Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou believes the break has done his players a world of good as they prepare for Saturday’s clash with the Phoenix in Wellington.
Despite a turbulent few weeks which included skipper Craig Moore leaving the club and a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Gold Coast, Postecoglou says the Roar have put it behind them and are looking forward to their clash with Wellingotn.
“(The break was) pretty important, it gave us a chance to refresh a few of the blokes. It’s been good and everyone’s trained really well towards the end of the week,” he said.
“Obviously the last result was a very poor one for us but we’ve got a chance to bounce back.”
“(Wellington’s) a difficult place, but certainly it’s an opportunity against one of the sides we’re fighting for a top 6 spot.”
“I know they haven’t lost at home for 15-16 games, so they’re a tough nut to crack over there. It’s a hell of a challenge for us, but if we go over there and get the points then we’re at home for Newcastle and we can set ourselves up.”
“We got well and truly beaten last time we were out there, so there’s a bit of pride there to come back.”
The Roar’s game against the Phoenix will be their first without Moore, but Postecoglou said the Socceroo’s departure was no surprise and plans were in place to cover him.
“We knew Craig Moore was going in January a long time ago. I know the last couple of weeks there’s been a bit of hysteria about it, but I knew this 3-4 weeks ago so it’s certainly no surprise to me. We’ve been planning for it for a while as a club,” said Postecoglou.
“The players pretty much knew it as well so it hasn’t really been much of a disruption as far as our planning.”
“Josh McCloughan will come in for him and we’ll sign another player, maybe two in the next week or so.”
“We’ve been working on that for a little while, hopefully in the next 7-10 days we’ll bring in a couple of defenders to make sure we’ve got enough cover for the end of the year.”
Brisbane striker Reinaldo, fully fit for the first time since coming back from Korea last season, agreed with his coach’s assessment.
“Of course Craig Moore is a big loss for us, he was a good leader for us as well, but we have good defenders here who can do his job,” he said.
“I think if (the club is) changing, it’s changing for good. We have to accept that. We players are professional and just have to work hard.”
Postecoglou’s plans were nearly undone when McCloughan limped off the field at training, but the Roar coach was adamant the defender would be right for Saturday’s clash.
“He’s had a bit of an ankle knock so we’re just protecting him and he’s protecting himself. He’s smart enough to know what he can and can’t do, but he’ll be fine and he’ll play,” said Postecoglou.
While the game against Wellington provides the Roar a chance to edge further ahead of a team just one point behind them on the A-League ladder, Postecoglou was quick to point out this wouldn’t be the game to make or break their season.
“They’re all crucial. It’ll go down to the wire, it’s just the nature of the competition. Whatever we do this week I guarantee there’ll still be a block of 6 teams battling for those spots,” he added.
