Arthur Diles wants his players to focus only on an upward trajectory in the race for the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals.
Melbourne Victory host Wellington Phoenix on Sunday, April 5, kick-off 3pm AEST, at AAMI Park, the first of two home matches during the run-in for the Boys in Blue.
The team are enjoying a seven-game unbeaten run, which includes four wins, two of which came back-to-back before the recent international break.
This period, which saw Nishan Velupillay represent the Socceroos for a sixth time as the national team beat Curacao 5-1 at AAMI Park, has allowed the Head Coach to get further work into his squad in preparation for the campaign’s conclusion.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Diles made clear that Victory are targeting the highest possible finish, with matches against the current top two – Auckland FC and Newcastle Jets – in the coming weeks.
“Nothing’s out of the question for us; everything’s in our hands. We believe that we work really hard every day, so we’re in a good position. We’ve worked really hard to get here, but we’re still not where we want to be. We’re still not where we set out to be.
“So we’re still hungry, we’re motivated, we’re passionate about what we want to do and how we want to finish this season, and Sunday’s another game to give us an opportunity to get closer to where we want to be.”
Diles gave the attending media an update on the continued absence of Jing Reec, along with the news of Josh Inserra, who is set for a period on the treatment table.
“Jing will be a couple of weeks, and then Inserra picked up an injury the other night playing for the NPL side, so they’re both unavailable.
“We’re in a great position at the moment, and you know that it’s not easy, because during the season, you get your ups and downs with injuries, suspensions, and that constant battle is always to have your players all fit and healthy, because that’s what makes the team powerful and strong.”
Watch Diles’ full press conference below.
