THERE are still at least 90 minutes to play next week and therefore we have to keep a lid on things, but after Saturday night's performance it's not hard to be a little excited about the possibility of another Grand Final appearance for the Melbourne Victory.

There is part of you that wants to gloat and rub it in the faces of Adelaide supporters but as the wise one, Ernie Merrick said last night, "... the job is not finished. We have got a long way to go." Plus as they say in the classics, a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead of all. 1997 anyone?

Following on in the mood of fellow blogger, Tristram's most recent blog, although only very briefly, the comparisons between Melbourne's two performances in the first legs of the major semi-finals were like chalk and cheese.

Whilst two years ago, we looked to stack the back half and restrict the scoring opportunities of Adelaide, this time around there was a much more attacking mindset. While many would argue that this change in tactic is probably due to the better quality of this season's squad, I would probably that it's more a reflection of the confidence of the man in the charge of the team.

In the past, many people myself included, have criticised Ernie Merrick for his coaching methods. I may have even called for him to be sacked during our failed title defence of last season. But whilst Aurelio Vidmar picked up the Coach of the Year Award, and deservedly so, I am of the opinion that Merrick would have a case for being the Most Improved Coach of the Year.

One criticism that was often levelled at Merrick in previous seasons was that he was often tactically out thought by opposition coaches and would often stick to the same old tactic even when it wasn't working. The "three defensive midfielders" tactic of early last season being the main case in point.

But this year, we have often seen Merrick a lot more confident in his decision-making and maybe this is due partly the depth of squad at his disposal but I think it's also because he is evolving as a coach. I will now highlight some examples of where Merrick has done things that he may have not done in the previous three seasons to show his evolution.

1. In Round 3 against the Newcastle Jets forced to replace an injured Michael Thwaite after only twenty-three minutes. Sensing that Jets' defence is suffering from a lack of confidence, Merrick chooses to bring on Archie Thompson to form part of a three-pronged attack. Result: a 5-0 win.

2. In Round 10 against Adelaide in a match where he was missing three key attacking players he could have sat back and hoped for a point. He sensed that Adelaide were ripe for the picking, and went in with an attacking mindset despite the obvious setbacks. Result: a 3-2 win.

3. After three consecutive losses to Wellington, Perth and Newcastle, Merrick dumps the more experienced Michael Thwaite and replaces him with Sebastian Ryall for the all-important match against Sydney. The result is a 3-2 win and a run that has seen Melbourne win six out their last seven matches. Coincidentally Thwaite has only been on the bench once since that match although that may be due to his decision to go to Gold Coast United.

4. In the lead-up to Saturday night's major semi-final showdown with Adelaide, Merrick catches the media off guard with a well-timed swipe at the performance of assistant referees. Michael Lynch called it almost "Fergusonesque" in its timing. Result: Melbourne only get pulled up for two offsides for the whole match.

This season we have also seen Merrick have a more attacking mindset and less reliance on being happy with a draw, at tactic that ultimately derailed our title defence last season. This season has only seen two draws as compared to nine for last year.

Lets hope Merrick maintains this new-found confidence and doesn't settle for a draw this coming Saturday.

Neil would like to express his condolences to all those have lost loved ones or homes in the Victorian bushfires. All of our thoughts are with you at this most troubling of times.