Melbourne Victory star Marcos Flores says he feels no additional pressure playing for the Hyundai A-League’s biggest club, ahead of his return to Hindmarsh Stadium to take on old side Adelaide United on Friday night.
Melbourne Victory star Marcos Flores says he feels no additional pressure playing for the Hyundai A-League’s biggest club, ahead of his return to Hindmarsh Stadium to take on old side Adelaide United on Friday night.
Flores – a Johnny Warren Medal winner for the Reds in the 2010-11 season – said he thrives on performing for the Victory fans, but he does not feel extra pressure to do his job for the team.
“It’s beautiful, pressure. If that is how we call pressure, I want to have that pressure all my life,” Flores said at Gosch’s Paddock on Wednesday.
“Pressure is living in Argentina, and don’t have good salary to feed your family – that is pressure. But I live a good life, and I am doing what I love and every team-mate is doing what we love, and we are in one important club, and we want to do our best.”
The Argentine attacking midfielder said he was anticipating a reaction from the Reds’ faithful on Friday, but welcomed their response to him wearing Victory colours.
“I’m expecting the people to express freedom, they can express what they want,” he said.
“I am sleeping very peacefully every day in my bed, every night, because I gave them everything, 110 percent I gave to them. I am peaceful myself, my heart is with a lot of peace, but they can express what they want and I’m happy to receive.”
Flores added that would probably tone down any celebrations if he happened to score against his old side.
“I always have the respect to their fans. And I hope to score, because I want to help my team, but it’s not always going to happen,” he said.
Also donning the blue and white in Adelaide for the first time on Friday night will be teenager Andrew Nabbout, who hit the headlines for his match-winning brace against Sydney FC in November.
Winger/attacker Nabbout, 19, was also on target in their 2-2 draw with the Central Coast Mariners, but the Victorian Premier League graduate said he was focussing on getting his fitness up to A-League standard.
“I’ve just got to slowly catch up to the guys as quickly as I can,” Nabbout said.
“I hope in the next few games to get these fitness levels up because I want to be at the levels of the other boys to keep up during the game. In the last game, I found myself puffing in the first 20 minutes, so that can’t happen throughout the season. I’ve just got to keep working hard, and listen to the coaches, and I’ll get there very soon.”
Yet to play the full 90 minutes for Victory, Nabbout said the decision to leave him out on the park for an entire match would come down to coach Ange Postecoglou and also his own fitness.
“It depends, obviously on how the coaches see the game pan out. If I’m fatigued on 70 minutes, they’ll take me off,” he said.
“But I hope to keep playing, and I hope to keep pushing to play 90 minutes. Archie’s back next week as well, so that puts a bit more pressure as well, but it’s good – I like that challenge of fighting for my spot now.”
Nabbout – who recently signed a deal to keep him with Victory until the end of the 2014-15 season – added he felt welcomed by his senior team-mates, who initiated him on his first away trip with the team.
“It’s an amazing experience (playing away from home), the boys make it so, so comfortable for me,” he said.
“Even on my first road trip, I had to sing in front of the lads, so it was good, the away trips are real good.
“It’s good how many fans we get at away trips, so the supporters are doing a real good job at keeping us encouraged.”
