Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John Aloisi has deflected attention after a dream coaching debut.
Head Coach John Aloisi couldn’t have hoped for a more immediate impact at the helm of Melbourne Heart after last night’s 2-1 derby win over Melbourne Victory.
Leading the Red and White to its third derby triumph, Aloisi admitted the Club had retained bragging rights in the derby and the win was significant.
But while Aloisi’s pressing tactics proved successful, thwarting Ange Postecoglou’s passing game and spoiling his debut for Victory, Aloisi deflected suggestions his coaching masterstroke was the sole reason for his side’s triumph.
“It-s not about me, it-s about the Club and the team; it-s easy to get carried away with the individual side of things but we wanted to make sure that we got away to a good start,” Aloisi said.
The spotlight on Aloisi intensified in the lead-up to last night’s round one showdown and kicking off his coaching campaign with a win was significant for the Club.
“I know it was the first game of the year, but to play a local derby in front of 40,000 people, there-s always going to be a great atmosphere and to have the bragging rights over your local rivals is always something the players love and the supporters love,” Aloisi said.
“It-s only three points but it means a bit more than that.”
In a master versus apprentice scenario, with debutant Aloisi facing off with the Hyundai A-League’s most successful coach in Postecoglou, it was the coach dubbed a “rookie” who came over the line.
“We knew that we were the underdogs,” Aloisi said.
“There were things we can still improve on and things that I was happy with.”
Despite claiming the three points Aloisi admitted the “hard work has just begun”.
“We-ll get a lot better, but so will a lot of other teams will as well,” Aloisi said.
“We have quite a few new players and nine players in all in a squad of 20 is a lot so it takes time to gel and play the football you want to play.
“We-ve started off on a good note, but we-ll get better.”
“We want to get good crowds and grow our membership so [the win] was important for everyone involved in Melbourne Heart.”
