Western Sydney boss Mark Rudan wants his team to become more ruthless and not wait to go a goal down before sparking into action.
Less than a month after taking charge of the struggling Wanderers, Rudan, whose side face Wellington Phoenix on Sunday, has two wins from six A-League Men games.
Rudan’s side lost 3-2 to Western United on Sunday before a midweek 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.
The Wanderers have shown glimpses of what they are capable of but Rudan bemoans the fact they only hit their straps when they go behind.
In three of the four games they have scored first this season, the Wanderers have gone on to win.
“I get the feeling that we play when it’s 1-0 down and we put the accelerator on,” he said.
“We need to change the mentality so when it’s 0-0 we need to play, rather than we’re 1-0 down.
“I’ve seen heads drop when we concede when I first arrived.
“Mistakes happen and games are full of mistakes, but your reaction is always more important. I like a positive reaction when things happen.
“We saw that in the Sunday game when we went after them when we were away from home, but it’s all a learning curve for us.”
The congested calendar has prevented Rudan from getting on the training ground as much as he would have liked since taking charge following the sacking of Carl Robinson.
While he experimented with his usual tactic of playing a back three against Western, the Wanderers boss said he would likely stick with four at the back until he could get his squad up to speed with how he wants to play.
“Some players probably weren’t in the right condition for the way I like to play in the attacking third,” he said.
“They’re good boys and they understand what’s required of them.
“The bar is high and the mindset has to change and I’ve shown through my selection that names are irrelevant. It’s about doing the work.”
Defender Tate Russell is back in contention for selection after missing the Western loss, while James Troisi has been sent for scans and is in doubt for the Wellington clash.
Jack Rodwell remains sidelined with a hamstring complaint.
