Defiant Melbourne Victory skipper Carl Valeri says his side will stick to their structure, insisting hard work and not wholesale changes is key to turning their Hyundai A-League season around.
One of the title favourites at the start of the campaign, Victory head into Round 11 in seventh spot with just two wins from 10 matches.
It’s led to calls for coach Kevin Muscat to make tactical tweaks, with some experts believing the Big V have become too predictable.
But ahead of Sunday’s clash with Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium, Valeri is adamant only hard work can help get their season back on track.
“We believe in our structure. We’re 100 per cent behind each other, the coaching staff and we’re working hard at it,” the skipper said.
“Changes (to the team) will be based on training. The team is picked based on training and how hard everyone is working. It always has been.
“When things aren’t going well, things come under scrutiny and rightly so. We’re going to keep working hard and come up with solutions.
“We have a strong belief in each other and what Musky’s created here. It’s a great environment regardless of what people are saying.”
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. #MVFC pic.twitter.com/Q6pmTOhzeo
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) December 15, 2017
Victory’s struggles are not only frustrating the players and coaching staff, but also the club’s supporters.
“The fans would be frustrated just like we are, but we’re working hard to change that, we really are. We understand how important our fans are, we love our fans,” Valeri said.
“At Victory we are expected to be at the top, that’s where we want to be, and that’s where we’ll strive to be until it’s mathematically impossible.”
