Sydney FC striker John Aloisi insists his side won’t obsess over the ominous task of stopping Robbie Fowler ahead of Saturday’s Hyundai A-League blockbuster against newcomers North Queensland Fury in Townsville.
Aloisi, who could not recall whether or not he played against the former Liverpool star during stints with English clubs Portsmouth and Coventry, hailed Fowler’s decision to join the A-League as ‘good for the game’.
But while the 34-year-old’s arrival has dominated the headlines in the lead-up to the 2009/10 campaign, the former Socceroo claims the living legend has barely rated a mention during the Sky Blues’ preparations for the season opener.
“We haven’t really talked about Robbie playing at all but we’re expecting that he’s a good striker,” said Aloisi, who has been cleared to take his place in the starting line-up after overcoming a minor ankle injury.
“Even when he’s not in the game you can’t slacken off because he’s got so much quality that he only has to touch the ball and it’s in the back of the net.”
“So we’re just concentrating on our own game and making sure that we do our things right.”
Coach Vitezslav Lavicka backed up Aloisi’s assertions, laughing off suggestions he would deploy an army of defenders to shut down the man known simply as ‘God’ by many English football fans.
“We work as a team, not personally marking for him but we will try to cover him and be successful,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aloisi distanced himself from talk the encounter would double as a shootout between the two marquee men.
“We just want to go out there and do our best and make sure we get the good result,” Aloisi explained.
“(It’s) no head-to-head battle and I’m sure he’s feeling the same way – he just wants to win for his club.”
While eager to avoid the hype, the 33-year-old, who endured a difficult first season with the Sky Blues scoring twice in 16 appearances, is primed for a bumper campaign this season.
“It’s the best I’ve felt for a long time, I had a really good pre-season, it’s been a long tough one, we’ve played a lot of friendly games but I’m feeling good,” he said.
“Everyone can’t wait and I’m no different and really looking forward to this season.”
“We know as a team we’re going to grow and we’re going to get even better game by game, but personally I’d love to get off to a good start and score a goal in the first game.”
But Aloisi knows it won’t be easy against a vastly different Fury line-up to the one the Sydneysiders easily defeated during the pre-season.
“It is a completely different (Fury) side and we expect a tough game,” he said.
“I know we beat them 4-0 but that was only a pre-season friendly and they’ve signed a few more players since then so they’re going to be tough and it’s going to be a good battle.”
