“Them having that belief in me, I know that I can believe in myself.”
An undefeated start to the season sees our boys in blue sit second on the Isuzu UTE A-League ladder heading into a vital clash against Macarthur on Friday night.
Head Coach Tony Popovic is yet to announce his extended squad ahead of round five, but there’s one name that’s starting to feature prominently, Fabian Monge.
Tony has given the starting nod to Fab two matches in a row and the 22-year-old is relishing the opportunity he’s been given.
“Obviously starting matches is a really good feeling,” Monge explained.
“He (Tony) believes in me, and a lot of the boys have been really encouraging as well.
“Them having that belief in me, I know that I can believe in myself.”
The young midfielder came to the Club from APIA Leichhardt where he played a leading role in their 2023 Premiership.
The Sydney-born midfielder was a former A-League Youth Player of the Year and has represented Australia in the U17, U20 and U23 squads.
Having made the jump from NPL to A-League Men, Monge highlighted having to adjust to the intensity of everyday training.
“The biggest difference has been the intensity of training,” he said
“At the NPL at APIA Leichhardt, we trained three times a week, but here we’re training almost every day, either on the pitch or in the gym, at a high intensity.
“My body had to get used to it.”
Coming off the international break, the team now face three matches on the road against Macarthur, Central Coast and Western Sydney.
With three tough matches ahead, Monge said preparations have been “really good”.
“We had the international break so we’ve been working really hard with the ball,” the 22-year-old said.
“But the preparation stays the same every week and we’re confident and ready to go for what’s to come over the next three weeks.”
Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, some of the goals Monge has set himself is to “keep playing as many games” as he can and learn from as many people as possible.
“Getting game time is important for me, but also having the opportunity to learn off boys like Roddy and Rai and the coach every training session, it’s invaluable,” he emphasised.
NEXT MATCH
Isuzu UTE A-League – Round 5
Macarthur Bulls v Melbourne Victory
Friday 24 November
Kick-off: 7.45pm (AEDT)
Campbelltown Sports Stadium
