By Genevieve Henry (24/01/24).
Above: Dario Vidosic speaking to the press about his team’s approach to their clash with Western United. Image: Melbourne City.
Dario Vidosic’s Melbourne City will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the A-League Women’s table against Western United this Friday.
Reflecting on the testy 2-1 victory over Wellington Phoenix which saw one of City’s most in-form stars receive a red, Vidosic shared the difficulty of the game which required a tactical shift at half-time to secure the win, saying “we got the reward in the end.” On Emina Ekic’s dismissal from the match and how it will affect tactics for the upcoming match, Vidosic shared, “it’s hard to replace her, but we’ve got good squad depth. It was disappointing to lose her, I thought it was a very harsh second yellow card.” Although this loss of star power will certainly dim the match, Vidosic articulated this being the exact reason squad depth is important. “We’ve got great squad depth and we’re confident in everyone, so whoever we put forward tomorrow, I’m sure they’ll have a great game and fill the void of Emina.”
“There could be a couple things that are thrown our way,” Vidosic said of their upcoming opponents. Although City sit 9 points in front of Western United, it will certainly be a tough trial for them, as they have yet to beat them since Western’s creation. “Even though we’ve not got the result against them in the past three encounters, we’ve played very, very well in those three encounters and probably could’ve won all three.” He continued on saying, “And probably should’ve won all three.” Vidosic plans to have his team play more of the same, as they have been very successful thus far. Being clinical in both boxes will be the focus for City as they face this strong side. Vidosic praised Western United, expressing his admiration for many aspects of their play, but especially their defence, emphasing the need to put away chances when they are created.
As the side will return to AAMI Park for a double header with the men, Vidosic touched on their mantra, saying that “anywhere, anyone, anytime” was one of City’s ingredients to success. “We don’t care what day, how long of a turnaround we’ve got, if we’re tired. Once we step across the line, the girls understand that there are no excuses.”
As the longer season plays on, City will hope to not fall complacent, Vidosic saying, ”regardless what the gap is, the mentality is the same.” This match against Western could assure that they continue to pull in front of the pack, or it could signal a shift in the direction of the season.
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