Melbourne Victory’s Pursuit of the A-League Premiership
Recent performances from the Newcastle Jets and Auckland FC have given Melbourne Victory a renewed chance to claim the A-League premiership. The Jets, who were leading the table, suffered a 3-2 defeat against Macarthur FC on Thursday night, while Auckland FC has only managed one point from their last two games.
If Melbourne Victory can defeat Wellington Phoenix at AAMI Park on Sunday, they will close the gap to within two points of Auckland and five points behind the Jets. With two of their remaining three regular-season games set against the teams currently in first and second place, the Arthur Diles-coached team is fully aware of the significance of securing a win this weekend in their bid for the Premier’s Plate.
“We’re not out of the picture,” Diles said. “Everything is still in our hands. We believe in what we do every day. We’re in a good position.”
However, Diles emphasized that being in a good position isn’t enough. “We’re still not where we want to be,” he said. “We’re still not where we set out to be, so we’re still hungry, motivated, and passionate about how we want to finish this season. Sunday is another game that gives us an opportunity to get closer to where we want to be.”
Victory has been on a seven-game unbeaten run and is aiming for a third consecutive win on Sunday. Diles is not concerned about the possibility that the FIFA international window might have affected his team’s momentum. “You always want to keep going, but it was also a good chance to work on some content during the break,” he said. “We took that opportunity. It’s definitely not an excuse for us. If anything, I think we used it to become stronger.”
One player who has been active in the past week is Socceroos attacker Nishan Velupillay, who came off the bench in the second half of Australia’s 5-1 victory over Curacao in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
“If he’s called upon (on Sunday), he’s ready to start,” Diles said of Velupillay. “It was good to see him get some minutes with the Socceroos. Every minute for players is important. He’s in a great mood and in a great place.”
Another player available for selection is Victory midfielder Louis D’Arrigo, who hasn’t played since sustaining a foot injury in the team’s 3-2 away win over the Phoenix on February 6.
“It has been a long time coming,” D’Arrigo said eagerly. “I felt like I was in a really good part of the season, and it was unfortunate to get injured. All I’ve been thinking and wanting is for this weekend to come, so I can’t wait.”
