Melbourne Victory have officially flipped the script on their woeful start to the season with newfound confidence starting to emerge in their players up front.
On the doorstep of the finals Sydney FC once again had their invincibility status shattered last weekend, this time by an unimposing Brisbane Roar, while Melbourne Victory leapt into third place with a convincing 5-2 win over Central Coast Mariners.
Besart Berisha led the charge with his perfect hat-trick whilst simultaneously putting to rest any doubts that he still possessed the ability to do so.
Leroy George partnered cleverly with Berisha throughout the clash, earning a goal himself in the process. Kosta Barbarouses was pairing well on the opposite flank and James Troisi slotted in a central midfield role behind the front three to produce Victory’s third straight A-League win.
Following the comprehensive performance on Sunday night Berisha praised the efforts of those prominently involved in the goals and believes the outfit has finally started working in sync.
“Our three up front with Jimmy (Troisi) behind us is really just getting better and better,” he said.
“It’s really, really enjoyable to play with each other at the moment.
“The assist from James Troisi was amazing because he could shoot himself but he passed to me.
“That shows again where we are at a moment as a team, we’re really creating great opportunities up front.
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Leroy George has been integral to the Victory turnaround this season and is currently the A-League king of assists with 14 to his name across 22 games.
Berisha suggested that his partnership with George had reached a level of autonomy and that the pair now understand each other’s movement and patterns on the field.
This certainly seemed the case when Berisha slid an effortless ball wide through to George who carried it on for the opener on against the Mariners last Sunday.
“We understand blind now where we are and what we do up front,” Berisha explained.
“My pass to Leroy I knew exactly where he’s going to be, I think I did a similar pass to Kosta in the derby.”
“We’re really enjoying at the moment our game up front.”
Melbourne Victory face a relatively easy season wrap up as they meet Perth Glory, Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix in their next three fixtures before a final face off against Sydney FC.
Kevin Muscat’s men will be looking to maintain their hard earned third spot but must also juggle the challenges of two Asian Champions League fixtures which will further test their front three.
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