Last weekend, I took a Danish journalist to AAMI Park to see Melbourne Victory take on Sydney FC to give him a taste for Australian soccer. He, like most of Europe, is soccer mad, and was interested to see it in the context of one of the sport's developing nations.

His expectations were not overly high. He is aware of the situation here in which multiple sports are jostling for pole position on the sporting grid, which is not the case in most European countries and which dilutes the talent pool somewhat. However, he did point out that the A-League's current top goal-scorer, Besart Berisha, had played a few seasons in Denmark and had proven to be an average, unexceptional player there (his return totalled 16 goals over 48 matches for two clubs).

Granted, he is playing for a much more dominant side here. It's easy to score goals when the team behind you is creating chances like the Roar do. But still, it did serve as an ominous warning that the standard here might not quite match even the mid-range European leagues.

This was to be the only match he would see in his time in Australia, so it's a bit unfair to use his take on the game as wholly indicative of soccer in Australia, but he did provide some good insight into what Victory are doing wrong. Put simply - and honestly - Victory have had a shocker of a year, and somehow they repeat the same mistakes game after game. Yet it's not as though the places in which they let themselves down are hidden.

After just twenty minutes, my guest noted that Victory's defensive structure was shaky, and they were too reliant on a few individuals. Somehow, the management haven't spotted that in twenty games.

Victory scrounged two goals late in the first half, and it looked like they might deliver a win. Of course, I assured my friend that, given Victory's record, a draw was still well and truly on the cards. Then, watching them negatively defend their lead for more than half an hour, it was no wonder Sydney ended up equalising.

Asked to comment on the style of play, the Dane told me it was just like watching European football only fifteen years ago. It was dour, and the possession was fearful, particularly in defence. When in doubt, kick it out, that sort of thing. "It's not bad football, it's just stupid football," he told me. And it's true. Time and time again, Victory's under-siege defence mindlessly booted the ball clear, buying themselves all of ten seconds before they were under the pump once again.

Yet with each clearance, the crowd applauded. In Spain, I was told, the fans boo such short-term defensive measures. They belong to the classic, British, safety-first school of management that has become outdated, even in England.

Football has adapted to a possession-heavy game. The teams that win the most are the teams that maintain possession, even under pressure. Victory seemed hesitant to pass to any teammate with an opponent anywhere near them. As teams are pressing more and more when not in possession, this limits a player's options to virtually no one.

To illustrate, he pointed to a drill that Real Madrid practice in training. They play an eleven-on-eleven match solely inside the penalty box. The point of this is to familiarise the players with congested play, and remove from them the fear of passing to a marked player. Right now, Victory players don't have enough faith in their teammates' strength on the ball to pass to them when under pressure.

It's nothing revolutionary, and it's not confined to soccer. From Brisbane Roar's legendary unbeaten streak, to Geelong's three AFL's premierships, to Australia's whitewash of India this summer, there's nothing quite like backing your teammates in to get the job done. It's what team sports are all about.

For the record, there were a few areas about which my guest was not so negative. He appreciated AAMI Park, the stadium and the pitch, and the fact that a Sydney fan could sit right behind us did not go unnoticed. He loved the work of "that number ten guy" - referring to Sydney's Nick Carle - who tore Victory to shreds in the second half.

Carlos Hernandez, too, had been a creative force, and had shown the strength on the ball that Victory lacked so dearly. The Dane was dumbfounded, then, when he was substituted when they needed that quality most.

He was also quite complimentary to the referee, who had been showing a lot of common sense in letting play flow and had not been influenced by a heavily parochial crowd who were, and I quote: "quite frankly, idiots."

On the whole. though, Victory didn't do much to impress their unofficial European scout. Soccer is constantly changing, and at the moment they are well behind world's best practice. It's time for them to learn to stay strong in congestion, embrace risk-taking, and bring their style into the 21st century.