Guillermo May: Auckland FC striker ahead of the A-League semi-final against Melbourne Victory

Auckland FC are unfazed by the weight of expectation in tonight's return leg in their A-League semi-final against Melbourne Victory.

The Black Knights are one goal up on aggregate, but top goalscorer Guillermo May says the players are keeping a lid on their excitement.

He joined Piney to discuss ahead of the match.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks ed B.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
The Second League of the semi final this evening at
go Media Stadium. Auckland FC striker and recently named player
of the Year Gizumo my set to join US nine
goals this season. The season rather including a couple of
absolute belters looking up play again. This is promising for
all the fco.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Jing got the EU ban.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Frost, He's put a couple in the top corner at
go Media Stadium this season. He joins US now, Gizmo,
thanks for taking the time. How happy were you and
the coaching staff and the rest of the team with
the performance and the results in the first leg against
Melbourne victory last weekend?

Speaker 4 (01:00):
Hi, Jason, thank you well, it was an amazing performance
form from all the team.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
We were We were really happy the other day.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
We we trained the week before and we prepare the
game like it was the final, you know, and we
tried to win duals. It was going to be a
tough game in in those in those situations they will
press a little bit more than than before.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
So yeah, I think we've been superior. We have also
some clever situations once Naida Jesse.

Speaker 4 (01:39):
We have some there and I think we we have
one of our best defensive performance in the season.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
So yeah, we were really really happy. But just the
first leg, you say.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Did you think that Nada Moreno had made it to nil?
At the end you put them through on goal. Beautiful pass,
he's off one on one, he hit both posts and
then the okay quite grabs that have you ever seen
anything like?

Speaker 4 (02:07):
No?

Speaker 3 (02:07):
Incredible, incredible.

Speaker 4 (02:08):
I was watching from from the back there and also
Liam Gilly was to top the ball if it goes
through him, but incredible, it goes they.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Two posts and after that to the keeper.

Speaker 4 (02:23):
Believable, as you know, would be something have you to
to turn around?

Speaker 2 (02:27):
You know absolutely. You talked about how good a defensive
performance it was, and it was how big a part
to the attacking players and often the f say play
in the defense of strategy.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
Well, I I always say it is when when they
asked me today, in football, you you need eleven players
who can run, compress can be there for for his
teammates because if no.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
If not, you're not going to be competitive.

Speaker 4 (03:04):
I used to to watch the A game and they
are some team that have really offensive players really good
offensive players, but sometimes they cheat a little bit in
in the defensive structor they don't do those extra runs.
And here I think, of course we're going to be

(03:24):
sometimes tired to take better decisions in when we have
the ball.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
That's that's true.

Speaker 4 (03:30):
And sometimes we we don't have those clear situations, so
we don't keep too much of the balls as we
will want we would want. But that's because every everyone
up front and in our back line.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
I think it's something that you can watch clearly. You
know what team.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
You know that if you if you don't concede, then
you qualify for the Grand Final. Is there any temptation
to be a bit more defensive or is that not
the way often the FC play?

Speaker 4 (04:04):
No, no, no, no. We are playing at home. We
want to win these eighty minutes. We are going to
start from the beginning and try to win the game.
So it's nothing different from from the first leg or
or the other games that we play in the season.
We as as you can see before, we tried to
win every every single game. Sometimes it was better, sometimes not,

(04:27):
but we never wait for the other team to to
play through us. So so yeah, our post on Saturday
was it's going to be pressed high, tried to create
situations and smash the other team.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
One of the big tactical changes that happened in January,
midway through the season was I mean, you've you've played,
You've started every game, but in mid January Steve made
a change and brought Max Mutter into the starting lineup
to play alongside you up front. How much did that
change the way the you were able to play?

Speaker 4 (05:11):
Well, that's something of Steve.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
He's a really he's a really smart coach.

Speaker 4 (05:19):
He always he's always trying to find our best best
form in every way.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
So good that.

Speaker 4 (05:31):
We were winning games and and that, but my position,
I could do it better with someone next to me,
with with more presence in the box, and if you
give me the opportunity to drop off the line sometimes.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
To get more involved in the in the game, and yeah,
to to to take more.

Speaker 4 (05:54):
My my characteristics of player, you know. After I think
after that move with with John, we show our our
best performances in in the season, I think.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
And also we have an extra player.

Speaker 4 (06:10):
In the in the rival box.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
So I think it was a really smart moment there.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
And you talked about there about dropping off the line.
I mean, you're certainly not a traditional number nine, a
center forward who just plays up front. And you know,
I've seen you tracking back. I've seen your back and
the left midfield position. You drop off the line to
pick up the ball. Your GPS numbers must be very impressive.
Is that that that's you though, wasn't it? You're not

(06:40):
a typical center forward. You're more You're more a team.
Will that be fair?

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Yes, it's it's it's fair. I prefer to play to
be in touch with the ball always, to play with midfield.

Speaker 4 (06:53):
Say also, of course in this team, we we have
to run to to do some recoveries and to take.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
The other thing the ball.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
And yeah, I think now not not only mine, if
not all of my teammates GPS is they're they're rising
a high level.

Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeare in tactical terms.

Speaker 4 (07:14):
In tactical terms, yeah, I don't like playing as a
traditional striker.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
I like being being in.

Speaker 4 (07:22):
Touch with the ball, having wingers run forward so I
can pass them the ball to shoot from from distance.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
That's that's what I what I like. So yeah, I
think playing with someone there it's quite better.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
Yeah, it's certainly working. Nine goals for you this season.

Speaker 3 (07:42):
Do you have a favorite, good question. I would like
to score more.

Speaker 4 (07:48):
I hope this weekend and the other to to to
have more goals in my account. But I think my favorite, Yeah,
it is maybe the Melbourne City goal home goal.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
Yeah, because I like I like that the show. It
was also my first call at.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
At the gold Media Stadium with all the people there
for me.

Speaker 3 (08:12):
It was an unbelievable feeling. So yeah, I think that
was really nice.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yep, that's the one I would have chosen as well.
And you and you broke one of the Sky Sports
cameras as well.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
It's a good camera, it's a good view that.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
It's a great view from behind it is it is
the best view. Just before we finish, can you think
back to what your expectations were at the start of
the season when you arrived in Auckland. Did you really
expect that you'd be one game away from a Grand
Final here in the in the middle of May.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
You know when when when you arrived to a new club.

Speaker 4 (08:58):
Of course, your your expectations are high. You you want
to be your best in the season, You're want to
be your team the best in the season. But you
never realized I saw think about playing the grand final
or be one game through the grand final win the premiership.

(09:20):
I think it was a dream before we were Since
the beginning, I thought we were a competitive team, but
also we were not having the best results in the
pre season, so I was thinking, like, we're going to
be competitive, but it's a tough leak.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
It's not going to be easy to be in the
in the top of the level, you know that.

Speaker 4 (09:46):
After a few games, I started realizing that we had
a really good coaching stuff that knows everything about this league,
and they are really smart, they know the tricks. Also,
I realized the atmosphere here was something special.

Speaker 3 (10:05):
We have a everyone working hard, everyone worked for for
the for the teammates, the like we we enjoy being
here in the club in or however.

Speaker 4 (10:20):
So those type of things and getting some results like
in the last minutes and watching us play.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
It was then and I started realizing that.

Speaker 4 (10:32):
We were we were going to be.

Speaker 3 (10:34):
One of the best team analytics, I think, well.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
It's been a fantastic season so far. Gis you congratulations
on what you've done yourself and as a team so far.
Hopefully more to come. All the best in the second League.
As you look to make the Grand Final. Thank you
so much for chatting now.

Speaker 4 (10:49):
I think, thank you Jason and Ante chatting, and I.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Hope this weekend we will maybe it better for open.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
So great to Tett, you give you, Gus, your mom,
the nine goals this season, hopefully more to come and
often the season overall player of the season.

Speaker 1 (11:07):
For more from Weekends Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
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