He might have been an unused substitute in Melbourne Victory’s Semi-Final demolition of Adelaide United a fortnight ago but the versatile Evan Berger could yet be the Victory’s secret weapon in Saturday’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final against the Reds at Telstra Dome.
He might have been an unused substitute in Melbourne Victory’s Semi-Final demolition of Adelaide United a fortnight ago but the versatile Evan Berger could yet be the Victory’s secret weapon in Saturday’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final against the Reds at Telstra Dome.
The baby-faced Berger is almost certain to win a spot on Melbourne’s five-man bench for the championship decider and given both his speed and his versatility he knows he could yet play a major role come the weekend.
Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick is well-known for liking players with pace and given that 21-year-old Berger has plenty of that – not to mention his ability to play on either side of the defence or midfield – his value as a potential game-changer becomes obvious on Saturday night.
While Berger, who has started in 12 of Melbourne’s 23 matches this season, was not required as Melbourne defeated Adelaide 4-0 at Telstra Dome in the Major Semi-Final – he is preparing for anything come Saturday night in a match which is expected to be a much closer contest.
“Hopefully I can make a spot on the bench and whatever opportunity I get on Saturday night I am willing to take and do whatever it takes us to help the team get over the line,” he said on Tuesday.
Berger said he does not mind what role he plays on Saturday night as long as he is part of Merrick’s final 16-man squad – which seems likely given Melbourne is unlikely to change its successful Semi-Final squad.
“It’s fantastic to be preparing for a Grand Final – whether you play five minutes or 50 minutes – you prepare as if you are going to be playing for 90 minutes,” he said.
“Anyone of our 22 (man squad) could play on Saturday and do a great job for us and that shows the strength of our squad and that is one of the reasons we finished on top and are playing in our second Grand Final (in three seasons).”
Berger said he was hopeful he could make an impact on Saturday night if he gets his chance.
“The subs have a huge bearing on some games and I’d like to think I could come on and help change the game if needed,” he said.
Berger said the team was confident but not complacent about its chances of capping off a dominant season to date with a second championship.
“Obviously you have got to be confident if you make a Grand Final but also the word complacency has been bandied around a lot this week but there is none of that but we are confident of what we can do and hopefully we can put in a good performance on Saturday night.”
