Muscat and Corica bring contrasting styles to Big Blue

Opposing coaches Kevin Muscat and Steve Corica will bring very different styles to the first Big Blue of the season.

Sydney FC coach Steve Corica. Picture: AAP

They are good mates and played with and against each other at the highest level, but you could not find two more different personalities than Sydney FC coach Steve Corica and his counterpart at Melbourne Victory, Kevin Muscat.

The two will go head to head for the first time in the Big Blue at Sydney’s Jubilee Oval tomorrow and you won’t find a starker contrast as they watch the fortunes of their teams from the sidelines.

Just as he was as a player, Muscat is a ball of intensity, competitiveness and fierceness as he rides every pass and tackle, every refereeing decision. He prowls the coach’s technical area like a caged lion.

Corica says with a laugh as he describes his mate: “Some people know him as a cranky one, but off the field he is a great guy.

“I am looking forward to it. I’ve played with and against him. We were at (English club) Wolves at the same time and we are very good friends still. We also played in the national team together.

“He is very focused and aggressive, just as he was as a player. It’s no surprise he has had plenty of success as a coach.

“No matter what, when it comes to Sunday it’s not about us but about our teams.”

Corica is widely known as Bimbi because of his baby-faced looks and gentle character. Softly spoken, he is not one for histrionics and prefers his own laid-back style.

He is not about to change now that he has assumed the senior position at the Sky Blues following Graham Arnold’s departure to coach the Socceroos at the end of last season.

“No, no, I won’t get involved in that,” he said when asked if he would be tempted to fire back at Muscat, who has never been afraid to make his feelings known to the opposition bench at times.

“I’ll be focused and I am sure Musky will be the same.

“I’m more about staying calm on the sidelines and showing that to the boys.”

While Muscat is an old hand in the Big Blue, first as a player and now as coach, this will be Corica’s first time in charge as a coach. He played for the Sky Blues a number of times in this fixture.

“As a player, the Big Blue was always massive and still is,” Corica says. “The boys are looking forward to this because it is right up there (with the biggest games of the season).”

Having said that, Corica wasn’t about to make a big deal of the circumstances leading into the first clash of the season between two of the A-League’s heavyweights.

The last time they met was in the grand final qualifier in April when Terry Antonis scored a late winner in extra time to send the Victorians into the season decider a week later against Newcastle Jets. Victory went on to claim the title, coming from fourth spot.

Despite creating history in becoming the first club to claim back to back Premiers plates — a whopping 23 points ahead of Victory — the Sky Blues were left to lick their wounds.

Those wounds were even more painful after several of Melbourne’s coaching staff raced on to the field to celebrate the goal, even though the game wasn’t over, and one exchanged words with a Sydney player.

“We haven’t spoken about it to the players, but I am sure it is in the back of their minds,” Corica says. “It really hurt us not going into the grand final last season as we were the best team and finished first by a lot of points.

“But it is a new season. Both teams have new players.

“They have changed (assistant) coaches, we’ve changed (main and assistant) coaches, there’s been lot of changes. But, the main focus is our performance and how we want to do well at home.”

The game will be played in front of a sellout crowd of 19,000.