View from the Victory, Volume 12: Another Snoozefest At Etihad Stadium

After dropping a 4-3 penalty shootout to the Los Angeles Galaxy in a friendly, Mehmet Durakovic's Melbourne Victory were feeling the heat when they faced interstate rivals Adelaide United.

"There's all the talk about Mehmet and about Rini Coolen being under pressure, but at the essence of any sport it's all about the players," former Adelaide manager John Kosmina told Matt Windley of the Melbourne Herald Sun. "What it comes down to now is, coaches aside, the players can take control of their own destiny.

"It's what they want to put in to this game tomorrow night and it's about what they want to put in to this season."

Fans of both teams are apparently disgusted with the current state of affairs, and both Durakovic and current Adelaide boss Rini Coolen are supremos in the hot seat, according to the Age's Michael Lynch.

Nonetheless, assistant manager Kevin Muscat remained optimistic.

"Our last two performances have been relatively good," Muscat told the Age's Jared Lynch. "It's about consolidating and putting our performances into results now because we are a third of our way through the season and it's imperative that we start picking up points.

"Two or three wins and a bounce could really set up your season, and I have no doubt from our perspective that we want that bounce of two or three wins to start now."

A speculative effort in the first minute for Harry Kewell was easily saved by United goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic. A minute later, Carlos Hernandez tried a set piece, but Galekovic was there to make another kick save.

The next several minutes saw the Victory try their luck with corner kicks, but the technique was lacking. Fabian Barbiero had a good look on goal in the 23rd minute for Adelaide, but his speculative attempt went high.

Kewell's next chance in the 26th minute was headed over the bar. In the 31st minute, Kewell got involved in a scuffle that happened on the pitch after he tried to quickly restart possession. Barbiero would be cautioned in the 33rd minute for a challenge on Leigh Broxham.

Melbourne had the lion's share of chances in the first half but the possession was nothing short of dismal. Their opportunities in the 42nd and 43rd minutes off corners were the epitome of their efforts. Promising possession, diabolic finish.

In the only minute of stoppage time, Kewell's misfortunes continued, with a long shot going wide right. At the break, both teams went into the change rooms scoreless.

Leigh Broxham tried his luck in the 47th minute, but his shot went wide left. Dario Vidosic had a look on goal in the 52nd minute but his header was collected by Victory goalkeeper Ante Covic. Thompson's attempt in the 57th minute was squandered rather easily, a sign of his age and the possibility that the game was leaving him ever so subtly.

Hernandez's next shot in the 58th minute was saved by Galekovic. In the 59th minute, Thompson was able to finish a header off a Fabio delivery to make it 1-0 to the Victory.

Yet another chance for Kewell was wasted in the 62nd minute, with his shot going wide right. Bruce Djite nearly equalized in the 64th minute, but the shot went high.

In the 67th minute, Thompson was denied a brace thanks to the heroics of Galekovic. In the 75th minute, Kewell tried another shot, but that was also parried away.

Barbiero equalized in the 82nd minute thanks to poor defending from Fabio. Once again, Melbourne have been unable to hang on to leads minutes from time. This has been a cause of concern for the past several weeks: the inability to build on an advantage.

Kewell had one final chance in the second minute of stoppage time, but he could not connect, and that marked another sorry outing for the Melbourne Victory, who were consigned to another draw. Final score: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Adelaide United.

One has to wonder how long will Mehmet Durakovic remain as the manager of the Victory. It has been a terrible first year for Durakovic, marked by a string of setbacks, poor play, too many penalties surrendered, and countless points left on the table.

And so, the countdown continues.

Up next for Melbourne is their second match with the Wellington Phoenix, scheduled for Dec. 18. Kickoff at AAMI Park is scheduled for 5 p.m. AEST.