Victory's off-season recruiting drive has been all about depth, with former Socceroo Michael Thwaite, Costa Rican international Jose Luis Lopez and Brazilian Ney Fabiano, the key additions from last season. Injury issues last year made the club realise it lacked the back-up players to fill the void, and the addition of Billy Celeski, Nathan Elasi and Tom Pondeljak addresses that. It's been a good off-season for the 06/07 champions, and they have the right ingredients to surge back up the ladder.

Pre-Season:
The Pre-Season yielded silverware for Melbourne with a win via penalty shootout over Wellington in the final. An opening loss to Adelaide was followed by narrow wins against Perth and Newcastle which got Melbourne through to the final. They played in four different cities but not in Victoria.

Improvements:
The addition of Thwaite and Lopez will make Victory a lot more assured in defence, especially if their best XI can stay fit. The contribution of fringe players like Evan Berger and Billy Celesi could prove very important for Melbourne with Berger looking promising in the Pre-Season Cup and Celeski doing a good job with the Olyroos in Beijing. Carlos Hernandez will be all the better for a season under his belt and his compatriot Lopez feeding him the ball.

Concerns:
The two reasons Victory went downhill last year were injury and the failure of new signings, notably Ljubo Milicevic, to integrate into the team structure. The club is better insured against injury this year, but if Thwaite, Lopez and Fabiano don't work out as planned, then it's back to the same problem as last year.

Key player:
Archie Thompson. Archie, at his best, is breathtaking, but too often last year he was forced to go into the midfield to search for the ball. Victory need him up front and terrorising opposition defences with his pace and skill. If he can do that, then it will make it a lot easier for he and his partner Danny Allsopp to score goals.

Up or down?
There is plenty of upside for Victory after a strong recruiting drive and a successful Pre-Season. The old vibe is back around the club and there is a real sense among the playing group that they can get back to the top this year. On paper, they have all the attributes to challenge for the title. Expect great improvement.