Brisbane Roar FC coach Frans Thijssen said he was disappointed with his team’s first half performance because they didn’t play the sort of football he wanted against Sydney FC in Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw at Suncorp Stadium.
Thijssen refused to blame the humid conditions or a below par pitch for his team’s long ball strategy early on in their game against Sydney FC.
“The first half was not good enough and I told them at halftime. That was the first time I was angry with them at halftime because that was not the team I know, ” Thijssen said.
“We played a lot of long balls and they are physically a bit stronger than we are.
“And if you lose a lot of one v ones you never get back in the game and that was a big problem.
“I see all perfect pitches in Australia, but this one didn’t look perfect. But that’s not the reason.”
Thijssen also acknowledged that skipper Matt McKay had left a big hole in his midfield.
With the Socceroo workhorse away for the Asian Cup, both Adam Sarota and Steven Lustica were unable to stamp their mark on the game.
“We miss a bit of experience of course in the midfield because if Matt McKay is not there you miss a player who takes the others by the hand.”
Thijssen will be hoping his team improves drastically heading into their match against Wellington Phoenix, the side’s last match before the Asian Cup break.
