A-League: Melbourne Victory have raised bar since title, says captain Carl Valeri

COURAGEOUS captain Carl Valeri has declared that Melbourne Victory’s big-name signings have raised the bar, as they prepare for their A-League title defence.

Carl Valeri of the Victory.

COURAGEOUS captain Carl Valeri has declared that Melbourne Victory’s big-name signings have raised the bar, as they prepare for their A-League title defence.

And Valeri conceded Victory played with fire in their ultimately successful attempt to claim a title from fourth-place, becoming the lowest ranked side to do so in the A-League era.

Valeri, who himself was credited for raising standard upon signing in 2014 after over a decade playing professionally in Italy and was capped 52 times by the Socceroos, said Keisuke Honda, Ola Toivonen and the other visa signings had made an impact without a ball being officially kicked.

“It’s great to have players like Georg (Niedermeier), Keisuke, Ola, Raul (Baena) – they all come in and bring a real professionalism,’’ Valeri said.

“I’m not talking about a stretch after training, they’re 24/7 footballers. It’s great and it’s really refreshing for me to see them come in and see the way they work. It’s going to improve me – I’m coming to the end. If everyone’s got that mentality, it’ll be an exciting season for Victory.

Carl Valeri of the Victory says recruits have added spice to the premiers.

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“We’re playing a new style, it’s exciting. But the core principles of the way we’ve played for the last four years are the same. Our DNA won’t change.

“We brought in some more attacking players with Keisuke and Jimmy (Troisi) there as well. It brings a different element.

“Keisuke can cover various roles – he’s an amazing footballer. I really rate him, always have. Seeing him train and his touch, it’s a pleasure to watch and I’m looking forward to seeing him implement it.

“The A-League is physical, we’ve seen it in our friendlies and we can see them adjusting their game accordingly and sussing out the opponents. It’s incredible to watch.”

Japanese player Keisuke Honda trains with Melbourne Victory.

Valeri was rested for Victory’s final friendly but is available after his future played out into the off-season, when he eventually signed a contract extension after another influential campaign.

He says lessons have been learnt from a stuttering campaign that miraculously ended in title triumph.

“It was a long pre-season but we got a lot of work done and I think we’ll see the results throughout the season,’’ he said.

“We learnt a lot of valuable lessons last season – the core group has remained and we’ll pass that onto the new players.

“We can’t afford any inconsistency and we have to stamp it out straight away – when you’re doing your prehab, every little detail matters and that’s what we’re focusing on.

“We’ll take it step by step, and what a first step to take.”

Originally published as A-League: Melbourne Victory have raised bar since title, says captain Carl Valeri