Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat is confident that if his side can stick to its structure and system then it will beat Brisbane Roar on Sunday.
Victory and Brisbane do battle this weekend with a place in the 2017 A-League grand final up for grabs. The two sides will meet at AAMI Park, while Sydney FC host Perth Glory on Saturday at Allianz Stadium.
Muscat’s men are aiming for their fifth grand final appearance in the 12-year history of the A-League, while the Roar are gunning for their fourth grand final appearance. Both have been crowned champions of the A-League three times, and are the two most successful clubs in the competition.
Victory come into the game after finishing second in the regular season and with a week off, while the Roar finished third and then had to go through a gruelling penalty shootout win over Western Sydney and an Asian Champions League tie away in Thailand mid-week.
Muscat says his team have used the time off wisely, working hard on the training park, and will be well prepared come Sunday.
“We’ve had a really good chance to freshen up mentally and prepare mentally,” he told The Sportsman. “This week’s about preparing tactically because we know physically we’re very, very strong. It’s going to be a difficult game. History says that major semi-finals in Melbourne have been excellent contests and great experience for everyone, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Brisbane have a number of dangerous attacking threats, including equal top-scorer Jamie Maclaren, veteran marquee man Thomas Broich and Socceroo pair Brett Holman and Tommy Oar. They have a proud history of late winners and scoring clutch goals. But Muscat says Victory won’t be singling out one player for special treatment.
“Especially in these games you can’t pay too much attention to one person or individual because the intensity in these games generally lifts. So you can’t be too mindful of one individual because there’s always someone else that can hurt you. Having said that, our priority is to make sure we worry about ourselves and execute what we’re trying to do well. That, therefore will give a good performance, and when we perform well we normally get the right result.”
Victory have their own exciting attacking quartet in ex-Roar striker Besart Berisha, Marco Rojas, Fahid Ben Khalfalla and James Troisi. The contest up front between these players will be exquisite. Both sides like to play expansive, attacking football that entertains. Muscat’s faith is in his structure and style of play to get the job done.
“What we do understand about finals is we’ve got to make sure we stick to our structure,” he says. “We expect the intensity to increase so the team that executes under the greater pressure will have the greater chance of succeeding, so that’s what we look forward to.”
In Muscat’s four years in charge at Victory the club has won three trophies. The former defensive midfielder graduated from the pitch to the bench in 2011, working as an assistant coach before taking the top job in 2013. The 43-year old has been there since the birth of Victory in 2005 and is as passionate about the club as anyone. Muscat has come a long way since his days as a defensive hardman at Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton and Millwall.
This year in a season where Sydney FC have dominated the A-League, Melbourne Victory have been safely in second place. Far off the pace of the Sky Blues, but well in front of the rest of the chasing pack. For a club of the size and stature of Victory, that is good but not good enough. In any other season, Victory’s haul of 49 points might have been enough to win them the Premier’s Plate. But not in a season when Graham Arnold’s team has broke records and made history.
However, a chance to play in another grand final and then knock Sydney FC off their perch, appeals to Muscat. An ultra-competitor, it would be sweet revenge for the former fullback. For now Brisbane Roar stand in his and Victory’s way.
