Valkanis looks to Barcelona to snap City’s bad habits

Melbourne City coach Michael Valkanis has urged his players to imagine they are playing Barcelona every week.

Melbourne City coach Michael Valkanis has become frustrated with his team. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Melbourne City coach Michael Valkanis has found a novel way for his players to overcome the habit of playing well against teams above them but dropping points against the lesser clubs — “just think you are playing Barcelona every week”.

Valkanis admitted he has become frustrated that the most ­expensively assembled squad in A-League history has struggled this season against clubs with a quarter of City’s financial clout.

In the past five weeks, fourth-placed City have stumbled and spluttered, dropping points against clubs below them on the table, including the bottom two, Central Coast Mariners (ninth) and Adelaide United (10th and last). In stark contrast, they seem to play at their best against the acknowledged big teams such as Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar and Victory. The play the latter tonight in yet another edition of the Melbourne derby at Etihad Stadium.

“There’s no doubt about it. We spoke about it even when (former coach) JVS (John van’t Schip) was here,” Valkanis said yesterday. “And we spoke about it again as a group this week. The next 10 games, I don’t care who we play, we have to see them as the best team in the A-League ... every opponent has to be the best in the competition in our eyes.

“It’s game by game and every team is our Barcelona or Bayern Munich. We have to play to the best of our ability as we prepare for the finals so that we are ready to rock and roll in the playoffs and play really good football.

“We are working on the situation. We know how to fix it.”

Valkanis said they have also been working hard on trying to cope with the sit-and-wait attitude of most teams that come up against his team. City love forcing the game, playing dynamic, attacking football, but they either get bogged down or frustrated when other teams put nine or 10 players behind the ball then try to hit on the counter.

Newcastle exploited it last week, coming away with a 2-1 win that all but ended Melbourne’s hopes of catching Sydney FC in the race for the Premiers Plate. “We have to adapt to the situation. There are mechanisms in place for the players and we are working on it,” Valkanis said. “We will get it right, but it takes some time.”

With Victory committed to an entertaining, open style of football there should not be no such problems for City.

“I am sure there will be parts of the game where Victory will drop off, but not to the extent the Jets did and they will try and play their direct attack game as well,” he said. “This game will be more of a game fans and neutrals will want to watch because both teams want to attack, they want to score goals.”

For Victory coach Kevin Muscat, the game could be a defining point. They are on a three-match losing streak and defeat here will all but end their Premiers Plate hopes while allowing City to move within two points of them off second spot.

Muscat is thankful that his players have had a week to freshen up following a gruelling schedule that saw them play four games in four days and three in 10 days.

“We have out it all behind us and now we concentrate on one of the biggest games on the sporting calendar in Melbourne,” he said.