Melbourne Victory will go into Sunday afternoon’s W-League clash against Adelaide United unchanged for the first time all season as they search for their first points of their campaign.
A fourth straight game in Victoria will provide them a strong opportunity to do so, despite having been narrowly ousted in their three previous outings in the league, falling 1-0 to Newcastle Jets last weekend.
That game saw the Victory stifle the chances afforded to their opponents in arguably their best defensive performance of the season.
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“I didn’t have much to do did I? That’s a good indication of how well they’ve done in the backline, but there’s certainly things that we need to tidy up; especially in terms of backing ourselves,” captain Melissa Barbieri said on her team’s defensive performance against the Jets.
“Half the time it’s not the fact that we’re making mistakes, it’s the fact that we’re not backing ourselves in the tackle, going 100% into things. It’s not even that you’re making a mistake by doing the wrong thing, it’s just not committing 100% – that’s the downfall.
“My job is to remind the players how good they are continuously. I give them a bollocking now and then, but I have to remember that they’re young. They’re trying but they might just not be doing what I want them to at that exact same time.”
That’s been the story of their season to date, as the efforts of a young squad haven’t translated yet into competition points; coach Dave Edmondson offering little in the way of excuses, admitting his side need to turn those promising performances into results.
“At the same time, I’ve said to the players and I say it all the time, whether you’re 15 or 35, whether it’s your first W-League game or you’ve played 100 games for the Matildas, if you’re selected to be on that pitch then it’s your responsibility to be fit, to be concentrating and to do your job for 90 minutes. I probably upped the demands a little bit this week,” Edmondson said in the aftermath of last week’s loss to Newcastle.
“Instead of being ‘nice’ Dave, there was a little bit of expectation this week. We fell a little bit short, but that all goes into next week now, where we’ve got to up the demands again, up the expectations and just work harder.”
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Their opponents the Lady Reds have made a blistering start to their W-League campaign and sit in third place with a game in hand over leading pair Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar.
They opened their account with an opening round draw to eighth-placed Western Sydney Wanderers, before enjoying a Round 2 bye heading into a clash against the previously unbeaten Brisbane.
Adelaide ruined their perfect start to the season with a thrilling 2-1 win, which saw Young Matilda Emily Condon net a well-taken winner.
Of course this clash offers up a tasty side-narrative, with both Barbieri and Edmondson as well as young defender Alex Natoli all formerly on the books of Adelaide United, while Alex Gummer returns to face her former club after spending a season in the navy blue last year.
Selection News:
No changes in the 15-player squad should in theory suggest that there won’t be a change in the starting XI, but tinkerman Edmondson may pull out a surprise ahead of their meeting with Adelaide.
Jamie Pollock and Hayley Raso both worryingly looked like they may miss this week as the pair were forced off injured in the second half against the Jets.
They were however freely moving after the final whistle sounded, walking relatively unimpeded albeit with ice in hand.
Given their selection in the 15, they should be ready to roll at Epping on Sunday afternoon and should both take their place in the starting 11.
Most interestingly is the continued absence of fourth international Georgia Cloepfil as she continues to bide her time on the wings.
Whitney Knight one again misses out on selection despite her bright debut a fortnight ago, as does Adriana Taranto, who missed last weekend through injury.
Gulcan Koca continues to remain on the sideline due to a foot injury.
Key Players:
Jamie Pollock
The American looks to have found her feet in the W-League, looking at home with the pace of the competition last weekend. It was probably her best peformance yet for the Victory, despite being impeded by an injury in the second half. She was particularly impressive in the first half, where she pressed relentlessly and won a number of key battles in midfield, while also keeping things tidy with her passing. We’ll most likely see the rotating trio of Enza Barilla, Christine Nairn and Pollock float between midfield positions as all three spent time as the advanced midfielder last week.
Annabel Martin
The youngster similarly has adapted to the Australian top-flight rapidly and has put in a number of assured performances down the right flank. With Thea Slatyer placed alongside her and Barbieri behind, she’s got two experienced heads to guide her in her ways, and is playing with the confidence of youth behind her, not afraid to try the ambitious pass or bomb forward to help in attack.
Predicted Line-up:
Subs: Cassandra Dimovski (GK), Melissa Taranto, MelindaJ Barbieri, Cindy Lay
Prediction:
It’ll be interesting to see if Edmondson gives into the temptation of changing his line-up ahead of Sunday’s clash, but they may just be better off if afforded the consistency of a same starting XI. Adelaide will be confident, but with points so incredibly important for the Victory at the moment, I can see them grabbing one. 1-1 draw