Liverpool fans at Federation Square to meet the players. Photo: Justin McManus
Melbourne Victory players have been instructed play with flair against English Premier League giant Liverpool on Wednesday night, irrespective of the possibility that could open them up to a heavy loss.
Victory coach Ange Postecoglou said he had no interest in grinding out an honourable loss in the exhibition match at the MCG. Instead, he said he is more focused on his undermanned team achieving some "memorable moments" against their highly rated opponents.
"We want entertainment, we want goals," Postecoglou said on Tuesday morning after his team's final pre-match training session.
"You don't want to die wondering . . . I'm not that kind of coach, I've never been that kind of person. I'd rather know there's a gap there then never find out. We can go out there tomorrow and play defensively and fight for our lives but that doesn't become meaningful. I'd rather go out there and give it everything we've got," he said.
"If we can play our style of football against world-class opponents, even if it is in moments, I reckon that's a good sign for us."
Victory have been weakened by the absence of Adama Traore due to injury and Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan due to international duty. Captain Adrian Leijer and defensive stalwart Leigh Broxham are conspicuous as remaining players with considerable experience.
The squad's training session finished with an address by Craig Johnston, the retired Australian soccer player who had a fine career for Liverpool, which included scoring in its 1986 FA Cup final win.
"We've got some young players that are going to play the game of their life tomorrow night, but I wanted them to hear how hard Craig had to work to get to that level and play for Liverpool," Postecoglou said.
Johnston told the players the biggest gap between them and Liverpool players would not be in style but in speed and passing accuracy, and urged them to strive to overcome that deficiency in the match.
"It's a huge game . . . there's a lot of youngsters there. Basically we said it's going to be the biggest game of their lives and they'll remember it for as long as they live," Johnston said. "This is their cup final."
Johnston, still a passionate Liverpool supporter, reckoned that because Wednesday night's match was an exhibition match it was "the first time in my life I would like Liverpool to get beaten".
The match will cap a memorable week for Postecoglou, given that he coached the A-League All-Stars team against Manchester United last Saturday night and that he is also a passionate Liverpool supporter.
While the Victory squad to face Liverpool will undoubtedly be inferior, on paper at least, to the A-League team that was thumped 5-1 by Manchester United the coach said he was hopeful Victory would benefit from its players having trained and played together for much longer than the week for the A-League All-Stars team.
"A lot of the players last week hadn't really got into their pre-season at all. We've been going for a good four weeks so our boys are in good condition. It's going to be a massive test for them tomorrow night. We're probably going to have seven players under the age of 21 out there - and what a fantastic opportunity for them," he said.
"There've been plenty of fantastic Australian footballers that had great careers and never had the opportunity to play at the MCG against a world-class opponent in front of 90,000 people. We've just got to make sure we get the most out of the night, and the players really enjoy it and grow from it."
Given Liverpool sweltered in an exhibition match in Indonesia last weekend Postecoglou quipped its players would be aided by "the nice English weather we've turned on for them". He also insisted the quality of its squad went well beyond its most-recognised players.
"I know people talk about (Steven) Gerrard and Luis Suarez but they've got world-class players in that whole line-up, and they'll be on show tomorrow night. It'll be a great spectacle."
Postecoglou also insisted he was calm about the team's failure to sign a replacement for international marquee player Marcos Flores, who was released from his contract to join Central Coast, after speculated moves for Greece's Giorgios Karagounis and Italy's Fabrizio Miccoli fell through.
"We're talking to a number of players, but from my perspective we're still two and a half months before the start of the season," the coach said. "I really think those two, three signings to make are going to be the most important we're going to make this year, so I'm not going to get them wrong . . . we'll take our time."
Postecoglou said his main recruitment priorities were at either end of the field, an attacker and a defender.
No comments:
Post a Comment