Melbourne Victory midfielder Jakob Poulsen has heaped praise on Head Coach Marco Kurz ahead of the club’s Hyundai A-League opening fixture against Melbourne City on Saturday.
Poulsen, who himself is new to the Victory fold, said Kurz’s ability to provide clear structure while also being a personable figure has helped the team buy in to the new culture instantly.
“He’s a coach who knows what he wants to do, which way he wants his players to play and for me that’s how it should be,” said Poulsen.
“They should never be in doubt about what they want to do. He seems like a good guy, very friendly and easy to talk to.
“There’s a great person behind the footballer which is great to have leading us.”
What more can Poulsen tell us about Kurz?
“He’s from Germany… but you probably knew that already!” Poulsen says mischievously.
It’s this cheeky nature to Poulsen that has helped him to quickly find his feet amongst the squad, and while he’s level-headed and down to earth, the midfielder still chases success and development of his game.
“I love playing the games where everything is at stake,” said Poulsen.
“It’s not only about improving in those moments, but also about the points – that to me is what football is about.
“It’s a very good group. The dressing room has a great atmosphere, and although we’ve only played friendly games so far, I’ve heard about the big crowds we play in front of each week – something like 20,000 or more each time – which is impressive.
“I’m really looking forward to that.”
Poulsen has also brought his family to Melbourne for the summer season, and they have certainly done their research into the area.
“I have my wife here, Nina, and we have two kids – Andrea, she’s 4-years-old, and Magnus who is almost two,” said Poulsen.
“The family is happy here and we’re all enjoying Melbourne… except the weather of course – we’re looking forward to it getting a bit warmer!
“We’re still in a hotel at the moment, but we’re looking at areas to live south of the Yarra. If it’s Prahran, South Yarra, Balaclava or Elwood, for us it doesn’t matter because there are so many nice areas.
“We like to be close to the things we’ll do every day and those nice streets, like Carlisle and Chapel, have so much to enjoy on them.
“We’re just waiting for the right apartment or house!”
