It was honest and it was candid from Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Marko Rudan and captain Marcelo in the aftermath of Saturday’s derby demolition.
Rudan and Marcelo cut frustrated figures after Western Sydney were put to the sword 4-1 by cross-town rivals Sydney FC at CommBank Stadium.
The in-form Sky Blues – who extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in the Isuzu UTE A-League – raced out the blocks with two goals inside seven minutes on enemy territory before adding a pair of goals before the hour mark.
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Western Sydney pulled a goal back 18 minutes from the end but it was a mere consolidation on a forgettable night for the Wanderers, who were leapfrogged by their bitter foes into fifth position.
“It’s quite simple, we lost the game in the first 10 minutes of either half. They came out stronger, they pressed us,” Rudan told Paramount+ following the game.
“We knew what was going to go on but we just weren’t good enough playing through the press. They were hungrier, they won the second balls.
“They were getting really tight on us. All the things we expected and worked on during the week, and we didn’t turn up. That’s very disappointing from my end.
“I feel pretty embarrassed right now. I feel for the members and fans who came out to support our football club.”
Rudan added: “Of course I take it personally. It’s my responsibility and I take full responsibility.
“I’m the one who put the 11 players out there. I’m the one who trained them and put a game plan together and I wasn’t good enough.”
“I don’t think I have to say too much to them after the match,” he continued. “What I’ll be observing is that reaction out of them. It’s just one game. Not to say you’re allowed to have an off-game but it happens in football over the course of the season.
“… But we will go back to showing them how good they are. There’s no point in telling them how bad they are. I think they know the performance they put out there. My job is to get them back on deck. We know we have to get better.”
For experienced Western Sydney skipper Marcelo, he followed a similar tune as the club suffered their heaviest derby defeat in almost six years.
“We are very disappointed with our start of the game. They come here to our home, they fight, they win the duels. That cannot happen,” he told Paramount+.
“We need to be smart and understand in football, if you don’t give 200%, especially in this kind of game, you get punished.
“We need to lift up our head now, continue to work. But today, we are really disappointed. That’s all I can say.”
“That’s not us. That’s not Western Sydney Wanderers. That’s not how we play,” Marcelo said.
“That’s why we are really sad because we can do better than this and we know that.
“But we need to show up on the field. We are going to work and keep playing football. Things can change very quick. Hopefully we are going to bounce back and continue our journey.”
