Kevin Muscat

How long will it take Kevin Muscat to learn that he simply cannot play the same style in Asia as he does in the A-League? This is his fourth (failed) continental campaign, and the lesson doesn’t seem to have sunk in yet.

Victory’s lack of width in their diamond formation left Brown and Storm Roux isolated against their wingers, and although Muscat changed to a 4-5-1 at halftime, the damage was already done.

Although injuries to Antonis, Raul Baena and Lawrence Thomas restricted his options considerably, the space Victory allowed Talisca throughout suggested either an abysmal failure of execution, or that they didn’t have a plan to deal with him in the first place.

Muscat also opted to field just 5 players on a 7-man bench, leaving the likes of Rahmat Akbari and Jai Ingham back home in Melbourne. Perhaps he didn’t have faith in his team to begin with.