Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip has conceded his side is lacking confidence ahead of the crucial derby match-up with cross town rival Melbourne Victory.
Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip has conceded his side is lacking confidence ahead of the crucial derby match-up with cross town rival Melbourne Victory.
Van ‘t Schip said Heart needed to up the ante in the attacking third of the park to reverse its current woes, which has seen the Red and White struggle to find the back of the net.
“You can’t say we’re not having luck any more, it’s just not good enough. If you have that many shots on goal, dominate the game and you’re not scoring, then something’s wrong,” he said.
“That’s the detail which decides games, it sounds very simple, but that’s what it’s about and we’re not sharp enough”
The Dutch tactician acknowledged though that Heart-s current form slump has placed his squad in a difficult position ahead of the Melbourne Derby Rematch.
“For the morale and confidence of the group, it’s not good coming from five games we only have one point and not scoring,” he said.
“Hopefully after this game the belief we have will still be there, if you want to win games it’s about getting on the right end up front and on the right end when you defend. That’s the extra percentage we’re having problems with at the moment.
Heart entered the inaugural Melbourne Derby clash in a similar situation, having just suffered a heavy loss to the Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
But despite the similarities, Van ‘t Schip said he is wary of the challenge set to be posed by Victory on Saturday night, praising the quality of the men in blue.
“They (Victory) are in better shape now than then (when Melbourne Heart beat them) with Archie Thompson back and (Carlos) Hernandez playing well, so it’s going to be a hard and difficult game for sure,” he said.
