Why it’s crunch time for Sydney FC, decision Victory coach deserves credit for

Sydney FC has hit a crossroads in its season and it’s not about to get any easier while Melbourne Victory coach Arthur Diles must be applauded for his decision making. Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde break it down.

It’s crunch time for Sydney FC. Photo: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images.

Sydney FC has hit a crossroads in its season and it’s not about to get any easier while Melbourne Victory coach Arthur Diles must be applauded for his decision making. Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde break it down.

CRUNCH TIME FOR SLIDING SYDNEY

Forget about the title ­– Sydney FC will be lucky to finish in the top six given the way the Sky Blues have performed in their past couple of games.

The Sydneysiders are definitely on the slide, and things aren’t about to get any easier considering their next two matches are against the in-form Adelaide United and arch-rivals Western Sydney.

They are games which could define the Sky Blues’ season.

While it’s still too early to write off Sydney’s chances of winning silverware, Ufuk Talay’s inconsistent team is a source of frustration for the club’s fans as well as the many who tipped the Sky Blues to win the championship before the season started.

Things seemed to be back on track earlier this month with consecutive wins over Perth Glory and the Central Coast Mariners.

However, the comfortable nature of the victories – 3-0 and 4-1 respectively – perhaps should have been expected given that the Glory and the Mariners are among the competition’s battlers this season.

The Sky Blues then went to Wellington, where they couldn’t break down a dogged Phoenix defence, before returning to Allianz Stadium and suffering an embarrassing 4-3 loss to a Brisbane Roar team that previously hadn’t won all season.

Joe Lolley of Sydney FC. Photo: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images.

A response was expected in Friday night’s “Big Blue” against Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park

However, in one of the biggest matches on the A-League calendar, the Sky Blues were lacklustre, with the Victory winning 2-0 and never looking in any serious danger of being beaten.

Without the injured Douglas Costa, there seems to be an over-reliance on English winger Joe Lolley, who is under pressure to shine every week.

The absence on Friday night of Sydney’s midfield general Anthony Caceres, who missed the match due to concussion protocols, was also a key factor in the Sky Blues’ defeat.

The Socceroo is the heart and soul of Sydney’s engine room, and he can’t return soon enough for Talay’s team.

However, even with Caceres back, the Sky Blues still have some major defensive problems to address.

Their defending from the set piece that Victory striker Nikos Vergos scored from on Friday was poor.

The tentativeness of goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares is also becoming more apparent.

Devenish-Meares should have come out to deal with the long ball that led to substitute Bruno Fornaroli scoring the Victory’s match-sealing goal.

We can only wonder what former Socceroos goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne has been thinking while warming the Sydney bench in recent weeks.

With Socceroos defender Hayden Matthews in the UK and about to sign with Portsmouth, the Sky Blues must ensure the loan deal of centre-back Alex Popovic is extended, and they also must complement that during the current transfer window with the signing of an experienced central defender.

Sydney has conceded 26 goals in 15 A-League games this season, and that’s far too many to be considered a genuine title contender.

VICTORY AT LAST FOR DILES

Sydney’s pain was the Victory’s gain on Friday night.

While it wasn’t a vintage display from the hosts at AAMI Park, they just needed to claim the three points after a run of six games without a win since the appointment of interim coach Arthur Diles.

The Victory have too many quality players to not be part of this season’s final series, and while one win doesn’t mean all their problems are fixed, it will go a long way towards restoring belief that they can achieve something despite last month’s shock departure of coach Patrick Kisnorbo, who had the team near the top of ladder prior to his exit.

Credit must go to Diles for making the tough, but correct, decision to drop goalkeeper Jack Duncan and bring in former Socceroos gloveman Mitch Langerak.

Mitch Langerak made his first Melbourne Victory appearance since returning from Japan. Photo: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images.

Duncan had been admirable all season but a change had to be made with Langerak having made his official return to the Victory earlier this month after several years overseas.

Langerak’s leadership qualities were obvious on Friday night as he ensured a calm and composed defensive display from a team that had conceded nine goals in its previous three games.

It was also no coincidence that Victory skipper and central defender Roderick Miranda had his best game in several weeks in Langerak’s first appearance since rejoining the club.

With their next three games against three teams currently in the bottom five – Perth, Newcastle and Wellington – the Victory can’t waste the chance to gain some much-needed momentum ahead of the derby against Melbourne City on February 22.

TOM’S ON TARGET

Former Brisbane Roar prodigy Thomas Waddingham has made an immediate impact at Portsmouth by scoring on debut for the English Championship club, and there is no doubt that Socceroos coach Tony Popovic would have taken notice ahead of Australia’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March against Indonesia and China.

However, Waddingham can’t afford to start thinking about his chances of playing for the Socceroos.

He just needs to concern himself with settling down at Portsmouth and making the most of any opportunity that he gets.

At just 19, Waddingham has his whole professional career in front of him, and that will include plenty of Socceroos caps if he continues on his current trajectory.

We shouldn’t be putting any pressure on him at the moment. Just let him play, hopefully score goals and the rest should then take care of itself.

Team of the week (includes midweek performances): (4-1-3-2) Mitch Langerak (Melbourne Victory); Kealey Adamson (Macarthur FC), Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC), Roderick Miranda (Melbourne Victory), Kasey Bos (Melbourne Victory); Luke Brattan (Macarthur FC); Clayton Taylor (Newcastle Jets), Zinedine Machach (Melbourne Victory), Jed Drew (Macarthur FC); Archie Goodwin (Adelaide United), Valere Germain (Macarthur FC). Coach: Arthur Diles (Melbourne Victory)

Player of the week: Mitch Langerak (Melbourne Victory)

Originally published as Why it’s crunch time for Sydney FC, decision Victory coach deserves credit for