Sydney FC captain Luke Brattan has defended his side’s disciplinary record, ahead of this weekend’s Sydney Derby – but revealed the club’s coaching staff have concocted a plan to help prevent more red card misery on Saturday night.
Robert Mak’s red card against Newcastle Jets in Round 23 was the club’s fifth dismissal of the campaign, all five of which have come in the first half of matches, and while Brattan admits it’s not a good look, he believes on another day those decisions could have been different.
“If they were clear red cards then I think we’d be having conversations about discipline,” said Brattan when speaking at the pre-Sydney Derby press conference. “But we expect that now.
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“The coaches make bad decisions at training when they’re reffing games so we’re prepared for the weekend.”
When pushed for a more detailed explanation of the above answer Brattan confirmed Ufuk Talay and his staff were deliberately giving controversial calls against players during competitive training matches in order to help the squad control their emotions ahead of what is sure to be another fiery Sydney Derby.
“With derbies, they’re crazy games,” added the Sky Blues’ captain. “They’re not always the best football games. The emotion attached to it, the energy, anything can happen really.”
The Sky Blues head into the contest sat a point above their fiercest rivals on the ladder and know a win would not only boost their own chances of qualifying for the finals series but also put a dent in their opponents’.
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“It’s a must win for us,” said Brattan. “We want to finish as high as we can on the table. We’re solely thinking about ourselves and getting maximum points from the last three games.
“We want a home final. We want to play in front of our fans as much as possible and yeah, they’ve got a tough run in but there’s no real easy game in the league at the moment.
He added: “If we concentrate on our game plan and focus on ourselves, we’re not really thinking about what they’re doing in the next three games or finals series. It’s all about us.”
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Sydney FC will be forced into a defensive re-shuffle for the game against the Wanderers this weekend with both Jake Girdwood-Reich and Jordan Courtney-Perkins both away with the Olyroos on international duty.
However they aren’t the only side missing players this weekend as Western Sydney boss Marko Rudan will also have to make changes after losing attacking duo Nicolas Milanovic and Lachlan Brook for the same reason.
“It’s a big loss,” said Wanderers midfielder Milos Ninkovic as he prepares to play in what could be his final Sydney Derby clash.
“I was surprised to be honest when I head that during the season they were going for the national team and were going to be away for like one month. It’s a big loss but we have great young players and now maybe it’s time for them to show up.”
Of the 38 goals scored by the Wanderers this season, 16 have come from the respective boots of Milanovic and Brook.
However their absence means it’s likely the former Sydney FC legend Ninkovic will feature for the Wanderers at the home of their great rivals for one last time, and it’s a moment he’s relishing.
“Yeah maybe it’s gonna be my last derby, maybe we’re going to have a few more,” laughed Ninkovic when speaking at the pre-derby press conference. “To be honest I’m not thinking about it. It’s going to be my last few games and I’m trying to be (the) best I can be.”
Four losses from their last six games has seen the Wanderers drop down the ladder to sixth spot and just four points ahead of Melbourne City in seventh place.
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With games against Sydney FC (A), Melbourne City (H) and Melbourne Victory (A) left in the regular season the Wanderers do have arguably the hardest run home, however Ninkovic believes the fact it’s in their own hands to qualify for the Finals Series is a huge factor.
“We’re still in it, we still have three big games. The most important thing in football is when it all depends on you. If we win all these games definitely we’re going to be in the top six.
“We have good quality to be in the top six and then after that, everything is possible. This year in the league any team can win the grand final. It’s so, so close and that’s why I’m not worried about the finals. The most important thing now is to finish in the top six.”
Grand final glory with the Wanderers would be the fairytale finish for Ninkovic, who earlier in the season announced he would be hanging up the boots at the end of the current campaign.
There’s certainly no love lost when it comes to the former Serbian international’s relationship with both the Sydney FC fans and hierarchy however Ninkovic reserved special praise for a former teammate, now rival with whom he’s likely to face off against in midfield on Saturday night.
“Luke (Brattan) is probably the best in his position for a long time in the A-League.
“I really enjoyed to play with him, it’s hard to play against him but sometimes when you play against good players they’re giving you more and then you need to give more.”
“He’s definitely lying,” laughed Brattan when asked for his take on the above comments from his former teammate, turned rival.
“Obviously Milos is fantastic player. What he’s done for the league over the last ten years is pretty special and to play with him was great as well.
“Obviously playing against him before I came to Sydney was always tough and then I signed at Sydney and he still seemed to embarrass me a couple of times at training. He’s a special player and if he can play at his age (39) in a competition like the A-League you’ve got something special.”
