Arnold and Popovic a study in contrasts as Sydney derby looms

While Sydney FC boss Graham Arnold exudes confidence, Tony Popovic is a man under the pump.

Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold celebrates another win for the Sky Blues.

One coach is flying high, his side unbeaten after 19 rounds and 11 points clear at the top of the table. They will almost certainly claim the Premiers Plate in the next ­couple of weeks.

The other is fighting speculation about his future and the pressure of keeping his ­under­performing team in contention for the playoffs.

You’d be hard pressed to find a starker contrast in fortunes than the one confronting Sydney FC’s Graham Arnold and his mate, Western Sydney Wanderers boss, Tony Popovic.

Arnold looked relaxed and comfortable, as he has done for most of the season, yesterday before completing preparations for the latest instalment of the Sydney derby at ANZ Stadium tonight.

Understandably, there is an air of confidence about the Sky Blues boss as his players attempt to equal Apia Leichhardt’s 30-year-old ­record of going 20 games unbeaten to start a season.

Every team in the A-League has failed, some three times and others twice so far to break ­Sydney’s resolve.

Sydney have scored more goals (41) and conceded less (nine) than any other team this season. They are almost the complete package.

Arnold has been a different beast compared to last season, when Sydney’s challenge fell apart in the latter part of the campaign due to having to combine the A-League with ACL commitments.

He has made a conscious effort to alter his way of thinking, both in the way he handles his players and when dealing with the media.

The tone of his interviews is clearly different and designed to exude confidence and show he is in control at the club.

He hasn’t been afraid to set ­targets — wanting his team to be “The Invincibles” is a good case in point. He has been happy to talk about the prospect of going through the season unbeaten.

The players have clearly bought into the mantra.

Over the other side of the fence, it has been a different story as the struggling Wanderers have been left in Sydney’s wake. The 26-point gap between the two sides is indicative of the different fortunes of both clubs.

Western Sydney have been in and out of the top six for much of the past couple of months. While they have played well, they have struggled in front of goal.

With just four wins in 19 games — just two more than bottom side Adelaide United — it is remarkable they are still in contention for the finals.

But the fact they are still a chance for the playoffs has done nothing to appease the Wanderers faithful who have far higher ­expectations of their club. Hence the pressure on Popovic and the fact the fans are unapologetic over their calls for him to resign or be sacked.

To be fair, neither scenario is going to happen.

In less than five years in charge, Popovic has guided the club to a remarkable three grand finals ­appearances, a Premiers Plate and an Asian Champions League title. The club won’t be in a hurry to let him go.

Popovic has faith in his ability to get his team firing when it counts, at the business end of the season.

“I have no doubt we can still make the grand final” is the line he has continually pushed in recent times.

As for the pressure, it is not something he has been willing to acknowledge, although his demeanour during recent appear­ances in front of the media has been instructive. Normally upbeat and full of confidence, he has been more defensive and wary.

The shock 2-0 loss to Central Coast Mariners last week was a difficult one for Popovic, who came under fire not just for losing the match, but because of his team selection which had leading goalscorer Brendon Santalab on the bench despite a man-of-the-match, two-goal performance the week before against Wellington Phoenix.

Arnold understands what Pop­ovic is going through. He dealt with it first-hand last season in his second year with Sydney, as the club failed to make the playoffs after being grand finalists the ­season before.

Having played with and coached him at Socceroos level, Arnold has no doubts Popovic will get through this tough period.

“He is a wonderful man is Popa. He was like my little brother for a long, long time,” Arnold said yesterday. “I love the guy and have a lot of time and respect for Tony. He is a fantastic coach, he is a tough man.

“He has been through tough times as a player before and tough times before as a coach. He’ll get through it, he’ll be fine.

“It’s like anything, you learn lessons in adversity. In life you learn from mistakes.

“Whether it is now or later for him, he will learn and he’ll keep learning and one day, and he is now, he’ll end up a top manager somewhere in the world, in a top league.

“It’s a tough position but at the end of the day he is doing a ­wonderful job.”