Kevin Muscat’s baptism of fire continues this week as Melbourne Victory take on Western Sydney Wanderers.
Taking over a club like the Victory was never going to be an easy undertaking and Muscat has had stiff opposition in his first two games.
In his first match in sole charge he took on his former mentor Ernie Merrick, a coach who had guided him as player twice in his life, giving him his first start in the old NSL and then recruiting him as his captain in the first season of the A-League.
Muscat took the points when Victory beat the Phoenix but was subjected to a stern test in a game that was at one point looking like a walkover.
The Phoenix defence were all over the place as the Victory raced to a 3-0 lead inside thirty minutes. The Phoenix seemed to rally though and got one back before the break and then played the better football of the second half, with the only goal of the half.
It was a Victory despite the former mentor seeming to have the upper hand over the course of the match despite his team doing their best to undermine this.
Next up was an away trip to play Sydney FC coached by Frank Farina, another of his former coaches.
The two combined in 2001 to beat Uruguay at the MCG and put Australia on the verge of qualifying for Japan 2002.
It was not to be, and for Muscat there was to be disappointment as he faced his old gaffer.
Melbourne were slow out of the blocks in Sydney and were down 2-0 before they were able to get a goal back.
The game then changed completely when Sydney lost a defender. Victory converted another chance to level the scores. They were then undone by the Italian Alessandro Del Piero who won and scored a spot kick just before halftime.
The score was to stay the same for the rest of the match. Victory seemed to lose their composure in the second half and resorted to panicky desperation passes. It was here that Muscat failed his first real test.
His ten men were unable to muster the requisite mental strength to close out a game they had a massive advantage in. A red card in football is a gilt-edged opportunity for any side with numerical superiority to take advantage of.
Victory seemed to struggle for continuity and composure against the ten men and as time dragged on their play became more and more haphazard.
Instead of keeping the ball on the deck and running the Sydney team ragged, they began to fizz speculative long balls about and inadvertently let the Sydney side rest more than they should have allowed.
The final whistle blew and Muscat suffered his first defeat as a coach.
Farina’s men had stuck resolutely to their coaches instructions and in the end had managed to hold onto the the three points and subject Melbourne to a morale sapping defeat.
This week it does not get any easier as Muscat takes on his former national teammateTony Popovic’s Western Sydney Wanderers.
Popovic was last year’s coach of the year and can in some ways be credited with revitalising the A-League with his tenure at Western Sydney so far.
His side are well organised, play football that pleases their fans and neutrals alike, and so far undefeated in this seasons competition.
The match presents Muscat with a another stern test of his coaching credentials.
It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for Muscat and his Victory side as they take on the other Sydney team in what could be chance for Muscat to redeem himself.
The loss to Sydney FC might not have just cost his side points though.
The confidence draining nature of it is what will have more effect come Saturday.
Can Muscat stir his players to bounce back from the loss and get their season back on track?
Another one of Muscats old footballing allies will be hoping he can stop that happening.
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