Time for Durakovic to deliver the goods

The Anthony Di Pietro led Melbourne Victory board put everything on the line in its ultimately successful pursuit of Harry Kewell.

From initially compromising their ‘search’ for a new coach to further risking their credibility as each of Kewell's signing deadlines came and went.

Yet the Victory finally did get their man, indeed pulling off the greatest signing in Australian sports history.

Not only will Australia’s most vaunted Socceroo be playing in the A-League for the rest of his footballing days, but the Victory board have comprehensively exonerated themselves from a potential PR disaster.

That the board have done an exemplarary job in pulling off the Kewell deal is unquestionable. Yet the pressure will now be placed firmly on the shoulders of Mehmet Durakovic who’ll have his work cut out to accommodate Kewell amid the plethora of scoring options he inherited.

Durakovic won the Victory job because he was in the right place at precisely the right time. He promised to work cheap and importantly had Kevin Muscat on his ticket- a factor somehow regarded as essential for the future of the club’s brand.

Whether right or wrong, it’ll be with Durakovic where the buck stops regarding the Victory’s performance, with intense scrutiny expected all season upon what’s certainly now one of Asia’s biggest clubs.

To begin with Durakovic will need to demonstrate how he intends to utilise Kewell in a squad blessed with attacking options.

He’ll need to make harsh game to game decisions upon the likes of Archie Thomson and Danny Allsop as well as recent Roar signing Jean Carlos Solórzano.

Durakovic will also have to resolve the increasingly problematic Carlos Hernandez situation which continually finds the precociously talented Costa Rican in substandard physical shape.

Durakovic simply can’t afford to have his club’s second largest asset wasting away in the Victory doghouse and will need to make his mind up quickly about what role-if any- Hernandez has with the club.

Most importantly however Durakovic will need to reconcile a significant imbalance in the Victory squad. While their attacking prowess is without question, Melbourne lags behind their fiercest A-League rivals where defensive depth and midfield grit are concerned.

While Kewell’s capture indeed provides the impression of a slick Ferrari, the reality is that the Victory host an engine underneath which is suspect at best, derelict at worst.

Brisbane launched their rampant season last year not on the back of dynamic strike options, but by an industrious and highly skilled midfield driven by the likes of Eric Paartalu and Matt McKay, complimented by the polish of Thomas Broich, Mitch Nichols and Henrique.

The Central Coast’s biggest off-season recruit Stuart Musialik speaks volumes for Graham Arnold’s commitment to the centre of the park, while Adelaide and Sydney have both focused their player recruitment drives around further developing their respective midfields.

Meanwhile the Victory runs the risk of serious exposure to far more robust, faster and diligent A-League outfits, especially if they’re to rely upon the ageing Grant Brebner and consistently maligned Leigh Broxham.

Billy Celeski is a contender to pick up some of the midfield slack, though his reconstructed knee remains a query. Diogo Ferreira has shown promise but may still be a bit raw where the rigours of midfield combat are concerned.

The Victory is crying out for a midfield enforcer and help for Roddy Vargas and Adrian Leijer in the centre of defence if they are to justify their recent elevation to competition favoritism.

As it stands they have forward options the envy of any team, but a midfield which simply doesn’t look likely to propel them to the top of the table and a potential return to Champions League football.

Melbourne’s pursuit of Kewell was long and drawn-out, however with the start of the A-League just six weeks away, they’ll have to work much quicker to secure areas of the park which really must be addressed.

As comprehensively brilliant as the Kewell capture was, his arrival in Melbourne won’t have the same lustre without a winning team to compliment the celebration.