They might not quite be the Barcelona of the Hyundai A-League despite what their fans think, but Sydney FC’s Brett Emerton concedes record-breaking Brisbane Roar would lose nothing in comparison to most European teams.
Ahead of his team’s meeting with Roar at Kogarah Oval on Sunday, the former Blackburn and Feyenoord star declared the Queenslanders capable of holding their own in top company.
Brisbane have gone 36 games without defeat, setting a new record for professional sporting teams in Australia, and Emerton believes they are playing the type of football plied by top overseas clubs.
“It’s hard to compare them against teams in Europe but I don’t think they would be overawed if they came up against European competition,” Emerton told Sportal.
“I think they would continue to play the way they’ve played for a couple of years now and do very well.”
“I’ve been very impressed. They move the ball very well and make it very difficult for teams to close them down.”
“When they do lose possession they close you down very quickly.”
“They are a fantastic team. You don’t go that many games unbeaten without possessing great quality.”
Sydney FC at suburban Kogarah is the next step for the Roar juggernaut – seven weeks after they disposed of the Sky Blues 2-0 at the SFS.
The scoreline was slightly deceiving as the hosts squandered a handful of chances before being buried by a second goal after 71 minutes.
Emerton believes Sydney will take heart from that display as they look to end a two-match losing run.
“We gave them a good shake for 45 minutes in that first game before the second goal killed us off,” he said.
“That is still firmly in our minds and we know we have the quality in the team to give them a run for their money.”
“It’s a tough game for us and one we need to win to get back on track but as a player you always look forward to challenges and this is definitely one of them.”
“After two disappointing results for us we want to get back on track and what better way to do that than against a team like Brisbane.”
“If we could win it would be fantastic for us and for our confidence.”
