Vidmar sees 'creative' Arzani playing major role at City
Aurelio Vidmar forsees Daniel Arzani playing a key role for Melbourne City after the attacker secured a loan move back to the A-League, hoping to mount a late push for World Cup selection.
Aurelio Vidmar envisions Daniel Arzani as playing a key role in Melbourne City’s push for domestic and continental success, after the mercurial attacker secured a loan move back to the A-League Men hoping to mount a late push for World Cup selection.
Arzani, 27, became the second of what are now three loan signings made by City during the midseason window on Wednesday – preceded by fellow Socceroo and former Melbourne Victory teammate Ryan Teague the week prior and followed on Friday morning by Brøndby and Olyroo attacker Marcus Younis. A one-time youth prospect at the club who earned a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a blistering start to his senior career, Arzani arrived back at City after a largely fruitless period spent at Hungarian giants Ferencvárosi, where he logged just five frustrating appearances.
Not helped in his case to press for minutes by changes to the Nemzeti Bajnokság’s foreign player regulations and a knee issue that required a clear-out in December, the attacker told ESPN in October that he was open to exploring a January move that would give him the minutes he needed to press his case for World Cup selection. And now, just as was the case for Teague amidst a dearth of gametime at Belgian side KV Mechelen, that mindset has brought him to City.
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And with his side sitting fifth on the A-League Men table and facing down two crunch games that will determine their Asian Champions League Elite fate in the coming weeks, Vidmar envisions both being given the scope to impress.
“Ryan started last week, and he hadn’t played for a long time as well; that was probably his first 75 minutes this season,” said the coach. “He pulled up a little bit sore, to be honest, and that’s absolutely normal. But he’s had a good week on the track again, so he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.
“Daniel, [being a regular starter is] the plan. A guy of his quality: you want him in the team. Because he adds so much value to the group and to our attacking play. Marcus [Younis] will be pushing absolutely for a lot of minutes as well.
“We know the qualities of Daniel. He’s done it for a long time over his career. Yeah, he hasn’t had much game time. He had a little clean out of his knee in December. So he’s only just got back into training with a group when he was in camp with his team in Hungary. So he’s probably a little bit underdone, if I’m totally honest. But it’s not going to take him too long to get up to speed
“With Daniel, you know what he gives you. He gives you: he gives you creativity and things that we’ve probably been lacking a little bit in the front third this season. When he’s on, he’s a very dangerous player.
“Marcus gives us a different type of winger profile, someone who’s really explosive, someone who really loves to run him behind the defence, and he’s got a very good shot on him.”
Both Arzani and Younis, whose loans don’t carry any triggers that could see them made permanent, will be part of City’s squad that will head to Campbelltown to face Macarthur on Saturday, as will Kanamori and Samuel Souprayen after the international duo worked through a groin and Achilles niggle, respectively.
As dryly noted by Vidmar, however, the defending champions have rarely had players coming in without a few going the other way in recent times, with a calf issue for Nabbout and a delayed concussion for Emin Durakovic ensuring that this week will be no different. Further, with both struggling with knee issues, Kai Trewin and Andreas Kuen will both be further assessed on Friday to gauge their readiness for this weekend.
“They’re a stubborn side,” Vidmar said of Macarthur. “[They’re] very well organised. They’re playing a good brand of football. They’re tough. They know how to win. It’s never easy out there.”
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For his part, Arzani will want to hit the running against the Bulls: he and Teague possess just the seven, perhaps eight, games to impress Tony Popovic before the Socceroo boss names his squad for games against Cameroon and Curacao in March – the final games the side will play beforethe final 26-player squad for the World Cup is named in late May.
They’re joined by Mitch Duke at Macarthur and Nick D’Agostino at Brisbane Roar as returnees to the A-League Men looking to bolster their cases for the global showpiece, as well as new teammates Patrick Beach, Kai Trewin, and Aziz Behich. Elsewhere around the league, the likes of Craig Goodwin at Adelaide United, Paul Okon Jr and Al Hassan Toure at Sydney, Brandon Borrello and Anthony Pantazopolous at Western Sydney, Lachlan Brook at Auckland, and Nishan Velupillay, Denis Genreau, and Jason Davidson at Victory are also looking to impress.
And Vidmar believes the A-League Men offer these players the platform they need to press a case to be on the plane to North America.
“I think it’s well documented, and it’s well known: Popovic said guys who are playing have got the best opportunity to represent the country and go to a World Cup,” Vidmar said. “So if these guys are playing, these guys are doing well, then they have the best opportunity to be selected. It’s great that Duke has come back, D’Agostino has come back, Daniel, Marcus, Teague -- it adds a lot more spice about what’s going on in the league. Really good footballers are coming back into the competition. I think that’s important for the competition as a whole.”
Arzani, Teague, and Younis, meanwhile, aren’t likely to be the final additions made to City’s ranks in the midseason window, with Vidmar hinting that at least one further arrival will land in the coming days.