Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat says his side must not fall back on excuses after being humbled 4-1 away to Newcastle Jets on Thursday night.
Kosta Barbarouses had given the visitors the lead in just the fifth minute but, having already conceded a quickfire equaliser, they soon crumbled following Mark Milligan’s sending off just prior to the half-hour.
Muscat insisted the performance was unacceptable even despite his team’s numerical disadvantage.
“Such a disappointing night. We started really well, scored a really good goal, and then obviously after that it was nowhere near good enough,” Muscat said at his post-match press conference.
“We’ve got to take responsibility because tonight was compounded by ourselves.
“We didn’t really give ourselves a chance after being so bright and so sharp early on.
“It’s about taking ownership and responsibility right here and now.”
Defeat in the Hunter came just four days after Muscat’s men picked up their first win of the season away in Perth, although the former Caltex Socceroo did not believe the physical toll was to blame.
“It’s got to be between the ears because physically, you could see even with 10 men and a shorter turnaround, the work rate and the effort was there,” he said.
“Mentally we’ve got to make sure we give ourselves a chance.”
In more positive news, Muscat said the first half withdrawal of Rhys Williams was a precautionary move and unlikely to be of major concern.
