Graham Arnold hints at divide between Adelaide United players and coach Guillermo Amor

SYDNEY FC coach Graham Arnold has questioned the relationship between Adelaide United’s players and their coach Guillermo Amor.

SOCCER - Adelaide United training at Coopers Stadium. Tarek Elrich. Photo Sarah Reed.

SYDNEY FC coach Graham Arnold has questioned the relationship between Adelaide United’s players and their coach Guillermo Amor.

Starting the mind games ahead of tonight’s clash between United and Syndey at Hindmarsh, Arnold praised former boss Josep Gombau’s ability to get the best out of his squad.

“The coach (Gombau) got a lot out of the individuals like Tarek Elrich and Craig Goodwin and Osama Malik.

“He got the maximum out of them — players like relationships with coaches ... But I’m not sure about their relationship with Guillermo Amor.

“The times that I’ve met him he’s a very nice man.”

Elrich and Goodwin found form at Adelaide under Gombau after they were turned away by Western Sydney and Newcastle Jets respectively — while Malik joined the Socceroos pre-2014 FIFA World Cup training camp.

“They’ve got players that are committed too each other and the question I can’t answer and I get regularly asked is the loss of Josep (Gombau),’’ Arnold said before flying to Adelaide yesterday ahead of tonight’s game.

“The only way I can answer that is what the players say.

Elrich was rewarded with three Socceroos caps for his super form last season while Goodwin is aiming to become part of Ange Postecoglou’s squad after he was capped twice under former Australia coach Holger Osieck in 2013.

But Arnold predicted it would be a difficult clash for Adelaide after the Reds scored their first win of the season — 1-0 over Glory — at home on Sunday where the temperature peaked at 41.7C before kick off.

Arnold said judging from recent experience — his squad had seven days to recover from a scorching 36C kick off in Perth against Glory (0-0) in November and struggled with heavy legs in a scoreless draw with Wellington Phoenix — Adelaide may show signs of fatigue.

“It saps a lot out of you,’’ he said.

“We had a bigger turnaround against Wellington and we still hadn’t recovered, it’s a tough ask for Adelaide but they are at home.”

Sydney skipper Alex Brosque has been ruled out with a hamstring problem while Adelaide coach Amor said Elrich was “OK” after he had X-rays on his ankle which he injured on Sunday.

Amor ruled Bruce Kamau out after the winger injured his hamstring during training at Elizabeth on Monday.

Originally published as Graham Arnold hints at divide between Adelaide United players and coach Guillermo Amor