Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka said his side has taken ‘small steps’ after they picked up their first win in a month with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Jets in Newcastle on Monday afternoon.
Sydney capitlaised on two defensive blunders by the Jets, the first leaving Japanese import Hirofumi Moriyasu unmarked at the back post at a corner and the second an errant back pass that allowed Bruno Cazarine to put the ball into an empty net for a 2-0 lead at half-time.
The Sky Blues then defended gamely in the second half in the face of a Newcastle attacking onslaught to hold on for a much-needed win.
“The difference is we started very well, we played the first half actively and we pushed up to put the opposition under pressure and created a couple of chances and scored two goals. I think the first half was very good,” Lavicka said after the match.
“The second half we lost some energy. The Jets made some good substitutions and scored one goal and the rest of the game we were under pressure but still compact and waiting for the quick counter attack.”
“I have to say full credit for the Sydney FC players tonight because they showed their character out on the pitch and worked very hard.”
“It was only a small step ahead for us but an important step to get back confidence. Every positive action makes good confidence for us.”
The win lifts Sydney off the bottom of the Hyundai A-League table and pushes them up to ninth place, just three wins outside of the top six with seven games left to play.
“I am happy at this moment that we escaped the bottom position and we did small step forward and we will try to keep going forward for the rest of the season,” Lavicka said.
The Sydney coach deflected comments that Sydney’s recent run of poor performances and going five games without scoring a goal is related to his personal dealings with the club as he negotiates a new contract.
Instead he said was less about character and more about confidence.
“The relationships between every single player and me are all professional,” he said. “Every coach is under pressure if you are not getting the results.”
“But it is not about character – it is about quality and confidence. Without confidence it is difficult to create things and play good football. Tonight, after we scored the first then the second goal the confidence of the team came up – I think that has been our main problem – confidence.”
Sydney FC skipper Terry McFlynn supported Lavicka’s comments.
“Most of the responsibility lies with us.” he said.
“The boss has been getting a lot of criticism in the papers and I think it is unfair. The players have to take full responsibility for the actions on the pitch and as the boss said it has never been about character – it is about confidence.”
“The performance has been there sometimes but we weren’t getting goals. But we are a strong group and we have beliefs and philosophies within the club and we believe inn that and we know we have underperformed.”
“It is about having pride in the jersey, playing for your team-mates, playing for the boss and playing for the fans.”
