Patrick Kisnorbo Has Managed One Game At Melbourne Victory. The Fans Have Already Turned On Him.

Written by Lachlan Sherriff

When you arrive as the new manager at a club with as many expectations as Melbourne Victory, you're going to begin with a lot of doubters. This is especially true if you managed Victory's crosstown rivals Melbourne City to two premierships and a championship, which new manager Patrick Kisnorbo did only two years ago.

But even he couldn't have possibly imagined how quickly he'd lose the trust of members in the fanbase, before Victory even played their first A-League game of the season.

Some members of the North Terrace and beyond took to social media to express their disappointment in Kisnorbo following Victory's 1-0 loss to Macarthur in the Australian Cup last Sunday, but the result wasn't even the main reason for this.

Instead, Victory fans have taken a problem with the exclusion of Daniel Arzani's exclusion from the squad, the talented winger failing to even make Kisnorbo's bench despite four goals and seven assists last season, his first with the Boys in Blue.

As Arzani watched on from the stands, his teammates put out a showing that could only be described as average at best, with many fans wondering why Kisnorbo froze the 25-year-old from the team.

But despite the loss, Kisnorbo stood on his decision.

“It’s just my decision. Come Round 1 he won’t be in the game either because he’s suspended. We sort of had to be ready for that scenario and I decided to do it today. The issue isn’t about Daniel, it’s about the team. I made a decision and I stick by it.”

- Patrick Kisnorbo on leaving Daniel Arzani out of the squad.

Kisnorbo may have thought this was the correct decision, but it wasn't. Victory looked a shell of themselves throughout the final, especially in the second half. Many fans, correctly, believed Arzani could have been a valuable asset off the bench. By leaving Arzani out to focus on his round one tactics, Kisnorbo also directly insulted the Australian Cup, and potentially prevented Victory from starting their season off with silverware.

But that's not all.

On Monday, reports came out that Kisnorbo may have been untruthful in his reasonings for Arzani's absence.

"Daniel Arzani was dropped after a massive bust-up with Patrick Kisnorbo at training last week. This has insinuated from Arzani being offered to other clubs during the offseason. The club wanted Arzani to play but Kisnorbo insisted on dropping the Socceroo".

-The Roar's Nicholas Lennon on Arzani's absence, via X.

A training bust up with the manager may not be the biggest surprise to anyone who's followed Arzani's career, especially after former Victory manager Tony Popovic indirectly confirmed he had a non-football related issue with Arzani after last season's draw against Melbourne City.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a8231d_c988a23d4e4247598ebd9b1b8467787c/480p/mp4/file.mp4

But as for Kisnorbo, he's now put himself in an awkward paradox situation.

On one hand, he didn't drag Daniel Arzani's name. If this bust up really did happen, it would have been easy for Kisnorbo to tell the media, and create an awkward tension not only with Arzani, but with other players.

On the other hand, if Lennon's reports are correct, then Kisnorbo lied to the fans.

Fans want honesty. They want to know what's going on with the team they invest their time and money into. And even if they can't know everything, they don't want to be directly lied to either.

Kisnorbo may go on to have a very successful career with Victory, but his debut match couldn't have gotten off to a worse start, and he won't be able to change that until at least their first A-League game.

As for Arzani, he may be fine. Or his Victory career may be in trouble. No one can really know until more information comes out, which may never happen.

But it is worth noting Arzani had clubs looking at him over the transfer window. And if he's sulking over not getting a move, Kisnorbo may freeze him out of his squad for good.

So if this alleged bust up really did happen, there's a good chance it continues for a while.

In the mean time, Kisnorbo will turn his attention to his first A-League game as Victory manager, a Grand Final rematch against the Mariners at Central Coast Stadium on the 18th of October. Arzani, who is suspended for that match, will be available for Victory's next match, eight days later against crosstown rivals Melbourne City.