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Armed with a new contract, Kevin Muscat is keen to ensure last weekend’s derby debacle is consigned to history with a strong showing against Newcastle Jets.
Muscat was given a Boxing Day fillip by signing on with Victory for another three seasons, securing his long-term future at the club.
But it’s the short-term that needs addressing after Victory were deservedly beaten in the Melbourne derby last Saturday for their first loss of the A-League campaign.
An out-of-sorts Victory couldn’t match City for intensity, falling victim to a 90th minute winner by Erik Paartalu.
Now it’s Newcastle that could bear the brunt of a Victory backlash after Muscat said the festive fixture gave his side an “opportunity to atone”.
“In terms of performance, we really didn’t get going last week,” Muscat said.
“It was just one of those performances that we’re going to put behind us and put right this week.”
While Victory missed an opportunity in the derby to bridge the gap to league leaders Perth Glory, Muscat said there was no scalding of his playing group.
“We’re in it together, we were collectively disappointed as a group,” he said.
“It’s no time for panic.
“We’ve gone 12 games and lost one … we know where we’re at.”
The Jets provide a neat parallel to Victory’s season, having earned their first win of the season on the weekend.
A 2-1 triumph over FFA Cup winners Adelaide ended coach Phil Stubbins’ long wait for a maiden A-League win.
Muscat said there would be “one or two” changes to his side, including the return of Gui Finkler to the starting XI to face the Jets.
Finkler could be joined by Connor Pain or Rashid Mahazi in the Victory side as Muscat seeks his response.
Experienced trio Daniel Georgievski (ankle), Matthieu Delpierre (foot) and captain Mark Milligan (suspension) remain unavailable for Victory.
Muscat now has the longest coaching contract in the A-League after inking the three-year extension that keeps him at the club until 2017/18.
The club’s inaugural captain said he wasn’t distracted by the contract talks, which took place through December.
Instead, he said the surety of a long-term deal will help him and the club take a third A-League title.
“Without doubt it helps planning going forward,” he said.
“Since taking over we’ve tried to make decisions for the long-term without trying to jeopardise the here and now.
“(The contract) does help to settle things down, put things away and move forward.”
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