Sydney FC coach Steve Corica faces a test of nerves and tactics in derby with Wanderers

Western Sydney Wanderers are not the attacking threat they once were but neither, it seems, are Sydney FC. How will it all play out? MARK BOSNICH previews this weekend’s A-League Sydney derby.

Will the pressure tell on Steve Corica? (Mark Brake/Getty Images)

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Western Sydney Wanderers are not the attacking threat they once were but neither, it seems, are Sydney FC. How will it all play out? MARK BOSNICH previews this weekend’s A-League Sydney derby.

SYDNEY FC

After last week’s disaster the big question is whether Steve Corica will make changes? Does he drop under-pressure Jop van der Linden after what happened against Wellington and plug Aaron Calver into central defence?

Will the pressure tell on Steve Corica? (Mark Brake/Getty Images)

And how high a line will they keep after last week? They’re playing against a striker in Oriol Riera who’s not electrically quick, so they can probably afford to keep a higher line. But on the other hand, Jaushua Sotirio and Bruce Kamaua will be playing either side of him are they are quick. I imagine Sydney would have done a lot of work in training this week on how deep a line they keep because that will affect their whole field positioning.

It’ll also be important that one of Michael Zullo or Rhyan Grant are tucked inside. Every time one of the Phoenix’s front players, specifically Roy Krishna, ran in between the fullbacks and centre-backs, the ball got played over the top and they were through. This week it’s going to be Sotirio and Kamau starting as inside forwards and looking to exploit that.

Baumjohann is becoming a focal point for the Wanderers. (AAP Image/Brendon Thorne)

WANDERERS

The key from an attacking perspective is ensuring Alex Baumjohann gets time and space on the ball. The runs of his teammates therefore need to be made around him but not necessarily towards him.

They’ve got to ensure that even when Oriol Riera comes towards the ball he doesn’t congest that middle of the park too much for Baumjohann. If he does, and two players are five or so metres away from each other they can be marked by one player.

If they’re 10 metres or further you can start spreading things out and you need two of the opposition to mark you. That’s going to be very important, how deep Riera comes in, because that could affect how much time and space Baumjohann gets.

Basically what the Wanderers will be looking to do in possession as they’re building up, whether it be direct or through the midfield, is to make sure they players around him are not too close to him.

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