Can Ben Khalfallah lead Melbourne to the A-League title?
Last season, Melbourne Victory were crowned A-League champions after a gruelling campaign. Tunisia international Fahid Ben Khalfallah played a key role in their success after joining the club last September. Ben Khalfallah played 27 matches for Melbourne in the 2014-15 campaign, scoring five goals and racking up numerous assists.
Although his performances were impressive, he may improve further now that he has fully adapted to the pace and style of Australia’s primary soccer competition. One of the most important aspects of a footballer’s development is his happiness – both on and off the field. It is crucial that a player is happy if he is to perform at his optimum level.
For example, Angel di Maria joined Manchester United from Real Madrid but rarely looked as though he was enjoying his football. Just one year later, he is now at Paris Saint-Germain. Ben Khalfallah is certainly loving his time in Melbourne, with the Tunisian midfielder himself citing the food and entertainment – or more specifically the casino scene – as just some of the reasons why in a recent interview. The midfielder will know all too well from his aforementioned hobbies that just like a strong hand of cards, it is no guarantee that you will walk away from a poker table with a win – and it is exactly the same in the transfer market. But it seems in this case at least, both Melbourne and the A-League have benefitted from his arrival.
@tobinbrothers are proud sponsors @gomvfc and it was great to catch up with Victory superstar Fahid Ben Khalfallah pic.twitter.com/5t9WU7jku9
— James MacLeod (@tobinbrothers) July 24, 2015
Ben Khalfallah is a key component of Melbourne’s impressive attacking unit, but he’s certainly not the only gifted talent in their roster. Carl Valeri, Leigh Broxham and Besart Berisha were ever-presents last season, with the latter netting an impressive 18 goals in all competitions throughout the campaign. Furthermore, legendary Archie Thompson – who scored a record 13 goals in a single game for Australia against American Samoa – remains a potent threat up front.
Defensively, Melbourne are also incredibly strong and boast one of the toughest units in the A-League. With the likes of Nick Ansell, Daniel Georgievski and Jason Geria in the side, the Victory are a solid, reliable outfit and will fancy their chances of achieving success once again this season. It is always much more difficult to defend the title, but Melbourne are certainly capable of achieving this goal, and if you use this , you can get double the odds.
The creative Tunisian will play a leading role in Melbourne’s offense this season. Ben Khalfallah is one of the most talented players in the league and he will continue to shine for the Victory for as long as he remains happy at the club. The 32-year-old will be looking to contribute more goals this season but will be more than happy to sacrifice individual accomplishments for the good of the team.