a different mindset, I think outside the box. I’m not afraid to shoot and get everyone involved. My goal is to make everyone around me better and to put a team performance in.”
She most certainly did that, and from the looks of things, the attacking trio of De Vanna, Quigley and Nairn could develop nicely by the time finals roll round –given the Victory get there for a fifth consecutive time. If Nairn dons the shooting boots by then as well, then who knows how deep they can go.
A big part of her performance on Sunday was the freedom she had in that final third. With the industrious Amy Jackson and Ella Mastrantonio sitting behind the number 10, she had little to worry about in a defensive sense. She did however win the ball a number of times just beyond the half-way line, testament to her work-rate.
“My biggest thing is to have a short memory. You’re going to have a bad game, you’re going to have a bad pass, so just forget about it and try your best the next time. I think a lot of time the girls – you can see it on their body language – they get down but just forget about it and get back in the next play.”
The mental aspect of the game is something she believes her teammates can learn from her, given the stature of women’s football in the USA, and the large crowds that back the teams to the hilt. Nairn has mounds of experience that belie her 23 years. Having won an U20 World Cup and two caps with the senior US team, she brings a wealth of knowledge from football at the highest attainable level.
“The Americans are big, fast and strong, they just want to run, run, run. This is more of a possession style league, it’s very soccer minded and [possession based] – break down teams rather than just relying on our athletic ability. I think I fit well into this system and I hope to prove every week.”
Therein lies the big question. What does Nairn take from her experience in Australia? She has the physicality to match it with body-to-body with most defenders in the league, and has the footballing brain to run rings around them. But the ever improving technical side of football in Australia – where once upon a time the Aussies and the US stood on a plateau reserved for those physical minded teams – has allowed her a platform to blossom, and to sharpen her skills in a slower paced league.
The real test will be how she backs up her performance when faced with the stern test of Canberra United away from home. Can she have the same impact on the contest as she did against the Wanderers?