Merrick's faith rewarded with in-form Kruse

Who would have thought fifteen months ago that Robbie Kruse would be leading the Golden Boot race and be a consideration for the Socceroos squad at the Qatar Asian Cup? Hardly anyone.

Even Robbie Kruse, 22, himself thought it wouldn’t be possible.

Victory coach Ernie Merrick has often received his fair share of criticism surrounding his reliance on older players, however he must be praised in this instance. Merrick brought in the unwanted winger from Brisbane Roar and transferred him into a make-shift striker. As a result, it has proved to be a master stroke by the veteran coach.

Kruse’s brace on Saturday night in the all important Melbourne derby helped Victory triumph to an impressive 3-1 domination of the Melbourne Heart and further illustrate how important he is to the Victory line-up. This season Kruse is leading the golden boot with 10 goals from only 13 appearances.

It is evident that Kruse has matured as a footballer on and off the pitch.

His off-field incidents at Brisbane are a distant memory, in addition his notorious reputation for being lazy and not doing the team thing are not in this Robbie Kruse’s resume.

Kruse’s all round game has improved remarkably, his finishing from a variety of situations has become an important trait to his game. Whether it’s a long range shot, sliding the ball past the keeper or placing a well timed shot, all have seen massive improvements.

His ability to make speedy runs along the wing and wipe in dangerous crosses has also been an improvement to his game.

The combination play with marquee man Archie Thompson and Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez has been formidable of late. Their sophisticated runs off the ball and collaboration together in creating space has been a treat to watch.

Six games into Thompson’s comeback from a knee reconstruction; he has shown no ill-effects. His skills, trickery, speed and charisma on the pitch has worked wonders for a team that was down on confidence.

Merrick was full of praise for his young striker but was hesitant to take the credit for a brilliant display of form.
“I’d like to take the credit, but I can’t. The credit is his and there’s a whole bunch of coaching staff and support people behind him that have got him to where he is. It’s a real credit to him,” Merrick said.

Although Merrick doesn’t want to take any of the credit, he must be applauded for showing faith in the out of favour youngster. He has helped develop his game and it is starting to pay dividends.

Merrick also reiterated how Kruse’s flexibility to play in a variety of positions has paved the way in his technical development.

“I’m also discovering he’s quite coachable… and he’s learnt to play a couple of different positions. I could understand why (Socceroos coach Osieck would) be interested the way he’s playing,” he said.

Kruse has given himself a good deal of confidence. With the Asian Cup only a month away and an obvious hole in the Socceroos final third, there’s still a chance for the youthful striker of being included in the squad. With the absence of Matthew Leckie due to injury, his chances can only intensify.

However, Kruse is playing down his chances and is adamant on playing well and helping out the Victory consolidate a spot in the top six.

“I’ve never thought about (the Asian Cup). I’m just happy playing for Melbourne Victory and doing my job for the team and doing what the coaches want me to do. I’m playing with some great players and getting some great service and hopefully it can keep coming,” Kruse said.

With Kruse out of contract at the conclusion of the current season, one must wonder whether a European adventure is on the horizon if his current form can be kept consistent.

He’s an ambitious young footballer who would surely have aspirations to one day make the move overseas. Conversely, it may be a better option to be a proven A-League player and continue his development at this level for the foreseeable future.

Victory is a great club and can harness his technical game; he has the likes of Thompson and Hernandez around to support him through his development.

As we’ve seen in the past, players like Bruce Djite and Nathan Burns have struggled since making the pilgrimage overseas. Djite, who was a pivotal player for Adelaide United made the trip to Turkey and struggled ever since.

Currently, he is back in Australia and is plying his trade with Gold Coast United. Sadly for Djite his form is not reminiscent of his early days in the A-League and is seemingly off the Socceroos radar for the time being. Moving overseas can sometimes have negative connotations and can be detrimental to one’s development.

If Kruse is to make it overseas, we want him to be ready for the tough and gruelling encounters he will need to face. There is nothing worse than seeing a young bright prospect move to Europe, only to see limited game-time and consequently arrive back on Australian shores shortly after.

Nevertheless, Kruse’s form has been a delight to watch.

Presently, it may be a little premature to warrant a move overseas, however if he can keep performing to exceptional levels on a consistent basis then his venture overseas may be sooner rather than later. Well done Merrick for showing your faith.