Melbourne Victory determined to ensure defeat of Brisbane Roar kickstarts finals push

MIDFIELDER Rashid Mahazi says Melbourne Victory won’t rest on their laurels after ending their form slump with a 4-0 rout of Brisbane Roar.

MIDFIELDER Rashid Mahazi concedes Melbourne Victory may have rested on their laurels after last month’s derby, half expecting their form slump to simply dissipate after a spirited second half against Melbourne City.

But Mahazi said Victory players would not make the same mistake again, insisting they will continue to take it up to opposition sides after Friday night’s stunning 4-0 battering of ladder-leader Brisbane Roar.

Individually, Mahazi also continues to grow in confidence having now made 10 consecutive starts and is adamant he is “the man for the job” in midfield in the absence of ill captain Carl Valeri.

The 23-year-old played one of his best games against the Roar.

After years of playing primarily as an impact player off the bench, Mahazi said it takes time to get used to consistently starting from the outset when games are at their most physically demanding.

“If you’re not playing often you have a lot more nerves because you feel like there’s a bigger weight on your shoulders when you come in, knowing that this is your chance to impress,” Mahazi said.

“It’s not that you relax, but you start to feel more confident going in to games knowing you can run out the 90 minutes.

“I do think I’m the man for the job. I back myself 100 per cent when I play. I’m not going to go in there worrying that I’m not this player or that player, I am who I am, and I’m confident in what I do.

“I’m happy that I’ve got the opportunity at the moment — albeit in very unfortunate circumstances — but I’m willing to give my all and confident I can do it.”

Rashid Mahazi says Victory must build on their win over Brisbane Roar.

Going in to the Roar game at AAMI Park Victory had won just once in seven outings. But the huge win is a timely reminder of the team’s championship credentials given they play fellow pacesetters Sydney FC (Jan 26), Western Sydney (Feb 6) and City (Feb 13) in the next four weeks.

“We had a good second half against City and there was a little bit of talk that maybe we’d turn it around from there,” Mahazi said.

“But perhaps we sort of just sat on that and thought it might just happen for us the next week (against Perth), which it didn’t.

“So now, coming off that 45 minutes against Central Coast, I thought we were exceptional against Brisbane.

“To put on a full 90-minute performance like that, keep a clean sheet, we’re all very happy with it and it gives us loads of confidence about next week and then the weeks to come.”

Originally published as Melbourne Victory determined to ensure defeat of Brisbane Roar kickstarts finals push