Melbourne Victory boss Tony Popovic has welcomed the selection headaches that have accompanied Chris Ikonimidis’ match-winning cameo against Sydney FC, with potentially more to come in the weeks ahead.
Introduced as a 62nd-minute substitute in round one’s Big Blue, it took just five minutes for Ikonomidis to latch onto a cross from Luis Nani and put his side ahead 2-1 at the new Sydney Football Stadium.
The 27-year-old subsequently turned provider in the 83rd minute when he set up his captain Josh Brillante to fire home the match-winner.
Not only was it a performance that reminded the general public of the attacker’s potential bona fides as a late bolter for Socceroo coach Graham Arnold’s World Cup squad, but it also presented Popovic with a bit of a conundrum: how to fit Ikonomidis into an attack already featuring Nani, Nick D’Agostino, Ben Folami, and Jake Brimmer?
“I think it always gives you something to think about,” the Victory coach said. “And as a coach, you want that. We know how talented Chris is and we expect that type of performance from him.
“I’m glad he produced it. He’s had a very good preseason and it was a tough decision before the game. I’m sure it will be another one this week.”
Saturday’s goal was just the second time that Ikonomidis has found the net since signing for Victory, his only other goal coming in his side’s Australia Cup final win over Central Coast last season.
The attacker battled a series of injury and fitness concerns in his first year at AAMI Park after signing from Perth Glory, all of which were exacerbated by a long-stint in hotel quarantine on the eve of the season after he was the only A-Leagues player to accept a call-up from Arnold for the October 2021 window.
“He played his part last year but not as regularly starting with the minutes that he would have liked or we would have liked,” said Popovic.
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“His talent hasn’t wavered and now his body is in fantastic shape and he’s starting to remind me of the Chris that I remember from Wanderers and the time I had him at Perth; confident and dynamic.
“And I’m sure that will just keep building throughout the year.”
Popovic, however, won’t also have to figure out how to fit Tomi Juric into his attacking rotation ahead of Victory’s home opener against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday evening.
The 41-time Socceroo trained with the first team on Thursday and pulled up well according to his coach, but won’t be risked so early on in the season. The same goes for central defender Matt Spiranovic, who is battling a foot injury but will likely be in contention to face Melbourne City in round three of the season.
Jason Geria, who is still recovering from a preseason hip injury, is still some weeks away.
The trio will instead take up a position in stands that will likely be quite full for Victory’s home opener, with Wanderers already selling out their away bay a day out from the contest and a bumper crowd expected.
“It’s nice. We’re hearing that it will be a good crowd,” said Popovic. “There will be away fans as well. So that’s encouraging.
“It’s great for our game, great for this stadium and it’s what we want. We want that as a code. To get fans into the stadiums and create the great atmosphere that we felt last week. I’m sure our fans and members will help replicate that this week.”
Commencing Marko Rudan’s first full season in charge of the club, the Wanderers got their 2022-23 season off to a winning start last week, grinding out a 1-0 win over Perth Glory at Western Sydney Stadium.
Having made wholesale changes to their playing list, again, this offseason, the club is seeking to arrest a half-decade out of the playoffs this campaign – the last time they played finals football when Popovic was still in charge of the club.
“Yeah, they’ve had a lot of changes,” said Popovic. “I know it’s a wonderful club and supporter base, stadium, and fantastic training facilities. So it’s a big club that has had a win, which brings optimism for the playing group of course and obviously for their fans.
“So we’ll respect them as we should and the respect they deserve coming here tomorrow and we’ll be prepared for a very difficult game.”
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Header Image Credit: Melbourne Victory
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