Nishan Velupillay is one of the form players of the Australia Cup 2024, with six goal contributions in two matches.
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The winger bagged braces in back-to-back games and notched an assist in Round of 32 and Round of 16 wins for Victory as they advanced to the Quarter Finals.
After finishing as the A-League Men’s Grand Final runners up in 2023/24 losing to treble winners Central Coast Mariners, Victory appointed former Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo over the offseason.
Velupillay, has thrived so far in Kisnorbo's a high-pressure system, demonstrated best in their Round of 16 win with the forward and his fellow attackers pouncing on NWS Spirit to break forward quickly.
His second goal against Spirit came from Daniel Arzani dispossessing Richard Darko near halfway and sprinting forward before the ball fell to his opposite winger to tap home.
The 23-year-old said the new style is helping to get the best out of the team's attackers.
“The way we’re playing gives us a platform for us attacking players to succeed in the final third,” Velupillay said.
“What we want to play is a very proactive, aggressive game style, and that starts from the front with our front players defending.
“It’s one of our focuses to win the ball high up the pitch and create goalscoring opportunities from there.
“As a unit, if we do that well, we can also control games without the ball.”
For Velupillay, playing this way requires a high level of fitness, which he said the team has been building through pre-season and the Australia Cup.
He said that his break over the offseason has helped to come back refreshed and meet the demands of Kisnorbo’s system.
“Over the off season, I had a bit of a break,” Velupillay said.
"I haven’t really had a break so it’s cleared my head a little bit. The body got a bit of a rest.
“The first thing is I have to be working up and down the pitch but also off the ball, staying disciplined and being proactive in the press.
“On the ball being the one to create up front.
“It’s always a bit of pressure up front to score and to assist but I feel our front players look to embrace that pressure.”
Victory’s new coach, Kisnorbo, won two A-League Men’s Premierships and a Championships during his time in charge of cross-town rivals City.
Velupillay said Kisnorbo’s methods add to the bonds already built within the squad last season.
“In training, you can tell that we’re on the same wavelength a lot of the time, and we’re only going to get stronger as we go on,” Velupillay said.
“A new coach always brings his new ideas and his style of playing but I think the standards that are at this football club align with his standards.
“He’s what we need right now and I think his game style is proving beneficial so far.”
Melbourne Victory travel to Moreton City Excelsior in the Quarter Finals - a side that pulled off one the most memorable Cupsets in the competition’s history.
After falling two goals behind early on against Perth Glory, Moreton City fought back to equalise before Glory had a player sent off heading into halftime.
A winner in the last five minutes secured a place in the next round, and they will be eager to cause another upset, this time against Velupillay’s Victory.
Velupillay won the Australia Cup with Victory in 2021, and with a chance of a semi-final berth on the line, he said some silverware ahead of the A-League Men's season would be valuable.
“What we want to do is win trophies,” he said.
“We have a Quarter Final to get through first.
“They [Moreton City] performed really well, and to come back from 2-0 down is a great achievement.
“We’ll be doing our homework on them and trying to find the best way to beat them.”
Match Details
Date: Saturday 14 September
Kick-off: 6:00pm AEST
Perry Park
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