Dodd's no dud
Friday, 12 October 07, 08:25 AM · Comments(0)
Melbourne crashed to a 4-1 defeat in Adelaide tonight despite having a period of dominance at only 2-1 down early in the second half.
Adelaide proved far too strong in the end however, you can read the full match report here.
Travis Dodd, no stranger to scoring against Melbourne was the tormentor-in-chief with a double.
Melbourne fans will be far more focused on their own team, frustratingly bad through the midfield with Carlos Hernandez particularly lacklustre.
Ernie Merrick rang the changes from the bench but Adrian Caceres and Daniel Vasilevski proved ineffective while Kaz Patafta's small stature is proving a serious hurdle to him having an impact in this league.
Sound negative? It's just a product of the high standards Melbourne fans seem to be setting. After a frustrating opening five games of the year (all draws) it looked as though Melbourne had turned the corner with two straight wins.
Now the team must re-focus on consolidating its spot in the top four after this wake-up call defeat.
If it's any consolation Archie Thompson did take his one chance for the match well with a neat finish, but Melbourne just couldn't produce attacking chances.
After a reasonable game last week Matthew Kemp put in the proverbial 'mare against his former club, his night getting off to a bad start with a nasty challenge and then second foul earning a yellow card within three minutes.
Victory is likely to take a hit from this defeat and a home fixture against Perth next week is a double-edged sword.
On one hand, Victory will be facing the least talented and cohesive unit in the A-League.
But that will only raise expectations of a win - and Perth are notorious for closing Melbourne down regardless of the defenders at its disposal.
Until next time, come on Melbourne.
Like this blog? Help spread the word: 
-
AusTeo
Melbourne, AU
This is the regular column for the Melbourne Victory of Australia. The Victory is currently defending the A-League title and will play Asian Champions League at the end of the domestic campaign. There will also be the odd comment about the fortunes of the Australian national team.
