Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Ante Covic believes his club have more playing talent than runaway A-League leaders Brisbane Roar.
But whether they end the Roar’s monumental 32-game unbeaten streak at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night will depend more on whether they can match Brisbane’s unified approach, Covic says.
While the Victory posted their first win – and first goals – of the season on Sunday, with a scrappy 2-1 triumph over Wellington Phoenix, Covic admitted that form paled against the Roar, who trounced Adelaide 7-1.
But he was confident that as the Victory’s star-studded outfit gradually gelled together, they would outshine Brisbane at some stage this season, hopefully as early as Saturday night.
“There’s no denying that this team has quality,” Covic said of the Victory.
“It’s got individual brilliance in there. It’s just getting it right and ready for the game.
“There’s no question mark about the way we can play.”
With an attack boasting the likes of Harry Kewell, Archie Thompson, Carlos Hernandez and Marco Rojas, the 36-year-old had little doubt that Melbourne more than matched Brisbane for pure talent.
“I would easily say that,” said Covic, who has proved an excellent recruit for Victory after being signed a few days before the season.
“Player for player, we’ve got a fantastic squad.
“We can’t run and hide and say we don’t have the personnel.”
But he said what made Brisbane the benchmark was their all-encompassing devotion to their game plan.
“Every player is playing their role and playing it to the best of their ability,” he said.
“They’re not letting teams breathe – they’re pouncing on everything.”
Covic said the Victory would try to ignore Brisbane’s long unbeaten streak and enter Saturday night’s clash expecting to win.
Some Kewell magic would help, with the attacking star on Wednesday named in the Socceroos squad to play World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Thailand, despite being yet to really stamp himself on the A-League.
Covic predicted that when Melbourne hit their stride, Kewell would start to dazzle.
“People might be expecting magical things from him but, at the same time, he is one player in a team,” the goalkeeper said.
“If the team isn’t quite there as a group yet, it doesn’t really matter who you are. It can be a little bit difficult.”
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