Mile Sterjovski will usher in a new era when he takes charge of Macarthur FC for the first time and the former Socceroo said he is ready to take the plunge into top-flight coaching.
Sterjovski is the head coach of Macarthur after the Bulls and Manchester United great Dwight Yorke parted ways last week.
Former Macarthur assistant Sterjovski turned down the chance to replace Ante Milicic last year due to his lack of experience that led to the Bulls appointing Yorke.
But the 43-time Australia international – after extensive experience working with Macarthur’s NPL side – is confident he is now equipped for the role in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
“I think I’ve had a lot more to learn and a lot more to deal with, even in the NPL space,” Sterjovski said ahead of Saturday’s game against defending champions Western United.
“I actually feel like I’m a lot more prepared and I think that’s the difference.
“It’s going to take a bit of time to get my influence over the team.
“But I want the boys to keep being motivated, we have the same goals from the beginning of the season.”
Sterjovski believes he can get the best out of Daniel Arzani after accepting the Bulls job at the second time of asking.
How he deploys Arzani, who was used as an impact substitute by Yorke, could play a big part in the Bulls’ fortunes as they aim to maintain their place in the top six.
“He’s very important when he’s on, obviously he’s great,” Sterjovski said. “My job is to make sure everyone’s firing and everyone’s playing in the same way.”
Sterjovski said he wanted to play possession-based football, citing the Bulls’ inability to keep hold of the ball as a key reason behind their inconsistency.
Macarthur FC (44%) have the second-lowest rate of possession of any team this season.
The 43-year-old, meanwhile, said he would look to promote players from within, with midfielder Jake Hollman awarded a new two-year contract extension on Friday.
Sterjovski said his side, who are without striker Lachlan Rose and midfielder Danny De Silva due to injury, would look to strengthen in the next few weeks.
“We are speaking to a couple of people to see what we can do,” he said.
“At the same time there’s a few good young players from our academy we will look at integrating to give us some energy.”
