Wellington Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert has flown in reinforcements as a means of rectifying his side’s fractured form ahead of Friday’s away clash with Sydney FC.
Midfielder Troy Hearfield and defender Manny Muscat boarded a plane on Tuesday to join their Phoenix team-mates after originally being left out of the squad for Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Perth Glory and the Sydney match.
After a poor showing against the Glory where the Phoenix again slipped to the bottom of the Hyundai A-League – the position they finished in the club’s debut last season – Herbert may look at other options.
“It’s a case of adding some flexibility to the squad,” Herbert said. “It’s been a long road trip and we wanted to inject some fresh players who can offer us something difficult if we deem it necessary.”
“Given that we played Perth on Sunday and then play Sydney on Friday, we thought it prudent to bring Troy and Manny over early so that they’re here and ready to go if we need them.”
Lack of strike power was the Phoenix’s concern at the start of the 2008/09 season and it is starting to rear its ugly head again.
Shane Smeltz’s hot goal-scoring streak has cooled and he is receiving little support, which opened the door for Glory striker Nikita Rukavytsya’s double in Sunday’s loss.
“We had a lot of possession and were never really under too much pressure for most of the match but the decision-making wasn’t what it needed to be in the front third,” Herbert said.
“Chances need to be created and pressure needs to be applied to the opposition and everyone has a part to play in that.”
“It’s certainly not the responsibility of one or two players to create and convert scoring opportunities; it’s the responsibility of everyone on the park.”
