A-League news 2023: Scars yet to heal for Melbourne Victory after disastrous 2022 season | On the Attack

Last season was a disaster on and off the field for Melbourne Victory, and Tony Popovic faces a huge task to help the scars heal. Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde discuss the A-League’s hot topics.

Socceroos great Robbie Slater and News Corp’s Marco Monteverde go “On The Attack” as they discuss the A-League’s hot topics.

LAST CHANCE FOR ARZANI

MM: Hey Robbie, it’s a huge season for Daniel Arzani. It’s good that Tony Popovic has given him a chance to shine at Melbourne Victory and now he needs to take it or run the risk of becoming a wasted talent.

RS: Well, he hasn’t taken his chances anywhere else and this is definitely his last chance. Look at his trajectory since he played for the Socceroos at the World Cup five years ago when he was still in his teenage years. It’s one of despair, given what most people thought was going to happen. I had my doubts.

Daniel Arzani needs to make the most of his move to Melbourne Victory. Picture: Getty Images

MM: Yeah, his motivation seemed to drop ­– before he was injured – last season with Macarthur after he wasn’t picked in Australia’s squad for the 2022 World Cup.

RS: He didn’t deserve to make the squad. He now needs to prove to himself what he can do and not worry about trying to impress anyone else. Popovic might be the one to bring out the best in him but sooner or later he’s going to run out of clubs. That’s the reality.

VICTORY’S SHOT AT REDEMPTION

MM: Speaking of Popovic, he has a huge task not just with Arzani but with the entire Victory squad. Last season was a disaster on and off the field, and the scars have yet to fully heal.

RS: The Victory fell off a cliff after a good campaign the season before when the side won the Australia Cup and came within one week of making the grand final. There were contributing circumstances with what happened at the Melbourne derby but when I look at the team for this season, it’s a strange line-up.

MM: What I’ve found strange is how quiet the Victory has been in the pre-season. We’ve barely heard a whisper out of the club. Popovic must want the side to do all its talking on the field but I can’t see the Victory beating Sydney FC in the Big Blue on Saturday night.

RS: Yeah, I think Sydney will win as well. The Sky Blues are the form team heading into round 1 after winning the Australia Cup.

Victory manager Tony Popovic has a huge task ahead of him in 2023, after a disastround campaign last year. Picture: Getty Images

BATTLE FOR SYDNEY

MM: The Sky Blues are in form so I think we can expect a big season from them, but also from the Western Sydney Wanderers. Their resurgence started last season under Marko Rudan but it would still hurt that their arch rivals knocked them out in the finals.

RS: Yes, 100 per cent. Even though the Wanderers are still in a rebuilding phase after seven years of torture for their fans, Rudan won’t settle for anything but success. When you look at their squad, they are looking to challenge for the title.

MM: I agree about their squad. One player with a bit to prove is Josh Brillante. He was captain of the Victory last season but the club was happy to let him go despite still having to pay some of his wages.

RS: He’s a good pick-up for the Wanderers and will like a fresh start at Western Sydney. He knows what it’s like to win silverware and that winning mentality will help his new club. He’s going to relish the new challenge at another of the A-League’s massive clubs.

Theyre still in a rebuilding phase, but the Wanderers won’t settle for anything but success this season. Picture: Getty Images

REDS COULD STRUGGLE

MM: When you speak of challenges, the task Adelaide United faces in trying to succeed without Socceroos star Craig Goodwin is huge. I don’t know how the side is going to cope. A lot might fall on the shoulders of young gun Nestory Irankunda.

RS: Goodwin going is a massive blow. He’s a starter for the Socceroos. I don’t think Adelaide can do well without him. The side doesn’t have another player of his quality but if Adelaide is a chance to do something, Irankunda will be the key. Whether you can get the consistency from such a young player is the big question.

MM: The bigger question is whether he can have the same impact as a starter as he had off the bench.

RS: We don’t know how he will go starting but we are going to find out, perhaps as early as Friday night when Adelaide hosts the Central Coast Mariners.

MM: Yeah, a big challenge also awaits the Mariners. They did so well to win the title last season but I doubt they can repeat that success now that coach Nick Montgomery and a host of key players have left.

RS: It’s going to be very difficult. Their fairytale is over because Montgomery and his key ingredients have gone. In saying that, the Mariners do like beating Adelaide at Coopers Stadium, so don’t be surprised if they start the season with three points.

Can Adelaide succeed without Socceroos star Craig Goodwin? Picture: Getty Images

READY TO ROAR

MM: Brisbane Roar also has a new coach and Ross Aloisi is already having a positive impact judging by the side’s run to the Australia Cup final.

RS: The way the Roar played in the first half of the Cup final against Sydney is a very positive sign. The side was excellent and in Aloisi it has a very good coach who has waited patiently for an A-League chance. Moving back to Suncorp Stadium is also great for the club.

MM: Yeah, nobody liked going to Redcliffe for games. The club is on the right track moving back to Brisbane and having Aloisi at the helm but I still think the Roar need an experienced centre-forward to take some pressure off young Thomas Waddingham, as good as he was in the Australia Cup.

RS: Definitely, but that’s a matter of funds being made available and that comes back to how much the owners are willing to spend on the squad. In Brisbane’s case, it obviously isn’t enough.

Originally published as A-League news 2023: Scars yet to heal for Melbourne Victory after disastrous 2022 season | On the Attack