Melbourne City Head Coach, Aurelio Vidmar, has praised his team’s efforts following City’s 3-2 win over Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
As the finals race continues to heat up, Vidmar’s men secured a vital three points on the road ahead of back-to-back home fixtures.
City Academy products Max Caputo and Medin Memeti found the back of the net, before Alessandro Lopane hit the match-winner with a beautiful strike from range in his return from a long-term knee injury.
Following the match, the Head Coach spoke of his delight with the team’s performance.
“It was a very good win, it’s never an easy place to play,” Vidmar said. “I think they’re a very, very good footballing side.”
“I think probably for the neutral, it was an excellent game, real fun, was a top football game. Both teams just having a good crack at each other and pleased from many things.
“We were disciplined with our structure. We were disciplined about the way we wanted to play. It was probably the most grittiest win that we’ve had since I’ve been here, so really pleasing. And with the way the competition is, the ladder is, it’s all pretty tight, it’s three important points.”
The impact of the City Academy has been particularly notable this season, and Vidmar highlighted the importance of the young players stepping up in challenging circumstances throughout the season.
“Very important [they stood up], our Academy is doing a great job and has done a great job for many, many years.
“I’ve only been here a short time, but just to be able to see those players develop and perform on a daily basis, a weekly basis, you know, things have gone really well for them at the moment, and we’ve had to rely on a lot of them this year because of the amount of injuries we’ve had.”
Vidmar also highlighted the performances of goal scorers Memeti, Caputo and Lopane – with the latter two having an impact following two serious injuries.
“So pleasing for Maxy [Caputo] scoring a goal after coming back from a broken ankle and Ale [Lopane], I think it’s been probably about a year since he last played and he had a strong performance, scored a nice goal and Medin [Memeti] as well,” Vimdar reflected. “We’re relying on those guys and it’s great that they’re able to develop and show that they’re not afraid to play in big games.”
As the competition intensifies, Vidmar emphasised the benefits of healthy competition within the squad.
“We need competition,” he said. “The senior players are never afraid of that, and younger players have to be the same.”
“You know, we’ve had many, let’s say Kavian [Rahmani], for example, who started probably the last five or six games and didn’t start tonight. But then came on and performed well. So there’s competition for places all the time, it’s how it should be.”
City will be eager to continue the winning momentum when they host Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park this Saturday 5 April, kick-off 5:00pm. Be there and don’t miss a moment from the stands.
