HEALEY: Former Golden Boot winner João Morelli is back. But where does he fit with this new-look Wanderers squad?

Morelli cleared to return following knee injury suffered in 2022 CPL season

The ancient Romans called her Fortuna — the goddess of luck — but until Friday, she had yet to grace the Halifax Wanderers with her presence.

Speaking ahead of their match against Valour FC in Halifax, head coach Patrice Gheisar and his squad somehow find themselves winless in eight matches.

They've been close, tantalizingly close to the taste of victory on a number of occasions, making the reality of their last-place position all the more bitter.

"It’s no secret that we should have a win but we don’t. That’s going to start to weigh on everyone and they want that tomorrow," said Gheisar in his pre-match press conference to reporters.

Be it a phantom penalty call in Cavalry's favour or Andre Rampersad's missed opportunity against Atlético Ottawa last weekend, the dice simply haven't fallen Halifax's way so far.

So when the club put out a release Friday afternoon announcing that 2021 CPL Player of the Year and former Golden Boot winner João Morelli was cleared to return to the squad, it felt like Lady Luck had finally tossed a little something for Wanderers fans to be excited about.

But where does Morelli fit into this new-look Wanderers squad? What's Gheisar's plan to bring him on? And will he be the same player after a serious injury and lengthy rehab?

An old friend returns

Through all the turmoil of seasons past, Morelli has been the apple of many a Wanderers' fans eye. He's brought fans to their feet for many a wondrous night at the Wanderers Grounds (or in their living rooms) and provided some of the brightest moments in the club's history.

Over the course of his professional career, the 27-year old Brazilian has scored 54 goals, a stat which stands out given Halifax's penchant for missing chances this season.

However, Gheisar made it clear his squad isn't in need of saving.

“What we’re telling our guys is the same message that’s going out. He’s not here to take someone else’s job. He’s not coming here to be a hero and save us from last place," explained Gheisar. "Again, I think with João or without him, we’re a better team than the standings show.”

He continued to say he's excited, as are the players, to have a goal scorer of Morelli's calibre available for selection.

When asked about the pressure Morelli's return puts on other offensive players like Théo Collomb or Tiago Coimbra to perform, Gheisar emphasized his expectations on what the Brazilian should bring to a young squad.

“I think for me, he’s coming back to be a complementary piece. To give us some initial confidence. I’m looking at him at being a leader whose going to speak to the guys and make them better," he said.

Like most things this season, Gheisar and the club are focused on a long-term approach and won't rush Morelli back sooner than he's ready.

As per a press release from the club, Morelli is expected to travel to Halifax in the coming weeks and will train. The goal, barring any setbacks, is for him to be available to return to game action in July.

It'll be a number of weeks before he puts on his kit but the star forward said he's excited to be headed back to Halifax.

“I don’t think I can even describe what I’m feeling right now, really just excitement,” he said in the press release. “I can’t stop thinking about getting to play at the Wanderers Grounds again, I’ve been dreaming about it since last year. I really love Halifax, and I can’t wait to play there again in front of the fans and hopefully score a lot of goals again.”

One lucky bounce away

Gheisar said multiple times he feels the table doesn't reflect the skill of his squad and I think that's true. Despite being winless, the Wanderers have deserved a better fate in multiple games this year and I feel are a bounce away from going on a run.

With their 3-box-3 setup and attacking philosophy, Morelli will be joining a very different club than the one he played for a year ago.

And it's a club that has at times led the league in passes, passing percentage, possession and is near the top of the charts for shots (3rd), cross percentages (2nd) and tackles won (3rd).

The crux of Halifax's woes is this: they can't seem to bury their chances.

They have converted on a paltry eight per cent of their opportunities and have scored 0.75 goals per match. But digging deeper, there's an element of unlikeliness to their situation.

Gheisar's squad has an expected goals (xG) of 1.39 goals per game, a number much more in line with what we've seen from the Wanderers on the pitch or a difference of more than a goal every other game that should go into the back of the net.

Problem is, things just aren't going in.

Now, I understand many people do not put merit into xG but I think it is a good indicator of creativity and probability. Halifax has scored six goals in eight matches so far but if they had converted as expected given the quality of their chances (see Massimo Ferrin's post against York or Rampersad's chance), they'd have 11 goals and would be further up the pecking order.

Ferrin spoke to the unlikelihood of the team continuing to miss on opportunities following the loss to Ottawa.

"It's frustrating. I think this team is needing and wanting a win and feel like we deserve one," he said post-match. "It's a little bit of luck and a little bit of confidence."

Speaking directly about Rampersad's chance — which has in many ways come to epitomize Halifax's season to date — Ferrin continued on to say the locker room is united in their belief they can get the job done.

"(Rampersad) himself will say 99 out of 100 times, he scores that," said Ferrin. "I think (we're) getting a little bit unlucky to where the odds are not exactly playing out to how they should."

All of this is to say, over the course of the season, the difference between expected goals and actual goals should level out and the Wanderers will start to bury more of their chances.

And even with Morelli's return, I don't think it would be wise to change much with the squad poised for a breakthrough. For the good of the development of young players, it's important not to hand the spotlight solely back to the former Golden Boot winner.

These days, there's a lot more to be excited about.

Patience is a virtue

Which isn't to say Morelli isn't going to help, as pointed out by the head coach.

“If there’s one thing we’ve been a little bit below the par, it’s been finishing and I think that João, one of his main strengths is finding pockets, finding areas," said Gheisar.

But this isn't to say Gheisar and the coaching staff are going to take the easy path and slot Morelli in every match and cross their fingers. From the beginning, this season has been about developing an identity and a belief in principles for the long-term and they're not going to deviate from that plan.

Like Lorenzo Callegari or Wesley Timoteo or Mo Omar or any of the other players I've interviewed, Morelli is going to have to buy into Gheisar's philosophy of working, pressing and competing within a set area of the pitch. It'll be the complete opposite of what former-coach Stephen Hart asked of the Brazilian attacker.

But perhaps more than scoring goals, Gheisar wants Morelli to come in and be a leader for the younger players just starting to make a name for themselves.

"I think what he’s going to be able to do is really push the other guys much more. Because a coach can do what they can but we have them two, three hours a day if you have a meeting but these guys spend a lot more time together. His words of wisdom will do a lot," said Gheisar.

The truth of the matter is, from what I can gather from speaking to players, they believe in themselves and feel on the cusp of something great. I don't get the impression the arrival of Morelli will change their plans all that much.

More importantly, it shouldn't change Gheisar's philosophy one iota. Pep's Man City wasn't built in a day and I hold the belief that we won't truly see this Halifax squad hit their true potential until the end of this year or maybe even 2024.

With a little bit of luck, they'll start their scoring streak against Valour.

Stats taken from canpl.ca and footystats.org.

Cover Photo Credit: Trevor MacMillan / Halifax Wanderers FC