Don't Write Us Off Yet, Says Victory Coach

The Age

Friday August 10, 2007

Michael Lynch

MELBOURNE Victory will make two changes to its squad for tomorrow night's Pre-Season Cup wooden-spoon clash with Sydney FC, a match that, despite its lowly status, will still produce plenty of needle between the two traditional antagonists.

Central defender and sometime midfielder Ljubo Milicevic will sit out the game, Melbourne's biggest off-season signing having picked up a third pre-season yellow card in last weekend's surprise 2-1 home loss to Wellington Phoenix.

Also missing will be another close-season acquisition, wing-back Matthew Kemp, who has a niggling injury that Victory coach Ernie Merrick does not regard as worth risking in a match of such little consequence.

Versatile utility Steve Pantelidis, a mainstay of the side in a variety of roles in defence and midfield during its first two seasons, has recovered from injury and will slot into the match-day squad.

And teenage midfielder Kaz Patafta, a member of Australia's youth and under-age international teams, also will get a chance to show what he can do.

The diminutive 18-year-old signed for Victory on a one-season loan from Portuguese giant Benfica this season and is expected to give Merrick another option in either midfield or attack.

Socceroo striker Archie Thompson has a thigh injury and did not train yesterday, but Merrick expects him to be available tomorrow night.

After three losses and a draw in the pre-season, Merrick has admitted that his championship-winning team has shown little of the flair and fizz that made it such an irresistible combination in 2006-07.

He pointed the finger at his defence after the loss to Wellington, complaining that it had "sold cheap goals" through a quickly taken free kick and by not picking up the New Zealanders' Brazilian midfielder, Daniel, as he strode through the penalty area to score Wellington's late winner.

To be fair to the coaching staff, they are trying to alter the title-winning blend with several new players, and gelling a new team is an inexact science.

What cannot be doubted is that Melbourne has, on paper at least, the talent to beat any side, let alone a still injury-depleted Sydney, if it gets its act together.

But it is running out of chances to do so in competitive matches before the season proper starts in Wellington in two weeks.

After tomorrow night's game, there is a blank weekend in the schedule, which Merrick plans to fill with a couple of intraclub games as the team tapers down its heavy training schedule.

Merrick says it would be folly to write off Sydney - and his own team - too soon. And even though the game is virtually meaningless, games between the dark blues and the light blues always have plenty of bite.

"I think it's always a big deal, Sydney versus Melbourne, despite playing off for the wooden spoon," Merrick said. "Hopefully, they will have Juninho with them. I think Sydney are playing well below par. I think they will be a real force this year in the A-League and I think we will be in the finals as well.

"We are disappointed where we are at. We need to score goals, which we did well at last year. It's great to have Carlos Hernandez getting fit and Archie Thompson coming back, but he's gone and got a corky on his thigh.

"We just rested him today, but I am pretty sure he will come up for the game. If not, we have got Leandro, he's coming on in leaps and bounds. Grant Brebner is getting fit ... hopefully, we will get back to our attacking best."

MELBOURNE VICTORY v SYDNEY FC

Tomorrow, Olympic Park, 7.30pm

Melbourne Victory squad: 1. Michael Theoklitos (gk), 2. Kevin Muscat (c), 3. Daniel Piorkowski, 6. Steve Pantelidis, 8. Grant Brebner, 9. Daniel Allsopp, 10. Archie Thompson, 11. Joseph Keenan, 12. Rodrigo Vargas, 13. Kaz Patafta, 14. Adrian Caceres, 15. Leandro Love, 16. Carlos Hernandez, 18. Leigh Broxham, 20. Eugene Galekovic (gk).

Sydney FC squad: 1. Clint Bolton (gk), 3. Nikolas Tsattalios, 4. Mark Rudan, 6. Tony Popovic (c), 8. Ruben Zadkovich, 9. David Zdrilic, 14. Alex Brosque, 15. Terry McFlynn, 16. Mark Milligan, 19. Michael Enfield, 21. Adam Biddle, 23. Ufuk Talay, 30. Matthew Nash (gk).

© 2007 The Age

Back to News Index | Back to Home