From the high-stakes drama of an Arsenal vs. Tottenham clash or the flair of the Madrid Derby, to the sheer passion and hatred on Merseyside, tonight marks a colossal football feast, where our insatiable glutton for the sport gets an artery-clogging workout. But much closer to home, there’s a growing rivalry, albeit without the chequered past of the ones mentioned earlier; the Melbourne Derby.
The rivalry is a young one, with City – née Heart – formed in the sixth edition of the A-League. But much like a set of misbehaved, juvenile siblings, there is plenty of hostility between the clubs, mixed in a strange way with its own form of respect. A brotherly love if you will. In true fashion, Victory forward Besart Berisha spoke out mid-week ahead of the derby to begin the subtle teasing of younger sibling Melbourne City.
ICYMI, watch @BesartBerisha7‘s press conference ahead of #MelbDerby here: http://t.co/Fac5H2YpPO #10YearsProud #MVFC pic.twitter.com/3D7EXd0xji
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) February 5, 2015
“This is a special game and for me, this is what it’s all about. These derbies are so special,” the marksman said.
“We are number one in town and we have to prove it. for us that’s all that counts. We need to win this game, I’m going to try everything and the boys are going to try everything [to do so].”
But it’s hard to say this rivalry was always so special, as Berisha so puts it. This particular derby was brought on as a matter of sheer necessity – with the two Melbourne clubs the first A-League franchises to diverge a city – rather than the raw hatred that fuelled past animosities against Adelaide United or Sydney FC.
But the Melbourne Derby is slowly building legs of its own, and with it, its own lore, heroes and villains. It’s been highly publicised that City seem to save their very best for the derby, with the contest a riveting one regardless of respective ladder positions. Their 14 previous games have seen five wins apiece, broken up by four draws.
Victory head coach Kevin Muscat alluded to this fact mid-week, insisting City seem to produce more energy in their derby day encounters.
“They bring a certain energy to the derbies that they probably don’t in other games. We have to prepare for that and match them,” he said.
While the occasion has seen its fair share of memorable moments, captivating goal-fests and passion, it’s been within the last year that the derby has really taken off, as City made the first step towards not only catching up with the Victory, but also to surpass them. With their City Group backed rebranding, the money and signings that have come into the club sparked a little green monster in eyes of Victory supporters who – whether they’d like to admit it or not – felt their monopoly on state dominance slip more that they’d like to admit.
Those fears may have been temporarily quashed after a Berisha hat-trick led the Victory to a comprehensive 5-2 win in Round Three, but with their 1-0 loss in the pairs last meeting – with Erik Paartalu’s late strike splitting the sides – there was a genuine feeling that the throne was being properly challenged for the first time in City’s history.
The two derbies have marked City’s progression to date this season, with the club currently holding a spot in the top six, whilst entertaining some fantastic form over recent weeks. While they start outsiders for tonight’s game, they are a huge chance to steal a win, which would mean more than just three points, it could also signal the states first power change, ironically much akin to Manchester circa 2011.
In that sense, Melbourne Derby edition 15 looks set to be the very biggest played out to date, with the points and usual bragging rights on offer for the supporters only scratching the surface of its true importance. A win for City would signal authority, securing two wins in a season in the derby for the first time ever, while for Victory, a derby win is the benchmark. A draw however, may simply leave the question unanswered for another season yet.