Then follows a month off for the Word Cup hiatus, so the upcoming week or so will determine whether the Jets' promising start has been maintained.

The Wanderers made it more difficult for the Jets to flourish than Perth or Wellington in the opening two matches, and it's hard to imagine things will be any easier against the two Melbourne giants.

City are off to an excellent start, unbeaten and top of the table.

Victory have been a little off key and have failed to score in three consecutive matches, which may spell trouble for the Jets.

Coach Tony Popovic won't be happy, neither surely can his squad be. A host of big-name internationals, supplemented now by Bruno Fornaroli, should be better placed and I'm expecting a response very soon.

On the subject of Fornaroli, I'd be surprised if he gets any more than a cameo role Friday evening given his circumstances, and indeed that might play out for a good portion of the season.

But he adds a valuable option to a squad hardly short of quality and should be effective with the legs around him. Just how he fits in as a long-term injury replacement for Jason Geria and Matthew Spiranovic, both defenders, remains a mystery to me, as I'm sure it does to many others.

The Jets approach to this game is very important, although Victory's quality may force the balance of the match.

Is an intention to press high for long periods an over-optimistic plan for the Jets? Is a game where they sit tight and counter more likely to collect points than a match-your-motors, open contest?

Will Victory have noted the defensive intensity the Wanderers used to shackle the Jets last week, plug holes between the lines and invite Newcastle to play around them? Will they focus on opponents or come out all guns blazing?

When they went 2-0 and a man down against City in round three, I was expecting a somewhat conservative, damage limitation type approach to the second half.

Instead they pressed effectively with 10 men and upset City's rhythm and I'm not sure many in this league are capable of that.

The Jets made almost 200 more passes than the Wanderers in the second half last week as they chased the game to break even in the possession stakes, but mostly where the Wanderers were prepared to allow it.

Beka Mikeltadze once again was largely starved of touches and cut a frustrated figure. The Jets need him to have heavy involvement in general play.

Coach Arthur Papas will be thinking long and hard about where his defensive line sets up.

He won't want to be too conservative but will be well aware that Victory have the pace to exploit space in behind a high line. What to do?

Would you be happy with an attractive but point-deficient performance or a more cautious, even ugly display that might frustrate an opponent that thinks they are superior across the board?

Would you be more aggressive at home? Or will the approaches be consistent against the two best rosters in the league?

Would two points from these two games be acceptable? More required? Why? I'd sign for that right now.

Maybe that's old-fashioned, but a couple of points in the next week or so might be very important at season's end. I'm expecting a cracking game Friday night. Enjoy.

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