After putting in a strong display in City’s 2-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers, Connor Chapman had time to catch up with the media on Monday morning.
And the 20-year-old defender was upbeat about his team’s display against Tony Popovic’s side on Sunday.
“Every team in the A-League wants to win their first game back [following the Asian Cup break]”, Chapman said.
“It sets us up for this weekend [in the Melbourne Derby against Melbourne Victory] and hopefully we can go out and do it again.”
Chapman has started five of Melbourne’s last six matches and in the games he’s played, City hold a record of four wins, one draw and zero losses.
Chapman suggests that the resurgence in form is down to strong team unity and work ethic; “Everyone that’s in the team deserves to be there, I’ve worked hard since I’ve been here.”
During his run in the team Chapman’s success has been aided by his partnership with Captain Patrick Kisnorbo; “It’s been a good partnership, I love playing with Paddy. He’s an experienced player who has played in some of the top leagues in Europe”.
It would seem playing alongside the reliable Kisnorbo has allowed Chapman to settle into the side quickly and gain confidence. This was evident on Saturday as the Australia u23 international played out of the back on a number of occasions, fitting in perfectly with City’s style of football.
“It’s about knowing when to do it and when to not. That’s something I’ve learnt at Newcastle and can bring into my game here”.
With the Melbourne Derby edging closer to the top five, Chapman refers to his first experience of the derby as the best atmosphere he’s ever played in front of and hopes to emulate the result of that match.
“Every single player on that field played well that game and we need to do that again this week and hopefully we can win for the fans”.
