Melbourne Victory head coach Patrick Kisnorbo explained the rationale behind leaving veteran striker Bruno Fornaroli out of his matchday squad for the clash with Macarthur Bulls.
A surprise omission before Sunday’s kick-off at AAMI Park, Fornaroli wasn’t listed as injured ahead of the clash with the Bulls and Kisnorbo subsequently revealed the reason behind his decision to overlook the Uruguayan forward following the 2-1 triumph.
“One player had to miss out,” revealed Kisnorbo in his post-match press conference. “You know, do you go with an extra striker or an extra defender?
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“I made the decision late yesterday (Saturday) and we went with another defender.
“I thought (Josh) Rawlins done really well last week so it was a bit harsh for him to miss out but that’s the game, but I went with an extra defender.
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He added: “I thought Niko (Vergos) and Jing (Reec) were outstanding, regardless of who was out of the squad. Even though Niko didn’t score, his presence, his work ethic… you know he created some chances for other players.
“He gave Daniel (Arzani) the penalty which shows more about someone’s character than anything else. What a great guy and what a great gesture.”
Asked how Fornaroli responded to being dropped, Kisnorbo said last season’s top scorer accepted the decision whilst then reminding his striker of what he needs to do in order to get back into the side.
“I just saw him before, he’s good. This is football. Sport is a competition-based game and we’re in that, we’ve all been there, it’s all happened to us at some stage of our career.
“Now Bruno needs to work hard. He’s been doing great so he needs to continue that.”
Kisnorbo’s side exacted revenge for their recent Australia Cup final loss to the Bulls, coming from a goal down at AAMI Park to seal a 2-1 win.
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After going behind in the 51st minute to a Valere Germain header, substitute Daniel Arzani slotted home the equaliser in the 68th minute of the contest having only just come onto the pitch.
The home side then sealed the win in sensational style as attacker Reno Piscopo lashed home an unstoppable strike from more than 30 metres out to send AAMI Park into ecstasy and Victory up into second on the ladder.
An off-season arrival from the Newcastle Jets, Piscopo has impressed in his first three Isuzu UTE A-League outings in a Melbourne Victory shirt and his head coach believes there’s more to come.
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“When he first came in we knew where we need to work with him and work on which still needs to continue,” said Kisnorbo when discussing the match-winner’s performance.
“But over the pre-season and now the season, he’s really fought to get himself in the team through hard work, which is great but he needs to continue that.
“Regardless of the goal, which was nice, I thought his work on and off the ball was great and, again, he needs to continue that because there’s still a lot of improvement to come from him.”
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