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Opinion
Before the impressive appointment of successful Australian coach Tony Popovic, Melbourne Victory was a complete shadow of their former glory days.
Whether it was on the field with their abysmal performances with a mediocre squad winning the wooden spoon or problems higher up in the board, the future was looking bleak.
Arguably the biggest club in Australia, Victory supporters have felt the club was not run to the highest standards through poor management and wrong decisions.
That all changed last season when Popovic was handed the responsibility of taking over the reigns and steering the ship back in the right direction.
The foundations were laid down early as he brought in some of his former players that he was familiar with such as Jason Davidson and Matthew Spiranovic to bring that extra experience to the locker room.
Defensive solidity has always been a credible trait of Popovic’s philosophy. Still, it was in the attacking third where he guided Victory to new heights through his exciting and attractive brand of football.
On top of that though, what was also raising eyebrows was the top level of consistency they were producing each week.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The 3-0 derby win against rivals Melbourne City was scintillating and vintage Popovic through picking the right moments to attack and holding possession. It must be added Popovic’s men completely dominated and dismantled the then-Australian champions in what was a performance for the ages.
In saying all of that, there is a fair argument to be made that the four-time A-League champions exceeded expectations and over-performed to an extent.
Now, it is starting to become very obvious that Victory is losing its identity and regressing back to where perhaps they should be.
Despite losing some key names in the form of Marco Rojas and Jason Davidson, there are still some top-class players on paper, with Johnny Warren Medalist Jake Brimmer being the heart and soul of the side.
However, problems have started to arise which were not so evident last campaign.
Having that creative spark and being able to combine fluently between midfield and attack is always essential, but this is the biggest area in which they are struggling and need reinforcements.
When you watch Victory play now, it is clear that the lack of urgency and intensity has dropped off which has made the pace of the game much slower.
If only the (back then) Football Federation Australia (FFA) were not so ignorant and so unaware of Italian forward Alessandro Diamanti’s class. They rejected Victory’s offer to sign him as a marquee because the now Western United champion was deemed as ‘not high profile enough’.
Portuguese marquee and former Manchester United star Nani was supposed to be the bright light for Popovic’s attack, but instead he has been underwhelming so far.
For as much as Leigh Broxham has contributed to the club and been a loyal servant, at 34 the game is slowly catching up to him and he is not fit to start every game through no fault of his own as he has been replacing injured defenders.
Nicholas D’Agostino desperately needs to rediscover his form from last season where he notched up 10 goals and begin to contribute again to that lacking spark in the attack. Can Stefan Nigro find the form that helped him make his mark in the club a few years ago?
Idiotic fan behaviour from the North Terrace definitely contributed a small part to the team camaraderie and spirit within the group which has taken a toll mentally on the field.
Back-to-back losses against Western United and the Central Coast Mariners have certainly raised alarm bells that not too many would have predicted.
Tactically, Popovic is under fire and he needs to sort out his best 11 quickly before it is too late to make a finals appearance.
Although they are not at the level of Melbourne City just yet, it doesn’t mean that Victory is not good enough to be challenging for the top four or at the very least a finals berth.
From winning the Asian Champions League and coaching in Europe to now struggling to find the right balance within his squad at Melbourne Victory, this is Popovic’s greatest managerial challenge yet.
He’s in the hot seat.
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