Melbourne Victory attacker Archie Thompson believes it is only a matter of time before his team find their best form.
Melbourne Victory attacker Archie Thompson believes it is only a matter of time before his team find their best form.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have won one of their opening four games to be bottom of a tight Hyundai A-League table.
Thompson, who said he was happy playing out wide in Victory’s 4-3-3 formation, feels his team are much better than the table reflects.
“Ange has got a game plan that he wants us guys to play and that involves me starting out wide, but it’s starting to click,” he said.
“You see patches it’s working and we know what we want to do. It works at training. It’s just a matter of us taking it out onto matchday. It’s coming around.
“I thought we were unlucky last week not to get a win (against Newcastle). We’re a better team than to be on the bottom of the ladder.”
Victory’s opponents at Etihad Stadium on Monday night – Wellington Phoenix – also have one win but are sixth on five points.
Thompson is wary of the Phoenix and said he had been impressed by striker Stein Huysegems, who spoke to his former Lierse team-mate before moving to New Zealand.
“My man Stein is doing well. Three in four games I think it is,” Thompson said.
“They’re a team that you can’t take lightly. They’re a physical team and they’re starting to play some football too, which is a bit scary for the other teams.
“We’re playing at home, it’s not about them it’s about us and what we can do to climb slowly back up the ladder.”
With Thompson and Marco Rojas constant threats out wide, Marcos Flores and Gui Finkler have rotated through the number nine role.
Thompson said the duo needed time to settle, but believes Victory fans will be excited once Flores and Finkler hit their best form.
“Finkler’s had a great pre-season, but pre-season is different to what happens in the league … he’s taken a little time to adapt to and there’s signs there,” he said.
“Flores was in China, he’s been out of the game, hadn’t played a competitive game for months and months.
There’s still a lot of game fitness he needs and it’ll take time. He’s getting there.
“The type of football that Ange wants to play – it’s fast and quick – he’s got to adapt to that. We’ve all got to adapt to it.
“He wouldn’t have been the best player in the league when he was here for nothing. The guy’s a great player, he sees a lot of things and once he starts clicking and we all click, hopefully happy days.”
