Arthur Diles has challenged his players to keep growing after Melbourne Victory drew against Auckland FC on Saturday night.
In Round 1 of the Izusu UTE A-League, the Men’s First Team showcased their credentials for another championship tilt as they fought tooth and nail with the competition’s reigning Premiers.
Victory had the contest’s clearest goalscoring chance when Keegan Jelacic’s cleanly struck volley was beaten away by visiting goalkeeper Michael Woud, and it was the hosts, having introduced attacking forces Matthew Grimaldi, Juan Mata and Jing Reec, pushing for a winning goal as the clock ran down at AAMI Park.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Diles highlighted both the forward steps his side has made since last season and the opportunity for improvement.
“We lose that game last year twice. So for me, a lot of positives to take out of that match. We’ve shown growth as a team. We didn’t give anything away. We were disciplined for the entirety of the match, and in the end, I think we have the best chance of the match, and the ‘keeper makes a world-class save.”
He added: “It’s important that our mentality and our resilience keeps growing, and that shows the growth in this group, and we fielded some young boys out there tonight that I’m really proud of, and let’s not forget, they’re (Auckland) the benchmark for this competition.”
The Head Coach was unable to call on Roderick Miranda, with the Captain a late withdrawal due to a foot issue picked up in training, meaning the returning Jason Davidson skippered the team.
Operating at left-back on his second debut for the Club, the Australian international drew special praise from Diles when he addressed the media.
“Jason was excellent tonight, showed incredible leadership, and showed his level as well. So we’re really happy with the players that we’ve been able to bring in. We don’t look at the players that have gone now – that’s last year. It’s a new team, and we’re in the process now of building and improving day by day.
“Jason’s a player that takes care of himself, and he’s great physically. So even though he came in late, he’s been able to get himself ready to start, which is fantastic. Him being a leader in the Club and in the group is something that his peers voted for, that tells you what they think of him as a human being and how he’s perceived by this group. So we’ve got a great leadership group. He’s one of them, and he’s a great player, and he’s everything Melbourne victory is about.”
Watch Diles’ full press conference below.
