Fornaroli snub left hanging

MELBOURNE City coach Warren Joyce has come under pressure to explain his decision to omit star striker Bruno Fornaroli from their A-League clash with Brisbane.

City slumped to a 2-0 defeat against the Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, with the Uruguayan not even making the trip north.

Before the match, speculation was rife the decision was a fitness issue and a sign of a rift between Joyce and the club’s record goalscorer.

City toiled hard against the Roar but looked toothless in attack, putting the manager’s decision not to pick Fornaroli under the microscope.

Second-year coach Joyce, who suspended Scottish international Ross McCormack last season when City visited Brisbane, says that call was different to his recent decision to omit the Uruguayan striker.

“There was an issue last year with Ross,” Joyce said.

“We just looked at the game. We’ve had two weeks to prepare for the game, we’ve trained really well. You look at the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and you try to pick a team to win a game.

“That was it.” Joyce refused to speculate on when he decided to drop the 31-year-old, who had played every match before Saturday’s game.

Fornaroli also scored his first goal of the season in a 2-0 victory over Wellington.

Former City and Denmark goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen was baffled by the decision.

“He’s one of the best players in the league, he’s certainly one of the best players at Melbourne City,” he said.

“As a manager, he’s trying to send a signal to the rest of the squad, but it could also easily backfire.” AAP