Melbourne Victory head coach Jeff Hopkins said his Ninja A-League squad are determined to react after dropping points to Wellington Phoenix as they host Central Coast Mariners this weekend.
Victory dropped off the pace in the Ninja A-League Premiership race last weekend, drawing 1-1 with Wellington Phoenix as league leaders Melbourne City beat Newcastle Jets to pull seven points clear of their local rivals.
It’s been a disappointing two weeks for Victory who had the chance to jump City to the top of the table when the two sides met in Round 14 and after taking the lead in the Melbourne Derby, conceded an 89th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
City have since claimed maximum points against Western United and Newcastle to create a sizeable lead at the top of the table but as Victory prepare to host the Mariners this weekend, head coach Hopkins has been impressed with how his side have responded to the situation.
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Hopkins has fired a warning to the Mariners ahead of Sunday’s clash at the Home of the Matildas, stating his side are “ready for blood” after a unique team meeting in which the entire squad expressed opinions on what went wrong in the 1-1 draw with Wellington, and more importantly, what needs to change for the run to the finals.
“As a group, there (were) a number of things that we weren’t very happy with, and we definitely addressed them this week. It’s been a really good week for us,” Hopkins said.
“I think as a coaching staff, we understood we weren’t good enough on the weekend, and so did the players, and they drove the meeting.
“We had our normal 20-minute meeting which went for an hour, and there were a lot of things said.
“I think we are undoubtedly a really positive group, but sometimes we have to bring up a number of negative things into the into the conversation which the players took on board. And a lot of the stuff they brought up themselves, and the reaction we’ve had since then has been amazing.
“So we’ve had a great couple of training sessions since, the intensity has been run up there, the quality has been good, and there’s a kind of quiet confidence about them. They want to play already. They want the game to come.
“So I think I’m really happy now we’ve got to harness that for the weekend, keep it under control, but we’re going to be ready for blood on the weekend.
“The normal group, your senior players, (Emily) Gielnik, Kayla (Morrison), Chids (Alex Chidiac) and (Claudia) Bunge, but everyone spoke, and everyone was given the opportunity to speak, and everyone wanted to speak, and that’s the good thing about it.
“We can’t just rely on one or two people. The whole group’s got to be involved and show that they’re, they’re really just part of the group. they’ve got things to say, and they’re confident to say it now.
“So it shows an advancement of the group, a progression of the group. And yeah, I was really happy with the meeting, and obviously the reaction from the meeting as well.”
Victory take on a disciplined and tactically fluid Mariners outfit looking to strengthen their grip on a top-six spot off the back of a five-game unbeaten run. Emily Husband’s side is sixth heading into Round 16 but could climb to within two points of Victory in second should they take three points from Sunday’s Ninja A-League encounter.
Hopkins says that as important as it is to be aware of the Mariners’ strengths, his Victory squad has made a conscious effort to focus on their own strengths, and how to get the best out of an attacking unit that he believes to be the best in the competition.
“I think from what we see of them, they’re they’re in a very adaptable side. They can adjust the way that they play within, not just from game to game, but within the game as well,” Hopkins said.
“And I think that’s one of the things that we’ve been looking at already this week, is not having a one-size-fits-all (approach). We’ve got to be able to adapt if they change things, which they definitely will do in the game.
“But also, one of the things that came out of the meeting is (something) that I think we need to now understand: look at our front six. We’ve got, for me, the best front six in the league.
“We’ve now got to really start proving ourselves and making sure that the that we actually start having confidence in our own ability and thinking a little bit more about us and not so much about our opponent.
“This week we will definitely respect Mariners. We understand the type of team they are, they’re a good side, they’re well coached, they’re adaptable.
“but we’ve got to now look at ourselves as well and say: ‘Right, let’s start thinking about what we can do to break teams down and how we can score goals’, because we’ve got goals in all positions, and we just need to start producing the goods.”
