For Melbourne Victory, last season was a case of so near, and yet so far. After lifting the FFA Cup, Victory came agonisingly close to both the Premiers Plate and yet another Grand Final. So, can they go one better this time around? Simon Hill caught up with Head Coach, Tony Popovic…
SH: You came so close last year – what things have you worked on in the off-season to try and get that extra 1%?
TP: We did go very close, and I think it’s an evolution of the team. Last year was our first year together, and so I expect the existing players to be better after another pre-season. The players had a fantastic year –but we want to take that next step. We won the Cup which was great – but we need to keep improving because the others aren’t standing still either.
We finished the season fifteen games undefeated, we had a very good second half of the campaign, but in the end, we just missed out. Now, we have to work on a few areas, and we have a few new players, while some players have gone – so we know that this season will be a bit different. Last season was about trying to compete again, we had had a couple of years not doing that.
This year we start expecting to compete, So this year it’s back to normal. We have to deliver, and make sure we are challenging – Victory is accustomed to that.
SH: As a coach, do you sometimes feel cursed in finals football?
TP: No – I don’t feel that at all. With Perth we were in the Grand Final, and won the Premiers Plate, so I feel I’m always a part of clubs who are challenging for honours. I have won trophies at Wanderers, Perth and Victory. But first, we have to get to the Grand Final to even have a chance of winning it. We are striving to be there on that final day – and maybe then for me win that first Grand Final.
SH: Jake Brimmer was the biggest success story last year – do you feel he is close to winning a Socceroos cap?
TP: I believe he is. He is already being considered by Graham Arnold, and he’s been in a few extended squads – so they are monitoring him. He had a breakout year really, and that is what is really promising. You look at our front-line last year – Nick D’Agostino, Ben Folami, Brimmer – they were all outstanding, and they are young talents.
They are the future of Australian football, whether it’s here or elsewhere, and you’d expect them to keep evolving. Last year was a fantastic experience for them, Jake won the Player of the Year Award, and he looks good in pre-season, so I hope he will take his game to another level this year. He should be getting more goals and assists – he started that late last year, so I hope he can continue that.
SH: What’s the secret to helping players like Jake, and Nick D’Agostino – both of whom have been around the A-League for a few years without really becoming first choice players before moving to Victory – to realise their potential?
TP: There’s no single thing. Maturity plays a part, but remember, we put our faith in two 23 year-olds last year to lead the line for Melbourne Victory – that’s a statement in itself, and the faith we had in them. When I had them in Perth, they had talent but were more inconsistent; they are now at a big club, there are expectations, and they feel that.
Nick is now a regular, and he's never really been that before in his career. He’s the main striker at Victory, and that’s a big jump. Now he is playing more regularly we just want him to be more consistent.
Ben (Folami) too was in that bracket – he’d played a little bit, but from that he’s then suddenly in the Socceroos, which was unexpected for him at the start of the year. All these boys are now dreaming of going to a World Cup – but they know they have to perform to get Graham Arnold thinking about them.
SH: You’ve brought in Nani – the highest-profile signing in the competition – can he do for you what Shinji Ono did for you at Western Sydney Wanderers?
TP: Yes definitely. That’s the responsibility we have placed on him, and the expectation we have. In terms of quality, Nani is way up there…his professionalism, his winning approach – he has all of that. He has the quality to shine in the A-League. Of course, he’s also adapting to new surroundings, a new culture, a new climate, new football in Australia.
We’re very happy with his progress on and off the field, and we’re learning things from him too. He still needs a bit of time for his match fitness, but in terms of his ability, it is clear to us every day in training.
SH: How do you go about securing a big-name star like Nani – is it a lot of work?
TP: It started about six months before we signed him. It’s not as easy as just picking up the phone and saying we want you. Everything has to align – and for many clubs, you try and sign a player, but it doesn’t get to that point, though it’s not for a lack of trying. Sometimes it doesn’t fit in with what the player wants, or his manager.
But with Nani, as time went on, we realised this could be a possibility. You are always hesitant to be overly confident, because these things can fall apart very quickly, but the club did a very good job in doing everything they could, and of course we had support from the APL too.
I think fans will be delighted to see him. It’s fantastic for the league, I’m glad I can coach him, and I’m enjoying spending time with him on & off the pitch. It’s very clear why he has had the success he has had.
SH: One of your other signings is Tomi Juric to replace Francesco Margiotta – can you get the best out of him, and what is the secret to that?
TP: Tomi probably falls into the same category as Nick D’Agostino, Matt Spiranovic, Brendan Hamill – they have all had bad runs with injury, but you know they have the ability. At Wanderers, Tomi was young – now he is more mature, he’s had some experience overseas, good and bad.
He has matured a lot. The challenge is his body – the last three years he has hardly played or trained. But we’ve seen a wonderful attitude, a wonderful person, he wants to play, and he has that hunger.
We have to go step by step with him, but I’m sure that when he does get out on the park, you’ll see a new improved Tomi Juric, one that we haven’t seen for three or four years.
SH: I’m also keen to learn about Cadete, your new left-back – what are his qualities?
TP: He fits the profile of what we are after. We have been looking for foreigners between the ages of 25 and 30, but with growth where they can still improve, and have the maturity to travel from one side of the world to the other, and handle that change and pressure. He’s 28 – a very aggressive, mobile attacking full back. Sometimes the foreigners take time. You are lucky if one out of five hits the ground running straightaway, but he’s an exciting player for us, particularly going forward.
SH: Paul Izzo has also arrived in goal to replace Ivan Kelava…who was very popular with the fans, but perhaps a little unpredictable…will he give you more stability in that area of the pitch, even though you conceded the fewest goals in the league last season?
TP: We didn’t earmark that area of the pitch particularly. Ivan is a unique character, but he had a real presence and aura in goal. We lost the least amount of games and conceded the fewest – so it was far from a bad year for Ivan. But Ivan’s family weren’t here, and there were question marks for him around how that was going to work in year two.
A possibility came up with Paul’s club in Europe – a door opened where we had an opportunity. He’s 27, and he has so much upside to him, and now he comes to a big club in Australia with a lot of expectation. A team can really be built around him for years to come. He’s a great ball playing keeper, and that can help us evolve our play further.
SH: Some of your younger players have departed – Lawrie Luis-Lattanzio, Birkan Kirdar, Zaydon Bello, Aaron Anderson – will we see more of the likes of Nishan Velupillay and Lleyton Brooks, perhaps even Alex Menelaou this year?
TP: Alex has just come up from the youth team and is training with the team a bit more after his form in the NPL, he’s another young boy with potential. Whether we’ll see more of the others is up to them. Nishan had a good breakout year last year, but expectations are higher this year. He has to understand that and work hard to earn a position in the team. They get every opportunity here, but they need to earn their places.
SH: There’s a six-game mini-season ahead of the World Cup break – you play all your major rivals, Sydney, Adelaide, City in the derby, Wanderers…is that a good start for you?
TP: With Victory I wouldn’t say I have a preference. When we play, we are a big club – whoever you play is a big game for our opponent. We need to show we are a big club and can handle that. We have some big games in the first six, but that’s exciting for the league.
I learnt quickly last year how big that game against Sydney FC is, and it’s at the new stadium, where we are hoping for a big crowd. After a long pre-season having some big games early after players have been training for 14 weeks – it’ll make all the hard work worthwhile.
SH: You’ve mentioned that Victory are a big club a couple of times – do we embrace that big club mentality enough in Australia?
TP: I don’t think we do. Around the world – England, Spain, Italy – they all have big clubs. I don’t think Victory has ever shied away from that when you look at their history - they had some poor seasons of course, but it’s always been a big club. This year it will be again. That expectation and pressure should be there.
I feel Sydney FC should embrace being a big club, so too with Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City. We shouldn’t shy away from that. I can’t speak for the other clubs, but I know at Victory we don’t. We want that pressure, and our fans go to the games expecting results in every game. That’s the big club mentality you need to have.
SH: Will we see a different approach from Victory this year?
TP: I think our style was very attractive last year. We’re looking to evolve that and make it better with the new personnel. We feel we can add some new dimensions that we have been working on in pre-season.
SH: Finally, you’ve had two spells in Europe as a coach – does that ambition still burn brightly for you at some point…or perhaps the national team?
TP: What burns for me and always has, is to be the best coach I can be. That doesn’t change. From every experience I have grown as a coach, person and leader. I’ve loved every minute of it. My passion today is as high as when I started. I’m very happy where I am just now – but whatever happens next, happens.
See what all the other A-League Men's coaches have to say ahead of the 2022/23 season
