Key Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo says his side won’t make the mistake of focusing solely on striker Shane Smeltz in Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash against Gold Coast United.
The Sky Blues, who sit two points clear of Gold Coast on top of the ladder, are yet to defeat the Hyundai A-league newcomers having lost both encounters at Skilled Park this season, with Smeltz scoring all three goals.
“Yes, we’re focusing on Smeltzy but Jason (Culina) and Charlie Miller, (Michael) Thwaite and Zenon Caravella, who’s been in some really good form, I think if we can stop those boys it’ll be easier to stop Shane wouldn’t it because the delivery doesn’t get in there,” Colosimo said.
“They’re very, very strong as a whole unit, there’s also Joel Porter who’s another very dangerous player, so it’s not so much focused on stopping Shane Smeltz it’s focused on stopping the Gold Coast.”
“We’ve got the top goal scorer in the league coming, there’s no doubt it’s a test. He’s got the better of us twice but our boys have worked really hard and we’re getting things right – they’re not quite right although our defensive record is good there’s still a couple of little things that we’re trying to get right.”
While the competition leaders will be boosted by the return of their defensive leader from Socceroos duty and a one-game suspension, in-form striker Alex Brosque remains an unlikely starter as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
“Alex is starting to train, he has a special program with Craig Duncan our fitness coach but it’s hard to say today,” coach Vitezslav Lavicka said.
Meanwhile, Colosimo attempted to play down the importance of setting a new Hyundai A-League record for time spent without conceding a goal.
The Sky Blues’ defence has not been breached in 479 minutes and must hold Gold Coast out for 69 minutes to eclipse the old mark.
“We’re focused on (claiming) three points to be honest,” he said.
“There’s no doubt that at the start of the season we set our targets, not so much in how many minutes or how many in a row, but more so of having a certain amount of clean sheets.”
“Around the world in every league you looking at the top couple of teams around and a lot of their winning championships is based on how many clean sheets they’ve had.”
Asked if Gold Coast is the most dangerous team he has faced this season, a cautious Colosimo said: “One of – I don’t want to say that they’re not difficult to face because then that’ll just create issues with them but I mean every year of the A-League, this year also, has shown that every team’s hard to beat.”
“I think Melbourne and Gold Coast are definitely two very, very dangerous teams but you know we got rolled here by Newcastle and North Queensland so I mean every team’s good.”
“Gold Coast are very, very dangerous going forward and they’re probably more unpredictable than Melbourne are in terms of their defensive structure or attacking structure.”
