Brisbane Roar coach Frank Farina has given the all clear for hamstrung veteran Danny Tiatto to take the field against Wellington on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium, but admits his club faces a difficult task in managing Tiatto’s latest injury setback.
Tiatto is battling the same niggling back-related hamstring complaint that interrupted his pre-season and forced the midfielder from the ground just before half-time in last Saturday’s 3-3 draw with the Melbourne Victory.
The former Qantas Socceroo had a light week on the park but took part in training on Friday.
Farina was unsure of how many minutes Tiatto would last against the Phoenix, though, conceding the Roar would now have to treat the hardman with diligent care for the rest of the 2009/10 Hyundai A-League season.
“He looked good, so we’ve just got to nurse him through these weeks and get him up for games,” Farina said.
“He’s just got to be managed properly … if he misses a few sessions or does it a bit lighter than the others, I can accept that, as long as he’s ready to play.”
“Hopefully (he will make it through the season)… if we can manage it, there’s every chance he’ll be right for every game.”
Farina was a little more tightlipped when asked about the likelihood of Charlie Miller breaking into Brisbane’s starting lineup.
“He’s a chance. I haven’t made a decision on that, but he’s a good chance,” he said.
“Charlie’s not exactly what we call an impact player off the bench, at certain stages of the game he can do that, but we need to get him game time.”
“He’s had a pretty interrupted pre-season, so there’s no way if he did start he’ll last 90 (minutes), but we’ll get an hour, or 45 (minutes) – we’ll see how it goes.”
Michael Zullo has overcome an ankle injury, while the signs are good for Brazilian striker Reinaldo (ankle) and youngster Tommy Oar (quadriceps), with the pair expected to return to full training within one to two weeks.
The Roar have a prime opportunity to register their first victory for the season on Sunday when they host Wellington, a side that has never beaten Brisbane since entering the competition in 2007.
The Phoenix lost last season’s golden-boot winner in Shane Smeltz over the off-season, but Farina believed the visitors would be just as dangerous with Barbados international Paul Ifill and League One journeyman Chris Greenacre up front.
“Shane did score a lot of goals for them, but I think (Wellington coach) Ricki (Herbert) has done well with his recruitment.”
“The two guys they’ve recruited look the goods … one player is never a team.”
