Pleased with back-to-back Suncorp Stadium wins to open the home campaign, Brisbane Roar midfielder Massimo Murdocca said things can only get better for the men in orange.
Two 1-0 wins in a row against tough opponents has seen Brisbane rise to third place on the Hyundai A-League ladder with a game in hand and Murdocca is convinced that his side can keep building on their impressive form as the season progresses.
“They-ve said from the start that we-re going to keep training harder and harder,” Murdocca said.
“I think that-s a good sign because it means we can only go up from here and we can keep getting better and better and Ange expects us to get better every week.”
Agreeing that this season was expected by many to be a transition year for Brisbane, Murdocca said he could comprehend the small element of surprise surrounding their unbeaten start.
“Last year was a horror year in general, so for people to think that is quite understandable,” he said.
“With the start we-ve had I think we-d be lying if we said there isn-t a little bit of surprise but with all the hard work we-ve done it shouldn-t be.
“We-re pretty happy with the way we are at the moment, we-ve just got to keep going with it now.”
On a personal level, the hardworking midfielder was content with his comeback cameo against Wellington Phoenix, after spending three weeks out nursing a leg injury.
Murdocca, who celebrates his 26th birthday on Thursday, only lasted 35 minutes in the season opener against Gold Coast United and said after Friday night-s performance that he felt there was still room for improvement on his behalf.
“Whether it was five minutes or half an hour or a half, I think it was important to just get back out there and get amongst it again with the boys,” he said.
“In that respect it was good, but I definitely have a lot of work to do and I-ll definitely be looking for more game time in the next couple of weeks and hopefully the leg keeps getting better.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Murdocca said his team has their sights set high.
“I think if we keep playing the way we-re playing, we should win more than we lose,” he said.
“Hopefully the boys keep putting the effort in and hopefully we can go really far this year.”
In other exciting news for the Roar, Costa Rican import Jean Carlo Solorzano is expected to be eligible for selection for Sunday-s away clash against Newcastle Jets.
The Costa Rican-s International Transfer Clearance is expected to be finalised on Tuesday, meaning he will be available for Postecoglou to call upon.
The pacy striker warmed up with teammates on Friday night prior to the Wellington Phoenix clash, and this week takes part in a full training sessions at Ballymore Stadium.
Brisbane Roar travel south to take on Newcastle Jets on Sunday 5 September. Kickoff is at 3pm at EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle.
