Following yesterday's arrival of Valon Berisha, Melbourne City has officially exhausted its five VISA spots in its 2022/23 A-League Men's squad, and with just over a month to go until the new campaign kicks off, fans could be looking at the finalised playing group that Patrick Kisnorbo will be taking into the new season.
The Kosovan's introduction to the squad, particularly to an already busy midfield, has only added to the feeling amongst fans that competition for places in the starting XI will be at an all-time high.
With young prospects battling it out with more senior positional rivals and foreign newcomers looking to displace more established members of our best XI, there's no end to the possibilities around how our strongest lineup might look by the time the season rolls around... so for this article, we're putting it in your hands.
Read on for a summary of the selection dilemmas facing PK in each position on the park, accompanied by a poll asking you for the player that you would include in that role in City's 'best XI'*.
*Ignore current injuries and any time for adaptation that you feel might inhibit new signings from immediately bedding themselves in.
Goalkeeper
2021/22 was a campaign that left Tom Glover with few backers after a series of high-profile errors. The 24-year-old showed glimpses of his potential, pulling off the occasional big save and even putting in the rare Man of the Match performance, though fans have tended to overlook/forget about these highlights amidst an abundance of lowlights. Although City conceded the fourth-fewest goals in the 2021/22 ALM season, this appeared to be in spite of Glover's performances, not because of it - the save percentage of City's goalkeepers was a league-worst 63.5%.
The fragility of Glover's place as City's #1 was evident last season, with Matt Sutton replacing him in the starting lineup for two consecutive games in March this year. Though his 180 minutes is an extremely small sample size, it is worth noting that Sutton's save percentage of 50% is the worst of the 26 keepers who were called into action at least once in 21/22 - if he'd played more, would he have had the chance to improve this figure?
The other option between the sticks is 18-year-old NPL goalkeeper James Nieuwenhuizen, who is very highly rated by those at the club. From an outside perspective, you'd have to assume that he recently overtook Ahmad Taleb in the goalkeeping ranks, with the latter making the move to crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory at the end of last season.
Who's our best goalkeeper for 22/23?
Glover
Sutton
Nieuwenhuizen
Left-back
Our outfield selection dilemmas begin at left-back, where it seems we've got an 'unstoppable force versus immoveable object' predicament. Beginning with the latter, whilst it'd be hard to replace the leadership and experience of Scott Jamieson, the 33-year-old showed late in 2021/22 that it's not just his captaincy role that's keeping him in the team. The left-back was influential particularly late on in the campaign, coming up with a trio of inspired performances in the Plate-clincher against Wellington and our two-legged Semi Final against Adelaide.
Of course, there could be just as much support for the wildly popular Jordan Bos, who continues to impress fans with every chance he gets. The 19-year-old already has 24 senior appearances to his name and is quickly becoming one of Australia's most exciting young players. His versatility allows him to play in an attacking or defensive capacity on the left, so he'll also feature later in this article.
Who's our best left-back for 22/23?
Jamieson
Bos
Centre-backs
Though Curtis Good and Nuno Reis formed City's fairly established centre-back pairing throughout 2021/22, that partnership could be broken up by the arrival of Finnish international Thomas Lam. The 28-year-old last played for CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria, so has recent experience at a higher level than what he'll soon be adapting to. Lam also has age on his side, younger than both Good (29) and Reis (31) respectively.
Who's in our best centre-back pairing for 22/23? (Pick two)
Good
Reis
Lam
You can vote for more than one answer.
Right-back
With Scott Galloway injured at the time, Carl Jenkinson was able to come into the squad and immediately bed down his starting spot at right-back upon his arrival from Nottingham Forest earlier in 2022. With the Englishman now gone, competition for that place in the starting lineup will be fiercely contested between Galloway and new man Callum Talbot.
Galloway has the runs on the board already with 68 City appearances to his name, all of which have been to a generally high standard that holds him in good favour with the fans. However, the breakout form of 21-year-old Talbot in what was effectively his debut season at senior level for Sydney FC in 2021/22 can't be ignored. It was a great bit of scouting and early transfer business that brought the right-back down to Melbourne, with City beginning negotiations with the youngster even before he began to show the standout form that would later have the Sky Blues desperate to keep him.
Who's our best right-back for 22/23?
Galloway
Talbot
Defensive midfielder
Though Aiden O'Neill had been our clear defensive midfielder of choice until his injury late in the 2021/22 ALM campaign, Taras Gomulka's quick adaptation to the rigours of consistent senior football has been impressive. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has now started in 11 of his past 13 appearances for the club in the #6 role. However, O'Neill's value to the team simply can't be understated, and nowhere has that fact been more obvious than in analysing City's results before and after his injury. In last season's 23 domestic fixtures prior to O'Neill's injury against Sydney FC, City boasted a win percentage of 57%. In the eight domestic fixtures played since, this figure has dropped to just 38%.
New signing Lam has also been touted by the club as a defensive midfield option, and given his prior experience as a central defender rather than a #6, the early evidence could be pointing towards him starting the season in midfield before shifting into defence when O'Neill is ready to return to action.
Who's our best defensive midfielder for 22/23?
O'Neill
Gomulka
Lam
Midfield
Though a definitive #6 will be a key ingredient in PK's lineup, there's a bit more flexibility in who else can be named to complete that midfield trio - which only adds to the selection headaches.
One thing that the 2022/23 City squad isn't short on is quality and depth in midfield, with established squad members Florin Berenguer and Marco Tilio set to compete for starting places against A-League newcomers Richard van der Venne and Valon Berisha.
Berenguer had his best campaign in a City shirt in 2021/22, deservedly winning the team's Player of the Year award, but is now another year older, and at 33, there's no way of telling whether the Frenchman will be able to replicate last season's performances.
The name of 21-year-old Tilio is one that fans seem to cry out for every time a lineup is revealed that he doesn't feature in, but there is little consensus amongst the City faithful on where his best position is - and at whose expense if he is played there.
As squad newcomers with clear tactical purposes behind their acquisitions, Dutchman Richard van der Venne (30) and Kosovan Valon Berisha (29) therefore stand a good chance of breaking into Kisnorbo's strongest XI for the season.
Who rounds out City's best midfield for 22/23? (Pick two)
Berenguer
Tilio
van der Venne
Berisha
You can vote for more than one answer.
Left winger
And so continues the Tilio debate. If you haven't already selected him in midfield, then he at least comes into your considerations when selecting your wingers (and herein lies the 'good' problem of having an all-Socceroo front three). The youngster would have to be displacing Mathew Leckie, who, after a slow start to 2021/22, ended the campaign as the player with the highest non-penalty goal involvements per 90 minutes (in plain English, he was very impactful while on the pitch).
Also to be considered, however, is left-sided utility Bos. The City Academy product may have only one goal and one assist to his name, but his ability to break open defences with his mesmerising dribbling skills is invaluable. The fact that he can be named on the left in competitive fixtures nowadays with little complaint from fans is a testament to the danger he presents and the progress he has made in such a short timeframe.
Who's our best left winger for 22/23?
Leckie
Tilio
Bos
Striker
Right, if you're not picking Jamie Maclaren here then I'll just assume you're in favour of a change of formation from City's stock-standard 4-3-3. Just pick your alternative option and then explain your crazy Football Manager-esque formation in the comments of this article or on our socials.
Who's our best striker for 22/23?
Maclaren
Leckie
Nabbout
Right winger
So, back to the Tilio discussion...
It might be worth noting here that according to Transfermarkt's positional data, after his attacking midfield role, Tilio plays most often off the right of City's attack.
The 21-year-old is already one of City's most prolific attacking players ever, racking up 10 goals and 13 assists at an impressive rate of 0.72 goal involvements per 90 minutes played.
Though he just seems to be on the up and up, he comes up against A-League and Socceroos veteran Andrew Nabbout in his quest for a consistent starting role in Kisnorbo's lineup.
For all of Tilio's impactfulness in his reduced minutes, it was Nabbout that outperformed him in real goal and assists numbers (five and five vs. Tilio's four and four), and the 29-year-old continues to be a key disruptor of opposition defences with his sheer pace, power and dribbling ability.
Leckie has also played on the right throughout his career, providing you with an extra option in this matchup for the final place in your XI.
Who's our best right winger for 22/23?
Nabbout
Tilio
Leckie
Share this article amongst your City mates to get them involved in deciding the fan-selected XI!
Toughest call here is Jamo vs Bos I think... I've opted to start with the experience and leadership in Jamo and having Bos as a left-sideline option off the bench puts us in a good position later in games. Also opted for Berisha over Tilio in the midfield as I also like Tilio coming on later to create havoc against tired legs.