Talking City's 2021/22 Melbourne City season predictions

With the new A-League Men’s season comes ‘prediction season’ and there is no better time to publish our likely-to-be-very-wrong opinions than on the eve of the 2021/22 campaign.

The prediction categories are simple:

• Player of the Season (POTS): We really don’t need to explain this one, do we?

• Breakout player of the season: The player who’s really going to take their game to the next level this year – ‘most improved’.

• Young player of the season: Includes only players aged 23 and under. There also seemed to be an unwritten rule/understanding that a YPOTS shouldn't be an established starter, like Metcalfe or Atkinson.

• One bold prediction for the season

Keep in mind that all predictions were made on the 9th of November, BEFORE City's FFA Cup Round of 32 victory over South Melbourne.

Let’s get into it:

Photo: @wisemansports

Matty B

POTS – Leckie

Breakout – Bos

Best young player – Bos

Bold prediction – City have six players called up to a Socceroos camp

Tom

POTS – Maclaren

Breakout – Atkinson (I know he already has, but expect him to be one of the best players in the league this season)

Best young player – Lesiotis

Bold prediction – City to go undefeated in Melbourne

Angus

POTS – JMac

Breakout – Metcalfe (in that he will be a top 5 player in the league)

Best young player – Hall (lol)

Bold prediction – City will break the league's consecutive wins and clean sheets record

Josh

POTS – Mathew Leckie (to have A-League’s first ‘double-double’ season (double figures for both goals and assists) since Mooy 2015/16)

Breakout – Jordan Bos

Best young player – Marco Tilio

Bold prediction – Atkinson to record at least 10 goals + assists and secure a European move

Double figure goal contributions for Atkinson this season? | Photo: @wisemansports

BT

POTS – O’Neill

Breakout – Bos

Best young player – Tilio

Bold prediction – Multiple clubs post A-League profits

Matt M

POTS – Metcalfe

Breakout – Raph (Borges Rodrigues)

Best young player – Tilio

Bold prediction – City to win the league and make ACL final

Jessee

POTS – Leckie

Breakout – Marco Tilio

Best young player – Anthony Lesiotis

Bold prediction – City to average over 12k home crowd in revitalised A-League

Rene

POTS – Maclaren

Breakout – O'Neill

Best young player – Colakovski

Bold prediction – Treble-winning season, winning both Finals (FFA Cup and A-League Men's) against the Vuck

Christian

POTS – Leckie

Breakout – Cola

Best young player – Cola

Bold prediction – Excluding games against Victorian teams, half of our home matches will have attendances in excess of 10K

Lachlan

POTS – Leckie

Breakout – O'Neill (to improve to the point of being the best CDM in the comp and get recognition for it)

Best young player – Tilio, who'll move to Europe at the end of the season

Bold prediction – City to get out of the ACL group stage at the first attempt and make the QF.

Could O'Neill become the A-League's premier CDM? | Photo: @wisemansports

Overall

POTS – Mathew Leckie; 5 votes (Jamie Maclaren; 3 votes)

Breakout – Jordan Bos; 3 votes (Nathaniel Atkinson, Aiden O’Neill; 2 votes)

Best young player – Marco Tilio; 4 votes (Anthony Lesiotis, Stefan Colakovski; 2 votes)

Let us know your answers to each of the prediction categories by replying to this article on our socials.