Playmaker Milos Ninkovic confident goals will return for Sydney FC

Star playmaker Milos Ninkovic rejects the notion his Sydney FC are out of form but has implored his teammates to switch on for the full 90 minutes against a dangerous Wellington Phoenix.

Sydney FC star Milos Ninkovic is wary of Wellington’s goalscoring threat. Picture: Getty Images

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There’s something about Wellington this season sparking a wariness in ordinarily self-assured opponents.

Take that fact and mash it together with Sydney FC’s recent scoring difficulties, and Saturday’s stand-off in Campbelltown could be quite the humdinger.

The reawakened Phoenix have either held or beaten all the big guns at least once under Mark Rudan’s leadership, and may fancy themselves against a Sky Blues side they put to the sword 3-1 at Jubilee Stadium in December.

While Steve Corica’s men looked the goods in subsequent weeks - including a 1-0 revenge win over Wellington across the ditch last month - they’ve just dropped five points against the two bottom-placed teams in as many rounds.

And star playmaker Milos Ninkovic is alert to the danger brought by prolific goal-scorer Roy Krishna who, with 12 goals, is one shy of golden-boot leader Adam Le Fondre.

Sydney FC star Milos Ninkovic is wary of Wellington’s goalscoring threat. Picture: Getty Images

“They have Krishna, (David) Williams, other very good players,” Ninkovic said.

“That’s why we need to concentrate from the first to the 90th minute, because if Wellington have one or two chances probably they will score.

“It’s very important, especially after taking only one point from the last two games ... every player needs to give 100 per cent. That’s the only way.”

Sydney’s last-out 1-1 draw with Central Coast, coupled with the previous week’s 2-1 loss to Brisbane, have left the Premiers’ Plate all but mathematically out of reach.

Those performances - featuring a combined 40 shots but only one goal from open play - have prompted big questions about the achievability of the club’s title aspirations.

Not that Ninkovic thought there was cause for concern.

Sydney FC striker Adam Le Fondre tops the A-League goalscoring charts. Picture: Getty Images

“I wouldn’t say we are out of form,” Ninkovic said.

“If you look at Adam Le Fondre he’s scored 13 goals, and Reza (Ghoochannejhad) just came to a new team, new league, new country. He needs a little bit of time.

“If you remember maybe last year or two years ago, basically every shot on goal was a goal. “When I scored 10 goals two years ago, every shot was a goal. This season I’m a little bit unlucky maybe.

“But that’s football - sometimes you score goals, sometimes a goal doesn’t come. We score a lot of goals in training, we just need to do this in the game.

Wellington striker Roy Krishna is in fine form. Picture: Getty Images

“Against City at home we didn’t play well but we won, Melbourne Victory both games we played well and lost. Against Brisbane we played well, we lost.

“We’re just a bit unlucky - Brisbane had two shots on goal and scored two goals. Central Coast had one shot, they scored a goal basically from nothing.”

Ninkovic has been a Sky Blues standout in his fourth A-League campaign and jointly leads the Alex Tobin Medal tally with Krishna and Perth Glory’s Spanish maestro Diego Castro.

Milos Ninkovic has high praise for new Sydney FC recruit Reza Ghoochannejhad. Picture: AAP

Often the source of a decisive final ball, the 34-year-old was optimistic about his on-field connection with new recruit Ghoochannejhad and felt certain the former Iran international, playing as one half of a two-pronged strikeforce with Le Fondre, was set to score any moment.

“I reckon he will score this week, I have a feeling. Because he found an apartment. He lives next to my building in my area,” Ninkovic said.

“He’s very good on the ball, he understands football. With this type of player it’s easy to understand each other.

“New country, new team, new style of football. Of course, he will need time to adapt. I think he’ll improve every game. He’s an unbelievable player.”