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Football fans can be a hysterical, fickle bunch.
Earlier this season we saw bizarre #PopaOut calls over Western Sydney’s poor A-League start, and question marks raised over Guillermo Amor’s ability to replace Josep Gombau at Adelaide United.
Yet one man has largely remained untouched.
Kevin Muscat’s Melbourne Victory are struggling, there is no way around it. One win in seven games, five points from a possible 21, 11 goals conceded and just six scored.
The Victory boss has quashed talk of any sort of crisis, but it is difficult to call it anything less. A mini-crisis?
There is, at least, no Louis van Gaal deflections, Muscat is clearly not impressed with how his staff – himself included – are performing.
“Within the confines of those four walls there’s no crisis. Are we anywhere near where we want to be? No,he told Fox Sports.
While the current rough patch started with successive 2-0 defeats to Wellington Phoenix and Western Sydney, the worst came with a loss and draw against a flailing Perth Glory side within three rounds, sandwiching a defeat in the Melbourne Derby.
The one win came against the injury-riddled, quality-starved Newcastle Jets, though even that could be seen as a fortuitous result, and by 8.30pm on Friday night Victory were losing to the basket-case of the A-League, the Central Coast Mariners, 3-0.
Victory showed why they cannot be written off yet for domestic glory, producing a much better display in the second half to come back and claim a point, which could easily and remarkably have been three.
However, despite the change in fortunes, Victory continued to frustrate in front of goal. A clumsy challenge from Harry Ascroft gifted Besart Berisha a chance to get his team back in the game from the penalty spot, and some woeful defending handed the Albanian an equaliser deep into injury time.
Victory’s biggest problem has been their failure to convert chances, something highlighted earlier in the season.
Prior to their three-goal second-half haul, Victory had scored just three goals in almost 600 minutes, while they have only managed to keep three clean sheets from 14 games (putting them in the bottom four) this season.
Their conversion rate is a miserly 14 per cent, the worst out of the top seven clubs, while they are worst in the league in terms of duels won (48.5%).
Skipper Carl Valeri’s absence through a serious health-related injury has coincided with the sudden freefall.
His unassuming role in screening the back four and providing drive through midfield has been a huge loss, as last season Mark Milligan’s versatility and ability to play as either a No.6 and No.8 would have helped cover the loss.
Oliver Bozanic, who naturally more attacking than Milligan, is not as adept on the defensive side as his predecessor, and that has become clearer with Valeri’s absence.
Yet it is not necessarily the root of the problem, Victory’s problems have slowly been building to this point and Valeri’s name returning to the teamsheet will not magically solve their woes – if he does manage to make a recovery this season.
The signs of this poor stretch were there at the start of the season, with their failure to break down Adelaide United in Round 1 and loss to Newcastle in Round 3. However, everyone expected the ruthless, efficient Victory from last season to reemerge after they won the FFA Cup. It has not happened.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah has been disappointingly blunt for much of the season, while Gui Finkler and Kosta Barbarouses have sparkled at times but struggled to maintain consistency. Barbarouses’ through ball for Khalfallah’s winner against Newcastle was magical, and showed what they can produce, but so many times that ruthless streak in attack has been missing.
The team’s uncharacteristic defensive frailty will get a timely boost with the return of Nick Ansell, who made his first appearance of the season off the bench against the Mariners.
His return should also allow Leigh Broxham to return to midfield, which will help alleviate the loss of Valeri’s bite.
Yet like the early season naysayers around Popovic and Amor, this is nowhere near a time to panic for Melbourne Victory. The talent is evident, both on and off the field, and it would be a brave punter to write them off.
That is largely why it is not surprising that critics have been absent where they would be sharpening their keyboard fingers for most other clubs.
Victory’s schedule is only going to get harder, however, with the Asian Champions League group stage starting on February 23, kickstarting a run of four games in just 12 days.
Yet a new challenge could be exactly what the squad needs to regain form and focus.
Following the Central Coast draw Muscat admitted he was delighted at the second-half response and the team’s “confidence, desire and work ethic”, but also rued the first half debacle.
“We gifted them goals,” he said.
“Our defending as a group for the three goals was non-existent. We really have to assess and have a look at that.
“The biggest problem in the first half was that it wasn’t them tearing us apart, or playing around us. We were the creator of our own downfall.”
That is the overall feeling you get from this Victory squad, that they have been the creators of their own downfall. Poor finishing, shambolic defending. And that factor is perhaps the most promising sign for fans, and a dangerous indicator to their immediate title rivals.
Muscat’s men will be back, but will it come too late?
This is Muscat’s first genuine challenge, up until now he has been blessed with consistent, successful performances from his team, brought about through meticulous planning, quality imports, promising youth, innovative tactics and hard work.
Yet Muscat now has to show the side of his management repertoire that has so far not been tested – rejuvenating a flat squad.
Sitting seven points off first place at the halfway point of the A-League season, a premiership push may be out of reach given the added responsibilities of the Champions League, of which Victory will be desperate to reach the knockout stages.
Yet given the up and down nature of every team this season, with the Wanderers falling to Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar failing to capitalise with a goalless draw against Wellington, a top two finish is still in sight.
No team has ever won the A-League grand final having finished outside the top two, but it would be tough writing off this Victory squad, with the obvious quality they possess, even if they only manage to finish third or fourth.
The club is in a mini-crisis, but it is one they can overturn.
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