Sydney FC’s defensive issues could be what costs them a spot in the final six as we move into the last four rounds of the regular season.
Sydney FC and Western United found themselves all tied up with a 3-3 draw after a game filled with spectacles and entertainment all-round.
United were the first to find the back of the net, and were quick to snatch back their lead after Sydney FC grabbed their first equaliser.
Despite the even score in the end, the hosts went down 3-1 before they were able to close the gap. It was Robert Mak who only just managed to scrape in the last-minute equaliser that made it an even match.
Sky Blue coach, Steve Corica, admitted that he was on the edge of his seat for the majority of the match.
“If it wasn’t for Robbie (Mak), that would’ve been really tough to take,” Corica said.
Corica made it clear that although he’s proud of his squad for getting themselves back into the game, he was disappointed with the goals that were conceded.
“We got caught too high, it’s not on. It’s a defensive problem and we need to fix it,” he said.
But this looseness in defence is not something that has just sprung up out of the blue for Sydney FC, it is a pattern that has been building over the course of the season and Western United coach, John Aloisi, picked up on it.
Aloisi implied that it was their strategy all along to use Sydney’s defensive weaknesses and catch them out when they sat too high.
“We felt that we could hurt them if we played the ball forward quickly,” Aloisi said.
“They put a lot of numbers forward, so as soon as you outplay that, you can get down the other end pretty quick, and that’s what we did.”
This defensive issue is something that Sydney FC are going to have to tidy up pretty quickly if they want to hold onto their hopes for the upcoming finals rounds.
Next week, they come up against a tough Adelaide United who are currently sitting in second on the table. The final three games following that are all teams that are currently sitting below Sydney, and Corica believes that those are the ones that will matter most.
“We’re confident, it’s in our hands,” Corica said.
“But mistakes are dangerous if you make too many.”
Feature image credit: Jaime Castaneda
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