Melbourne City Y-League Head Coach Joe Palatsides praised his side’s second-half performance following their 9-2 derby demolition over Melbourne Victory at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday night.
Palatsides’ side went into the half-time interval with a 3-1 lead over their rivals, before piling on six second-half goals in a ruthless 45 minutes of football.
Braedyn Crowley’s hat trick included two magnificent dead ball strikes, as Daniel Arzani produced a piece of individual brilliance to score the first of his brace.
Ramy Najjarine netted a quick-fire brace in stoppage time, with Joshua Cavallo and Denis Genreau rounding out the score sheet.
“The biggest positive was our second-half performance and the way the boys responded to what was asked of them,” Palatsides said.
“At half-time, we sat down – even though we were winning, we weren’t really happy with the way we were playing – we talked a little bit about what was not quite right.
“We gave the ball away really easily in the first-half, but we turned that around in the second-half. We kept possession really well, created several chances and finished them off,” he added.
“It was probably one of the best performances that we have had in a very long time.”
Palatsides was pleased with his team’s even contribution, acknowledging the mentality of his squad.
“It was a really positive team performance; you couldn’t point the finger at one player and say he didn’t work hard and play at his absolute best,” the Head Coach said.
“Even the boys that came off the bench were very good – it was an excellent team performance today.
“We’ve got a really good bunch of young boys and it’s probably something for the Melbourne City fans to really get excited about.”
With several of his charges on the fringes of first-team selection, Palatsides challenged his players to maintain their consistency week in, week out.
“The boys are very ambitious about what they want to do, and there’s a lot of them who are on the fringe of first-team selection,” he said.
“There’s a lot of things that they want to achieve in their careers, so they can’t afford to take the foot off the pedal for a week or even a training session and they know that.
Melbourne City Youth will look to continue their undefeated start to the season when they host Perth Glory this Saturday.
