aleagues.com.au is your one-stop shop for the best of the pre-weekend media activity ahead of what could be a season-defining round in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
BUY YOUR TICKETS TO THIS WEEKEND’S ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE ACTION HERE!
Phoenix need to ‘refocus’ ahead of ‘six-pointer’ as Chiefy reveals his true colours
Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano concedes his side have been below their usual level of late and that things need to improve ahead of their crucial clash with Sydney FC this weekend.
“I don’t think we’ve been the best to be fair (over) the last couple of weeks,” said Italiano when discussing Wellington’s recent form. “I think we could do a lot better with the ball.
“I think defensively the outputs are quite good still but with the ball, we’ve kind of been a little bit… I don’t want to say hit and miss but it hasn’t flowed as well as what I expect and what the players expect.”
The Phoenix head into Round 21 sat in second place on the ladder after last week’s loss to Melbourne City coupled with the Mariners’ win over Macarthur saw the reigning Champions jump to the top of the table.
To make things even more interesting, Italiano’s side now face an in-form Sydney FC in Auckland this weekend, a game which the ‘Nix boss has labelled a ‘six-pointer’ despite there currently being a gap of nine points between the two sides.
“In terms of value, the games now are no longer three-pointers, they’re six-pointers…
He continued: “The three points that we potentially could give them means that it’s three points that we don’t gain, they gain, so it becomes six.
“I think it all these games, Mariners, Macarthur, Sydney even Victory last night, not losing is just as important as winning because the opposition can’t gain spots and everyone is really fighting for every point.”
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE R21 PREVIEW: One good omen presents as Wanderers look to snap horror run
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH: February nominees for Isuzu UTE A-League Fan Player of the Month: Vote today!
The Phoenix will be without striker Oskar Zawada for the clash after the Pole suffered a minor setback in his recovery from injury however they can get the player fully fit during the upcoming international break.
Finally with Wellington Phoenix set to play in the backyard of their newly formed rivals Auckland FC this weekend, Italiano had a clear message for those Wellington fans who may be considering swapping teams to support the Isuzu UTE A-League’s latest club.
“I believe in real fans, I don’t believe in bandwagon fans. If you want to go and jump over to Auckland, good luck to you… not a real fan then!”
And Chiefy didn’t stop there. Asked what he thought about the new Auckland FC playing strip, the Wellington boss revealed his true colours when it comes to who he supports…
“Well I’m a mad Sampdoria fan so that reminds me of Inter (Milan) so I’m not a big fan!”
Talay hoping for warm welcome ahead of Auckland reunion
Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay is hoping to receive a warm welcome from the Phoenix faithful when he arrives in Auckland this weekend.
Having already defeated his old side once this season the former Wellington boss is out to repeat the trick on Saturday afternoon when he comes up against his former assistant coach Giancarlo Italiano.
“I think I had a great time in Wellington and also the games in Auckland,” said Talay. “I think even when I left Wellington it was a great relationship and I left in a great manner as well.
He continued: “Look you don’t know in football. When you cross the other side of the fence it may be a little bit different but I’ve had a fantastic four years there.
“Like I said when I left there, Wellington Phoenix gave me a platform to work off and now I’m here (Sydney FC).”
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Historic day for A-Leagues as new Auckland team reveal name, logo and inaugural jersey
Like Italiano, Talay also believes Saturday’s clash in Auckland is a ‘six-pointer’ however the Sydney FC boss has heaped a little more pressure on the shoulders of his former assistant heading into the game, especially following the Sky Blues’ 3-1 win over the ‘Nix earlier in the season.
“It was a great tactical battle,” said Talay when discussing their last meeting. “You know, Chiefy’s got his way of doing things, we’ve got our way of doing things.
“I thought it was a very tense game. They’re a good side in build-up and also in counter attacks, they’ve done that very well this season.
He continued: “Chiefy loves (Roberto) De Zerbi and I think he loves the way that Brighton play and they do play out from the back.
“The way that they want to play in build-up, they want to suck you in to create those spaces to play through lines and I think at times they do it exceptionally well and they’ve scored some great goals this season.
“I’m not sure what Chiefy’s thinking for this game, he’s playing at home this time. Will he play a little bit more expansive because he is the home team… we’ll see on game day.”
Stajcic wary of wounded Wanderers ahead of pivotal clash at HBF Park
Perth Glory boss Alen Stajcic says he’s expecting Western Sydney Wanderers to come out swinging this weekend as they bid to restore some pride following their 7-0 mauling at the hands of Melbourne City.
“I’m even more wary. A team that’s been hurt like that, they’re always willing to restore their pride, bounce back and fight even harder,” said Stajcic when looking ahead to Saturday evening’s contest.
“I wish it was only a one-niller! When you get to this level you’re playing for so much more than just yourself. You’re playing for your club, the fans and all your family and all that.
TAGGART’S TARGET: In-form striker sets ambitious target after Socceroos recall: ‘I didn’t know if I’d be involved again’
“I’m sure that they’re all hurting in there as everyone who’s experienced that kind of thing. They’ll be willing to bounce back and I think the A-League has taught us so many things over the last twenty years.
He continued: “Brisbane and Melbourne City was 8-1 and then the return fixture was 5-1 so it just shows you what can happen.”
Stajcic will be without experienced defender Aleksandar Susnjar for the game due to a groin injury whilst midfielder Jarrod Carluccio is ineligible to play against his parent club due to the terms of his loan move.
Meanwhile Stajcic admits he was delighted to see club captain and star striker Adam Taggart recalled to the Socceroos after almost two-years away.
“He’s been there before, he’s got that pedigree,” said Stajcic when discussing Taggart’s selection. “He’s got the quality, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be there.
“When you’ve proved that over such a long career, he’s almost an instant selection based on his current form.
He continued: “So hopefully when he gets that opportunity he grabs it with two hands and cements that starting spot down for himself.”
Glory will be hoping Taggart can add to his tally of 14 goals this season when they face a Wanderers side currently locked in a battle with four other teams, including Perth, bidding to secure a finals position.
Stajcic’s side are currently sat 9th on the ladder and eight points behind sixth-placed Melbourne City however they do have a game in hand on the teams above them and a win over the Wanderers would turbo-charge their finals apsirations.
“Every game has been (a six pointer) over the last couple of weeks and will be until the end of the year, there’s no doubt about that.” said Stajcic.
“We’ve still got to play Melbourne City as well who are in that finals race and a couple of others so we can’t look too far ahead but it is a big game, no doubt.
“They’ll be hurting, as we know. They’ve been through a bit of pain in the last week or two.”
Zadkovich looking to build on Sydney FC display as Roar ready to disrupt finals race
While he admits their Round 20 draw with 10-man Sydney FC was a missed opportunity when it comes to picking up points, Brisbane Roar interim head coach Ruben Zadkovich believes his side are certainly heading in the right direction.
“We created more than enough to win the game,” reflected Zadkovich when discussing the 1-1 draw with the Sky Blues.
“At times Sydney defended really well with the 10-men – there’s a little bit of an art to breaking down a 10-man block and I feel like that’s definitely an area we need to improve.
“That being said we still created a lot of chances and I think on another day, with the chances that we created, we score three or four.
He continued: “The way we started that game was probably the best we’ve played all year and so we’d like to replicate that and draw out those periods for longer.”
Roar head into their Round 21 clash with Macarthur sat eighth on the ladder but crucially, just three points behind Melbourne City in sixth, and know a win over the Bulls would out them in a very strong position with five games left of the regular season.
“(It’s) just a great opportunity to be honest,” said Zadkovich when discussing the game against the Bulls at Ballymore Stadium. “You know Macarthur, they’re a very tricky side, they’re up the ladder for a reason.
“They’ve got some key individuals and some really good attacking threats but we believe there’s some areas we can exploit and we want to continue to build and keep playing the football that’s definitely on the improve.
“What we’d like to get now is three points in front of our home fans.”
