Melbourne City Head Coach, Aurelio Vidmar, has previewed his side’s trip across the Tasman ahead of Friday night’s clash with Wellington.
Eager to put pressure on the top four, Vidmar said his side will need to be at their best if they are to return to Melbourne with the three points.
Read the manager’s pre-match thoughts below…
TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
“We’re trending in the right way in terms of our attacking play. That for sure hasn’t been at the level that we require and for a number of reasons. But the last couple of weeks, it’s certainly started to track in the right direction so we expect that to continue to track in that direction.
“Wellington, they’re a good defensive team and they’re mixing it up. They’ve been more attacking, as I said, over the last five or six weeks so it’s always going to be a tricky game. We know that. So we’ve got to be at our very, very best.”
HIGH INTENSITY
“We’ve got to be concentrated for 100 minutes. You know, we’ve had some lapses at the beginning of the second half, especially last week. Again, that we need to make sure that we get that right.
“Every, every individual has a responsibility to make sure that the intensity levels are at a very high level so we don’t start in a negative way. So, we’re always still trying to fix things. We’re still trying to make things better. You know, we’re playing some decent football as well at this point.
“The way we train, the way we’re trying to play, we’re always pretty positive and I can only see us getting better on a weekly basis.”
RETURNING PLAYERS KEEP BUILDING
“When guys come back from injury, their first game is generally pretty good and then they have a little bit of a dip and then they just need some momentum and continuity. And generally, that can take three or four or five weeks. So keeping those guys on the pitch is going to be very, very important for us and just making sure that they keep completing minutes and they’ll get better as the more time they spend on the pitch.
“Well, we like to think so [on Mathew Leckie returning to international football]. But we are also mindful of, you know, where he’s come from and where he’s got to, to get to this point. So, he’s still going to have moments, I’m sure. And, I think if his body can hold up, he’s very, very good. He’s probably the best player in the league, in my opinion.”
