Melbourne Victory tallied up its fifth game in a row unbeaten after a 1-0 win at AAMI Park over Perth Glory to open up Round 9 of the A-League. Marco Rojas continued his form to be the difference between the two in the 57th minute.

Victory

Licence to lose possession
And no-one exemplifies this more than Marcos Flores and the role he plays. It is clear especially in this game that Ange has looked at the squad after the disastrous opening rounds and has tinkered around. This isn’t a team that can dominate possession for long periods so it looks to utilise the quality on the ball likes of Finkler (who put in another class performance) and Flores to poke holes. Flores tried a few passes but was denied or didn’t quite hit the target, leaving Victory frustrated especially through the first half.

The depth
Missing key men and current Socceroos Mark Milligan and Archie Thompson, it had to be on the likes of Andrew Nabbout, Jonathan Bru to fill in and they more than did that. Also a welcome surprise is Billy Celeski’s return to form, who ran the midfield well partnered with Bru. Although it is clear Nabbout isn’t a 90 minute player yet. Petar Franjic also stepped in for the suspended Sam Gallagher and was solid down back, so he may hold on to his spot for now.

Not a 90 minute performance
This was the negative, and Ange did say he wasn’t all happy with this performance post-game. Toward the end, for holding only a slender 1-0 lead, Victory appeared to lose focus as Perth came close edging for a winner. Nathan Coe pulled off some saves also to deny Glory. Early on in the game, two set pieces found Nick Ward way too easily in déjà vu fashion. This is where improvement will need to come if Victory is to challenge.

Oooooh, Marco Rojas
He has quickly become a fan favourite and did that reputation no harm, scoring his fifthgoal of the season with a match-winning wonder strike. His form again was top-class, and he is grabbing attention all across the A-League. His contract expires at the end of the season and as long as that is the case, speculation will be around. Victory fans should enjoy him while they can.

Where are they at?
That win now sees Victory unbeaten in five games and in form as the system under Ange has taken shape. News Limited columnist David Davutovic wrote last week that he considered Victory favourites to make the Grand Final. Personally, I think that is very optimistic. The Blues have unquestionably made progress, more than many thought possible, after the opening rounds. However, there are still benchmarks to knock off before they can be considered challengers. This comes mainly in pressing teams like the Heart and Roar, as well as the Mariners. Let us see if or when these benchmarks are met.

Glory

Missed midfield maestros
Jacob Burns didn’t quite get over his thigh injury to take his place in the squad in a blow to the side, which was made worse by the late withdrawal of Liam Miller with back/hamstring troubles. Their absences proved costly. Both are so important, not just because of their heart and quality on the ball, but because of their places in Fergie’s structure. As the game was a contest in midfield for most part, Glory could have done with them both in. They may have been a difference between one point or zero for the visitors.

Should Smeltz have been sent off?
The striker caused a bit of a stir when his elbow collided with Celeski’s face. Some debated he should have seen red but from my end, it was a yellow card. But a player like Smeltz shouldn’t be doing weak stuff like that. The biggest issue is refereeing consistency, would another ref have given a red? And when you see Reds like the one handed to Thomas Broich, you just gotta wonder.

The performance
Ranked out of 10, the grade from this game from me is a 7. To counter the Victory wingers and counter-attacks, the defence sat a little deeper and held together for most part until conceding in the 57th minute. But it didn’t leave much for in attack and that’s where they struggled, locked in midfield. Smeltz and Mehmet looked likely late on, but were denied. They haven’t quite hit their best yet, but once having a consistent XI in place, that will provide a better insight into where they are at.

Test of depth
Fergie’s comments post-game were illuminating, admitting himself ‘a wee bit jealous’ of the Victory’s talent and that “the squad is not as strong as what it was last year in depth. But what I feel as though we have done is strengthen the 11”. They missed Michael Thwaite, Scott Jamieson, Miller and Burns. Nick Ward and Steve McGarry started in central midfield but are much better suited to wide midfield and attacking midfield respectively. A question to rise of out this game and through post-game is do Perth have the depth the needed to win the crown this season? After this game (looking at the result only) the answer is no, but the missing names are big so, again, we’ll see as the season progresses.

Can Smeltz and Mehmet play together?
This is another question to come out of this one. Perth’s surge last year, was in some part, due to McGarry behind Smeltz. That should be the case again this season, as the more mobile Smeltz looks his best with McGarry. Mehmet provides a tall target, but also troubled the Victory defence late with some clever runs, so he isn’t one dimensional. If they are to play together, Fergie may have to change the formation that has been successful.